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SON 1999: 64; D AkH TEH et al. 2007). Steno­- Thanatosis and autohaemorrhaging dactylus­arabicus should be expected to oc- in the Aesculapian cur in areas of Iran and Iraq adjacent to this new record, where there are similar habi - longissimus (L AuRENTI , 1768) tats. REFERENCES: ANDERSON , S. C. (1999): The Thanatosis (death feigning) and auto - Lizards of Iran. Contributions to Herpetology, Vol. 15; haemorrhaging (reflex bleeding) are among Ithaca, New York (SSAR - Society for the Study of Amphibians and ), pp. 442. ARNOLD , E. N. the variety of behaviors used by reptiles in (1980): Reptiles of Saudi Arabia: a review of the lizard response to a potential predator threat. Stenodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae).- Fauna of Thanatosis seems to function by depriving Saudi Arabia, Basel, Riyadh; 2: 368-404. DAkHTEH , S. the predator of the stimulus represented by a M. H. & k AMI , H. G. & A NDERSON , S. C . (2007): Stenodactylus­khobarensis­ (HAAS , 1957): An addition “live”, moving potential prey, therefore to the Iranian Herpetofauna (Reptilia: : causing it to abort the predatory behavior Gekkonidae).- Russian Journal of Herpetology, (PASTEuR , 1982). Thanatosis is known in a Moskva; 14 (3): 229- 231. DELIMA , E. C. & A L- large number of reptiles, particularly in NASSER , A . (2007): New record of the web-footed sand OGEL AN uE IRZA gecko, Stenodactylus arabicus (HAAS , 1957) (Sauria: (see V & H -Y 2010; M Gekkonidae), from kuwait.- Zoology in the Middle et al. 2011; JELIć & V ILAJ 2011). Auto - East , Heidelberg; 41: 111-112 . FuJITA , M. k. & P APEN - haemorrhaging is encountered in reptiles in FuSS , T. J. (2011): Molecular systematics of Steno-­ two variants. In the first, the emitted blood dactylus­ (Gekkonidae), an Afro-Arabian gecko complex.- Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, San is squirted at the predator and is toxic, typi - Diego; 58: 71-75. GARDNER , A. S. (2009): Mapping cal of Phrynosoma species ( COOPER & S HER- the terrestrial distributions in Oman and the BROOkE 2010). In the second, the emitted united Arab Emirates.- Molecular Phylogenetics and blood is not (or not known to be) toxic, is Evolution, San Diego; 31: 165-177. HAAS , G. (1 957): Some amphibians and reptiles from Arabia.- Pro- not squirted but runs more or less profusely ceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, San from buccal, nasal or cloacal membranes Francisco; 29 (3): 47-86. kLuGE , A. G. (1967): Higher concomitantly with coiling, death feigning taxonomic categories of gekkonid lizards and their or other defensive behaviors, apparently evolution.- Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, New York; 135 (1): 1-59. LEVITON , A. enhancing their deterrent effect, typical of E. & A NDERSON , S. C. & A DLER , k. & M INTON , S. A. snakes such as Tropidophis species, Rhino­- (1992): Handbook to Middle East amphibians and rep - cheilus­lecontei­ BAIRD & G IRARD , 1853, tiles. Contributions to Herpetology, No. 8; Oxford, Nerodia­erythrogaster­ (FORSTER , 1771), Ohio (SSAR - Society for the Study of Amphibians and ATREILLE Reptiles), pp. vii, 252. RASTEGAR -P OuYANI , N. & Heterodon­platyrhinos L , 1801 kAMI , H. G. & R AJABIZADEH , M. & S HAFIEI , S. & (SMITH et al. 1993), Lampropeltis­nigra ANDERSON , S. C . (2008): Annotated checklist of (YARROW , 1882) ( JENkINS et al. 2001) and amphibians and reptiles of Iran.- Iranian Journal of Natrix­natrix (L INNAEuS , 1758) (GREGORY Biosystematics (IJAB), Mashhad; 4 (1): 43-66. SOORAE , P. S. & A L QuARQAZ 1, M. & G ARDNER , A. S. et al. 2007). (2010): An overview and checklist of the native and For the present note, the authors report alien herpetofauna of the united Arab Emirates.- both thanatosis and autohaemorrhaging in Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 5 (3): 529- an Zamenis­longissimus 536. Online periodical available at < http://www.herp - AuR ENTI conbio.org/ >. VAN DER kOOIJ , J. (2001): The herpeto - (L , 1768 ), from Romania. The ani - fauna of the Sultanate of Oman: Part 2: The geckos.