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Home , Eumeces schneiderii

Turkish Journal of Turk J Zool (2015) 39: 987-990 http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/ © TÜBİTAK Short Communication doi:10.3906/zoo-1410-5

New locality records of schneideri (Daudin, 1802) (Sauria: Scincidae) from western ,

Kerim ÇİÇEK*, Oğuzkan CUMHURİYET, Yusuf BAYRAKCI, Dinçer AYAZ Section of Zoology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey

Received: 02.10.2014 Accepted/Published Online: 27.02.2015 Printed: 30.09.2015

Abstract: In this study, we report 2 new close localities for Eumeces schneideri from Aydın, western Anatolia, Turkey. The specimens were examined morphologically and compared with the relevant literature. These new localities have filled in the gap in the ’ distribution range in western Anatolia, Turkey. According to the morphological results, the female specimens resembled E. s. barani in terms of the scales along the dorsal midline. However, the color-pattern characteristics of the specimens were found to be somewhere between E. s. barani and E. s. princeps; thus, the specimens were accepted as E. s. cf. barani.

Key words: Eumeces schneideri, new locality, distribution, western Anatolia, Turkey

The Eumeces Wiegmann, 1834 is widely In our field studies in Aydın Province, we captured distributed throughout the Holarctic region; the an adult female E. schneideri in Savcılı village, Buharkent approximately 50 recognized species display a considerable (Aydın Province, 37.976706°N, 28.772630°E, 286 m amount of morphological and ecological diversity (Griffith a.s.l.), and an adult female in the Maiandros Antiokheiası et al., 2000). Recently, Griffith et al. (2000) suggested ancient ruins, located in the vicinity of Başaran village that the genus could be paraphyletic, and Eumeces was (37.869779°N, 28.545458°E, 118 m a.s.l.), on 11 June 2014 divided into various genera (Schmitz et al., 2004; Smith, (Figure 1). The first specimen was found at the foot of the 2005). Currently, the widely accepted opinion is that the sand dunes on the edge of the creek (Figure 2) and the group Eumeces schneideri contains 2 species, E. schneideri second one in the region where archeological remains (Daudin, 1802) and E. algeriensis Peters 1864 (Perera are found (Figure 3). The specimens were evaluated in et al., 2012). E. schneideri is distributed from Anatolia, terms of color-pattern, pholidosis, and morphological , , and the Middle East in the Western characteristics according to Kumlutaş et al. (2007). They Palearctic Region to southwestern Asia, at elevations were stored in the Biodiversity Research Laboratory ranging from 300 to 1800 m a.s.l. (Eiselt, 1940; Mertens, Zoology Department, Ege University (Turkey), numbers 1946; Disi and Böhme, 1996; Göçmen et al., 2002; BRL-ZDEU 2014/10 and 2014/11, respectively. Kumlutaş et al., 2004a, 2004b, 2007; Ananjeva et al., 2006; Both specimens were caught under stones during the Ayaz et al., 2011; Baran et al., 2012). The species is divided morning hours (0900–1100 hours); the air temperature into 6 within its distributional range (Sindaco was 30 °C. Other amphibian and species were found and Jeremcenko, 2008), and 3 subspecies are represented in the biotope: Bufotes variabilis (Pallas, 1769); Testudo in Anatolia. E. s. princeps (Eichwald, 1839) is mainly graeca L. 1758; Stellagama stellio (L., 1758); Ophisops spread across central, southeastern, and eastern Anatolia, elegans Ménétries, 1832; Eirenis modestus (Martin, 1838); whereas E. s. pavimentatus (Eichwald, 1839) is restricted Dolichophis jugularis (L., 1758); and Typhlops vermicularis only to the eastern Mediterranean region (Mersin, Adana, Merrem, 1820. and Hatay) (Kumlutaş et al., 2007). E. s. barani Kumlutaş, The specimen captured from Savcılı had a missing tail. Arıkan, Ilgaz & Kaska 2007 is known to exist only in Measurements for the specimen were as follows: snout–vent Pamukkale (Denizli) and Bozdağ (İzmir), in western length (tip of snout to anal cleft), 131.99 mm; head length (tip Anatolia (Kumlutaş et al., 2007). The latest subspecies is of snout to posterior margin of ear opening), 21.82 mm; head distinguished from others by its color, color-pattern, and width (widest point of head), 18.08 mm; pileus length (tip of scales along the dorsal midline (Kumlutaş et al., 2007). snout to the posterior margins of parietals), 18.42 mm; pileus * Correspondence: [email protected] 987 ÇİÇEK et al. / Turk J Zool

Figure 1. Distribution map of E. s. barani in western Anatolia, Turkey. Circles indicate old records and stars indicate new records: Savcılı village, Buharkent, Aydın; Başaran village, Kuyucak, Aydın.

