Showing 11 results for Taxonomy
Vahid Sepahvand, Christopher C. Tudge,
Volume 1, Issue 2 (12-2019)
Abstract
An annotated checklist of the extant burrowing shrimps (infraorders Axiidea and Gebiidea) of southern waters of Iran is presented for the first time. Six species of Gebiidea and 18 species of Axiidea have been documented from the southern waters of Iran, based on published literature. The species belong to six families: Upogebiidae (6 species), Axiidae (1), Callianassidae (5), Callianideidae (1), Callichiridae (9) and Ctenochelidae (2). The Persian Gulf with 18 species appears to be more diverse than the Gulf of Oman with four species, and two species are common in the both gulfs. Corallianassa martensi (Miers, 1884) is recorded for the first time across the Iranian coast. The present finding is based on specimens collected from the Chabahar, Gulf of Oman coast. A brief diagnosis and illustrations of C. martensi are provided.
Ahmad Mahmoudi, Boris Kryštufek,
Volume 2, Issue 1 (3-2020)
Abstract
We reanalyzed 657 base pairs of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) sequences of the Small Five-toed jerboas Scarturus from Iran, which had been published as Allactaga by Mohammadi et al. (2016) in the Zoology in the Middle East. We show that taxonomic names are available for the three main clusters they recognized: S. hotsoni, S. elater, and S. toussi. The last two species each contained two lineages, both in our analysis as well in those published earlier. We recommend the taxonomic identification of specimens in molecular analyses and call for deposition of voucher material in responsible public collections.
Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh,
Volume 2, Issue 1 (3-2020)
Abstract
General
The text of the book is written bilingually in Persian and English and is printed on thick glossy paper, sized at 25x34 cm. The book is heavy, weighing about 1.5 kg and cannot be held in one hand for long. In the table of contents, each family is indicated with a logo of one species of that family (similar to Mansoori’s Field Guide, 2001). The text starts with 28 pages of introductory general information about birds including a summary of ornithological studies in Iran, Iranian bird checklists, how to use the book, avian morphology and anatomy, avian breeding and migration, how to identify birds, and the major habitats of Iran and conservation categories. This book project was funded by the Iran Department of the Environment. The front cover is illustrated with a picture of a Sind Woodpecker and the back cover with a Hume’s Wheatear.
Frank E. Zachos,
Volume 2, Issue 2 (6-2020)
Abstract
Iran is a country with a very rich mammal fauna, including such iconic species as the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (Griffith), the Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor Pocock, the Mesopotamian fallow deer Dama mesopotamica (Brooke), and the Asiatic wild ass Equus hemionus Pallas. There are no less than eight species of cat (Felidae) living in Iran today, and until recently there were even two more (the Caspian tiger Panthera tigris virgata (Illiger) and the Asiatic lion Panthera leo persica (Meyer)). For comparison, the whole European continent harbours a mere three felids. A recent atlas now adds to our knowledge on this spectacular mammalian line-up and its dissemination. The book, also available as a pdf, by Karami, Ghadirian and Faizolahi lists 183 terrestrial and 16 aquatic species of mammals (including the Caspian tiger and Asiatic lion), from the dugong and the Caspian seal Pusa caspica (Gmelin) to whales and dolphins, bats (Chiroptera) and rodents (Rodentia), from Perissodactyla to Lagomorpha and from Carnivora to Chiroptera ...
Harshil Patel, Raju Vyas,
Volume 2, Issue 3 (9-2020)
Abstract
We re-address the findings of recent publications on herpetofaunal diversity of certain urban areas of Gujarat, India, in which, authors have claimed to report nine frogs and two lizard species for the first time from the State, without any morphological data and/or voucher specimens. We present our critique and comments, with the known distributional ranges of these species and on these erroneous records. We also advocate removal of such species from the faunal list of Gujarat until confirmed reports, based on correctly identified vouchers, are presented. We recommend here that identification of a species should be done following standard protocols and by facilitating the deposition of voucher specimen/s in responsible public repositories for studies involving taxonomy, morphology and range extension.
Lal Muansanga, Malnica Vanlal Malsawmtluangi, Gospel Zothanmawia Hmar, Lal Biakzuala, Vanlal Siammawii, Mathipi Vabeiryureilai, Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga,
Volume 3, Issue 2 (6-2021)
Abstract
Based on a collection of Kurixalus specimens collected from different localities in Mizoram State, we report the occurrence of Kurixalus yangi from the State. Species identification was confirmed based on morphology and molecular data (mitochondrial 16S rRNA marker gene sequence). In addition, we confirm the previous record of Kurixalus naso from the same region to be erroneous as it is in fact K. yangi. Herein, we reassess the systematic status of this montane population of Kurixalus from Northeast India and provide evidence for its distinction from Kurixalus naso sensu stricto, thereby reporting K. yangi as an addition to the amphibian fauna of Mizoram. This record represents the southernmost distribution of the species.
