Food composition of Ocellated Skink, Chalcides ocellatus (Forskal, 1775) (Squamata: Scincidae), from the Cyprus Island

We examined the food composition of the museum specimens of Chalcides ocellatus (Forskal, 1775) collected from Morphou (= Güzelyurt) and Gönyeli (Nicosia District, Northern Cyprus). The stomach contents of 41 (23 males, 11 females, and 7 juveniles) individuals were analyzed, and totally 86 prey items were detected. The species was found to feed mainly on a variety of insects (94.3%) and particularly on coleopterans (62.1%). No statistically significant sex- or age-dependent difference was observed in the feeding regime. In conclusion, the diet of C.ocellatus was based mainly on insects and other arthropods

Food composition of Ocellated Skink, Chalcides ocellatus (Forskal, 1775) (Squamata: Scincidae), from the Cyprus Island

Abstract. We examined the food composition of the museum specimens of Chalcides ocellatus (Forskal, 1775) collected from Morphou (= Güzelyurt) and Gönyeli (Nicosia District, Northern Cyprus). The stomach contents of 41 (23 males, 11 females, and 7 juveniles) individuals were analyzed, and totally 86 prey items were detected. The species was found to feed mainly on a variety of insects (94.3%) and particularly on coleopterans (62.1%). No statistically significant sex-or age-dependent difference was observed in the feeding regime. In conclusion, the diet of C.ocellatus was based mainly on insects and other arthropods. Keywords. Chalcides ocellatus, Ocellated skink, food analysis, Cyprus The Ocellated Skink, Chalcides ocellatus (Forskal, 1775), is a medium-sized semi-fossorial lizard which is mainly distributed from North Africa, the Middle East, and the most part of the Mediterranean basin Chalcides ocellatus is a predominantly insectivorous lizard which feeds on various terrestrial insects. Data on the food composition of C. ocellatus were investigated in Turkey We examined 41 (23 males, 11 females, and 7 juveniles) preserved specimens of C. ocellatus deposited at the ZMHRU (The Zoology Museum of Harran University, Şanlıurfa, Turkey). They were used to determine the Northern Cypriot Herpetofauna as a continuation of the previous study The food contents were assessed in terms of the numeric proportion (the number of a particular prey item in all prey items, N%) and the frequency of occurrence (the frequency of lizard stomachs containing a particular prey type, F%). The trophic niche overlap was 168 Kerim Çiçek, Bayram Göçmen measured using Pianka's index (O, 1973). This index ranges from 0 (no similarity) to 1 (totally similar). The food-niche breadth was determined using Shannon's index (H, Shannon, 1948). The values of this index typically range from 1.5 (narrow niche breadth) to 3.5 (wide niche breadth) The average SVL of the 41 (23 males, 11 females, and 7 juveniles) individuals of C. ocellatus from Northern Cyprus under examination was 48.0 (SD = 3.75, range = 42.8-52.2) mm for juveniles, 71.9 (6.86, 55.0-83.2) mm for males, and 72.10 (5.46, 64.5-81.3) mm for females. There are no statistical differences in size between the sexes (t-test, t = 0.107, P = 0.916). In the stomach contents of 41 individuals, 86 prey items (9 in juveniles, 49 in males, and 28 in females) were detected, with their sizes varying between 3 and 20 mm, and the median number of prey items was 1 (range = 1-3) in juveniles, 2 (1-6) in males, and 1 (1-6) in females. A rather weak correlation was observed between the SVL and the number of prey items (Kendall τ = 0.31, P = 0.02). No statistical difference in the number of prey items in the stomach contents was present among males, females, and juveniles (Kruskal-Wallis test, χ 2 = 4.678, P = 0.096)

Anadolu'da yayılış gösteren Vipera ammodytes (Burunlu engerek) zehrinin sitotoksik, anti-anjiyogenik, anti-tümör ve antimikrobiyal aktivitelerinin taranması

