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Zoology in the
Middle East Volume
66, Issues 1–4, 2020 0939-7140 (Print), 2326-2680 (Online) © Taylor &
Francis All articles,
both print and online versions, are fully copyright-protected. Covered in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE). ZME is published by Taylor & Francis
Group. For Access Options click here |
Zoology in the Middle East Volume 66, Issue 4
Christopher R. J. Bolanda,
and Bruce O. Burwellb
aLand Protection Unit,
Environmental Protection Department, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; bRemote
Services Sensing Group, Engineering Support Department, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia
The endangered Asir Magpie Pica
asirensis formerly occurred in alpine habitat across Saudi Arabia’s Asir
Mountains but is now restricted to small patches of remnant forest within a
37-km strip of highlands. Perhaps only 100 pairs remain and this tiny
population appears to be declining, though the causes of its decline are
unknown. We mined published presence/absence data to develop a fuzzy logic
habitat model. The model considered six variables that correlate with Asir
Magpie presence: elevation, aspect, forested areas, drainage systems, and major
urban areas. Our model reveals that only 80 km2 of prime
quality habitat remains across 11 fragmented patches. We tested the model using
38 GPS locations of Asir Magpies from independent birdwatchers. In total, 35/38
magpies were located within the modelled habitat. We suggest that the Asir
Magpie may be suffering from limited dispersal between isolated high quality
habitat fragments, which could be leading to genetically depauperate
subpopulations, thereby enabling an extinction vortex. It may also be suffering
from habitat loss through development and construction, habitat degradation
through climate change, unregulated grazing, overharvesting of wood, and
over-consumption of food scraps. Corrective actions are urgently needed to save
this rare and nationally endemic species.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 283-294.
Morphometric
and molecular differentiation between Egyptian Stellagama stellio vulgaris
and S. stellio salehi (Reptilia: Agamidae)
Mohamed A. M. Kadrya, Abdulaziz R. Al-Qahtanib and Sayed A. M. Amera,c
aDepartment of Zoology,
Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt; bDepartment of
Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia; cDepartment
of Forensic Sciences, College of Forensic Justice, Naif Arab University for
Security Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
From the seven recognised subspecies of Stellagama stellio, S.
s. vulgaris is found in northwestern Egypt and S. stellio salehi in
the south Sinai and are known to be very similar. A Principal
Component Analysis was carried out for 14 morphometric features, PCA1 accounted for a little cumulative variation (87.03%) between the two
subspecies with a strong canonical correlation (r = 0.999). PCA2 accounted for
a high cumulative variation (98.04%) with a strong canonical correlation (r =
0.985) and head height (HH) was the only major parameter for the significant
difference. Within 398 sites of 16S rRNA gene sequenced, 6 base
substitutions were recorded between S. s. vulgaris and S. s. salehi
and the pairwise genetic divergence was calculated as 1.5%, which is comparable
to that found between some other conspecific agamids. Neither the morphometric
nor the molecular data support the distinction of two different subspecies. No
genetic difference was found between S. s. salehi and S. s.
brachydactyla which occurs from northern Sinai over Jordan to Saudi Arabia.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 295-301.
Genetic
differentiation of non-native populations of Gibel Carp, Carassius gibelio
in Western Turkey by ISSR and SRAP markers
Sevan Ağdamara,
Ömür Baysalb, Ayşegül Yıldızb and Ali
Serhan Tarkanc,d
aGökçeada School of Applied
Sciences, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey; bDepartment of Molecular
Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman
University, Muğla, Turkey; cFaculty
of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Muğla, Turkey;
dDepartment of Ecology and
Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University
of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
Freshwater fish are one of the most frequently translocated and
introduced aquatic animal groups and exhibit higher establishment ratios than
many other taxa. Introductions are usually irreversible. One of common
non-native fish species in Turkey is the Gibel Carp, Carassius gibelio
which was introduced in the 1980s and is now widespread. We tested dominant
markers (ISSR and SRAP) for genetic characterisation of Gibel Carp samples
collected from eight locations in western Turkey. ISSR and SRAP marker sets
showed that the level of gene flow between these populations (Nm =
0.45 / Nm = 0.47) is low and that the level of genetic
differentiation (GST = 0.53 / GST = 0.52)
is high. Inter-population variation detected by ISSR and SRAP markers constituted
half part of the population (46.88 / 50.00%), while the rest was at
intra-population level. These results indicate that the present population of
the Gibel Carp is the result of several colonization events originating from
the different sources. The phylogenetic relationship among the populations
suggest that there were two independent major introduction events, one in the
Marmara Region and the other in southern Turkey.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 302-310.
