Статьи

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.

Terrestrial route counts of reptiles in 24 localities of the plateau Ustyurt were carried out in 2007 - 2008. 474 individuals of 15 species were found along a total of 243.5 km passed. Based on the results of our survey, the reptile population structure has been clarified in 12 landscapes. The low specific diversity and population density of reptiles were observed everywhere. 2 to 8 species with a population density of 1.9 - 8.4 individuals per ha were found in certain landscapes. In terms of abundance, the reptiles belonged to rare or common species.

Novel data on the distribution, habitats and population density of the Crimean (Balkan) wall lizard, Podarcis tauricus (Pallas, 1814) in the Odessa Province of the Ukraine are given. For the majority of the localities known from the literature data in the Pre-Danube Region, the current dwelling of the species was confirmed, and its population density over limited areas remains quite high, namely: from 5–10 to 70–100 specimens/1000 sq. m. The northernmost point of the P.

7 qualitative pholidosis characters were revealed, according to which the phylogenetic groups of spotted toad-headed agamas, Phrynocephalus (superspecies guttatus), reliably differ from each other, and a diagnostic key was designed based thereon for distinguishing representatives of the group. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of a fragment of the COI gene of mtDNA confirmed the differentiation of Ph. melanurus in two lineages; also Ph. incertus and Ph. kuschakewitschi stand apart with high supports.

Histological features of the skin of Salamandrella keyserlingii males are analyzed as depends on the seasonal cycle phase. Skin areas from the middle of the tail’s right side (caudal skin, CS), the center of the throat sac (throat skin, TS), and the middle of the back (dorsal skin, DS) were examined.

Data on the status of the populations of Testudo graeca Linnaeus, 1758 on the Primorsky lowland of Dagestan are given. The research was conducted in 2014 - 2018. Over the past few decades, the range of this species on the Primorsky lowland has reduced by nine or more times. Viable populations were preserved on the coastal dunes and semidesert-steppe landscapes in the vicinity of the Aji Lake (1,300 hectares) and along the fringes and outskirts of the forest in the Samur River delta (2,100 hectares).

Widely distributed reptile species are characterized by reproductive plasticity, which may also appear as variations of the reproductive cycles. To understand the specificity of the male reproductive cycle of Zootoca vivipara in the Asian part of its range, males from the Tomsk population (the southeast of the Western Siberia) caught from April till July 2017 were studied (n = 27).

The Caspian whipsnake was described by I. I. Lepyokhin (1771), possibly from the Western Kazakhstan. The species name caspius was assigned to the snake by J. F. Gmelin (1789). Based on our own and literature data, modern habitats of the Caspian whipsnake are given in the Western Kazakhstanian and Atyrau regions of Kazakhstan – from 48°47.305' N and 47°22.559' E (in the north) to 46°56.536' N and 49°18.177' E (in the south).

The long-term dynamics of size and weight characteristics and body condition of Pelobates fuscus metamorphs in five local populations of the Medveditsa river floodplain (Saratov region) are analyzed. The limits of changes in body length, live and dry weight, and the body condition index (W/SVL) of males and females were established. In 2009 - 2018 the size and weight parameters of the P. fuscus metamorphs had a significant level of interannual variation.

The paper presents materials on the reproductive biology of the hyrcanian meadow lizard, Darevskia praticola hyrcanica from a typical locality (the Gadasygahi Natural Boundaries, Talysh Mountains, Astara administrative district of Azerbaijan). Animals were caught in the first decade of May, 2016. After being caught, the adult lizards were kept in groups (one female and two males) in our laboratory until oviposition. Females with a body length of 45.8 - 60.6 mm were laying eggs from May 28 till June 20.