Vida Hojati, Mojtaba Deymekar,
Volume 7, Issue 3 (11-2020)
Abstract
Taloo and Shirband hunting Prohibited area is located 12 kilometers North-East of Damghan in Semnan Province, south of the Alborz Mountain Chains. It has a cold and dry climate in the winter and warm and dry in the summer. This area has a rich biodiversity, especially in its reptilian fauna. 22 snake species were reported so far from Semnan Province. However, no comprehensice study was executed on the snake flora in Taloo and Shirband hunting prohibited area before the present study. Therfore, the present research was carried out in order to identify the snake fauna by collecting relevant specimens from March to late November of 2014. Sampling was done manually (with safety precautions) by sticking and hooking. The live specimens were identified and photographed and transferred to the laboratory of Islamic Azad University, Damghan Branch. Six metric and meristic traits were measured and analyzed using SPSS17 and Excel softwares. A total number of 45 snake specimens were collected which were belong to 10 species, 8 genera and 4 families, including: Platyceps karelini karelini (Brandt 1838), Platyceps rhodorachis rhodorachis, Platyceps ventrimaculatus ventrimaculatus (Spotted Flat-headed Snake); Hemorrhois ravergieri (Ravergier’s Snake), Telescopus fallax iberus (Iberian Tiger-Snake), Spalerosophis diadema cliffordii (Clifford’s Diadem Snake), Psammophis schokari (Schokari Sand Racer), Eryx miliaris (Dwarf Sand Boa), Macrovipera lebetina obtusa (Blunt Viper) and Pseudocarastes persicus (Persian False Horned Viper). The highest frequency belonged to Spalerosophis diadema cliffordii and the lowest frequency belonged to Telescopus fallax iberus. All species were reported for the first time from the studied area and Eryx miliaris was reported for the Semnan Province faunafor the first time. Out of 8 endemic species of snakes in Iran, only Pseudocarastes persicus was observed in the area.
Roghaieh Zarei, Mahvash Seifali,
Volume 7, Issue 3 (11-2020)
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the variations among cephalic plates of individuals in two populations of Clinopodes flavidus in Alborz Mountains, by means of landmark-based techniques of geometric morphometrics. Therefore, 17 landmarks and semi-landmarks on the coxosternite of poison claw and seven landmarks and semi-landmarks on the tarsangulum of poison claw were selected using TpsDig2 software. Data of landmarks, after procrust analysis, were subjected to various multivariate analyses, such as Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) by means of PAST and MorphoJ softwares. The results obtained demonstrated that shape variations in coxosternite were significantly different among various populations (p<0.001). This study revealed the usefulness of landmark-based geometric morphometrics in the differentiation of various populations of Clinopodes flavidus in Alborz Mountains.