Possible link
between the structure of otoliths and amphibious mode of life of three
mudskipper species (Teleostei: Gobioidei) from the Persian Gulf
Mehdi Ghanbarifardia, Carolin Gutb, Zeinab Gholamib,
Hamid Reza Esmaeilib,c,
Christoph Gierlb and Bettina Reichenbacherb,d
aDepartment of Biology,
Faculty of Sciences, University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran; bDepartment
of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Palaeontology and Geobiology,
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany; cZoology
Section, Department of Biology, School of Science, Shiraz
University, Shiraz, Iran; dGeoBio-Center,
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
The otoliths of three mudskipper species from the Persian Gulf that are
characterised by different degrees of amphibious adaptation were examined using
SEM imaging and otolith morphometry. Scartelaos
tenuis, which is the most aquatic
of the three species, has rhomboid to rectangular otoliths that conform to the
general otolith type of many marine gobiid species. The otoliths of Periophthalmus waltoni, which is one of
the most amphibious mudskipper species, are pentagonal-shaped and deviate from
the usual otolith type of the Gobiidae by the absence of a posterodorsal
projection and deep ostial lobes. Boleophthalmus
dussumieri is intermediate with respect to its amphibious adaptation
between S. tenuis and P. waltoni, and the shape of its
otoliths is intermediate between the otoliths of those two species. Otolith
morphometry related to sulcus measurements more clearly separated P. waltoni from B. dussumieri, than S. tenuis
from either P. waltoni or B. dussumieri. As P. waltoni and B. dussumieri
can occur syntopically and display similar behaviours, the morphometric
disparity of their sulcus proportions might be related to efficient
intraspecific communication among neighbouring species.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 311-320.
Validation of Palaemon audouini Heller, 1861
(Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae), an overlooked species from the Red Sea
Sammy De Gravea
and Christopher W. Ashelbyb
aOxford University Museum of
Natural History, Oxford, United Kingdom; bAPEM Ltd., Letchworth
Garden City, United Kingdom
The shrimp species Palaemon
audouini Heller, 1861, described from the Red Sea, has long been considered
a nomen dubium but examination of the
type material in the zoological collections of the Naturhistorisches
Museum in Wien, Austria determined that it represents a valid species. It
is morphologically close to the widespread P. pacificus, but can be
distinguished by the length of the chela of the second pereiopod in relation to
the carpus, and details of the scaphocerite and rostrum. The known Palaemon
fauna of the Red Sea is briefly reviewed and reasons why the species could have
been overlooked for so long are discussed.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 321-330.
Some like it
hot: Phallocryptus fahimii sp. n.
(Crustacea: Anostraca: Thamnocephalidae) from the Lut desert, the hottest place
on Earth
Martin Schwentnera, Alexander V. Rudovb and
Hossein Rajaeic
aNaturhistorisches Museum
Wien, Vienna, Austria; bDepartment of Plant Sciences, School of
Biology, College of Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran; cState
Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
We describe Phallocryptus fahimii sp. n., the fifth species in the genus, based on combined morphological and
molecular genetic analyses. It is endemic to Iran and known only from its type
locality in the Lut desert. The Lut desert has been designated the “Thermal
pole of the Earth” with surface temperatures reaching up to 78.2°C. Shallow,
ephemeral pools are filled by seasonal floods deriving from spring precipitations. Phallocryptus fahimii sp. n. is most closely related to the
Mongolian P. tserensodnomi Alonso
& Ventura, 2013. Males can be differentiated based on the relatively long
frontal organ, the strong curvature of the labral distal process and the usual
lack of a ventrolateral spine of the genital segment.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 331-341.
new micropterous
species of the genus Sunius Stephens, 1829 from Central Anatolia (Coleoptera:
Staphylinidae)
Sinan Anlaş
Alaşehir Vocational
School, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Alaşehir, Manisa, Turkey
Sunius shavrini
sp. n. is described from Ankara province in central Anatolia. While
most of the Turkish Sunius species, especially all Turkish endemics are restricted to the
mountains of western Anatolia and the Taurus mountains in southern Anatolia,
the new species has been found in the northern part of Central Anatolia.
Additional records of two species of Sunius are reported from
Turkey. The genus is now
represented in Turkey by 42 species, 38 of which are endemic to Anatolia.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 342-346.
Nana Gratiashvilia, Lena Kuschelb and Jürgen Heinzeb
aInstitute of Zoology, Ilia
State University, Tbilisi, Georgia; bZoology/Evolutionary Biology,
University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
The ant genus Cardiocondyla is
characterised by a remarkable variability of reproductive life histories and
colony structures. Little is known about the C. stambuloffii group, whose distribution extends from southeast
Europe to central and eastern Asia. We here present data on the structure of Cardiocondyla colonies from southern Georgia. Morphometry and sequencing of the
mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunits I and II indicates that it is
distinct from the other species of this group (C. gibbosa, C. koshewnikovi,
C. stambuloffii, and C. tibetana). Microsatellite analysis revealed a high nestmate relatedness
and frequent inbreeding, matching the observation of exclusively wingless males
and the phylogenetic position of the group in the “Palaearctic clade,” in which
colonies are typically single-queened.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 347-356.
Contribution to
the knowledge of the genus Ceratanisus
Gemminger, 1870 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) with description of a new species
from Turkey
Maxim Nabozhenkoa,b and Erol Yıldırımc
aPrecaspian Institute of
Biological Resources of the Daghestan Federal Research Centre of the Russian
Academy of Sciences, Makhachkala, Russia; bDagestan State
University, Makhachkala, Russia; cDepartment of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Atatürk University,
Erzurum, Turkey
A new tenebrionid species Ceratanisus
diyarbakiricus sp. n. (Pimeliinae: Ceratanisini) is described from southeastern
Anatolia. This is the most eastern representative of the mucoreus species-group. The species is similar to C. mucoreus (Waltl, 1838) from the
Aegean region and C. purcharti
Nabozhenko et al., 2016 from Taurus mountains. New distributional data are
given for C. funebris (Reitter, 1898)
and C. mucoreus.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 357-362.
