The first helminth study on Brandt's Persian Lizard Iranolacerta brandtii (De Filippi, 1863) (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Van Province, Turkey

Population of Iranolacerta brandtii lizard including 56 (21 female, 34 male,1 juvenile) samples were examined for helminths. 17 of them were found to harbour one or more helminth parasites, while 39 didn't harbor any. Two helminth species were determined. These belong to Phylum: Nematoda, Spauligodon aloisei Casanova, Milazzo, Ribas & Cagnin, 2003 and Skrjabinodon medinae. Garcia-Calvente, 1948. This study represents new host and locality records in both host lizard and the helminth species. Sp. aloisei is recorded for the first time; Sk. medinae is the third report from Turkey nevertheless Sk. medinae is a new host record for I. brandtii

Are the helminth communities from unisexual and bisexual lizards different?

Specimens of three species of parthenogenetic lizards (Darevskia uzzelli, D. bendimahiensis, and D. sapphirina) from northeastern Turkey were examined for gastrointestinal parasites. Only one species, the nematode Spauligodon saxicolae (Pharyngodonidae), was found. The extremely low infection and diversity parameters, falling among the lowest within the Palaearctic saurians, support depauperate helminth communities for these parthenogenetic lacertid lizards. Our results suggest that parthenogenetic Darevskia follow a pattern of parasitism similar to other unisexual lizards (i.e. Aspidocelis). The low rates of infection and diversity may be explained by the decreasing opportunities for interchanging helminths rather than factors of susceptibility of unisexual hosts

A new finding of Rhynchocalamus barani, Baran’s black-headed dwarf snake (Reptilia, Colubridae), in the Mediterranean region of Turkey widens its distribution range

Rhynchocalamus barani Olgun, Avcı, Ilgaz, Üzüm and Yılmaz, 2007 is a small colubrid snake previously known only from the type locality, 34 km east of Dört-yol, Hatay Province from Mediterranean Region of Turkey. A second new locality, Yayladağı, Hatay, Turkey, is reported here in the Mediterranean region of Turkey in this study. The new specimen corresponds fully in morphology, colouration and body scalation with specimens from the type locality

Helminth fauna of Lebanon lizard, Phoenicolacerta laevis (Gray, 1838), (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Southern Turkey

In the years 2010 and 2014, fifty-four samples of Phoenicolacerta laevis from eight localities in Adana (n=6) and Hatay (n=48) were collected and examined for helminth parasites. New host and locality records were recorded. As a results of present study, three species of Digenea, Sonsinotrema tacapense, Prosthodendrium chilostomum, Brachylaima sp. (metacercaria); two species of Cestoda, Oochoristica tuberculata and Mesocestoides sp. and four species of Nematoda, Skrjabinodon medinae, Spauligodon sp., Thubunaea sp. and a larva of the Ascaridiidae Ascarididae gen. sp. were reported for lizard samples. We document new host records for all of helminth species reported here. Sonsionotrema tacapense (Digenea), and Thubunaea sp. (Nematoda) are recorded for the first time from Turkey. There are, to our knowledge, no reports of helminths for P. laevis in Turkey and also from its range

A skeletochronological study of parthenogenetic lizards of genus Darevskia from Turkey

The skeletochronological method has been used to assess age distribution and age-related differences in body size among populations of the parthenogenetic lizards Darevskia sapphirina, D. uzzelli, D. armeniaca and D. unisexualis from Turkey and Armenia. The age distribution between D. armeniaca and D. unisexualis did not significantly differ and ranged from 1 to 8 years. Maximum age for both D. uzzelli and D. sapphirina was 6 years, and 8 years for both D. unisexualis and D. armeniaca. In all the studied species, individuals reached sexual maturity after third hibernation. According to patterns of growth marks resorption, D. sapphirina is distinguished from all other rock lizards of genus Darevskia by a narrowest periosteal bone as result of high rate of endosteal resorption resulting in complete destruction of hatchling line and line of the first hibernation

Comparative morphology of Darevskia parvula (Lantz-Cyren 1936) (Sauria: Lacertidae) subspecies in Northeastern Anatolia, Turkey

This study was designed to determine the degree of morphological differentiation between the subspecies of Darevskia parvula from northwestern Anatolia. The meristic pholidolial characters, metric dimensions and color-pattern features of specimens of both subspecies obtained from 10 different localities in the northeastern Anatolia, Turkey are given in detail and compared with regard to literature. In addition, thirty-six morphological characters were compared statistically and 66.7% of them showed differences between two subspecies

On specimens of Darevskia armeniaca (Sauria: Lacertidae: Darevskia) collected from Ardahan

Forty-seven Darevskia armeniaca specimens collected from 2 different localities in Ardahan were examined in terms of pholidosis characters, morphometric measurements and colour-pattern features. The 2 populations were differentiated from one another in terms of the number of supraciliar plates (left-right) (SCPa-SCPb), supralabial plates (left-right) (SRLa-SRLb) and transversal series of ventral plates (TVP) according to the results of the Mann-Whitney U test. An independent t-test based on morphometric measurements revealed significant differences in terms of the head index (HI) between the 2 populations. Regarding pholidosis characters, morphometric measurements and colour-pattern features, specimens collected from the 2 localities showed a similarity to Darevskia armeniaca specimens from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Zigana. © TÜBİTAK

Doğu Karadeniz Bölgesi'ndeki (Trabzon, Rize, Artvin ve Ardahan) kaya kertenkelelerinin sistematik durumu, yayılışı ve ekolojisi üzerine araştırmalar (Sauria: Lacertidae)

Bu çalışmada, Trabzon, Rize, Artvin ve Ardahan illerinden Darevskia armeniaca, Darevskia clarkorum, Darevskia parvula, Darevskia rudis, Darevskia valentini ve Darevskia derjugini türlerine ait farklı lokalitelerden toplanan 798 örnek, pholidosis özellikleri, vücut ölçüm, oran ve indeks değerleri ve renk-desen özellikleri bakımından incelenerek, populasyonların taksonomik durumları ortaya konulmuştur. Diğer taraftan, türlerin yukarıda adı geçen illerdeki dağılış sahaları tespit edilmiş ve türlere ait örneklerin toplandığı lokalitelerin ekolojik özellikleri hakkında bilgiler verilmiştir