Статьи

An overview of the cases of introduction (both accidental and intentional) of amphibians and reptiles in the Caucasus and Crimea is provided. The introduction cases are systemized in accordance with the goals and ways of introduction and with regards to the expected scale of the impact and its nature. No negative consequences of the introduction of amphibian and reptile species in the Crimea and Caucasus are currently observed on any of the known examples.

Data on the findings of the Siberian salamander over the territory of the European Russian Northeast are summarized. This species is shown to be rare here and to be distributed locally. Three types of spawning reservoirs have been identified, namely: lowland marshes, puddles along the edges of transitional marshes, and roadside ditches. Reproduction begins immediately after snow melting and the appearance of open water.

Data about some external morphological characteristics of Caspian whipsnake in the Astrakhan region are presented. Males, in comparison with females, have larger maximum body (L. corp.) and tail (L. cd) sizes. The males from the Astrakhan region differ from their females by a smaller L. corp. / L. cd. index (ratio), by the number of Ventr, and by a higher number of Scd.

The paper presents data on reproduction of the Cuban toad, Peltophryne empusa in laboratory conditions. Spawning was stimulated by surfagon injection. The start of spawning was observed at a temperature of 27.0 - 27.5°C in the early morning after 10 - 12 h after the hormonal injection. The female fertility ranged from 2,415 to 7,343 eggs. Incubation lasted 12 - 24 h. The total embryogenesis duration from egg laying to the start of exogenous feeding of larvae was about 2 days. The larval development of the Cuban toad lasted from 27 to 64 days.

The body condition dynamics of Pelobates fuscus toadlets from three local populations (namely, Lakes Sadok, Kruglen’koe and Lebyazhye: the Medveditsa river valley, Saratov region) in the period of their migration from spawning lakes in 2013 is characterized by the bimodality of most parameters. In the population from the waterbody with a constant hydrological regime (Lake Lebyazhye), two peaks of the size and weight traits and body condition of toadlets are formed in this period.

The size, weight and sexual structure of Pelophylax ridibundus and Bombina bombina populations was analyzed during their spawning migrations in 2013 - 2015 in four lakes of the Medveditsa River flood-plane (Saratov Region, Lysogorsky District).

The structure of the spawning anuran taxocenoses in five floodplain lakes in the Medveditsa river valley in 2009 - 2016 was analyzed. Degradation of the populations of the three most numerous species and a decreased degree of dominance of the spadefoot toad were established. This degradation strongly affects the species with a longer distance of spawning migrations - the severity of the changes sequentially decreases in the row: Pelophylax ridibundus → Pelobates fuscus → Bombina bombina.

The size, weight and sexual structure of several populations of mature individuals of the common spadefoot was analyzed in five lakes of the Medveditsa floodplain (Saratov Region, Lysogorsky District) in 2009 - 2016. The body length of the males participating in reproduction ranged from 29.0 to 56.0 mm (the weight from 2.35 to 20.87 g), and that of females ranged from 29.3 to 59.2 mm (the weight from 2.64 to 22.33 g). In most P.

The paper presents analysis of the distribution of Darevskia praticola praticola, D. praticola loriensis, D. p. hyrcanica, and D. pontica in the Caucasus. GIS modeling (Maxent 3.3.3k) was used. Analysis of the obtained GIS maps of distribution has allowed us to locate territories with maximum occurrence probabilities of these taxa.

The venom yield of the eastern steppe viper Vipera renardi (Christoph, 1861) was shown to be higher in the summer than in the spring and autumn. No seasonal variability of the venom toxicity (the average lethal dose DL₅₀ for banana crickets Gryllus locorojo Weissman et Gray, 2012) and the enzyme activities therein (proteases and L-amino acid oxidase) was detected.