This study examines the patterns and trends of snake rescues in North Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, over 35 months (2022–2024) to analyse snake ecology and develop human–snake conflict mitigation measures. A total of 2318 snakes representing 17 species were recorded, including 980 venomous and 1338 non-venomous individuals. The Indian rat snake (Ptyas mucosa) was the most frequently rescued species, followed by the Indian cobra (Naja naja), the Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii), and the common wolf snake (Lycodon aulicus). Key parameters such as refugia type, refugia temperature, and rescue timing were documented by Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT) snake rescuers. Analysis revealed that seasonal fluctuations significantly influenced both rescue frequency and refugia use. Among identified refugia, debris piles were the most utilised, followed by indoor rooms, open spaces, and storage areas or machinery. Snake rescues peaked during the summer months and were most frequent in the afternoon hours. Spatial mapping identified high human–snake conflict zones, underscoring the need for targeted conservation strategies and improved conflict mitigation measures in these high-risk areas.

Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) are a group of widely used insecticides in agriculture and vector control. The primary mechanism of action of OPs is the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), leading to the accumulation of acetylcholine and disruption of neural transmission. As acetylcholine acts as neurotransmitter in most animal groups, exposure to OPs has raised increasing ecological concerns due to their toxicity to non-target organisms. Among vertebrates, amphibians are particularly vulnerable to OP exposure given their dual life cycle, which makes them susceptible to contamination in both water and lands. The impairment of neural transmission by OPs can result in behavioral impairments such as abnormal swimming and decreased predator avoidance, ultimately reducing individual fitness and survival. Exposure to OPs also poses developmental risks, causing morphological abnormalities, delayed metamorphosis and reduced growth. Liver and muscle tissues exhibit histopathological changes, indicating systemic stress, while exposure to even low concentrations impairs immune function, increasing susceptibility to infection and reducing resistance against environmental stressors. This mini review synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed studies and reviews published in the last 10 years about the impact of OPs on amphibians, with special focus on anurans as the most studied group in this context. Despite the thematic evolution of ecotoxicology towards more ecology-focused studies, the fact that OPs are not emerging pesticides has somehow excluded them from this pattern. However, OP toxicity to anurans is still of concern, hence future research should prioritize field-based assessments, long-term studies, and species-specific sensitivity to better understand the ecological implications of OP exposure.

The Asian water monitor lizard, Varanus salvator, is a widespread carnivorous reptile in Malaysia, but little is known about how habitat disturbance affects its morphology. This study analyzed 168 individuals across urban, agricultural, and forest habitats, using a Boruta algorithm and logistic regression to identify and validate morphological predictors of habitat. Allometric traits, including relative skull length, tail length, and thigh width, were better predictors of habitat differences than absolute measures such as snout-vent length (SVL) and snout-tail length (STL). Generally, urban and forest habitats exhibited similar variations in traits, but urban populations exhibited larger relative and absolute skull lengths, potentially linked to ecological or competitive advantages. In contrast, agricultural habitats displayed smaller traits, including relative tail length and thigh width, potentially reflecting pressures from predation or competition, resource limitations, or female-biased populations. Despite these differences, body condition and absolute size measurements were consistent across habitats, indicating populations in disturbed habitats maintain comparable sizes and energy reserves. While the species demonstrates adaptability to disturbance, further research is needed to explore ecological pressures in agricultural habitats and their potential impacts on the long-term fitness and population dynamics of V. salvator.

This study presents the first comprehensive atlas of the distribution of amphibians and reptiles within the Moroccan section of the Intercontinental Biosphere Reserve of the Mediterranean (IBRM). Data were gathered from literature reviews, museum collections, and extensive field surveys conducted between 2008 and 2019. A Geographical Information System (GIS) was utilized to generate updated distribution maps, assess species richness within a 10x10 km UTM grid, and analyse associations of species with habitat categories. A total of eight amphibian and 25 reptile species, representing five and 17 families, respectively, were recorded. Three distinct distribution patterns emerged for both taxonomic groups: widespread species, species restricted to specific environments, such as high-altitude areas or coastal environments, and species with limited and / or fragmented ranges. Seventeen areas of high species richness (N > 10 species) were identified across the study area. These areas consistently overlapped across both taxonomic groups and were primarily associated with Mediterranean-type habitats. While amphibians exhibited relatively homogeneous habitat preferences, reptiles demonstrated four distinct assemblages: species prefer mixed vegetation mosaics; species occupy forest-agriculture edges; species adaptable to diverse habitats and environments and species privilege open grasslands-rocky areas. The IBRM’s complex topography likely contributes to high levels of environmental diversity, supporting a remarkable proportion of Morocco’s herpetofauna: 60% of amphibian species and 25% of reptile species. These findings underscore the critical importance of the Moroccan IBRM for herpetofaunal conservation at the national and international levels.

The Macaronesia bioregion is experiencing an increase in the frequency, intensity and magnitude of fires. However, the impact that this new fire regime may have on the endemic fauna and flora of many islands, such as those of the Canary archipelago, is unknown. In this study we analyzed the short-term response of the Gallot’s lizard, Gallotia galloti, to a fire that occurred in the northwestern part of La Palma in the summer of 2023. We carried out 187 linear transects in burned and unburned pine forest and mountain scrub plots in June, July, and September 2024, hence, almost a year after the fire. We observed a total of 333 lizards, and the Generalized Linear Mixed Model did not detect differences in lizard abundances between burned and unburned areas. The presence of juvenile lizards in the burned areas evidences the survival of the eggs after the fire. However, we also found a significant reduction of hatchling lizards in burned areas in September 2024, i.e. the second generation born after the fire, indicating that short-term burned areas can compromise the viability of the populations. These results suggest that the Gallot’s lizard can persist in the face of fire in the short term, although environmental harsh conditions could hinder its resilience in the mid-term.

Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus (Hermann, 1804) skin sheds were collected over four years from an olive grove (0.21 ha) in southeast France. Examination of the cephalic scales allowed us to identify the individuals that frequented the site and the regularity of their visits for shedding. Reconstruction of the life histories of the individuals by capture-mark-recapture modelling showed that they visited the site during four consecutive years to shed. This site fidelity could be linked to mating opportunities or egg laying and foraging, or to the distinctive nature of the site, which is a sunny clearing within a dense woodland not very suitable for this thermophilic species. The concentration of the population in a very small area at certain times of the year risks making it vulnerable to predators as well as to changes that the site may undergo in the future, particularly if its agricultural use is abandoned and the woodland encroaches the open field area.

Since the last update of the list of the Spanish herpetofauna in 2018, recent studies have provided new evidence supporting the need to implement taxonomic changes in several groups. In this work, we present an updated reference list for the Spanish herpetofauna, which currently includes 132 native or historically introduced species, i.e. 37 amphibians and 95 reptiles, offering a standardized framework for amateurs, scientists, and environmental agencies. While updating the list, we had to undertake some nomenclatural acts. For instance, to solve the nomenclatural issues concerning Blanus species, we designate a neotype for Amphisbaena oxyura Wagler, 1824; thus, the valid name for the two recognized Iberian species are Blanus cinereus and Blanus oxyurus. We also provide an updated list for the 13 introduced species with documented breeding populations in Spain.

In recent decades, the decline of amphibian populations has become more pronounced and accelerated, with one of the contributing factors being the excessive use of pesticides. Alpha-cypermethrin, an insecticide, and difenoconazole, a fungicide, are widely employed pesticides globally. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the acute impact of these two pesticides on amphibians, we used European green toad (Bufotes viridis) tadpoles as our model organisms. We assessed mortality and mass as apical endpoints, and examined physiological biomarkers including electron transport system (ETS) activity, catalase activity, and carbonyl protein content. Tadpoles were exposed to varying concentrations of the two pesticides for 48 hours (0.2-10 µg/L for alpha-cypermethrin; 10-100 µg/L for difenoconazole). Our results indicate that the exposure of tadpoles to these pesticides significantly affected their physiology. Mortality was observed exclusively in tadpoles treated with difenoconazole (LC50 = 100.832 µg/L), while a decrease in mass occurred in tadpoles exposed to both pesticides. No significant differences across treatments were found for total ETS activity, catalase activity, or the presence of protein carbonyls. In conclusion, our findings suggest that alpha-cypermethrin at environmentally relevant concentrations poses a risk to European green toad tadpoles, while the effects of difenoconazole are become patent at higher concentrations than those recorded in natural aquatic environments.

Trypanosoma commonly parasitizes anuran hosts but very few studies have investigated ecological relationships in multiparasitized amphibians. We analysed a sample of 29 adult Iberian green frogs (Pelophylax perezi) from a monitored population in central Spain and found that 28 of these individuals (96.5%) were infected with blood parasites. The protozoa genera Lankesterella (Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina) (72.4%) and Trypanosoma (Euglenozoa: Trypanosomatida) (69%) had the highest prevalence, followed by an intraerythrocytic bacteria of the genus Aegyptianella (Pseudomonadota: Rickettsiales) (31.0%). We also report an infection by hematic microfilariae (Nematoda: Spirurida) (6.8%), which to our knowledge represents the first documented case in Iberian amphibians. Infections with more than one parasite type occurred in 62.1% of the frogs. A multimodel inference approach indicated that the infection intensities of Trypanosoma and Aegyptianella were the most important predictors, both negatively affecting the body condition of the frogs. Furthermore, the number of leeches that frogs had when captured showed a strong positive association with Trypanosoma infection intensity. This suggests that leeches act as primary vectors for Trypanosoma. Our results revealed a high taxonomic diversity of blood parasites in green frogs, thus contributing to expand our knowledge of the biodiversity of Mediterranean wetlands and highlighted the potential negative effects of certain infections on the fitness of these amphibian hosts.

The spur-thighed tortoise, Testudo graeca, is a widely distributed and deeply diversified species inhabiting areas of Africa, Asia, and Europe. For decades, populations of T. graeca from North Africa have been exploited for the international pet market. In particular, T. graeca of Libyan origin have been commercially imported into the United States several times since 2021. Using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing, we show that these imported tortoises include T. g. cyrenaica and a novel lineage originally reported in 2017 from a displaced specimen from a market in Libya. That novel lineage inhabits northwestern Libya, and we show that wild populations near Gharyan share the same mtDNA haplotype as those now sold as pets in the USA. Populations of T. graeca in northwestern Libya, previously identified as T. g. nabeulensis, are reassigned to a new subspecies Testudo graeca tripolitania described herein. Additional field work is needed to determine the mtDNA haplotypes of populations in central and southern Tunisia and to locate the subspecies boundary between T. g. nabeulensis and T. g. tripolitania.