The geography of snake reproductive mode: a global analysis of the evolution of snake viviparity

Aim : Although most reptiles are oviparous, viviparity is a commonmode of reproduction in squamates and has evolved multiple times in different lineages.We test two prevailing hypotheses regarding the biogeography of reptile reproductive modes to evaluate the selective forces driving the evolution of viviparity in snakes. The cold climate hypothesis posits that viviparity is selected for in cold climates, whereas the climatic predictability hypothesis predicts that viviparity is advantageous in seasonal climates. Methods : We collated detailed distribution maps and reproductive mode data for 2663 species of the world’s terrestrial alethinophidian snakes.We studied the relationship between snake reproductive mode and environmental predictors. We applied both an ecological and an evolutionary approach to study snake reproductive mode by performing the analyses at the assemblage level and species level, respectively. We analysed our data at the global and continental scales to learn whether tendencies to viviparity are similar world-wide. Results : We found strong support for the cold climate hypothesis and the assumption that viviparity is an adaptation to cold environments. There was little support for the climatic predictability hypothesis. Nonetheless, viviparous species are not restricted to cold environments. Main conclusions : We conclude that viviparity is adaptive in cold climates, but not necessarily in unpredictable/seasonal climates. Current distributions may not reflect the climate at the time and place of speciation.We suspect many viviparous snakes inhabiting warm climates are members of lineages that originated in colder regions, and their occurrence in maladaptive environments is a result of phylogenetic conservatism

Platyceps largeni (Schätti , 2001) — sixth specimen and a distribution extension

We describe the finding, in a museum jar, of the sixth known specimen of the Eritrean snake Platyceps largeni (Scätti, 2001) (synonym, Coluber largeni). The specimen is from Museri Island, Dahlak Archipelago in the Red Sea. This record is the first one for this island and it represents a ca. 50 km range extension of this species, hitherto known from five specimens in a tight cluster of three other islands. This find verifies Schätti's (2001) prediction that the species might be found in the nearby archipelago islands

Platyceps largeni (Schätti , 2001) — sixth specimen and a distribution extension

We describe the finding, in a museum jar, of the sixth known specimen of the Eritrean snake Platyceps largeni (Scätti, 2001) (synonym, Coluber largeni). The specimen is from Museri Island, Dahlak Archipelago in the Red Sea. This record is the first one for this island and it represents a ca. 50 km range extension of this species, hitherto known from five specimens in a tight cluster of three other islands. This find verifies Schätti’s (2001) prediction that the species might be found in the nearby archipelago islands

To be or not to be tchernovi: a taxonomic revision of the snake genus Micrelaps (Squamata: Serpentes), in Israel

Jamison, Simon, Maza, Erez, Sinaiko, Guy, Tamar, Karin, Slavenko, Alex, Meiri, Shai (2020): To be or not to be tchernovi: a taxonomic revision of the snake genus Micrelaps (Squamata: Serpentes), in Israel. Zootaxa 4881 (2): 290-306, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4881.2.

Gut microbial signatures are associated with Lynch syndrome (LS) and cancer history in Druze communities in Israel

Abstract Lynch syndrome (LS) is a hereditary cancer syndrome caused by autosomal dominant mutations, with high probability of early onset for several cancers, mainly colorectal cancer (CRC). The gut microbiome was shown to be influenced by host genetics and to be altered during cancer development. Therefore, we aimed to determine alterations in gut microbiome compositions of LS patients with and without cancer. We performed fecal microbiome analyses on samples of LS and non-LS members from the Druze ethnoreligious community in Israel, based on both their LS mutation and their cancer history. Our analysis revealed specific bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) overrepresented in LS individuals as well as bacterial OTUs differentiating between the LS individuals with a history of cancer. The identified OTUs align with previous studies either correlating them to pro-inflammatory functions, which can predispose to cancer, or to the cancer itself, and as such, these bacteria can be considered as future therapeutic targets

Taxonomic revision of the Tropiocolotes nattereri(Squamata, Gekkonidae) species complex, with the description of a new species from Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia

We examined the taxonomy of the minute desert geckos of the Tropiocolotes nat-tererispecies complex using the largest morphological sampling, and the first mo-lecular assessment of intraspecific diversity within this complex. We examined variation in mitochondrial and nuclear markers (12S, ND2, c- mosand MC1R) of 30 samples and analyzed the external morphology of 202 specimens, from across the entire distribution range of the complex from Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. We recognize two species under the name T. nattereri. We thus hereby describe a new species, T. yomtovisp. n., and we redefine and redescribe T. nattereri, for which we designate a neotype. The species diversity in the genus Tropiocolotes increases to 15.This work was supported by the Gans Collections and Charitable Fund Inc. [M.A.R- J. grant], SYNTHESYS+, Synthesis of Systematic Resources funded by the European Commission [M.A.R- J. grants: ES- TAF- 1276; GB- TAF- 2393; CZ- TAF- 1260; DE- TAF- 2418], the Rector scholarship, Tel Aviv University [M.A.R- J. postdoctoral fellowship] and the Alexander and Eva Lester Fund scholarship, I. Meier Segals Garden for Zoological Research [M.A.R- J. postdoctoral fellowship].Peer reviewe

Morphological and genetic differentiation in the anguid lizard Pseudopus apodus supports the existence of an endemic subspecies in the Levant

The Levant represents one of the most important reptile diversity hotspots and centers of endemism in the Western Palearctic. The region harbored numerous taxa in glacial refugia during the Pleistocene climatic oscillations. Due to the hostile arid conditions in the warmer periods they were not always able to spread or come into contact with populations from more distant regions. One large and conspicuous member of the Levantine herpetofauna is the legless anguid lizard Pseudopus apodus. This species is distributed from the Balkans to Central Asia with a portion of its range running along the eastern Mediterranean coast. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, microsatellite genotypes, and morphology show that populations in this region differ from the two named subspecies and presumably had a long independent evolutionary history during the Quaternary. Here we describe the Levantine population as a new subspecies and present biogeographic scenarios for its origin and diversification. The new subspecies is genetically highly diverse, and it forms a sister lineage to Pseudopus from the remaining parts of the range according to mtDNA. It is the largest-bodied of the three subspecies, but occupies the smallest range

Publisher Correction: The global distribution of tetrapods reveals a need for targeted reptile conservation

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the distributions of all reptile species

the polygonal and points (buffered or modeled to produce MCPs and alpha hulls as described in the methods) for all reptile specie