Objective: In the present study, we aimed to screen the cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorogenic activities of Anatolian Vipera ammodytes (Nose-horned Viper) crude venom. Material and methods: The cytotoxicity was screened against PC3, HeLa, CaCo-2, U-87MG, MCF-7 and Vero cells by using MTT assay. The antimicrobial activity on Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, E. coli 0157: H7, Enterococcus faecalis 29212, Enterococcus faecium DSM 13590, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Salmonella typhimirium CCM 5445, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 6957, Bacillus cereus ATCC 7064 and Candida albicans ATCC 10239 was assayed by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration using the broth dilution method. Anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorogenic activity was assessed by using chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Results: The IC50 value of V. ammodytes venom on cultured cells varied from 1.8 to 7.0 mu g/mL after 48 h treatment. Venom showed antimicrobial activity on P. vulgaris, S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. faecium and C. albicans (the highest activity). The venom exhibited dose-dependent anti-angiogenic activity on CAM model at 2 and 10 mu g/mL doses with scores of 1.1 and 2.0, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study contributed to the knowledge of the biological activities of Anatolian V. ammodytes venom and showed its potential for further bioactivity guided characterization studies.Amaç: Bu çalışmada, Vipera ammodytes (Burunlu Engerek) ham zehrinin sitotoksik, antimikrobiyal, anti-anjiyojenik ve anti-tümör aktivitelerinin taranmasını amaçlanmıştır. Metod: PC3, HeLa, CaCo-2, U-87MG ve MCF-7 kanser hücre hatları ve bir normal hücre hattı (Vero) kullanılarak MTT testi ile sitotoksite taraması yapılmıştır. Antimikrobiyal aktivite broth seyreltme metodu kullanılarak hesaplanan minimum inhibitör konsantrasyon ile değerlendirilmiştir. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, E. coli 0157:H7, Enterococcus faecalis 29212, Enterococcus faecium DSM 13590, Staphy- lococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Salmonella typhimirium CCM 5445, Proteus vulgaris ATCC 6957, Bacillus cereus ATCC 7064 ve Candida albicans ATCC 10239 türleri kullanılmıştır. Anti-anjiyoge- nik anti-tümör aktivite civciv koryoallantoik membran (CAM) modeli ile değerlendirilmiştir. Bulgular: V. ammodytes zehrinin 48 saat sonunda hüc- reler üzerindeki IC 50 değeri, 1.8 ve 7.0 μg/mL arasında değişmiştir. Zehir P. vulgaris, S. aureus, S. epidermidis ve C. albicans (en yüksek etki) üzerinde antimikrobiyal etki göstermiştir. CAM deney modelinde 2 ve 10 μg/mL zehir dozlarında (sırasıyla 1.1 ve 2.0 skorları ile) anjiyogenezde doza bağlı baskılanma görülmüştür. Sonuç: Bu çalışmanın sonuçları Anadolu'da bulunan V. ammodytes zehrinin sahip olduğu biyolojik aktiviteleri ortaya koymuş ve ileride yapılacak biyoaktivite rehberli karakterizasyon çalışmaları için sahip olduğu potansiyeli göstermiştir

Landscape connectivity limits the predicted impact of fungal pathogen invasion

Infectious diseases are major drivers of biodiversity loss. The risk of fungal diseases to the survival of threatened animals in nature is determined by a complex interplay between host, pathogen and environment. We here predict the risk of invasion of populations of threatened Mediterranean salamanders of the genus Lyciasalamandra by the pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans by combining field sampling and lab trials. In 494 samples across all seven species of Lyciasalamandra, B. salamandrivorans was found to be absent. Single exposure to a low (1000) number of fungal zoospores resulted in fast buildup of lethal infections in three L. helverseni. Thermal preference of the salamanders was well within the thermal envelope of the pathogen and body temperatures never exceeded the fungus' thermal critical maximum, limiting the salamanders' defense opportunities. The relatively low thermal host preference largely invalidates macroclimatic based habitat suitability predictions and, combined with current pathogen absence and high host densities, suggests a high probability of local salamander population declines upon invasion by B. salamandrivorans. However, the unfavorable landscape that shaped intraspecific host genetic diversity, lack of known alternative hosts and rapid host mortality after infection present barriers to further, natural pathogen dispersal between populations and thus species extinction. The risk of anthropogenic spread stresses the importance of biosecurity in amphibian habitats

Platyceps collaris (Müller 1878), P. najadum (Eichwald 1831), Zamenis hohenackeri

Abstract. The present study is on the morphologies and sizes of peripheral blood cells (erythrocytes, leucocytes and thrombocytes) of thirty two Turkish snake species from blood smears, stained with Wright's stain

