A new freshwater crab is described from a montane area in northern Taiwan based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Geothelphusa cilan sp. nov., from the Cilan Forest, situated on the boundary of Hsinchu and Yilan (= Ilan) counties, is close to G. monticola Shy, Ng &Yu, 1994, and G. takuan Shy, Ng &Yu, 1994, but can be distinguished by its male first gonopod (G1) and the ratio of thoracic sternites. Molecular evidence from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) also supports the identity of the new species.
Japalura swinhonis is an endemic agamid lizard in Taiwan, and although its diet has been examined in northern Taiwan and Orchid Island, it has not been investigated in other parts of its range. Investigating the diet of a species from different parts of its range is crucial due to temporal and spatial variations in it. This study examined the dietary items of 47 J. swinhonis from Santzepu and Yunlin, southwestern Taiwan. We also reviewed the diet of J. swinhonis and compared it with that of Anolis sagrei from Santzepu, where these species are sympatric in anthropogenically created habitats such as Areca catechu plantations and fruit orchards. The diet of J. swinhonis from Santzepu was dominated by hymenopterans, followed by coleopterans, lepidopterans and trichopterans, while that of the J. swinhonis from Yunlin was dominated by isopterans, followed by hymenopterans, lepidopterans and coleopterans. The diet of A. sagrei from Santzepu was mainly dominated by hymenopterans, lepidopterans, araneids, hemipterans, coleopterans, dipterans, isopterans and orthopterans, in that order of frequency. From the results of this study it is evident that in areas where J. swinhonis and A. sagrei are sympatric there is a substantial dietary niche overlap, and competition for prey is very likely.
The Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei) has become an invasive species in some parts of the Americas and in some localities in the Pacific region. In Taiwan A. sagrei was recorded for the first time in 2000 in Santzepu, southwestern Taiwan, and was subsequently recorded in Chisintang, eastern Taiwan, during 2006. For future monitoring and research, we describe the known distribution of A. sagrei in Taiwan by plotting GPS coordinates of localities where A. sagrei was observed during surveys (conducted on an ad hoc basis since this species was first discovered in Taiwan) or where specimens have been collected on GIS User Community aerial photographs that were divided into 100 x 100-m grids. We recorded this invasive lizard in southwestern Taiwan in an area spanning approximately 237 ha and in an approximately 8-ha area in eastern Taiwan. Since A. sagrei is easily spread by human activities, and because not all areas could be thoroughly surveyed, we conclude that the current actual distribution of A. sagrei in Taiwan is probably more extensive than shown. We believe that the eradication of A. sagrei in Taiwan through removal is unrealistic, and propose that ongoing efforts should focus on managing this species.
Few convenient/expeditious methods for identifying the species of shed snake skins in specific areas have been developed. The scales on shed snake skins are permeable to light and can be examined by light microscopy (LM), which is of higher availability-especially for wild animal researchers and citizen scientists-than conventional approach which examines the scale microstructures by scanning electron microscopy. We collected and examined a total of 801 shed samples or scale specimens from 53 snake species in Taiwan and adjacent islands, and developed the first guide to identify the fragmented or faded shed skins of most snake species by LM. Morphological characters of scales can be examined by LM include the apical notch, apical pits, apical lobes, keels, scale symmetry, unpigmented spots (mechanoreceptor-like organs), interscale follicles, cross/longitudinal micro-ridge, oberhautchen cells, rows of spines, light/tiny dots, and other microstructures. The microstructures on the scale specimens prepared by the stripped method and the impression method were similar to those on shed skins when examined by LM. We investigated the variations of scale morphology associated with ontogeny, body region, and position on scales, discussed the character evolution of snake scale morphology, and certified that the interscale follicles and the unpigmented spots could also be useful characters for shed skin identification. The methods and results of this study could be applied to identify squamate skins/sloughs and even fecal remnants.
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