乐业县同乐林场两栖爬行动物多样性研究及保护

2006年7月对乐业县同乐林场的两栖爬行动物资源进行了调查,结果表明:该地共有两栖爬行动物39种。其中,两栖动物13种,隶属于5属4科1目;爬行动物26种,隶属于21属10科2目。区系特点为:(1)物种组成较丰富;(2)华中-华南区种类丰富;(3)区系组成较简单,以东洋型和南中国型为主;(4)特有种所占比例较低。建议加强对该地两栖爬行动物物种多样性及其生境的保护,合理开发利用两栖爬行动物资源。     

内蒙古荒漠的爬行动物区系及地理区划

内蒙古荒漠是亚非荒漠的东边部分,其东缘还是亚非荒漠和欧亚草原两大地理带的分界线,在我国动物地理区划中归属于蒙新区的西部荒漠亚区。分布于该区的爬行动物共15种,属于中亚型的种类占73.3％,北方型和东北型合占26.7％,充分显示出中亚荒漠动物区系的面貌.根据自然条件、植被和爬行动物分布的差异,可将内蒙古荒漠爬行动物区系进一步划分为:(Ⅰ)乌兰察布—西部鄂尔多斯荒漠省、(Ⅱ)阿拉善荒漠省和(Ⅲ)额济纳戈壁荒漠省.该地爬行动物区系与北非的动物关系较为密切,且有区系古老和种类贫乏的特点。     

The behavioral response of basking Northern water (Nerodia sipedon) and Eastern garter (Thamnophis sirtalis) snakes to pedestrians in a New Jersey park

Considerable attention has been devoted to the effects of people on birds and mammals, usually in wilderness or semiwilderness, but relatively little has been directed at reptiles in heavily populated areas. This paper examines the role of investigators and pedestrians on Northern water (Nerodia sipedon) and Eastern garter (Thamnophis sirtalis) snakes basking along a canal in New Jersey. The protocol involved 1–3 investigators approaching snakes that were basking between a path and the Raritan Canal. Investigators walked along the path until they were perpendicular to the snake, observed them for 60 seconds, and then approached them directly. Nearly 40% of the variability in distance to first respond for water snakes (N = 135) was accounted for by distance the snake was from the path, number of observers, and number of people currently using the trail, while 27% of the variability in time to respond was accounted for by number of observers, distance to path and water, and air temperature. There was no significant model for garter snakes (N = 33). Nearly 30% of water snakes, but only 5% of garter snakes, responded during the approach of an observer, and another 32% of water and 45% of garter snakes responded within the first minute of stopping on the trail nearest to them. Water snakes responded when the observer was farther away from them than did garter snakes. As the number of pedestrians on the path increased, water snakes responded when people were farther from them, but there were no differences for garter snakes in response distance. These data indicate differences in response, with water snakes responding sooner than garter snakes. Few garter snakes responded when they were over 150 cm from the path, while a quarter of the water snakes responded when they were from 200 to 300 cm from the path, suggesting that paths should be at least 400 cm from water, providing safe basking sites for water snakes. Further, the data indicate that walking past snakes without stopping results in less disturbance than stopping to watch them.     

Geographic patterns of endemism and speciation in amphibians and reptiles of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan, with special reference to their paleogeographical implications

This paper analyzes the phylogeographical patterns of amphibian and reptile lineages distributed in the Ryukyu islands south of the Tokara Gap on the basis of relevant distributional data and phylogenetic hypotheses hitherto published. Results indicate the numerical dominance of highly relict lineages in the central Ryukyus, and the occurences of a few more or less relict lineages in the Miyako Group as well. On the other hand, most species and subspecies endemic to the Yaeyama Group or to the Yaeyama and Miyako Groups are considered to be direct consequences of vicariance with adjacent regions. Three major hypotheses regarding the Cenozoic paleogeography of the central and the southern Ryukyus are examined in the light of the present results and a modified hypothesis is proposed accordingly.