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Zoology in the Middle East Volume 53, 2011 ISSN 0939-7140 Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg Covered in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). Admitted to ISI Master Journal list and covered by the BioSciences Information Service (Biosis Previews) and Biological Preview (abstract/cover page)s, the Zoological Record and many other review organs. Price per article: Euro 10.00 (plus Euro 2.00 postage/handling) |
Shirin Aghanajafizadeh, Fatholah Heydari, Gholamreza Naderi, M. R. Hemami
Nesting hole site selection by the Syrian Woodpecker, Dendrocopos syriacus, in Yazd province, Iran (Aves: Picidae)
Abstract. We studied the selection of nesting sites by the Syrian Woodpecker, Dendrocopos syriacus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg), in a forest oasis in semi-arid central Iran. Habitat variables such as tree height, tree diameter and canopy cover of nesting trees were compared with randomly selected non-used trees. The results showed that, in spite of the availability of different tree species in the study area such as Mountain Almond (Amygdalus scoparia), Montpellier Maple (Acer cinerascens) and Pistachio tree (Pistachia atlantica), only Pistachio trees were used for nest hole construction. The most important factors influencing nesting hole site selection were tree species and their diameter at breast height (DBH). The mean DBH of 40 Pistachio trees selected by Syrian Woodpeckers was 1.26 m, which was significantly larger than that of the non-selected Pistachio trees (1.10 m) (P<0.05). The canopy cover of the selected trees (2.65 m²) was also significantly higher compared with the control trees (2.41 m²) (P<0.04).
Key words. Syrian Woodpecker, Pistachio tree, habitat preferences, forest stands, Iran.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 3-6. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Zeynel Arslangundogdu, Cem Dalyan, Ergun Bacak, Umit Yardim, Cemil Gezgin, Vedat Beskardes
Spring migration of the White Stork, Ciconia ciconia, and the Black Stork, Ciconia nigra, over the Bosphorus (Aves: Ciconiidae)
Abstract. The spring migration of the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus)) and the Black Stork (C. nigra (Linnaeus)) over the Bosphorus, one of the migration bottlenecks of the eastern European population, was studied in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010 at a ridge north of Sarıyer close to the Black Sea. The number of White Storks counted per season was up to 119,381 in 2008, but it was less than half of that in 2006 and 2009. These big fluctuations do not reflect population trends but are probably due to slight shifts in migration routes from year to year. The number of Black Storks varied between 1,118 in 2006 and 3,052 in 2008. The medians of spring migration were 6 April for White Storks and 17 April for Black Storks.
Key words. Storks, spring migration, Bosphorus, Istanbul.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 7-14. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Monif AlRashidi, Andras Kosztolanyi, Mohammed Shobrak, Tamas Szekely
Breeding ecology of the Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia (Aves: Charadriiformes)
Abstract. The breeding behaviour and ecology of the Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus Linnaeus, were investigated in three consecutive years in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia, where the species breeds either under halophytic bushes or in exposed sites where ground temperatures may reach 60°C. Three aspects make the Farasan Island population distinct from most other Kentish Plover populations studied to date. First, incubating plovers appear to prefer nesting under halophytic bushes rather than in exposed sites, since 65.1% of nests were under bushes, whereas 34.9% of nests were in fully exposed sites. Second, both mate fidelity and nest-site fidelity were high, and pairs stayed within short distances from their previous nest sites. Third, brood desertion was very rare in the Farasan Islands – unlike most other populations where the female or the male deserts the brood shortly after hatching of the eggs – since in 95% of broods both parents attended the chick(s) (n = 153 broods). We suggest that these social traits are driven by the extreme hot environment that requires parental cooperation, although adaptation to island-dwelling and corresponding changes in life-history traits cannot be ruled out.
Key words. Parental cooperation, brood desertion, mate fidelity, nest-site fidelity.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 15-24. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Salem Busais, Ulrich Joger
Molecular phylogeny of the gecko genus Hemidactylus Oken, 1817 on the mainland of Yemen (Reptilia: Gekkonidae)
Abstract. Species of the genus Hemidactylus Oken, 1817 are widely distributed, and this is also one of the most species-rich genera of the family Gekkonidae. Recent information on the status of this genus in Yemen based on samples collected from different localities is presented. The molecular phylogeny was based on 1106 base pairs of mitochondrial genes (736 bp cytochrome b and 370 bp 12S rRNA), in addition to 359 bp of Phosducin (PDC) as a nuclear gene from 15 specimens of Hemidactylus and several sequences from valid Hemidactylus species obtained from the Genbank and two sequences of Hemidactylus angulatus Hallowell from Niger as an outgroup. The molecular trees reveal eight monophyletic taxa of Hemidactylus on the mainland of Yemen which can be assigned to three groups: three taxa are members of the H. yerburii group, two clades are member of the H. robustus group and three compose a new group of undescribed species. We conclude that there are four new species and one new subspecies of this genus in the mainland of Yemen.