The specimen captured in Başaran village had a regenerated tail. Measurements for the specimen were as follows: snout–vent length, 128.12 mm; head length, 22.35 mm; head width, 18.22 mm; pileus length, 17.9 mm; pileus width, 12.36 mm; forelimb length, 31.92 mm; hind limb length, 41.7 mm; length of the fourth toe of the hind limb, 14.33 mm; head index, 81.52; pileus index, 69.05; leg index, 76.55. Pholidosis (L/R): nasal 2/2, nuchals 1/1, supralabials 8/8, supraciliars 5/5, supraoculars 6/6, scales surrounding the parietal 2/2, auriculars 5/4, subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe of the hind limbs 15/14, scales along the dorsal midline around 27, dorsal scales from occiput (parietalia) to above cloaca 64, anals 2, and interparietal 1. Color-pattern characteristics were recorded while the Figure 2. A female E. s. barani from Savcılı village, Buharkent, specimens were still alive. In both specimens, the ground Aydın. color of the dorsum is grayish brown with white spots formed as a pale longitudinal band starting from the back width (widest point between parietals), 12.2 mm; forelimb of the head to the half of the tail on the laterals of the body length (axillary joint to tip of toe), 32.08 mm; hind limb length (Figure 2). A yellow band starts from the lower border of (pelvic joint to tip of toe), 46.08 mm; length of the fourth toe the subocular plate under the eye and continues to the of the hind limb (base of hind limb to tip of toe), 13.83 mm; hind limbs but is paler thereafter and on the side of the tail. head index ([head width / head length] × 100), 82.86; pileus Two orange spots are present on the dorsum and laterals, index ([pileus width / pileus length] × 100], 66.23; leg index starting from the dorsal midline and formed as continuous ([forelimb length/hind limb length] × 100), 69.62. Pholidosis lines towards posterior. The venter is yellowish white. (L/R): nasal 2/2, nuchals 1/1, supralabials 8/8, supraciliars Female and young members of E. s. barani have white 5/4, supraoculars 6/6, scales surrounding the parietal 2/2, spots formed as longitudinal bands running from the auriculars 4/5, subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe of edges of the forelimbs to the first third of the tail on the the hind limbs 14/14, scales along the dorsal midline around dorsum and flanks of the body; however, males do not 27, dorsal scales from occiput (parietalia) to above cloaca 65, have these bands (Kumlutaş et al., 2007). On the contrary, anals 2, and interparietal 1. in both females examined, longitudinal spots were only

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a b

Figure 3. of E. s. barani from (a) Savcılı village, Buharkent, and (b) Maiandros Antiokheiası ancient ruins, Başaran village, Aydın. observed on the flanks of the body and they were very The specimens examined in this study were compared faint. Therefore, the specimens examined show a color with those reported in the literature (Kumlutaş et al., 2004a, and pattern difference between females and males. In the 2007) and it was seen that although they are, in general, case of E. s. princeps, neither sex has longitudinal spots similar to E. s. barani in morphology and pholidosis, they (Kumlutaş et al., 2007). The specimens examined show do not fully match with that subspecies in color-pattern characteristics. Therefore, the specimens are accepted as E. color and pattern features between barani and princeps. s. cf. barani. Detailed morphology and genetic studies are Kumlutaş et al. (2007) stated that the number of scales required to reveal the subspecies status of E. schneideri in along the dorsal midline in E. s. barani is in the range of western Anatolia. 26 to 28. This value was 27 in our specimens. The number E. schneideri has only been found in Pamukkale of scales along the dorsal midline of captured specimens (Denizli) and Bozdağ (İzmir) until now (Kumlutaş et al., was 65 and 64, respectively. This value is between 64 and 2004a, 2004b, 2007). With the new localities, the western 66 for E. s. barani, with a mean value of 64.4 (Kumlutaş et Anatolian distribution of the species is remarkably al., 2007). The specimens resemble E. s. barani in terms of extended. This study shows that E. schneideri may have these characteristics. a broad distribution in western Anatolia, as previously Perera et al. (2012) analyzed the genetic variability of E. mentioned by Kumlutaş et al. (2004a, 2004b, 2007). schneideri using 2 mitochondrial gene regions (12s rRNA and 16s rRNA) and observed a high percentage of genetic Acknowledgment variability and complex pattern. They also reported that The authors wish to acknowledge use of the Maptool program for analysis and graphics in this paper. Maptool intraspecific of the species is not compatible is a product of Seaturtle.org. Information is available at with phylogenetic analyses. www.seaturtle.org.

References

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