Aim The persistence and stability of habitats through time are considered predictors of high levels of biodiversity in some environments. Long‐term habitat persistence and stability may explain the species‐rich, endemic forest fauna and flora of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Region (EABR). Using complementary phylogenetic and biogeographical approaches, we examine evolutionary patterns in EABR brevicipitid frogs. Using these data, we test whether brevicipitid history reflects patterns of long‐term forest persistence and/or stability across the EABR. Location East Africa. Methods A dated phylogeny for brevicipitids was constructed using two nuclear and three mitochondrial markers. Alternative diversification models were used to determine signal for constant or varying net diversification rates. Using our dated tree, we identified areas of high phylogenetic diversity (PD), and inferred ancestral areas using likelihood and Bayesian approaches. Results Brevicipitids have a long history, with generic diversification among extant lineages pre‐dating the Oligocene (> 33 Ma). Ancestral‐area reconstructions indicate the presence of brevicipitids in the EABR since the Oligocene, and support a scenario of palaeoendemics surviving in EABR refugia. Ancestral‐area reconstructions indicate that the central Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) formed the initial centre of diversification of forest brevicipitids. Measures of PD show that diversity varies across the EABR but is highest in the EAM. Constant net diversification rate in brevicipitids is a significantly better fit than alternative, rate‐variable models. Main conclusions The degree of persistence of forest habitats appears to be a contributing factor to the varying levels of diversity across the EABR in brevicipitids (and other organisms). In contrast to the Southern Highlands and Ethiopian Bale Mountains, the EAM stands out as an area that enabled the constant accumulation of brevicipitid species over a long period of time.

Populations of many frogs have declined alarmingly in recent years, placing nearly one third of the . 6,000 species under threat of extinction. Declines have been attributed largely to habitat loss, environmental degradation and/or infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis. Many frogs undergo dramatic natural population fluctuations such that long-term data are required to determine population trends without undue influence of stochastic factors. We present long-term quantitative data (individuals encountered per person hour of searching) for four monotypic frog genera endemic to an Afromontane region of exceptional importance but growing conservation concern: one endemic to the Ethiopian highlands (Spinophrynoides osgoodi) and three endemic to the Bale Mountains (Altiphrynoides malcolmi, Balebreviceps hillmani, Ericabatrachus baleensis), collected during 15 field trips to the Bale Mountains between 1971 and 2009. Only a single confirmed sighting of S. osgoodi has been made since 1995. The other three species have also declined, at least locally. E. baleensis appears to have been extirpated at its type locality and at the same site B. hillmani has declined. These declines are in association with substantial habitat degradation caused by a growing human population. Chytrid fungus has been found on several frog species in Bale, although no dead or moribund frogs have been encountered. These results expose an urgent need for more amphibian surveys in the Bale Mountains. Additionally, we argue that detrimental human exploitation must be halted immediately in at least some parts of the Harenna Forest if a conservation crisis is to be averted.

Background: Ethiopia has a variety of wetlands which provide enormous socioeconomic and environmental values. Most of these wetlands are under severe pressure and degradation. Maintaining the health of wetlands is recognized as crucial for protecting biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human health. In order to properly protect and conserve wetlands, it is essential to collect baseline data and establish monitoring programs which can detect change in the health of the wetland over time. One common method for monitoring includes using bioindicators as amphibians. Materials and Methods: the current study was conducted to assess the health in two areas in Ethiopia, Abijata-Shalla Lakes and Awash National Parks using amphibians as bio-indicators and to predict any changes on the natural environments and resources in the study area. Results: in Abijata area, less species richness, lower total population index and higher fluctuating asymmetry were observed compared to the second area (Hot spring area) which means that it is more threatened.

