Morphological variation of the European Pond Turtle, Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus 1758), on the island of Menorca

The European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a widely distributed species in Menorca (Balearic Islands,western Mediterranean) and it likely was introduced in historical times. In this study, we evaluated sexual dimorphismand morphological variation of E. orbicularis on the island from a sample of 455 individuals captured at ten surveysites. In these individuals, we measured seven linear traits related to body size. In addition, we measured two shapedescriptors (carapace and plastron shape) and iris and plastral coloration. The results showed very pronounced sexualdimorphism, with females being larger than males and also having longer and broader plastra with higher carapaces.The site of capture had significant effects on carapace, plastral shape, and coloration. Both males and females had darkorlight-colored plastra, but some males had almost completely dark plastra (to 99% dark), whereas in females, themaximum extent of black plastra was lower (79%). The sexes also differed in iridal chromatic attributes, with femalesmore frequently having yellow and males having red or orange irises. However, this was not diagnostic of sexual identity,as 13% of females had red irises and 15% of males had yellow irises

LACK OF SIZE-ASSORTATIVE MATING IN A WIDESPREAD TREEFROG: PSEUDACRIS CRUCIFER IN IOWA

The Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) is a small treefrog native to much of the Central and Eastern USA. Here, we tested if Spring Peepers exhibit size-assortative mating—non-random mate pairings based on body size—from a population in eastern Iowa. We captured 75 amplecting pairs of Spring Peepers during the 2021 breeding season, measured their body sizes, and marked them for future recognition. We found that while sexual-size dimorphism exists between males and females, there was no evidence for size-assortative mating among amplectant pairs. Our study contributes to other recent work indicating that size-assortative mating is rare among most anurans, and that previous findings of this phenomenon in frogs should be interpreted with caution

Ophidiomycosis in a Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus (Linnaeus 1758), with behavioral and thermal observations: A case report from Georgia, USA

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Establishing a baseline trend and diversity of snake rescues in the Kali Tiger Reserve, Karnataka.

As human-snake encounters become increasingly frequent, snake rescuers play a significant role in protectingboth snakes and humans. To improve the procedures of snake rescues in human-dominated areas and ensuregreater accountability, providing structured protocols and establishing evidence-based snake-human encounter managementis increasingly important. Herein we analyze snake rescues in and around the Kali Tiger Reserve, Karnataka,India, to identify trends and document the diversity of snake species encountered in human-dominated landscapes.Snake rescues by the Forest Department staff of the Kali Tiger Reserve from 2012 to 2022 involved 31 species in 22genera, with Ptyas (29.3%), Naja (21.7%), Chrysopelea (9.9%), and Python (9.7%) being the most frequently rescued.The numbers of frequently rescued species is indicative of the overall quality of habitat, whereas the frequency of rescuesof near-threatened species in the genera Python (278 rescues) and Eryx (54 rescues) demonstrates the importanceof implementing effective conservation policies. We also highlight the need for proper record-keeping of rescues forfurther research and decision-making, monitoring survival of translocated individuals, and the need for educationalawareness programs about threatened and venomous snakes directed to the area’s human populations