Studies on the ecology of the Pyrenean newt (Calotriton asper): knowledge, conservation and future challenges

The objective for this meeting is to gather people involved and interested in the Pyrenean newt (researchers, NGOs, environmental managers, etc.) during one day in Barcelona. In addition, the participation in the congress is open to the other groups that work in the Pyrenees, which can provide complementary data for e.g. the knowledge of ecology of the species (geographers, hydrobiologists, etc.) and potential threats.

Institut d’Estudis Catalans, 15 de maig de 2017
Carrer del Carme, 47; Barcelona.

Registration is compulsory. Please write an email to the ICHN Secretariat: ichn@iec.cat.

Payment: Bank transfer to ICHN. Account Number ES51 0133 3001 2042 0000 2683, indi cating your name plus Trito Code.

Registration until the 7th of May, 2017. Fee: 15 euros. Free for students.

Organisation commitee: Delfí Sanuy, Universitat de Lleida.

Blog: bicheando.net Herpetología para todos. Lagartijas ibéricas. Esas pequeñas desconocidas. Volumen 2: Iberolacertas

Hace tiempo escribí mi primer post en bicheando.net, y lo hacía con un primer volumen de lagartijas ibéricas titulado «Lagartijas ibéricas. Esas pequeñas desconocidas. Volumen 1», donde se identificaba a las lagartijas pertenecientes a los géneros: Acanthodactylus, Algyroides y Podarcis: tres de los ocho géneros que representan en total 25 especies de lagartijas en la península ibérica, siendo 3 de ellas alóctonas (introducidas). Leer más.

Pelodytes atlanticus & P. hespericus dos nuevas especies.

Díaz-Rodríguez, Jesús, Marcelo Gehara, Roberto Márquez, Miguel Vences, Helena Gonçalves, Fernando Sequeira, Iñigo Martínez-Solano & Miguel Tejedo. 2017. Integration of Molecular, Bioacoustical and Morphological Data Reveals Two New Cryptic Species of Pelodytes (Anura, Pelodytidae) from the Iberian Peninsula. Zootaxa. 4243(1); 1–41. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4243.1.1. Based on concordance between mitochondrial and nuclear markers, we conclude that four species of Parsley frogs occur in Western Europe: Pelodytes punctatus, distributed from northern Italy to northeastern Spain; Pelodytes ibericus, inhabiting southern Spain and southern Portugal; Pelodytes atlanticus sp. nov., from the Portuguese Atlantic coast; and Pelodytes hespericus sp. nov., occurring in central and eastern Spain. Leer más.

Spontaneous magnetic alignment behaviour in free-living lizards

Diego-Rasilla, F.J., Pérez-Mellado, V. & Pérez-Cembranos, A. (2017). Spontaneous magnetic alignment behaviour in free-living lizards. Sci Nat, 104: 13. doi:10.1007/s00114-017-1439-7

The evidence from this study suggests that free-living lacertid lizards exhibit magnetic alignment behaviour, since their body alignments cannot be explained by an effect of the sun’s position. On the contrary, lizard orientations were significantly correlated with geomagnetic field values at the time of each observation. We suggest that this behaviour might provide lizards with a constant directional reference while they are sun basking. This directional reference might improve their mental map of space to accomplish efficient escape behaviour. This study is the first to provide spontaneous magnetic alignment behaviour in free-living reptiles. leer más >>>