Phragmataecia effendii sp. n., a new
species of carpenter-moth from Azerbaijan (Lepidoptera: Cossidae)
Roman V. Yakovleva,b and Nataly Yu. Snegovayac
aAltai State University,
Barnaul, Russia; b Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecology, Tomsk
State University, Tomsk, Russia E-mail:;
c Institute of Zoology, Azerbaijan National Academy of Science,
Baku, Azerbaijan
A new species of carpenter moth, Phragmataecia
effendii sp. n. from the Şirvan steppe of Central Azerbaijan is
proposed. The new species differs from the known Palaearctic species externally
(colour) and in the male genitalia. A detailed diagnosis is provided and
supported by figures.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 363-366.
Discovery of a
new Cubiandrena species in Turkey
(Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)
Thomas James Wood
Laboratory of Zoology,
University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
The genus Andrena is one of the
most speciose groups of bees, and because of its large degree of morphological
variability it has continued to defy subgeneric classification. Recent advances
have identified the species-poor group Cubiandrena
Warncke, 1968 as both sister to all Andrena
and deserving of recognition as a good genus. Previously thought to contain
just two species, examination of undetermined material from Turkey has revealed
the existence of a third Cubiandrena
species, Cubiandrena nigripilosa sp. n., indicating that this country is
the centre of diversity for the genus.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 367-374.
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Perisomena caecigena (Kupido, 1825)
in Sulaymaniyah, a saturniid moth new to Iraq (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)
Farhad A. Khudhur and Soran H. Ahmed
Department of Biology,
College of Science, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region,
Iraq
Zoology in the Middle East
66(4), 2020: 375-376.
Zoology in the Middle East Volume 66, Issue 3:
Age structure
of a population of Chalcides ocellatus
(Forskål, 1775) (Sauria: Scincidae) in Mediterranean
Anatolia
Ahmet Mermera, Meltem Kumaşb, Hasan Serdar
Mutluc and Kerim Çiçeka
aSection of Zoology,
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey; bDepartment
of Histology & Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dokuz Eylül
University, Izmir, Turkey; cDepartment of Histology &
Embryology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University Istanbul, Turkey
We studied the age structure of a population of the Ocellated Skink, Chalcides
ocellatus in Mediterranean Turkey using the skeletochronological method. We
examined the cross sections of femoral diaphyseal of a total of 106 museum
specimens including 53 adult females and 42 adult males. The snout-vent length
was significantly correlated with age. The mean age was 6.0 years (3–10 year)
for males and 5.8 years for females, but the difference was statistically not
significant. Sexual maturity is reached after their third hibernation period.
The lifespan was significantly shorter in southwestern Anatolia than in
southern Anatolia (mean age 5.43 years vs. 6.50 years for both sexes combined;
P<0.004). According to von Bertalanffy growth curves, the growth rates were
lower in southwestern Anatolia than in southern Anatolia than.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 189-196.
The past,
current and future habitat range of the Spider-tailed Viper, Pseudocerastes
urarachnoides (Serpentes: Viperidae) in western Iran and eastern Iraq as
revealed by habitat modelling
Behzad Fathiniaa, Dennis Rödderb, Nasrullah
Rastegar-Pouyanic, Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyanid, Mahboubeh
Sadat Hosseinzadehe and Seyed Mahdi Kazemif
aDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Yasouj University, Yasouj,
Iran; bZoologisches
Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany; cDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Razi
University, Kermanshah, Iran; dDepartment
of Biology, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran; eDepartment of Biology, Faculty
of Sciences, University of Birjand, Birjnd, Iran; f Zagros Herpetological Institute, Qom, Iran
To date, at least 72 endemic reptilian species have reported from Iran
including the Spider-tailed Viper (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides), which
has a very limited, narrow distribution, and occurs in areas of western Iran
and eastern Iraq. The potential distribution of Pseudocerastes urarachnoides
in Iran for the present, the past (mid-Holocene and last glacial maximum), and
the future (2100) was predicted by Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modelling using 99
occurrence records as well as 19 environmental variables derived from climate
databases. For all projected potential distributions, the principal components
1 (explained primarily by thermal variables) and 2 (explained primarily by
precipitation variables) contributed more than 80% collectively in all MaxEnt
models. The extreme eastern distribution range of P. urarachnoides
corresponds to the western slopes of the Zagros Mountains within the Iraq
territories. According to the projections,
the current distribution area is smaller than in the mid-Holocene but
larger than the last glacial maximum and three out of four scenarios of the
future (2100). Future projections dramatically displace the suitable habitat,
leading to a mismatch between the current and future habitat range of the
Spider-tailed Viper.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 197-205.
Reproductive
biology of the Short-snouted Seahorse, Hippocampus
hippocampus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Eastern Black Sea of Turkey (Osteichthyes:
Syngnathidae)
Burcu Taylan, Şule Gürkan and Ertan Taşkavak
Department of Hydrobiology,
Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
The reproductive characteristics of the Short-snouted Seahorse, Hippocampus hippocampus, was studied in
the eastern Black Sea shore over a one-year period. Average standard length was
10.38 cm (6.15–13.3 cm) and weight 1.88 g (0.68–3.02 g). Males were slightly
more common than females (females: 48%), but the difference was statistically
insignificant (p>0.05). This was highest in autumn and lowest in winter,
while there were no differences between the sexes (p>0.05). A sequential
spiral of developing oocytes was observed from the earliest stage in the
germinal ridge to the mature edge with the largest oocyte. Mature oocytes were
found in histological sections during the summer season and the results
obtained from gonadosomatic index values confirmed that the summer season is
the breeding period of H. hippocampus
at the eastern Black Sea shore of Turkey.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 222-231.