Key words. Geckos, Yemen, phylogeny, taxonomy, evolution.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 25-34. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Nastaran Heidari, Hiva Faizi, Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani
Sexual dimorphism in the Persian Gecko, Hemidactylus persicus Anderson, 1872, in Hormozgan Province, Southern Iran (Sauria: Gekkonidae)
Abstract. 48 specimens (28 females and 20 males) of the Persian gecko, Hemidactylus persicus Anderson, 1872 were studied metrically and meristically to determine the sexual dimorphism in males and females. Among the 12 studied characters, three characters (SVL, TL, and VS) were significantly different between the sexes. As in most other nocturnal lizards, H. persicus does not show sexual dimorphism in colour and colour pattern.
Key words. Hemidactylus persicus, Gekkonidae, nocturnal, diurnal, sexual dimorphism, statistical analysis, southeastern Iran.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 35-40. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Kerim Cicek, Ahmet Mermer, Cemal Varol Tok
Population dynamics of Rana macrocnemis Boulenger, 1885 at Uludağ, Western Turkey (Anura: Ranidae)
Abstract. In a study on the population dynamics of the Uludağ Frog, Rana macrocnemis Boulenger, 1885 at Uludağ, 4,952 individuals were marked with toe-clipping, visible implant elastomer and vi alpha tags between 2006 and 2008. 47.1% of the population consisted of males, 39.0% of females and 13.8% of juveniles, and a male-biased sex ratio was observed. According to the formula of Jolly-Seber, the mean population size was calculated for individual study plots as 1,535 in Kirazlıyayla, 1,578 in Sarıalan, 1,481 in the Hotels District, 823 in Lake Kilimli, 742 in Lake Kara, 675 in Lake Aynalı, 658 in Lake Koğukdere, and 151 in Lake Heybeli. The total population size was estimated at 7,643 individuals (3,113 in forest, 4,530 in the subalpine belt) in 1.30 ha areas (0.14 ha in forest, 1.16 ha in the subalpine belt) in study plots of Uludağ ranging between 1,476 to 2,450 m a.s.l. The capture probability ranged from 0.21 to 0.93 and the survival rate ranged from 0.57 to 0.98 among the populations, and the mean population density was calculated as 0.19-2.52 individuals/m2. The age in the population varied between 2 and 11 years, and the median age was calculated as 4 in males, 4.5 in females. The sexual maturity age ranged from 2nd to 6th years depending on altitude (from 1,476 to 2,450 m). It was found that the breeding period commenced in early April upon the melting of the snow and extended until the end of June, depending on altitude. The mean number of eggs in an egg mass was calculated to be 987±326. Spawned eggs hatched in 7 to 32 days depending on weather conditions and metamorphosis was completed in 46 to 130 days.
Key words. Rana macrocnemis, population dynamics, life cycle, skeletochronology, breeding ecology, Uludağ, Turkey.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 41-60. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Yusuf Bektas, Yilmaz Ciftci, Oguzhan Eroglu, Ali Osman Belduz
Genetic discrimination of two Capoeta species in north-eastern Anatolia, using mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae)
Abstract. The genetic discrimination of two species of the genus Capoeta, C. tinca (Heckel, 1843) and C. banarescui Turan et al., 2006, which is represented by many endemic species in Anatolian Turkey, has been investigated by analysing the partial 16S ribosomal DNA gene (525 bp). A total of 85 fish was sampled from two localities in the Marmara basin and 5 localities in the Black Sea basin. The amount of 16S rDNA sequence divergence separating these two taxa (mean 1.19%) is within the range observed for 16S rDNA variation between other species of freshwater fishes. The derived haplotypes (h: 28) were strictly local and were not shared between species or populations within species. Three types of phylogenetic tree (Bayesian, MP and ML) clearly showed C. banarescui and C. tinca as distinct species separated with significant bootstrap values (BI:94, MP:88, ML:81), confirming previous conclusions based on morphometric and meristic characters. Furthermore, four novel SNPs were identified, allowing discrimination between two species. AMOVA tests revealed that populations of Capoeta in Northeastern Anatolia can be divided into two main groups: Coruh River group, including SVS, TRT and ISP populations, and Yesilirmak-Harsit group, consisting of ALC and HRS populations. These results indicate the effectiveness of mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene sequences for both species identification and the phylogenetic analysis of Capoeta species.
Key words. Capoeta, mtDNA, genetic identification, 16S rRNA.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 61-70. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Murat Özbek
An overview of the Gammarus Fabricius (Gammaridae: Amphipoda) species of Turkey, with an updated checklist
Abstract. The genus Gammarus Fabricius, 1775 is represented in Turkey by 38 species. Only four of them occur in marine or brackish habitats and the remaining species are pure freshwater species. Some of them adopted to living in extreme habitats, such as wells, cave waters etc. An updated list of Gammarus taxa reported from Turkey is presented in addition to some supplementary records.
