Landscape epidemiology of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans : reconciling data limitations and conservation urgency

Starting in 2010, rapid-fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) population declines in northwestern Europe heralded the emergence of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), a salamander-pathogenic chytrid fungus. Bsal poses an imminent threat to global salamander diversity owing to its wide host range, high pathogenicity, and long-term persistence in ecosystems. While there is a pressing need to develop further research and conservation actions, data limitations inherent to recent pathogen emergence obscure necessary insights into Bsal disease ecology. Here, we use a hierarchical modeling framework to describe Bsal landscape epidemiology of outbreak sites in light of these methodological challenges. Using model selection and machine learning, we find that Bsal presence is associated with humid and relatively cool, stable climates. Outbreaks are generally located in areas characterized by low landscape heterogeneity and low steepness of slope. We further find an association between Bsal presence and high trail density, suggesting that human-mediated spread may increase risk for spillover between populations. We then use distribution modeling to show that favorable conditions occur in lowlands influenced by the North Sea, where increased survey effort is needed to determine how Bsal impacts local newt populations, but also in hill- and mountain ranges in northeastern France and the lower half of Germany. Finally, connectivity analyses suggest that these hill- and mountain ranges may act as stepping stones for further spread southward. Our results provide initial insight into regional environmental conditions underlying Bsal epizootics, present updated invasibility predictions for northwestern Europe, and lead us to discuss a wide variety of potential survey and research actions needed to advance future conservation and mitigation efforts

Amphibian persistence in the Anthropocene : the spread of chytridiomycosis and the response of populations

Om biodiversiteit in het Antropoceen te behouden, is een grondig begrip nodig van de gevolgen van antropogene veranderingen. Chytridiomycose, een dodelijke amfibieënziekte veroorzaakt door pathogene schimmels van het genus Batrachochytrium, veroorzaakt een groot verlies van biodiversiteit als gevolg van menselijk gestuurde introducties vanuit het oorspronkelijke verspreidingsgebied in Oost-Azië. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) veroorzaakt al minstens een halve eeuw afnames en uitsterving onder amfibieën, vooral bij kikkersoorten, en is over de hele wereld verspreid. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) werd pas in 2013 beschreven en veroorzaakt een sterke afname van salamanderpopulaties in Noordwest-Europa. In tegenstelling tot Bd is Bsal nog niet buiten zijn invasieve verspreidingsgebied in Europa gedetecteerd, maar vormt een aanstaande bedreiging voor de mondiale salamanderdiversiteit. Het karakteriseren van de reacties van amfibieënpopulaties en het in kaart brengen en anticiperen van de verspreiding van Batrachochytrium zijn daarom van cruciaal belang voor het aansturen van natuurbehoudsmaatregelen

Amphibian and reptile records from around the Betsiboka delta area in North-Western Madagascar

This study summarizes amphibian and reptile records from ad-hoc surveys in a series of localities in the North-West of Madagascar, largely centered around the delta of the Betsiboka river. Approximately 11 amphibian and 32 reptile species were found, with taxonomic uncertainties remaining for some of them. Among the most relevant findings, we report on range extensions northwards of Aglyptodactylus laticeps (verified by DNA sequencing), and of an enigmatic skink of the Trachylepis aureopunctata group, possibly close to T. dumasi, T. tandrefana, or T. volamenaloha. We furthermore provide anecdotal information on habitat and natural history of several rare and regionally endemic burrowing skinks, i.e., Voeltzkowia mira, V. yamagishii, and Pygomeles petteri

Amphibian and reptile records from around the Betsiboka Delta area in North-Western Madagascar

This study summarises amphibian and reptile records from ad hoc surveys in a series of localities in the North-West of Madagascar, largely centred on the delta of the Betsiboka River. Eleven amphibian and approximately 32 reptile species were found, with taxonomic uncertainties remaining for some of them. Among the most relevant findings, we report on range extensions northwards of Aglyptodactylus laticeps (verified by DNA sequencing), and of an enigmatic skink of the Trachylepis aureopunctata group, possibly close to T. dumasi, T. tandrefana, or T. volamenaloha. We furthermore provide anecdotal information on habitat and natural history of several rare and regionally endemic burrowing skinks, i.e., Voeltzkowia mira, V. yamagishii, and Pygomeles petteri

Biodiversity survey of the UNESCO Sheka forest biosphere reserve from February 2016 to May 2016

Data of amphibians, reptiles and birds surveyed from February 2016 to May 2016 in the UNESCO Sheka forest biosphere reserve are provided as an online open access data file

Extended molecular phylogenetics and revised systematics of Malagasy scincine lizards

Among the endemic biota of Madagascar, skinks are a diverse radiation of lizards that exhibit a striking ecomorphological variation, and could provide an interesting system to study body-form evolution in squamate reptiles. We provide a new phylogenetic hypothesis for Malagasy skinks of the subfamily Scincinae based on an extended molecular dataset comprising 8060 bp from three mitochondrial and nine nuclear loci. Our analysis also increases taxon sampling of the genus Amphiglossus by including 16 out of 25 nominal species. Additionally, we examined whether the molecular phylogenetic patterns coincide with morphological differentiation in the species currently assigned to this genus. Various methods of inference recover a mostly strongly supported phylogeny with three main clades of Amphiglossus. However, relationships among these three clades and the limb-reduced genera Grandidierina, Voeltzkowia and Pygomeles remain uncertain. Supported by a variety of morphological differences (predominantly related to the degree of body elongation), but considering the remaining phylogenetic uncertainty, we propose a redefinition of Amphiglossus into three different genera (Amphiglossus sensu stricto, Flexiseps new genus, and Brachyseps new genus) to remove the non-monophyly of Amphiglossus sensu lato and to facilitate future studies on this fascinating group of lizards