A new species
of Cynips (Cynipidae: Cynipini) from Turkey
Musa Azmaza and Yusuf Katılmışb
aDepartment of Veterinary,
Acıpayam Vocational High School, Pamukkale University, Acıpayam,
Denizli, Turkey; bDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Arts &
Sciences, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey
A new species of oak gall wasp, Cynips baskalei sp. n.
(Cynipidae: Cynipini), was described from Turkey. Only asexual females of the
species are known and induce galls on leaves of Quercus macranthera
Fisch. & Mey. ex Hohen., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. and Quercus
pubescens Willd. SEM images, data on the diagnosis, distribution, and
biology of the new species were provided in this study.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 232-239.
A new species
of Xerobion Nevsky (Hemiptera:
Aphididae) from Iran
Shalva Barjadze and Nana Gratiashvili
Institute of Zoology, Ilia
State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
A new species of aphid, Xerobion
eteriae sp. n., is described based
on apterous and alate viviparous females, living on Acantholimon (Plumbaginaceae) in Iran. Differences from the most
similar species of the genus are presented.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 240-245.
Distribution and
activity period of the invasive Orosanga
japonica (Melichar, 1898) (Hemiptera:
Ricaniidae) in Turkey
Ahmet Karataşa, Ayşegül Karataşa,
Nizamettin Yavuzb and Murat Gençc
aDepartment of Biology,
Niğde Ö. H. University, Niğde, Turkey; bSociety for the
Conservation of Nature and Wildlife, Atakum , Samsun, Turkey; cÇaykur,
Tersane Factory Directorates, Derepazarı, Rize, Turkey
The invasive species Orosanga
japonica was found at 38 sites in Black Sea coastal zone of Turkey. It was
recorded for the first time from the Central Black Sea Region, and for the
second time from Western Black Sea Region and in the European part of Turkey.
Most localities were close to the Black Sea (<3 km) and situated at
altitudes lower than 150 m a.s.l. with the highest records up to 500 m a.s.l.
Maximum distance from the sea was in Alemdağ, with c. 15 km, and Erenköy,
with c. 10 km. This species is confined in Turkey to the high-rainy and humid
coastal zones. Additionally considering cultivated plants, O. japonica was found on 18 host plant species, of which 15 were
previously not known to be used by the species. Nymphs of this univoltine pest
were found between May and July, depending on the weather conditions such as
rainfall and temperature. Adults emerged between early June and mid-September,
with the highest density in the second half of August. Eggs were observed from
late August to mid-June.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 246-252.
Review of the
Middle Eastern species of Sphecapatodes Villeneuve, 1912 (Diptera:
Sarcophagidae) with the description of a
new species
Yuriy Vervesa, Liudmyla Khrokalob and Olena
Naumovskac
aInstitute for Evolutionary
Ecology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine; bNational
Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”,
Kyiv, Ukraine; cNational University of Life and Environmental
Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
Sphecapatodes freidbergi Verves & Khrokalo, sp. n. is
described based on 16 male specimens from Israel. A short characterisation of the genus Sphecapatodes and of the
monotypic subtribe Arabiscina, a key, comments on the two Middle Eastern
species (S. freidbergi and
S. ornata Villeneuve, 1912), and a list of all seven known species are
given. All species of the genus are distributed in the Palaearctic region,
mainly in desert areas. A review of the larval trophic connections of species
of the tribe Phyllotelini is also given.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 253-261.
Description of
a remarkable new Andrena species
(Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) from Syria
Thomas James Wood
Laboratory of Zoology,
University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
As part of an ongoing revision of the Andrena fauna of Syria, a remarkable new species Andrena (incertae sedis) antilibanotica
sp. n. was discovered in material
collected from the arid Anti-Lebanon mountain chain in southern Syria. It has a
combination of characters that defy current subgeneric conventions, but can be
broadly placed close to the Cryptandrena
due to its overall similarity to other Middle Eastern Cryptandrena taxa A. aruana
Warncke, 1967 and A. monacha Warncke,
1965.
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 262-268.
Genetic
diversity within Leiurus quinquestriatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
populations in Egypt as inferred from 16S mDNA sequence analysis
Moustafa Sarhana, Ahmed Badryb, Mahmoud Younesb
and Mostafa Salehb
aMolecular Biology Laboratory,
Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt; bZoology
Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
The highly toxic and medically important scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus
is the most common scorpion species in Egypt and in some regions, is medically
problematic for the local population. We studied variation in the mitochondrial
16S rRNA gene within 12 populations from different ecogeographical regions of
Egypt. Our results indicate a high genetic variation among L. quinquestriatus
populations with five haplotypes existing. Our data also suggests the
existence of a distinct population of L. quinquestriatus in Sinai which
may be a separate species.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(3),
2020: 269-276.
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Communal
hibernation of Echis coloratus Günther, 1878 in Jordan
Mohammad Al-Saraireha, Mohammad A. Abu Bakerb and
Zuhair S. Amrc
aOncology Department, Royal
Medical Services, Amman, Jordan; bDepartment of Biological Sciences,
University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan; cDepartment of Biology, Jordan
University of Science & Technology, Irbid, Jordan
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 277-278.
