Sexual dimorphism and morphometric study of Caspian pond turtle, Mauremys caspica (Testudines : Geoemydidae) in Golestan Province, southeast of the Caspian Sea

The Caspian pond turtle, Mauremys caspica, is a terrapin belonging to family Geoemydidae. Totally, 130 specimens (67 males and 63 females) were collected manually and by net from different aquatic habitats in Golestan Province from 2016 through 2017. Morphometric characteristics such as length were measured using digital caliper and weight by electronic weighting scale. Skin of this turtle was dark olive green in color and had rows of longitudinal yellow stripes around the head and neck. Their carapace was relatively flat, the bridges between the dorsal and ventral shells were bony, and the ends of anal scutes were found to be pointed. Fingers and toes had swimming membranes. Sexes were identified using the location of vent on the tail. Sex ratios of males to females were nearly 1:1. The maximum straight carapace length (SCL2) was 80.66-230.16 (156.72 ± 42.93) and 56.96-236.84 (147.02 ± 50.76) in males and females, respectively. Ratios of SCL2 to maximum plastron length (PL2) were found to be 1.013- 1.32 (1.15 ± 0.04) in males and 1.01-1.15 (1.08 ± 0.03) in females; ratios of SCL2 to straight carapace width (SCW) were 1.24-2.60 (1.40 ± 0.16) in males and 1.20-1.47 (1.35 ± 0.07) in females; ratios of SCL2 to carapace height (CH) were 2.28-3.55 (2.79 ± 0.22) in males and 2.05-8.78 (2.87 ± 1.11) in females; ratios of SCL2 to tail length2 (TL2) were 2.33-7.59 (3.76 ± 0.91) in males and 2.34-4.78 (3.06 ± 0.62) in females. Ratios of straight width of femuro-anal suture (FASW) to anal seam length (AnSL) were 2.95–5.89 (3.78 ± 0.54) in males and 2.65-4.13 (3.23 ± 0.40) in females. The ratio of TL2 to TL1 and TL1 to RBrL are found to be the fast and simple grouping index to determine sex of the specimens

Recently Discovered Iranian Population of Rousettus leschenaultii (Chiroptera; Petropodidae), Highlighting the Essential Need for Taxonomic Expertise in Applied Medical Sciences

Background: Bats are potential reservoir hosts for vector-borne diseases that can transmit many bacterial and viral agents to humans. Fruit bats are considered reservoirs of many viruses and they are of major importance in the medical sciences for controlling and preventing vector-borne diseases. This study aimed to compare the morphological and genetic differences of two fruit bat species, Rousettus aegyptiacus and R. leschenaultii in Iran, implying anessential need for taxonomic expertise in applied medical sciences. Methods: In this experimental study, we collected and identified 26 specimens of bats belonging to two fruit bat species from the southeast of Iran. The morphological and genetic differences were characterized between recently recorded migratory fruit bat R. leschenaultii and the morphologically similar and resident R. aegyptiacus. The haplotype network was generated using the program POPART. The nucleotide variation and population differentiation were calculated in DNAsp. Furthermore, we considered additional records of 15 specimens from three widespread bat species in the north of Iran. Results: Morphological characterization of two fruit bat species showed R. aegyptiacus is larger than R. leschenaultii in morphometric variables except tail length (TL) for both sexes. The demographic analyses revealed that all haplotypes of R. leschenaulti formed a single haplogroup in the species' distributional range. In contrast, haplotypes of R. aegyptiacus were divided into five haplogroups respecting taxa/localities. The results represent a strong signature of population expansion for these two species of bats. Conclusion: Population of the fruit bats throughout their ranges in the Middle East may indicate an increased risk of the spread of viral agents over time. Therefore, precise identification of hosts and vectors in applied medical sciences is essential to conduct standard procedures. © 2022 by the authors