BackgroundThe phylogenetic relationships of many taxa remain poorly known because of a lack of appropriate data and/or analyses. Despite substantial recent advances, amphibian phylogeny remains poorly resolved in many instances. The phylogenetic relationships of the Ethiopian endemic monotypic genus Ericabatrachus has been addressed thus far only with phenotypic data and remains contentious.ResultsWe obtained fresh samples of the now rare and Critically Endangered Ericabatrachus baleensis and generated DNA sequences for two mitochondrial and four nuclear genes. Analyses of these new data using de novo and constrained-tree phylogenetic reconstructions strongly support a close relationship between Ericabatrachus and Petropedetes, and allow us to reject previously proposed alternative hypotheses of a close relationship with cacosternines or Phrynobatrachus.ConclusionsWe discuss the implications of our results for the taxonomy, biogeography and conservation of E. baleensis, and suggest a two-tiered approach to the inclusion and analyses of new data in order to assess the phylogenetic relationships of previously unsampled taxa. Such approaches will be important in the future given the increasing availability of relevant mega-alignments and potential framework phylogenies.

18The gymnosome (unshelled) pteropod Clione limacina is a pelagic predatory mollusc found in 19 polar and sub-polar regions. It has been studied for its distinctive swimming behavior and as an 20 obligate predator on the closely related thecosome (shelled) pteropods. As concern about ocean 21 acidification increases, it becomes useful to compare the physiological responses of closely-22 related calcifying and non-calcifying species to acidification. The goals of this study were thus to

The current observations focused on the ultrastructure comparison between the tongue of two reptile species endemic the Egyptian fauna; Bosc's fringe‐toed lizard Acanthodactylus boskianus and Sinai fan‐fingered gecko Ptyodactylus guttatus to exhibit the relationship between the lingual epithelium and its function according to their specific feeding strategy. A. boskianus possessed triangular elongated tongue with bifurcated tapering apex and wide base while; the P. guttatus had a triangular flattened tongue with conical shallow bifurcated apex and broad base. The ventral surface of the lingual apex of A. boskianus had transverse while in P. guttatus had two oval pads and median ventral groove. Both surfaces of the tongue of both examined species are covered by stratified squamous epithelium with great variability of degree of keratinization. The dorsal epithelium formed flattened and conical filiform papillae in A. boskianus, while in P. guttatus formed cylindrical papillae, conical, and tall filiform ones. Few taste buds are observed on the fore‐tongue but increase on the mid‐tongue of A. boskianus, while in P. guttatus, numerous taste buds are distributed on the fore‐tongue and mid‐tongue. Both surfaces of the laryngeal mound of both examined species provided with numerous of cilia and orifices of laryngeal gland. The present results confirmed that the tongue of A. boskianus acts as a chemoreceptor organ to follow pheromone trails of prey and mates. While in P. guttatus the tongue may play an important role in the feeding mechanism and act as a chemoreceptor organ.

The Red Sea is one of the key areas of biodiversity in the world. It is a hotspot for speciation and biological invasions. In the current work, a pilot, random sampling trial was carried out to characterize some species in the landings reaching the fish market in Suez city, which is one of the largest fish markets in the Northern Red Sea. Samples of different fish species were subjected to the standard procedures of DNA barcoding, applying the sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 mitochondrial gene (COI). DNA barcoding could successfully identify all the targeted fishes to the species-level (>98%). The results exhibited a taxonomically-versatile commercial trends in this market, being the collected species belonging to 7 different fish families and 3 orders. These species were Coris aygula, Papilloculiceps longiceps, Priacanthus sagittarious, Gerres longirostris, Alepes djedaba, Psettodes erumei Cheilinus trilobatus, Calotomus viridescens, and Pardachirus marmoratus. Haplotype diversities in the first six species were moderate. However, their nucleotide diversities were low. This may have resulted from fishing from bottlenecked populations, or from areas that do not hinder the genetic flow. Also, possible cryptic speciation could be detected in P. sagittarius, P. erumei and G. longirostris. Applying the DNA barcoding for species identification in Suez city fish market could then detect various aspects of fish species diversity. More works using the applied analyses can be strongly recommended to aid proper conservation and management of economic fisheries in the Red Sea.

Over 200 components with molecular mass ranging mainly from 400 to 4000 Da were characterized from the venom of the vermivorous cone snail Conus fulgetrum that inhabit Egyptian Red Sea. One major component having a molecular mass of 2946 Da was purified by HPLC, and its primary structure was determined by a combination of Edman degradation and MS/MS analysis.