Observation of
early mating behaviour in a sub-adult Leopard (Panthera pardus) in Iran
Bahador Arasteha, Shahrzad Rahmati b, Kambiz
Baradaranic and Ehsan M. Moqanakid
aDepartment of Basic Sciences,
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran; bDepartment
of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Islamic Azad
University of Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran; cIran Wildlife
Conservation Association, Tehran, Iran; dFaculty of Environmental
Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life
Sciences, Ås, Norway
Zoology in the Middle East
66(3), 2020: 279-282.
Zoology in the Middle East Volume 66, Issue 2:
Modelling the
effect of competition for prey and poaching on the population of the Arabian
Leopard, Panthera pardus nimr, in
Saudi Arabia (Mammalia: Felidae)
M. Zafar-ul Islama,b, Rebbeka Volmerc, Ahmed al Bouga, Abdullah as Shehria
and Alexander Gavashelishvilib
aPrince
Saud al Faisal Wildlife Research Center, Taif, Saudi Arabia; bCenter
of Biodiversity Studies, Institute of Ecology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi,
Georgia;cDepartment for Sociology
and Anthropology, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Metro Manila,
Philippines
The Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus nimr, classified by IUCN as
“Critically Endangered”, is Saudi Arabia’s flagship predator. The
population of this species has declined to approximately 50 individuals and may
become extinct in the Arabian Peninsula if threats are not addressed. In addition to habitat destruction, major threats include
poaching and competition for diminishing prey species, two factors which may
have been underestimated so far. The main competitors of the Arabian Leopard
are the Caracal (Caracal caracal schmitzi) and Arabian Wolf (Canis
lupus arabs). With a Population Viability Analysis (PVA), we simulated
various scenarios to demonstrate the impact of competition for prey and
poaching. The population under stable natural conditions without poaching and
restocking (supplementation) would have a survival probability of only 37%.
Without competition by the Caracal, survivability of the leopard population
would increase to 89%, and without the Arabian Wolf to 98%. The likelihood of
extinction would be 1% if both competitors were absent. A second set of
scenarios, with a poaching rate of six individuals per year, shows that the
leopard would not survive over the next 100 years. Further, the stabilization
of the population by means of restocking with captive-bred animals was
simulated to test a minimal number of individuals required to substitute the
Arabian Leopard population. In addition to the competition by Caracal and Wolf,
supplementing a minimum of eight individuals would stabilize the population as
it is now, and allow a maximum of six poached individuals per year. Our results
demonstrate need for urgent protection of the Arabian Leopard as well as its
prey with strict minimization of poaching. Our model, however, does not take
into account the effect of habitat destruction and fragmentation, which may
also have detrimental impacts to the leopards and associated species.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020: 95-106.
Potential
impact of climate change on the distribution of the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)
in Iran (Mammalia: Felidae)
Taghi Mahdavi, Bahman Shams-Esfandabad, Hamid Toranjzar,
Nourollah Abdi and Abbas Ahmadi
Department of Environmental
Science, Arak Branch, Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran
The Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) is the biggest small cat inhabiting
Iran. However, there is little knowledge about its distribution and
conservation status. In this study, the maximum entropy approach was applied to
relate presence records of the species to
bioclimatic conditions of Iran. The current model was projected under eight
different climate change scenarios to predict the future status of Eurasian
Lynx distribution in 2050 and 2070. Results indicated that lynx favours
habitats with low temperature, low variations in precipitation and relatively
high amount of precipitation in driest season. Currently, 16% of the country
area is suitable for the lynx and 10% of these suitable habitats is located
inside the conservation area network. Under the lowest and highest carbon
dioxide emission scenarios, 26 to 73 percent of suitable habitats will become
unsuitable. Most of the remained suitable habitats for the lynx in the future
are located in the north western of Iran, which is part of the Irano-Anatolian
hotspot. There is an essential need to adapt the conservation area network to
climate change to better conserve the lynx in Iran.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
107-118.
Discovery of
the Black-headed Ground Snake Rhynchocalamus melanocephalus (Jan, 1862)
in Cyprus (Reptilia: Colubridae)
Karin Tamara, Hans Jörg Wiedlb, Erez Mazaa,c,
Daniel Jablonskid and Shai Meiria,c
aThe Steinhardt Museum of
Natural History, Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies,
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; bPaphos, Cyprus; cSchool
of Zoology, George S. Wise
Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; dDepartment
of Zoology,
Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
We identified two snakes from Paphos district in south-western Cyprus as
belonging to the secretive genus Rhynchocalamus. They represent the
first record of these snakes in Cyprus. Morphological features and
mitochondrial 16S DNA sequences suggest that these specimens belong to R.
melanocephalus, a species widely distributed in the Eastern Mediterranean
region. The genetic similarity to a specimen from northern Israel may imply
either a human-mediated dispersal or a natural colonization. These observations
thus raise the number of snake species known to occur in Cyprus to 12.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
118-123.
