Iranian journal of animal biosystematics
Volume:19 Issue: 2, Summer-Autumn 2023

Vulture Safe Feeding Sites (VSFS) provide diclofenac-free food and create an ideal environment for long-term ecological research on vultures. This study determines the population status and investigates the diurnal behavior White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) at the Ghachowk VSFS in Kaski, Nepal. We deployed the absolute count method to determine population of White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), while scan sampling was applied to investigate their diurnal behaviour. The observed population of Gyps bengalensis ranged from 34 to 65 individuals (with an average of 50±10, based on a sample size of 9). Throughout the daytime, a total of 1651 instances of 11 distinct activities were recorded for the species in 729 separate observations. The most frequent daytime behaviour observed was perching (28%) followed by preening (14%), basking (13%), scratching (13%) flapping (10%), flying (9%) and disturbance (7%). Other behaviors, like feeding, sleeping (roosting), fighting (competition), and bathing, were observed less frequently (<2% each). Perching occurred most frequently during heavy rain, accounting for 66% of the observations, and in the late afternoon, representing 36% of the instances. Basking was most commonly observed during partly sunny conditions, comprising 26% of the observations, and in the noon hours, representing 20% of the instances. Scratching behavior was most frequently observed during clear weather, accounting for 16% of the observations, and during cloudy conditions and in the morning, accounting for 14% of the instances. In the Ghachowk VSFS, other associated species with White-rumped Vulture were Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus, Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, and Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris. This study plays a pivotal role in uncovering the conservation requirements especially in reducing social taboos of the tradition communities regarding this critically endangered species which needs strong social support for its long-term conservation.

Haemosporidians are a diverse group of vector-borne parasitic protozoa that have a global distribution and some of them live in the avian body as a benign parasite, with no symptoms. Avian Haemosporidians, include three main genera, Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon. These blood parasites are transmitted across different regions through migratory birds. We studied the prevalence of avian haemosporidian parasites in both resident and migratory birds in the central and southern regions of Iraq. Our study represents pioneering research on Haemosporidian parasites in a wide range of avian species, including 248 samples from 47 species of both resident and migratory birds, collected from five cities in central and southern Iraq. We identified and determined the prevalence of three distinct haemosporidian genera, Haemoproteus spp., Leucocytozoon spp., and Plasmodium spp. Overall parasite infection was higher in resident hosts than in migrants. The prevalence of Plasmodium spp. was found to be highest among resident birds, with a rate of 20.1%, while the highest rate of Leucocytozoon spp. was observed in migratory birds, with a rate of 8.2%. Our study holds promising opportunities for understanding the impact of migratory and resident hosts on the dynamics of infectious diseases in wildlife.

Marsh frog, Pelophylax bedriagae tadpoles habituate in temporary wetlands where intraspecific aggression has been observed. In this study, we examined the independent and interactive effects of predator cues, water level and density on head width size and head, tail and whole body cannibalism of larval P. bedriagae. We designed a 2×2×3 factorial experiment, by crossing two levels of predatory cues (presence/absence), two levels of density (low/ high) and three levels of water (low/ high/ decreasing) that were carried out within 29 weeks. Despite using conditions that might facilitate cannibalism (i.e., the presence of predator cues, low water level, and high density), a low rate of cannibalism was observed in all treatments. Independently, the highest percentage of total cannibalism was indicated in the presence of predator cues (2.26 %), high water level (2.04 %) and high density (2.24 %). Interactively, the highest rate of total cannibalism was recorded for larvae reared in the high density/absence of predator cues/low water level treatment (3.55%). In contrast, the lowest rate of total cannibalism was observed in the both the low density/presence of predator cues/decreasing water level and low-density/presence of predator cues/high water level treatments (0.44%). The results of the MANOVA indicated that predator cues, water level and density independently and interactively had not significant effect on rate of total cannibalism. At the end of experiment, the maximum size of head width was measured in low-density/absence of predator cues/high water level treatment (9.60±0.39mm), and there was no significant relationship between the maximum head width and the highest rate of cannibalism. According to the results of this experiment, it seems that P. bedriagae larvae may function to avoid the risk of cannibalism by conspecific.

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.

Climate change is an important growing threat to biodiversity and ecosystems. Previous studies have shown that climate change will negatively influence on Iran’s biodiversity. Reptiles are among the most vulnerable group to climate change. Until now, more than 80 snake species have been recorded in Iran in which 16 are terrestrial venomous. In the present study, we predicted the impacts of climate change on distribution of the genus Macrovipera in Iran. We applied an ensemble approach, using five distribution modeling methods (Generalized Linear Models, Generalized Additive Models, Generalized Boosted Models, Maximum Entropy Modelling and Random Forest) to predict the impacts of climate change on distribution pattern of the genus. We also estimated protected areas coverage for the suitable habitat of the genus under current and future climatic conditions. We found that the genus will lose 11% of its suitable habitat under the worst-case scenario (2071-2100SSP585). Results also showed that only around 8% of the genus suitable habitat is covered by protected areas under current and future climatic conditions. Stable suitable but not protected habitats have high priority for conservation of the genus in Iran.

Saw scaled vipers of the genus Echis belong to the family Viperidae and subfamily Viperinae. These vipers are widely distributed from East Africa to Southwest and Central Asia. Echis bite is one of the major causes of mortality in the world. Different populations of these medically important snakes have different venom composition, and the relevant antivenom is highly species-specific. Echis has a complex taxonomic history. For many years, only two species were recognized (i.e., Echis coloratus and E. carinatus). Over the past 50 years, the number of species have been raised to 12, of which six species reside in the Middle East. Phylogenetic studies show that the genus Echis fall into four species groups: the E. carinatus, E. coloratus, E. ocellatus and E. pyramidum groups. Until recently, only E. carinatus in Southwest Asia and India and E. coloratus in Arabia were assigned to the Middle East. Several morphological and phylogenetic studies raised the number of Echis species in the Middle East from two to six. These Middle Eastern vipers belong to three different species groups. An Asian, an Arabian and an African group. Distribution and basal split of the genus Echis, likely have been shaped by vicariance and tectonic events, which have separated or connected the land masses. In this study, a brief review on biogeography, taxonomy and distribution of the genus especially in the Middle East is presented.