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Zoology in the
Middle East Volume
62, Issue 2, 2016 0939-7140 (Print), 2326-2680 (Online) © Taylor &
Francis 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), the Zoological Record and many other review organs. ZME is published
by Taylor & Francis Group. Access Options: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tzme20/current#.UZ8U1Z3wCig
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Do
recent leopard Panthera pardus records from northern Iraq and
south-eastern Turkey reveal an unknown population nucleus in the region?
Batur Avgan, Hana Raza, Muhammadsaddik
Barzani and Urs Breitenmoser
The status of leopard in Iraq and south-eastern
Turkey has been unclear for decades. Because of recent and on-going armed
conflicts in important parts of the potential leopard distribution range, no
studies were done that could have proved the presence of the species. We report
here 10 confirmed and 2 unconfirmed leopard records between 2001 and 2014 from
northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey. All records for which the gender of the
animal was identified were of males, which could be hypothesized as long-range
dispersers from Iran. However, the long distances between our records and the
nearest known breeding populations in Iran suggests that a so far unnoticed
reproducing population nuclei may occur along the north-western part of the
Zagros Mountains in western Iran, northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 95-104.
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Breeding
biology of the Kentish Plover Charadrius
alexandrinus in the Sabkhat Al-Fasl
Lagoons, Saudi Arabia (Aves: Charadriiformes)
Monif AlRashidi
The breeding biology of the Kentish Plover Charadrius
alexandrinus was studied in the Sabkhat Al-Fasl Lagoons of Saudi Arabia, where
ground temperatures may exceed 55°C in
summer. Although halophytic bushes are abundant, this species seems to prefer
nesting at exposed sites. Biparental brood care was common: the females were
absent in only three out of 24 families. Kentish Plovers attended their nests
more than 80% over the full day and more than 90% of the time during day-time,
and the number of change-overs increased during the hottest parts of the day
which could be due to the possibility that a single parent cannot protect the
eggs and itself from overheating.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 105-111.
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Description of two new species
of the genus Gobio (Teleostei:
Cyprinidae) from the Black Sea coast of Turkey
Davut Turan, Bella Japoshvili,
İsmail Aksu and Yusuf Bektaş
The systematics of the genus Gobio, especially
of the populations on the southern Black Sea coast, seems to be still far from being resolved.
Seven species were recorded from the northern Black Sea coast while three
species were recognized from the southern Black Sea coast. We examined in total
43 specimens from Kızılırmak River (southern Black Sea basin),
80 specimens from Çoruh River (the Western Caucasus of the Black Sea basin), 14
specimens from Rioni River (the Western Caucasus of the Black Sea basin), and 6
specimens from Kherota and Shakhe Rivers (the Western Caucasus of the Black Sea
basin). Based on an analysis of 32 metric and 5 meristic data as well as the
number of vertebrae, we concluded that the Kızılırmak and Coruh
populations are two distinct, unnamed species, and we describe them here as
Gobio kizilirmakensis from the Kızılırmak River and G.
artvinicus from the Çoruh River.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 112-124. | Access
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Diversity, habitats and
size-frequency distribution of the gastropod genus Conus at Dahab in the Gulf of Aqaba, Northern Red Sea
Sarah Zauner and Martin
Zuschin
Topographically complex subtidal reefs of the
Indo-West Pacific region are characterised by a high species richness of cone snails of the
genus Conus (up to 36 on some reefs) but low population densities (≤1
individual/m2), whereas Conus assemblages on reef flats usually support fewer
species (5-9) and high population densities (up to 5.2 individuals/m2).
Subtidal sand areas are known to be least species-rich (1-6 species). Although
the diversity of this predatory gastropod genus has been described previously
from different areas of the Indo-Pacific, little ecological information is
available on Conus in the Northern Red Sea. Therefore, data from five habitat
types were obtained along 73 line-transects (245 m2), which yielded ecological
data for a total of 175 individuals of 9 species. In accordance with former
findings, our results demonstrate that the reef flat was the habitat with the
highest observed population densities (6.15 individuals/m2) but low species
diversity (H’ = 0.9; 5 species); subtidal reefs, in contrast, were
characterised by low densities (0.13 individuals/m2) and a relatively high
species diversity (H ’= 1.5; 6 species). This suggests that Conus diversity and
species richness in the Northern Red Sea around Dahab is lower than in other
parts of the Indo-West Pacific region. Furthermore, hard- and soft substrata
were dominated by different Conus species in accordance to the distribution of
favourable microhabitat patches, the degree of physical stress and the
availability of refuges and prey organisms. The fact that these Conus were
predominantly small-bodied vermivores (size range: 6-85 mm; mean shell size: 15
mm; SD = 9 mm) suggests that this size class possesses an advantage over
molluscivores and piscivores. Except for subtidal reefs, which showed a highly
variable species composition, the studied habitat types around Dahab were
characterised by distinct assemblages of Conus.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016:125-136.