Bruce D. Patterson, Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves, Júlio F. Vilela, André Elias Rodrigues Soares, Felix Grewe,
Volume 3, Issue 2 (6-2021)
Abstract
A brief review of the phylogeny and nomenclature of the weasels, genus Mustela Linnaeus, 1758 in the broad sense, indicates continuing confusion over the appropriate name for the well-supported American clade included within it. A case is made that the American mink (Neovison vison) and three allied species (Mustela frenata, M. felipei, and M. africana) should now be recognized in the genus Neogale Gray, 1865. The ages and morphological disparities of both Neogale and Mustela sensu stricto indicate that both are in need of comprehensive revisions.
Harshil Patel, Rajdeep Jhala, Raju Vyas,
Volume 3, Issue 3 (9-2021)
Abstract
We provide an account on the distribution, morphology and biology of the Indian trinket snake, Coelognathus helena (Daudin, 1803) from Gujarat, India, and report the first record of the subspecies, Coelognathus helena nigriangularis Mohapatra, Schulz, Helfenberger, Hofmann, Dutta from the Gujarat state based on reptile surveys throughout the state. We show that our understanding regarding the morphology of this species is not fully known as our series of specimens shows a high range of 204–245 ventral scales in C. h. helena and 219–279 ventral scales, 78–98 subcaudal scales in C. h. monticollaris.
Spartaco Gippoliti, Dario Fraschetti, Osman Gedow Amir, Francesco M. Angelici,
Volume 4, Issue 2 (6-2022)
Abstract
There is an increased recognition of the threat status of the African lion (Panthera leo), once a widespread top predator of open African habitats. However, our knowledge about the biology of the species is often based on a few study sites in South and East Africa, and the present subspecific taxonomy developed by the IUCN reinforces an idea of homogeneity of the species in Africa. A synthesis of available knowledge regarding the lions of Southern Somalia, formerly proposed as a distinct subspecies, Panthera leo somaliensis is presented. Particular attention is paid to the issue of manelessness in males, a phenomenon that has been studied in Tsavo (N.E. Kenya) but it is highlighted for the first time for the Southern Somalia region. Although our data cannot lead to a definitive answer about the taxonomic status of Somali lions, there is enough evidence to call for further studies and conservation efforts, also in the light of the increased evidence of genetic discontinuity in lions associated with strong ecological barriers.
Lutz Christian Maul ,
Volume 4, Issue 3 (9-2022)
Abstract
The book by Boris Kryštufek and Georgy I. Shenbrot, published a few weeks ago, is an encyclopaedic masterpiece and up-to-date standard work on the rodent group of Arvicolinae Gray, 1821 (voles and lemmings) belonging to the family Cricetidae Fischer, 1817 (hamsters). The authors are two experts on these mammals, and are known worldwide by scientists working in mammalogy for their publications. In addition to countless individual articles, B. Kryštufek is best known for his monograph on the ‘Mammals of Turkey and Cyprus’, which he published together with Vladimír Vohralík (Kryštufek and Vohralík, 2001; 2005; 2009). Georgy Shenbrot wrote, among many other books and papers, mainly devoted to desert and steppe rodents, ‘An Atlas of the Geographic Distribution of the Arvicoline Rodents’ in co-operation with Boris Krasnov (Shenbrot and Krasnov, 2005). It is certainly no exaggeration to call the present book, reviewed here, a worthy, up-to-date successor to Hinton's classic ‘Monograph of Voles and Lemmings’ (Hinton, 1926) and Gromov and Polyakov's volume on ‘Voles (Microtinae)’ (Gromov and Polyakov, 1977) in the framework of the ‘Fauna SSSR’ series (which actually always represented the entire group worldwide). So, one can say that a fundamental work on voles appears about every 50 years.
Shuo Liu, Mian Hou, Hong Hui,
Volume 4, Issue 4 (12-2022)
Abstract
We sequenced mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragments of 84 samples of Odorrana graminea (Boulenger, 1900) sensu lato from 33 sites in southern China. Combining the newly generated sequences and congeneric sequences obtained from GenBank, we reconstructed a molecular phylogeny for the genus Odorrana Fei, Ye and Huang, 1990. Phylogenetic analysis revealed five highly divergent lineages which were paraphyletic within O. graminea sensu lato in southern China. The lineage from Medog and western Yunnan is assigned to O. chloronota (Günther, 1876). The lineage from Hainan, southeastern Guangxi, and southwestern Guangdong corresponds to O. graminea sensu stricto; the lineage from Fujian, Jiangxi, easternmost Guangxi, and northern, central, and eastern Guangdong corresponds to O. leporipes (Werner, 1930); and the remaining two lineages from southern Yunnan represent two cryptic new species. In addition, by checking the type specimens of O. rotodora (Yang and Rao, 2008) we confirmed that O. rotodora is the synonym of O. chloronota.
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