Trichodina reticulata Hirschman & Partesh 1955

<i>Trichodina reticulata</i> Hirschman & Partesh 1955 <p>(Fig 3A, 4A; Table 1)</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> (n=26) Body is big sized. In lateral view, it is disc shaped with a cell diameter of 50.0–74.5 (62.25±7.32) µm. Central area of an adhesive disc arranged with twelve equal shaped and spherical granules containing border membrane measuring 4.0–5.1 (4.5±0.7) µm in width with adhesive disc of 42.3–57.5 (49.9±3.78) µm in diameter. It contains denticlular ring measuring 27.9–36.0 (31.95±5.7) µm in diameter. The number of denticle is 25–31 (28±4.2). Denticle spans measuring 12.5–15.9 (14.2±2.4) µm. Length of denticle is 6.0–8.0 (7.0±1.4) µm. Blade broad and club-shaped. It is 2.5–8.0 (5.25±3.8) in length. Anterior blade surface straight and the lower part of anterior blade slightly curve in some specimens (Figure 3a and 3b). Central part consists of rounded overlapping area measures 2.0–3.0 (2.5±0.7) µm in diameter in width. Apex of the blade is projected towards Y+1 axis. Length of ray measures 5.5–7.0 (6.25±1.0) µm and number of radial pins per denticle is 8–10 (9±1.4). Nuclear apparatus not conspicuous.</p> <p> <b>Taxonomic summary</b></p> <p> <b>Host:</b> <i>Carassius auratus auratus</i> (L.)</p> <p> <b>Fish Family:</b> Cyprinidae</p> <p> <b>Locality:</b> Howrah, West Bengal, India (22°35’N, 88°19'E)</p> <p> <b>Location:</b> Gills</p> <p> <b>Reference material.</b> Lectotype: In slide no. GF-TR-11/2014, deposited in the collection of the Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India. <b>Remarks.</b> On analyzing the morphmetric and quantitative data of the present specimen, it was readily identified as <i>Trichodina reticulata</i> Hirschman & Partesh (1955). The species was originally described by Hirschmann (1955). It has been reported from different part of the world (Lom 1960; Lom <i>et al.</i> 1976; Dove & Donoghue 2005; Tang & Zhao 2010; Hu 2012; Martin 2012). <i>Trichodina reticulata</i> is a highly distinctive species, clearly recognizable based on its denticles shape and granules present in the central area. <i>T. reticulata</i> has previously been recorded in India by Mishra and Das in 1993 from the gill of freshwater fish, <i>Catla catla</i> but it has been recorded for the first time as a pathogen of <i>Carassius</i> spp. in India and throws new light on the biodiversity and most importantly revealed a wide range of host preference, as it is the first record from <i>Carassius auratus auratus</i> (L.) which established as a new host for <i>T. reticulata</i> in India. The dimensions of the present material are showing huge similarities to those recorded in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil by Martins <i>et al.</i> (2012). (Table 1)</p>Published as part of <i>Göçmen, Bayram, 2017, First record of ectoparasitic ciliates, of genus Trichodina (Ciliophora: Trichodinidae) parasiting cultured Oranda Gold Fish (Carassius auratus auratus L.) in India, pp. 128-142 in Zootaxa 4319 (1)</i> on page 131, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4319.1.6, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/888673">http://zenodo.org/record/888673</a&gt

Trichodina nandusi Mitra 2013

<i>Trichodina nandusi</i> Mitra 2013 <p>(Fig 3E, 4E; Table 5)</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> (n=15) A medium to small sized trichodinid having a body diameter of 40.5–52.3 µm (46.4±8.3). The adhesive disc is 33.0–45.0 µm (39.0±8.4) in diameter, surrounded by a wide border membrane of 4.5–6.5 µm (5.5±1.4). The central area is 4.4–12.5 µm (8.45±5.7) in diameter, which is surrounded by a denticulate ring, having a diameter of 22.6–29.0 µm (25.8±4.5) consisting of 20–24 (22±2.8) numbers of denticles. Tips of the rays are evenly touches with a margin of central area. The blades are elongated, having a length of about 4.6–7.5 (6.05±2.0) and 10.5–13.0 (11.75±1.7) in width which become softly curved with a viewable thickening of the posterior border. Anterior border is angular which forming a conical apex that extends almost all areas towards the y+1 axis (Figure 7a and Figure 7b). The central part usually triangular in shape. The tip of central part extends an almost half portion towards y-1 axis. The denticle rays are usually longer in comparison to the blades measuring about 4.5–7.5 µm (6.0±2.1) in length. Ray is tapered to a rounded tip with a central part having a diameter of 1.5– 2.3 µm (1.9±0.5).</p> <p> <b>Taxonomic summary</b></p> <p> <b>Host:</b> <i>Carassius auratus auratus</i> (L.)</p> <p> <b>Locality:</b> Hoogly, West Bengal, India (230 01'20''N– 220 39'32''N <i>/</i> 880 30'15''E–870 39'32'' E)</p> <p> <b>Location:</b> Gills</p> <p> <b>Reference material:</b> Lectotype: In slide no. GF-TND-10/2014, deposited in the collection of the Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India</p> <p> <b>Remarks.</b> On analyzing the photomicrographs of specimens, and morphometric and meristic data from all the populations are illustrated the specimen was readily identified as <i>Trichodina nandusi</i> Mitra <i>et al</i> (2013). <i>T. nandusi</i> was firstly reported from the gill of <i>N. nandus</i> of in the freshwater fishes of the river Rupnarayan in the Howrah district of West Bengal, India by Mitra <i>et al.</i> (2013) but in this study, this species recorded for the first time as a pathogen of <i>Carassius auratus auratus</i> (L.) in India. <i>Trichodina nandusi</i> obtained in the present study is morphometrically compared with an earlier one (Table 5).</p>Published as part of <i>Göçmen, Bayram, 2017, First record of ectoparasitic ciliates, of genus Trichodina (Ciliophora: Trichodinidae) parasiting cultured Oranda Gold Fish (Carassius auratus auratus L.) in India, pp. 128-142 in Zootaxa 4319 (1)</i> on pages 138-139, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4319.1.6, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/888673">http://zenodo.org/record/888673</a&gt