New records of
Plotosus japonicus in the Red Sea and genetic indications for its presence
throughout the Indo-Pacific (Osteichthyes: Plotosidae)
Menachem Gorena,
Nir Sternb and Ariel Diamantc
aThe Steinhardt Museum of
Natural History and School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; bNational
Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research,
Haifa, Israel;cMorris Kahn Marine Research Station, Leon H. Charney
School of Marine Science, University of Haifa, Israel
Swarms of striped eel catfish were observed for the first time in Eilat
at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea in summer 2017. Taxonomic and
genetic studies revealed them to belong to Plotosus japonicus Yoshino
& Kishimoto, 2008. This is the first report of this species outside the
Japanese archipelago. Molecular comparisons (mtDNA COI) of this population with previously published samples show
that this species is actually present throughout the Indo-Pacific and provide
indication that this genus includes two of ambiguous identity species that
await further examinations.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
124-131.
Revisiting the
population of the Ghost Crab, Ocypode
cursor, on the sandy beaches of northern Cyprus after two decades: are
there causes for concern?
Dilber Barakalıa, Jake L. Snaddona and Robin
T. E. Snapeb,c
aCentre for Environmental
Science School of Geography and Environmental Science, Faculty of Environmental
and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom; bCentre
for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences,
University of Exeter, United Kingdom; cSociety for Protection of
Turtles, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus
As a key ecological link in food webs of sandy beaches, ghost crabs
(Decapoda: Brachyura) are important for the maintenance of sandy beach
ecosystems due to their scavenger properties in temperate and tropical regions.
A baseline study of Ocypode cursor
had been carried out at Alagadi beach in northern Cyprus in 1994 and in order
to address concerns that the species may be in decline on the island, the population
was re-assessed over nine weeks during summer 2017. To enable comparison of
data, standardised, indirect methods were used to determine population
parameters such as burrow size, population size, distribution and density.
Results indicated a significant, six-fold decline in population size. Average
burrow densities in our study was up to 0.05 burrows/m2 in the
general crab zone, while Strachan et al. (1999) had recorded up to 0.67
burrows/m². Possible reasons or factors causing such effects were considered
such as invasive pufferfishes Lagocephalus sceleratus and Torquigener
flavimaculosus from the Red Sea, climate change in terms of warming sea
water and air temperatures and increases in extreme weather conditions such as
windiness, and anthropogenic interventions such as human trampling and effects
of increase in urbanisation. The management of sandy beaches and conservation
of these species is urgent to re-stabilize the populations of O. cursor on the beaches of northern
Cyprus.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
132-139.
Pseudamnicola thalesi sp. n.
(Gastropoda: Truncatelloidea: Hydrobiidae), a new freshwater gastropod species
from Western Turkey
Deniz Anıl Odabaşıa, Enis Akayb and
Serdar Koyuncuoğluc
aDepartment of Marine and
Inland Water Sciences, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology, Onsekiz Mart
University, Çanakkale, Turkey; bDepartment of Biology, Faculty of
Arts and
Sciences, Uludağ University, Bursa, Turkey; cGeneral
Directorate of Water
Management, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ankara, Turkey
Pseudamnicola Paulucci, 1878 is a circum-Mediterranean genus which contributes
substantially to hydrobiid diversity. In Turkey, the genus Pseudamnicola is mainly found in the southern regions. Material
collected from an upper branch of Eşen Stream in southwestern Anatolia
yielded a new species, Pseudamnicola
thalesi sp. n. The characters of the shell, head and male genitalia are
described and illustrated. The new species is compared with those of its
congeners that have been recorded previously in Turkey.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
140-144.
Variation in Eoanthidium judaeense (Mavromoustakis,
1945) and E. clypeare (Morawitz,
1874) (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Anthidiini) in the Middle East: semispecies or
cases of geographic dimorphism?
Max Kasparek
Heidelberg, Germany
The two bee species Eoanthidium
judaeense s.l. and E. clypeare s.l. are endemic to the
Middle East and south-east Europe, and each of them occurs in a light form,
with rich yellow and light brown maculation, and a dark form. It was found that
in both taxa the light forms are restricted to the Levant and the northern belt
of the Syrian desert, while the dark forms are much more widely distributed.
While the transition from the dark to the light form is abrupt in E. judaeense
s.l., there is a zone with intermediate forms in E. clypeare s.l. A Discriminant Function Analysis carried out on
morphometric parameters enabled 87.5% of all females and 93.9% of all males in
E. judaeense s.l. to be attributed to
either the light or the dark form solely on the basis of morphometric data. For
E. clypeare s.l., the respective
values were 79.3% (females) and 82.5% (males) when intermediate forms were not
taken into account. As the colour variation is thus correlated with
morphological variation and the distribution is discrete without following a
geographical cline, these forms should be recognised as distinct semispecies:
The species pair E. judaeense
(Mavromoustakis, 1945) and E. pasteelsi
(Warncke, 1980) stat. n., and the
pair E. clypeare (Morawitz, 1874) and
E. hoplostomum (Mavromoustakis, 1945)
stat. resurr. The areas where the
dark and the light species meet are apparently secondary contact zones, and the
putative hybridisation and lower level of morphometric distinctiveness found
between E. clypeare and E. hoplostomum indicate that speciation
is less advanced than in E. pasteelsi/E.
judaeense. The dark forms seem to have evolved independently, probably as
an adaptation to solar radiation and the two superspecies thus present notable
examples of evolutionary convergence.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
145-166.
