First description of a fossil chamaeleonid from Greece and its relevance for the European biogeographic history of the group

The fossil record of Chamaeleonidae is very scarce and any new specimen is therefore considered important for our understanding of the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the group. New specimens from the early Miocene of Aliveri (Evia Island), Greece constitute the only fossils of these lizards from southeastern Europe. Skull roofing material is tentatively attributed to the Czech species Chamaeleo cf. andrusovi, revealing a range extension for this taxon, whereas tooth-bearing elements are described as indeterminate chamaeleonids. The Aliveri fossils rank well among the oldest known reptiles from Greece, provide evidence for the dispersal routes of chameleons out of Africa towards the European continent and, additionally, imply strong affinities with coeval chamaeleonids from Central Europe

Migration strategies of the Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan

Although the Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan is listed as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, with many populations in serious decline, there is little detailed information on the location of its key foraging areas during the non-breeding season. To address this knowledge gap, adult Yelkouan Shearwaters at a breeding colony in Malta were fitted with geolocators in 2 consecutive years. Of the 13 birds tracked (two of which were tracked in both years), the majority (n = 10; 76.9 %) migrated in June–July to spend most of the non-breeding period in the Black Sea (n = 5), Aegean Sea (n = 2), Black and Aegean seas (n = 2), or Black and Adriatic seas (n = 1). The final three birds remained within the central Mediterranean area and did not move beyond 500 km of the breeding colony. There was considerable variation among individuals in terms of timing of the outward and return migrations, duration and location of periods of residency in different areas, and migration routes. However, migration patterns (including routes and areas visited) were very consistent in the two individuals tracked in consecutive years. All birds returned in November or December to waters closer to the breeding colony, concentrating between the North African coast and the southern Adriatic. This study has identified key areas during the non-breeding season for Yelkouan Shearwaters from Malta which are also likely to be important for other populations. Given the continuing decline of this species throughout its range, this information represents an essential step for improving international conservation efforts. At-sea threats in the wintering regions include by-catch in long-line and trawl fisheries, impacts of over-fishing, illegal hunting (particularly in Maltese waters), ingestion of plastics, pollution, and the potential impact of off-shore wind farms. These threats need to be addressed urgently in the areas identified by this study to prevent further declines

Biogeography, ecology, and spatial patterns of patagonian lizards

Patagonia has a great diversity of lizards, including 6 families, 11 genera and 163 species. The majority of this diversity with documented geographical records corresponds to the Liolaemidae family (Phymaturus and Liolaemus). Latitudinally, lizard richness is higher between 37° to 39° S, decreasing gradually until latitude 54° S; longitudinally, it is higher between 69° and 71° W. The georeferenced records and the number of collected specimens have some biases, with higher values in the northern regions (up to latitude 42° S). However, there are areas up to latitude 45° S with species richness similar to others with a greater number of collected individuals. The vegetation units with the highest species richness (S) in Argentinean Patagonia are the northern and central areas reaching west of Chubut Province: Western District (S = 60) and Typical Southern Monte (S = 49), passing through areas with intermediate richness and with only one species (Wet Magellanic Steppe) or none (Evergreen shrub, Monte?s Mountains and Valleys, Western Interior Pampa, and Peat Bogs). There is a general trend towards lower species richness in vegetation units located in the extreme south of Argentina and south of latitude 41° S in Chile. We evaluated differences in lizard diversity and evenness among vegetation units through a dendrogram based on species incidences and found 6 clusters. Then, we compared species richness between members of each cluster with rarefaction curves. Species marginally distributed in Patagonia have a narrower altitudinal range than Patagonian endemics. Species in genus Liolaemus have small differences in altitudinal range, but species of Phymaturus have pronounced differences in altitudinal ranges. Our spatial analyses, based on intensive systematic-taxonomic activity over the last two decades, shed light into the understanding of lizard distributions in one of the regions with the greatest diversity of reptiles in the world. We also provide ecological and spatial metrics for an updated list of Patagonian lizards. We highlight that the usefulness of discretizing large volumes of information and geographic space into a synthetic framework allows using quantitative results for the study of spatial patterns of biodiversity, decision-making for design studies, use of resources and creation of protected areas.Fil: Minoli, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Cristian Hernan Fulvio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagonico. Unidad de Administracion Territorial.; ArgentinaFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; Argentin