Key words. Freshwater, Amphipoda, Gammarus, distribution, Anatolia, Turkey.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 71-78. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Erol Atay, Erdinc Ogur
Occurrence of species of Pyralidae and Crambidae in Cyprus (Lepidoptera)
Abstract. During a survey of Microlepidoptera in the northern part of Cyprus, we identified 10 species of Pyralidae and 23 species of Crambidae. 31 of these species species are recorded for the first time for Cyprus.
Key words. Pyralidae, Crambidae, Lepidoptera, Cyprus.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 79-86. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Kevin Austin, Christodoulos Makris, Emma Small
Ground beetles of the Akrotiri peninsula, Cyprus (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
Abstract. The Carabidae fauna of the Akrotiri peninsula situated in the south of Cyprus is described using historic and recent survey records. 105 species of Carabidae have been recorded representing 43% of the known ground beetle fauna on Cyprus. Four species are endemic to Cyprus, but widespread on the island. 7 species have been recorded from no other area on the island and 15 are known from no more than two further localities outside the peninsula. The most unique species assemblage on the peninsula is found in the extensive reedbeds around Fasouri.
Key words. Carabids, zoogeography, biogeography, faunistics, salt lake.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 87-94. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Ahmet Beyarslan
Orgilus (Orgilus) elazigensis sp. n. from Eastern Turkey (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Orgilinae)
Abstract. During studies on the Turkish Braconidae, a new species from the Turkish Eastern Anatolia region was recorded and described, and its morphological diagnostic characters are illustrated: Orgilus (Orgilus) elazigensis sp. n. It is distinguished from the closely-related species Orgilus (O.) punctiventris Tobias, 1976 by a shorter temple, longer mesosoma, different sculpture of the metasoma and shorter valves of the ovipositor.
Key words. Braconidae, Orgilinae, Orgilus, new species, Eastern Turkey
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 95-98. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Neveen S. Gadallah, Amal F. El-Barty
Spider wasps collected from the western region of Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)
Abstract. A faunistic list of spider wasps (Pompilidae) collected from the western region of Saudi Arabia is presented. It comprises 29 species belonging to 18 genera in three subfamilies, of which 22 are newly recorded from Saudi Arabia. The previously unknown male of Agenioideus spiniprivus (Priesner) is discussed. This first part is followed by a list of the species names previously recorded from Saudi Arabia or which are expected to occur there.
Key words. Hymenoptera, Pompilidae, Saudi Arabia, taxonomy, new records.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 99-106. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Mohammad Naser Murai, Zuhair S. Amr
Sphecidae and Crabronidae of the Al Thawrah Nature Reserve, northern Syria, with a checklist of the species known from Syria (Insecta: Hymenoptera)
Abstract. Fifty three species representing 34 genera of Sphecidae and Crabronidae were collected from the Al Thawrah Nature Reserve, northern Syria. Forty five species are new records for Syria. A checklist including 134 species of the digger wasps of Syria is also provided.
Key words. Sphecidae, Crabronidae, Al Thawrah Nature Reserve, Syria.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 107-120. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Abdullah Bayram, Nazife Yigit, Melek Erdek, Halil Koc, Zafer Sancak, Abdullah Melekoglu, Ilkay Corak Ocal
Comparative cheliceral morphology of the solifuge species Biton zederbaueri (Werner) and Gluviopsilla discolor (Kraepelin) through scanning electron microscopy (Arachnida: Solifugae: Daesiidae)
Abstract: A detailed comparative morphology of the male chelicerae of Biton zederbaueri (Werner) and Gluviopsilla discolor (Kraepelin) is presented using stereo microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The morphology of the cheliceral teeth, setae, flagella and some other organs such as the stridulatory organ that are used for description and identification are described and illustrated. The flagella are membranous, but their shapes are different in both species. The stridulatory organs are similar in both daesiids, being reniform and with seven ridges. On the chelicerae, numerous long-thin, short-thin and short-thick setae are characteristic for both species.
Key words. Biton zederbaueri, Gluviopsilla discolor, chelicera, morphology, SEM, Daesiidae, Solifugae.
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 121-128. | Preview (abstract/cover page) (PDF) | Order article...
Short Communications
Ali Miroglu
First record of the Black Darter, Sympetrum danae (Sulzer, 1776) (Odonata: Libellulidae), from Turkey
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 129-130. | Order article...
Murat Biricik
First record of Junonia orithya (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Turkey
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 130-132. | Order article...
Selma Seven Caliskan, Mustafa Ozdemir
Two new records for the Olethreutinae fauna of Turkey (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 133-134.. | Order article...
Adile Akpinar, Muhammed Ismail Varol, Abdullah Bayram
New records of funnel web spiders of the genus Malthonica Simon from Turkey (Araneae: Agelenidae)
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 135-136. | Order article...
Mostafa Mirzaie, Karim Haddad Irani-Nejad, Mohammad Ali Akrami
New records of primitive oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from the Shendabad region (East Azerbaijan province), Iran
Zoology in the Middle East 53, 2011: 137-139. | Order article...