Two new species
of Elathous Reitter, 1890 (Coleoptera:
Elateridae) from Syria
Tamás Németha, Alexander S. Prosvirovb and Robin
Kundratac
aDepartment of Zoology,
Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary; bDepartment of
Entomology, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; cDepartment
of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Two new species of the genus Elathous
Reitter, 1890 from Syria are described and illustrated. Elathous serjillensis sp. n.
is morphologically similar to another Syrian species, E. ekaterinae Preiss, 2003, from which it differs by the shapes of
head, pronotum and male genitalia. Elathous
transversalis sp. n. can easily
be distinguished from its congeners by its pronotum which is distinctly wider
than long. The discovery of new Elathous
species in the Levant further highlights the importance of this region as a
biodiversity hotspot.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
167-177.
Interspecific
phylogenetic relationship among different species of the genus Buthacus
(Scorpiones: Buthidae) inferred from 16S rRNA in Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz R. Alqahtania and Ahmed Badryb
aDepartment of Biology,
College of Science, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia;
bDepartment of Zoology,
Faculty of Science, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
The molecular phylogeny of three species of genus Buthacus, based
on 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA gene from Egypt and Saudi Arabia is presented.
The inferred phylogeny based on maximum-parsimony, neighbor-joining and
bayesian inference, indicates the monophyletic status of the genus Buthacus.
A clear deep splitting between the “Egyptian clade” consisting of B.
arenicola and B. leptochyles and the “Arabian clade”
consisting of B. nigroaculatus was shown.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
178-185
SHORT COMMUNICATION
Breeding of the
Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, in natural and artificial nesting
substrates in the United Arab Emirates (Aves: Accipitriformes)
Bilal Kabeer, Sadaf Bilal, Sadia Abid, Pavla Hejcmanová,
Muhammad Arslan Asadi, Muhammad Jawad Jilani and Abid Mehmood
Zoology in the Middle East 66(2), 2020:
186-188.
Zoology in the Middle East Volume 66, Issue 1:
Genetic diversity and structure of the
Great Gerbil, Rhombomys opimus, in Iran (Mammalia: Rodentia)
Mohsen Ahmadpour, Hossein Varasteh
Moradi, Hamid Reza Rezaei, Mohammad Ali Oshaghi, Paul Hapeman and Abasalt
Hosseinzadeh Colagar
The Great Gerbil, Rhombomys opimus, is widely distributed in
degraded and fragmented desert and semi-desert habitats of the Iranian Plateau.
Recent habitat fragmentation from overgrazing by livestock and a
government-sponsored rodent control programme threaten to isolate populations
and increase their susceptibility to inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity. We examined genetic data of the Great Gerbil in a region
where they are data deficient to understand how distance, geography, and
anthropogenic factors influence genetic population structure and genetic
diversity at the landscape level. We extracted genomic DNA from 109 blood
samples collected from nine populations across the Iran’s landscape and
amplified four microsatellite loci to examine levels of genetic diversity and
genetic population structure. Our analysis revealed two genetic clusters (K=2)
that corresponded to R. opimus sodalis in the north slope of the Alborz
Mountains (AM) and Kopet-Dagh Mountains (KDM) and R. opimus sargadensis in the south slope of AM and KDM. However,
the observed genetic population structure could not be fully explained by north
and south slopes of AM and KDM. Genetic variation was low to relatively high (FST
ranged from 0.015 to 0.167) and was significant among some populations. We did
not find a correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance, which
indicates that the geographical distance was not an influential factor in
genetic differentiation of the species in Iran. Genetic
diversity within the populations studied appears to be the result of a complex
mixture of limited local dispersal, social structure favoring female
philopatry, and common ancestral frequencies.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
1-12.
Molecular phylogeny of the Arabian Horned
Viper, Cerastes gasperettii (Serpentes: Viperidae) in the Middle East
Albert Carné, Behzad Fathinia
and Eskandar Rastegar-Pouyani
The Arabian Horned Viper, Cerastes gasperettii, is distributed
along the eastern edge of the Sinai Peninsula south and east across the Arabian
Peninsula to Iraq, Kuwait and western Iran comprising two subspecies: Cerastes. g. mendelssohni in the Arava
valley (Israel and Jordan) and C. g.
gasperettii in the Arabian Peninsula and southwestern Iran. Phylogenetic
relationships based on Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference, haplotype
networks, and genetic divergence among different populations of C.
gasperettii are analysed in this study. Two mitochondrial (12S and Cytb) and two
nuclear partial genes (C-mos and MC1R) with uneven distribution among the individuals were used to infer
phylogenetic relationships. Bayesian inference (BI) phylogenetic tree indicates a
dichotomy separating a southern (Oman, UAE, Yemen) from a northern clade (Iran,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Israel). Except for the first dichotomy in the BI
tree, other nodes are weakly supported. The concatenated tree inferred from
maximum likelihood (ML) approach shows a similar topology in the main clades.
There is low variability within C.
gasperettii despite its vast distribution range. Mitochondrial haplotype networks
support southern and northern clades with seven haplotypes in the 12S and five haplotypes in the Cytb. The C-mos nuclear network does not support these clades with five
haplotypes. The polytypic status of Cerastes gasperettii which has
previously been described based on morphological observations is not supported
in the molecular results and the state of Cerastes. g. mendelssohni is questioned.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
13-20.
Reproductive biology of the Nile Soft-Shell
Turtle, Trionyx triunguis, at the Seyhan River, Turkey (Testudines: Trionychidae)
Can Yılmaz, Ayşe
Oruç, Ebru Çelik and Oğuz Türkozan
Several populations of the Nile Soft-shelled Turtle, Trionyx triunguis, are found along the
Levantine and Turkish Mediterranean coast. The riverbanks of the Seyhan River
hold one of the largest nesting populations. In a survey carried out between
2009 and 2018, a total of 209 nests were recorded (20.9 nests per season).