- mal was found along a road in the Latoriţa Pod@rcis, the herpetological internet magazine; 1 (4): Valley, County of Vâlcea, Romania, in May 105-120. Online periodical published by Rijksuniversi - 2009 (see IFTIME & I FTIME 2010, for the fau - teit Leiden, Institute of Evolutionary and Ecological Sciences, available at < http://www.podarcis.nl/ >. nal survey of the area), and had to be picked up and restrained for ca. 20 minutes to pre - kEYWORDS: Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkoni- dae; Stenodactylus­arabicus , new country record, vent it from being killed by local shepherds. Fakkeh, khuzestan Province, Iran At first, it tried to escape by wriggling and SuBMITTED: November 22, 2012 thrashing; then it became calmer, but sud - AuTHORS: Behzad FATHINIA , Ali GHOLAMI- denly (and without having been afflicted in FARD , Nasrullah RASTEGAR -P OuYANI (corresponding any way) it emitted blood through the lips author < [email protected] >), Department of and nostrils (Fig. 1). This lasted for two or Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi university, three minutes. The blood flow was minimal 6714967346 kermanshah, Iran; Iranian Plateau Herpe- tology Research Group (IPHRG), Faculty of Science, and did not appear to weaken the specimen. Razi university, 6714967346 kermanshah, Iran Later on, the animal assumed a death-feign - 174 SHORT NOTE HERPETOZOA 26 (3/4) Wien, 30. Jänner 2014 SHORT NOTE

REFERENCES: COOPER , W. Jr ., & S HER- BROOkE , W . (2010): Plesiomorphic escape decisions in cryptic horned lizards ( Phrynosoma ) having highly derived antipredatory defenses.- Ethology, Berlin, Oxford; 116 (10): 920-928. GREGORY , P. T. & I SAAC , L. A. & G RIFFITHS , R. A. ( 2007): Death feigning by grass snakes ( Natrix­natrix ) in response to handling by human “predators”.- Journal of Comparative Psycho- logy, Washington; 121 (2): 123-129. IFTIME , A. & IFTIME , O. ( 2010): Contributions to the knowledge of the herpetofauna of the Eastern Jiu and upper Lotru drainage basins (Southern Carpathians, Romania).- Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle ”Grigore Antipa”, Bucharest; 53: 273-286. JELIć , D. & VILAJ , I. ( 2011): Remarks on death feigning in Coronella­austriaca (LAuRENTI , 1768), Natrix­natrix (LAuRENTI , 1768) and Natrix­tessellata (LAuRE NTI , 1768). Hyla, Ljubljana; 2: 31-33. JENkINS , L. N. & THOMASSON , T. J. IV, & B YRD , J. G. ( 2001): A field study of the Black Lampropeltis­getula nigra .- Herpetological Natural History, Phoenix; 8:57- 67. MIRZA , Z. A. & V AZE , V. V. & S ANAP , R. V. ( 2011): Death feigning behavior in two species of the genus Lycodon­ of Asia (Squamata: ).- Herpetology Notes, Braunschweig; 4: 295-297. PASTEuR , G. (1982): A classificatory review of mimicry systems.- Annual Fig. 1: Zamenis­longissimus (LAuRENTI , 1768) Review of Ecology and Systematics, Palo Alto; 13: displaying autohaemorrhaging (reflex bleeding) 169-199. SMITH , D. D. & P FLANZ , D. J. & P OWELL , R. when held. Photo: A. IFTIME . (1993): Observations of autohemorrhaging in Tro-­ pidophis­haetianus,­Rhinocheilus­lecontei,­Heterodon platyrhinos,­ and Nerodia­erythrogaster .- Herpeto - logical Review, New York; 24 (4): 130-131. VOGEL , G. & H AN -Y uE , H. k. ( 2010): Death feigning behavior in three colubrid species of tropical Asia.- Russian ing behavior, going “limp” and relaxing its Journal of Herpetology, Moskva; 17 (1): 15-21. muscular tonus. When deposited outside kEYWORDS: Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes: the reach of the people, it started to move as Colubridae; Zamenis­longissimus , thanatosis, auto - to escape, but slowly and realizing it was haemorrhaging, defensive behavior, Romania still observed by the potential “predator”, SuBMITTED: January 21, 2013 resumed its death-feigning. The snake was AuTHORS : Alexandru IIFTIME (Corresponding author < [email protected] >), “Grigore Antipa” left as such. National Museum of Natural History, Bd. kiseleff While these behaviors were not previ - No. 1, sector 1, Bucharest, Romania; Oana IFTIME ously known in Z.­longissimus , they come < [email protected] > , Department of Microbial as no surprise since they are known in a Genetics & Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, university of Bucharest, Aleea Portocalelor 1-3 great range of colubrid genera and species, 060101 sector 6, Bucharest, Romania. including Coelognathus­radiatus­ (B OIE , 1827) , which is similar to Zamenis (former - ly the two genera were grouped together in ) ( VOGEL & H AN -Y uE , 2010). Such behavioral patterns appear more or less spo - radically among populations, but not in all Tortoises as prey of three bird specimens. Thanatosis occurs frequently, but species in Bulgaria: not always, in Natrix­natrix , while reflex Implications for tortoise bleeding is very rare ( GREGORY et al. 2007); reintroduction programs also, thanatosis was only recently described in the well-known European species Coro­- nella­austriaca LAuRENTI , 1768 (JELIć & In the past, the tortoise species Testudo VILAJ 2011). The present observation ex - graeca LINNAEuS , 1758 and Testudo her - pands the range of defensive behaviors manni­ (GMELIN , 1789) were widespread in known for Z.­longissimus , a widespread and the lowlands and the lower mountain regions ecologically flexible species. of Bulgaria, but are currently experiencing