Статьи

When studying the late Cenozoic history of amphibians and reptiles, a number of problems arise, associated with obtaining and interpretation of factual material. First of all, the author considers peculiarities of obtaining and identifying fossil material, which strongly affects the amount and quality of paleontological data. Most biologists are not familiar with them. These are problems of taphonomy, demand, economy, personnel, collection and systematic problems.

The adder is a usual, locally-numerous species, occurring sporadically in most parts of the Vladimir Region: everywhere in the Meshchersky Lowland and Prinerlinski District, sporadically on the Kovrovsko-Kasimovskoe Plateau, Klin-Dmitrov Ridge, in the Opole. The largest adder populations are in Yuryev-Polsky District. The adder occurrence in different habitats varies from 0.01 to 1.33 individuals per 1 km route. The maximum adder occurrence is in Kovrov (1.33 ind. / km) Vyaznikovsky (0.83 ind. / km) and Kameshkovski (0.44 ind. / km) Districts.

The reproductive structure of Cosmocerca ornata (Dujardin, 1845) in marsh frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus (Pallas, 1771)) of both the striata and non-striata phenotypes was studied. Distinctions in the physiology, ecology and behavior of striped and unstriped amphibians have certain influence on the intensity of processes of the host infestation and maturing of C. ornata in frogs of different phenotypes. Analysis of the age structure of the C.

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.

Data on the age and growth of the Talysh toad in the Lenkoran Lowland are provided from sceletochronological analysis. Females are larger than males by body size. The reproductive part of the population is mainly composed by animals aged 3 - 6 years. The maximum age of females and males in the studied group was 9 and 8 years, respectively. Males and females reach their sexual maturity after 1 - 2 and 3 winters, respectively.

Data on the spread of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis Linnaeus, 1758) in the southeast area of its habitat, in the adjacent parts of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China have been generalized. Cadastral maps with the exact location of 217 occurrences have been compiled. The habitat boundary of the sand lizard in the Southern Balkhash region has been refined. The mountains in the east and southeast of Kazakhstan are an important focus of L. agilis in the country.

During the field season of 2014, research was conducted on 5 areas planned for organizing protected areas in Kazan City. The examined areas were found to be important for preserving the diversity of amphibians and reptiles in the city. Of major concern is preservation of the northern crested newt (Triturus cristatus Laurenti, 1768) and the common toad (Bufo bufo, Linnaeus, 1758) in those territories, the species listed in The Red Data Book of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The paper considers qualitative and quantitative characteristics of pholidosis variations in two lizard species, comparative analysis of these indices at both intraspecific and interspecific level is carried out. 45 and 19 types of deviations were observed in the sand lizard and common lizard respectively. Variations of the labial, supraocular and supraciliar, frontonasal, parietal, occipital and ventral scales are more common in both species. The sand lizards from the Spassky region differ from the others by some indices.

Field research was conducted on the Kerzhensky Nature Reserve territory (the Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia) in 2012-2013 to analyze the influence of the 2010 forest wildfires on the populations of amphibians and reptiles and to reveal features of their post-wildfire recovery. The recovery of the herpetocomplexes on the territories subjected to surface/crawling and controlled fires was found to occur during no more than two years, whereas crown/canopy fires with complete vegetation destruction required three years for recovery.

Molecular genetic analysis of 28 marsh frogs Pelophylax ridibundus complex from 12 localities of the Crimean peninsula was conducted by two molecular markers, namely, COI, the gene of the first subunit of cytochromeoxydase mtDNA, and SAI-1, the first intron of the serum albumin gene nDNA. It has been found that the mtDNA type specific for the “eastern” form (the Anatolian P. cf. bedriagae) prevails for the Crimean marsh frogs, while the mtDNA type of the “western” form (the Central-European P.