Bats of Guilan, northern Iran: a review and uncovering novel discoveries, with comments on two key cave roosts

Guilan province, located in northern Iran and surrounded by the Caspian Sea to the north and the Hyrcanian forests to the south, boasts the most diverse habitats in the country. However, there is a lack of information on bat fauna in the caves of Guilan province, with all existing records limited to artificial roosts, foraging individuals or echolocation calls. Despite this, available data suggests that 13 species of bats have been reported in the region. In this study, 12 caves throughout the province were observed, resulting in the identification of five bat species, namely Miniopterus pallidus, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Myotis blythii, Rhinolophus hipposideros, and R. ferrumequinum. One colony and two individuals in separate localities were also identified at the generic level as Rhinolophus sp., while two cave roosts with large populations and considerable number of species were described in detail. Furthermore, this study encompasses data on five new sample records, comprising three from Pipistrellus kuhlii, one from Rhinolophus sp., and one from Rhinolophus hipposideros, from foraging individuals and artificial roosts. Overall, these findings contribute to our understanding of the diversity and distribution of bats in Guilan province, particularly within its caves

Bat fauna and conservation assessment of Kurdistan caves, Iran

The populations of cave-dwelling bat species are encountering a remarkable decline all over the world. To plan effective conservation projects for bats and their cave roosts, collecting data on their distribution in a particular region is essential. Furthermore, developing an applicable index that incorporates both biotic and abiotic parameters relevant to caves is useful to prioritize caves for conservation management. Recently, there has been a growing interest in studying bat fauna of Iran. The Kurdistan province in west of the country is entirely mountainous, having a suitable geological substratum for formation of caves. Previously, five bat species were reported from Kurdistan. The current study has improved the data by doubling the number of cave-dwelling bat species of the province. A total number of 61 records of 10 species were documented. Overall, of 28 caves studied, 26 caves were used by bats. Each cave hosted one to six bat species. To prioritize Kurdistan caves for conservation programs, the Bat Cave Vulnerability Index (BCVI) was employed for 26 caves explored in this study. Four caves, including Karaftu, Kamtaran, Darvish Ouliya, and Kouna Sham-Sham, were highlighted due to their highest BCVI value. The other 22 caves received medium or low priority values. In the current study, we provided data on the bat fauna of Kurdistan caves, in addition to evaluate their conservation priorities by applying an assessing index for the first time in the country

Niphargus sarii sp. n., a new subterranean niphargid (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Iran based on molecular and morphological characters

Niphargus sarii sp. n. was collected from Jo-Khanem Spring in Ilam Province. This species hypothesis is based on the analysis of morphological characters and 28S ribosomal DNA sequences. In this paper, we describe the morphological traits of this new species. Then, its taxonomic status within the genus is discussed in comparison to the 15 known Iranian species. Results revealed that N. sarii sp. n. is phylogenetically close to N. sohrevardensis. This species is easily distinguished from other Iranian species by some characters, in particular the equal length of rami in uropod I, lack of lateral robust setae on telson and the situation of dactylus to posterior margin of propodus in gnathopod II

Population Genetic Structure of the Endangered Kaiser's Mountain Newt, Neurergus kaiseri (Amphibia: Salamandridae).

Species often exhibit different levels of genetic structuring correlated to their environment. However, understanding how environmental heterogeneity influences genetic variation is difficult because the effects of gene flow, drift and selection are confounded. We investigated the genetic variation and its ecological correlates in an endemic and critically endangered stream breeding mountain newt, Neurergus kaiseri, within its entire range in southwestern Iran. We identified two geographic regions based on phylogenetic relationships using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood of 779 bp mtDNA (D-loop) in 111 individuals from ten of twelve known breeding populations. This analysis revealed a clear divergence between northern populations, located in more humid habitats at higher elevation, and southern populations, from drier habitats at lower elevations regions. From seven haplotypes found in these populations none was shared between the two regions. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of N. kaiseri indicates that 94.03% of sequence variation is distributed among newt populations and 5.97% within them. Moreover, a high degree of genetic subdivision, mainly attributable to the existence of significant variance among the two regions is shown (θCT = 0.94, P = 0.002). The positive and significant correlation between geographic and genetic distances (r = 0.61, P = 0.002) following controlling for environmental distance suggests an important influence of geographic divergence of the sites in shaping the genetic variation and may provide tools for a possible conservation based prioritization policy for the endangered species

Plot of simple Mantel test showing the relationships between (A) geographic and genetic distances and (B) environmental and genetic distances among 10 populations of <i>Neurergus kaiseri</i>.

<p>Plot of simple Mantel test showing the relationships between (A) geographic and genetic distances and (B) environmental and genetic distances among 10 populations of <i>Neurergus kaiseri</i>.</p

Statistical parsimony network of seven <i>N</i>. <i>kaiseri</i> haplotypes, obtained from 111 individuals.

<p>Red circles represent sampled haplotypes from the northern region and blue circles represent sampled haplotypes from the southern region. The letters codes of the populations are indicated in italic. The size of each circle is proportional to the relative frequency of that haplotype among all samples. Small circles indicate inferred haplotypes that are extinct or were not detected in analyses.</p

Description of new endemic species of the genus Niphargus Schiödte, 1849 (Amphipoda: Niphargidae) from a karst spring in Zagros Mountains in Iran

Esmaeili-Rineh, Somayeh, Heidari, Firoozeh, Fišer, Cene, Akmali, Vahid (2016): Description of new endemic species of the genus Niphargus Schiödte, 1849 (Amphipoda: Niphargidae) from a karst spring in Zagros Mountains in Iran. Zootaxa 4126 (3): 338-350, DOI: http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4126.3.