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Ants of the genus Syllophopsis Santschi, 1915
(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Saudi Arabia with description of a new species
Abdulrahman S. Aldawood
The myrmicine ant genus Syllophopsis in Saudi
Arabia is reviewed. Two species are recognized, S. kondratieffi (Sharaf &
Aldawood, 2013) and S. saudiensis sp. n. Syllophopsis saudiensis is described
and illustrated from the central and eastern regions of Saudi Arabia based on
the worker caste. This new species is most similar to S. thrascolepta (Bolton,
1987) from the Ivory Coast, Africa, but readily separated by the less abundant
and sparse cephalic pilosity, the smaller eyes, the shallow impressed metanotal
groove, and obtusely angled propodeal profile. New distributional records are
provided for S. kondratieffi which was previously only known from the type
locality, Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 137-143.
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Contribution to the knowledge
of the click beetle genus Zorochros
(Coleoptera: Elateridae) from Saudi Arabia
Hathal M. Al Dhafer and Samuel
A. Wells
Examination of specimens of Elateridae revealed
new generic and species records for Saudi Arabia. Zorochros amalec
(Peyerimhoff) is recorded from Al Majardah, and Zorochros yosrae sp. n. is
described as a new species from Thalouth Almanazar.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 144-147.
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Revision of the Clytra subfasciata species group (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae:
Cryptocephalinae: Clytrini)
Jan Bezděk
The Clytra subfasciata species group is
proposed, to comprise Clytra subfasciata Lacordaire,
1848, C. hajeki Medvedev & Kantner, 2002 and C. kadleci sp. n. (Yemen). The
species of the group are characterised by the peculiar shape of the aedeagus,
with a dorsal plate separated from the rest of aedeagus by a deep narrow slit.
Colour photographs of habitus and drawings of genitalia are provided for all
three species.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 148-157.
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Description of the first
endemic earthworm species from Cyprus (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae)
Tímea Szederjesi, Tomás
Pavlíček and Csaba Csuzdi
New earthworm samples from Cyprus are assessed
and discussed. A re-evaluation of specimens previously relegated to the
Southern Alpine species Perelia nematogena (Rosa, 1903), revealed two
independent species: Perelia phoebea (Cognetti, 1913) ,described originally
from Rhodes Island, (Greece) and an undescribed species Perelia makrisi sp. n.
The new species is similar also to the Levantine Pe. galileana Csuzdi &
Pavlíček, 2005 and corroborates the hypotheses that the autochthonous
earthworm fauna of Cyprus is of Levantine origin.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 158-163.
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Two new species of the genus Zercon C. L. Koch from theInner Aegean
Region of Turkey (Acari: Mesostigmata: Zerconidae)
Raşit Urhan, Elif Hilal
Duran and Mehmet Karaca
Two new species of the mite genus Zercon C. L.
Koch, 1836 have been found: Zercon ekizi sp. n. and Zercon emirdagicus sp. n.
are described and illustrated from female specimens collected in Afyonkarahisar
and Kütahya provinces, Turkey. The similarities and differences between the
related species are discussed.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 164-170.
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Two new spider species of the
family Dysderidae (Araneae) from Turkey
M. İsmail Varol and Adile
Akpınar
Two new species of the spider family
Dysderidae, Harpactea pugio sp. n. and Dysdera tezcani sp. n. are described
from the Aegean region of Turkey. Detailed morphological descriptions and diagnoses
are presented together with figures of the copulatory organs. The two new
species are compared with closely related species.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 171-176.
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A new species of Paratheuma (Araneae: Dictynidae) from
Southwestern Asia and transfer of the genus
Alireza Zamani, Yuri M. Marusik and James W. Berry
The marine spider genus Paratheuma Bryant, 1940
is recorded in southwestern Asia for the first time, and a new species, P.
enigmatica sp. n. is described from southern and southeastern Iran on the basis
of both sexes. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, the genus is
transferred from Desidae to Litisedinae, Dictynidae.
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 177-183.
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Short Communications
New record of the thermophilic
Cephalopholis taeniops (Osteichthyes: Serranidae) in the Aegean Sea
Semih Engin, Erhan Irmak and
Dilruba Seyhan
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 184-186.
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First record of the hydrozoan Oceania armata Kölliker, 1853 from Turkey
Nurçin Gülşahin, Murat
Çelik, Cemal Turan and Celal Ateş
Zoology in the Middle East 62(2), 2016: 187-188.
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