Ninety-four percent of the nests were concentrated at one specific site where
the nesting density was 4.18 nest/metre, but where most of the nests were
predated by Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) or Golden Jackal (Canus aureus). 137 nests (65.5%) with altogether 5,716 eggs were
therefore transferred to a safe place, where 1,811 hatchlings emerged and were
released at the nesting site at the Seyhan River. The average clutch size was
40.8±0.89 eggs. The mean hatching success in relocated nests was 34.6%. A total
of 1,718 eggs (23.0%) were predated by mammalian predators. The remainder were
developmentally interrupted eggs of early (37.9%), middle (4.3%), and late
(6.5%) stages. It is discussed whether the high rate of loss of early stage
eggs is related to the translocation process.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
21-28.
The Long-snout Freshwater Goby Awaous jayakari (Boulenger, 1888) (Teleostei: Gobiidae), an additional
fish element for the Iranian waters
Hamid Reza Esmaeili, Reza
Sadeghi and Helen K. Larson
Members of the
genus Awaous are found in fresh and
brackish waters and have a circumtropical distribution from Africa to the
Americas, with most species being found in the Indo-West Pacific region. Based
on the detailed morphology and osteology of a specimen collected in
southeastern Iran and comparison with type specimens, the Iranian population of
snout goby is taxonomically assigned to Awaous jayakari. This is an
additional genus and species for the fish fauna of Iran. A key for the inland
and coastal gobies of Iran is provided.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020: 29-36.
A new species of the genus Pseudostrandesia (Ostracoda: Crustacea)
and first report of the genus from Palaearctic region
Okan Külköylüoğlu,
Mehmet Yavuzatmaca and Ozan Yılmaz
A new species of the genus Pseudostrandesia
was collected from a shallow pond in Mersin province, southern Turkey: P. guleni sp. n. This is the first
report of the genus from outside of its Indomalayan and Afrotropical
distribution. The genus is known from shallow zones of warm water bodies
reported from three main zoogeographical realms. Including the new species, the
number of species of the genus Pseudostrandesia
is now eight.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
37-45.
A new species of Oligoglena Horváth, 1912 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Mediterranean
Turkey
Abbas Mol
Oligoglena gogalai sp. n. is described from Olympos Beydağları Mountains in southern
Turkey, which are part of the Taurus Mountains and are known for their high
diversity and endemism rate of both plants and animals. The new species has a
characteristic morphology and is distinguished from all other species of the
genus Oligoglena Horváth also by its song pattern. It prefers the
subalpine zone and lives in gramineous vegetation.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
46-57.
A new species of Obtusicauda (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from Iran living on Artemisia
Neda Sedighi, Mojtaba
Hosseini and Mohsen Mehrparvar
A new species of the genus Obtusicauda Soliman, 1927 (Hemiptera:
Aphididae: Aphidinae: Macrosiphini) is described and illustrated from North-Khorasan
province, Iran: Obtusicauda iranica sp. n. The species is
described based on apterous viviparous females, an alate viviparous female and
oviparous females found living on the terminal parts of shoots of Artemisia
sieberi, A. kopetdaghensis, A. scoparia and Artemisia
sp. (Asteraceae). The new species is morphologically most similar to Obtusicauda
dolychosiphon (Umarov, 1964). This holocyclic aphid is not typically
attended by ants.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
58-67.
Review of the Middle Eastern species of Dolichotachina Villeneuve, 1913
(Diptera: Sarcophagidae, Miltogramminae) with the description of a new species
Yuriy Verves, Liudmila
Khrokalo and Olha Panchuk
Dolichotachina separata Verves
& Khrokalo, sp. n. is described based on a male from Egypt, and our knowledge of the other Middle Eastern species,
Dolichotachina marginella (Wiedemann,
1830), is reviewed. The generic status of Dolichotachina vis-à-vis Metopodiella Zumpt, 1961 is discussed. A
list of the 10 (including one fossil) species of Dolichotachina from the Palaearctic, Oriental and Afrotropical
regions and 9 species of Metopodiella
from the Afrotropical region are presented.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
68-75.
Taxonomy of the genus Ischnocolus in the Middle East, with description of a new species
from Oman and Iran (Araneae: Theraphosidae)
Vivian M. Montemor, Rick C.
West, Alireza Zamani, Majid Moradmand, Volker V. Wirth, Ingo Wendt, Siegfried
Huber and José Paulo L. Guadanucci
Spider material collected from Oman and Iran revealed a new species of
the genus Ischnocolus Ausserer, 1871,
which is described as I. vanandelae sp. n. New records of I. jickelii L. Koch, 1875 from Saudi
Arabia, Yemen and United Arab Emirates show a larger distribution of this
species than previously known. The natural history of I. vanandelae sp. n. and
I. jickelii is described and the
rather unusual colour polymorphism of the latter is discussed. The genus now
includes eight species, whose distribution is mapped.
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
76-90.
SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus
recorded at the Turkish Black Sea coast for the first time
Ömral Ü. Özkoç, Deniz
Oğuz, Can Nacar, Kiraz Erciyas-Yavuz and Y. Sancar Barış
Zoology in the Middle East 66(1), 2020:
91-93.
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