A Histological Study of the Skin of the Dorsal and Ventral Areas of the Flounder Boleophthalmus dussumieri (Teleostei: Oxudercidae) in Khor Musa (Northwest of the Persian Gulf)

Mudskippers are members of the Oxudercidae family and are amphibious fishes that are able to spend long periods out of water. In the present study, Boleophthalmus dussumieri was sampled from Petroshimi and Jafari stations. In order to perform histological studies, the samples (3 males and females from each station) were anesthetized and fixed in Boyne's fixative solution in accordance with biological ethical principles. Then, tissue sectioning and H&E staining were done. Observations by light microscope showed that the epidermis consists of a corresponding epithelium consisting of three cell layers. The dermis of the skin consists of thick collagen fibers and many blood capillaries. In some areas, protrusions from the dermis enter the epidermis, which are called dermal protrusions. There was a significant difference in the thickness of the epidermis layer in males and females. It was 87.97 microns in females and 74.32 microns in males. Based on the amphibian way of life of slugs, in species that are more hydrophilic, the upper and middle parts of the body, which are often exposed to air, have smaller amounts of diffusion distance. Therefore, it can be expected that air absorption through the skin in B. dussumieri takes place more in the upper part of the body than in the lower part or appendages.IntroductionThe term mudskippers refers to four genera, namely Periophthalmus, Periophthalmodon, Boleophthalmus, and Scartelaos, which are known as fish-amphibians and have different degrees of adaptation to terrestrial conditions. Boleophthalmus dussumieri from the Oxudercidae family is distributed along the coasts of the Oman Sea and the Persian Gulf. Mudskippers are able to breathe through the skin, the lining of the mouth (mucous or mucous membrane), and the mouth (throat). This action will be possible when their skin is moist and wet. This type of breathing, which is used in a similar way in amphibians, is called skin or skin breathing. So far, various studies have been done on this group of fish in East Asia. In order to further investigate thistopic, in the present study, the histological investigation of the dorsal and ventral surfaces of B. dussumieri and its role in respiration was done. Materials and MethodsIn this research, some specimens of B. dussumieri were caught alive by hand during the spring season of 2020-2021 from Khor Mahshahr, located in the northwest of the Persian Gulf. The checking of morphological index traits was done with the help of a valid identification key. A 1 x 1 cm skin incision was made from the skin of the back and abdomen. The usual method of preparing tissue sections was used. Then, 5 μm thick sections were prepared and subjected to general hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. To perform histometric studies, an optical microscope equipped with a Dino-Lite digital lens and Image J software was used. The measurement results were analyzed using SPSS 20 software. Results and Conclusions Microscopic observations showed that the epidermis consists of a corresponding epithelium consisting of three cell layers, including the surface layer, the middle layer, and the reproductive layer. The surface layer of the epidermis consists of several layers of flat and squamous cells along with a large number of blood capillaries (intraepithelial blood capillaries) that are located near the body surface. Nucleated red blood cells in these capillaries are located near the surface of the fish body. The middle layer of the epidermis consists of several layers of spherical to polyhedral cells, which have a central nucleus and are called vesicular cells. The basal or germ layer also consists of several rows of cubic cells with a spherical nucleus. Also, the histological study showed that the dermis of the skin consists of thick collagen fibers.Comparing the thickness of the epidermis layer of the skin showed that there is a significant difference between the male and female sexes in terms of the thickness of the epidermis. Also, the thickness of the epidermis was measured in females more than in males. There was a significant difference in the thickness of the epidermis between the dorsal-ventral surfaces in each of the male and female sexes. There was no significant difference between the male and female sexes in terms of diffusion distance. However, the average distance of diffusion in the female sex compared to the male sex included smaller values. In males, the diffusion distance between the dorsal and ventral surfaces was very different. But in females, it was significant only at the abdominal level. The difference in basal layer thickness was significant in both areas. The comparison of the middle layer in males and females had a significant difference and its thickness was measured more in females than in males. Finally, the comparison of the external layer showed that the thickness of this layer in the abdominal part of males has a significant difference compared to the abdominal surface.The comparison of the tissue sections of the skin in B. dussumieri populations showed that the adaptation of this group of fish to dry conditions had an effect on the thickness and structure of the epidermis, the distribution, abundance, and function of the capillaries in the epidermis. The presence of skin protrusions in B. dussumieri reduces the outer layer of the epidermis. This is consistent with the results of other studies in which dermal protrusions are observed in all Boleophthalmus and Scartelaos genera in the structure of the epidermis. Based on the amphibious lifestyle of the gill-feeding fishes, it seems that in species that are more hydrophilic, the upper and middle parts of the body are often exposed to the air leading to smaller values ​​of the diffusion distance in these areas. The two genera Periophthalmus and Periophthalmodon perform skin breathing directly through the air and are known as air-breathing fish. Alternatively, adaptations such as a thicker epidermis, well-developed vascularization, fewer blood capillaries, and reduced diffusion distance may enable dermal respiration to survive in poorly oxygenated water during the periodic dry season. Funding Funding was provided by the Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran