Environmental colour pattern variation in Mediterranean Podarcis.

Background: Lizards of the genus Podarcis are widespread in the Mediterranean region, including islands and island archipelagos. These small-bodied lizards have a predominantly protective green-brown colouration. However, some populations display unusual patterns, in which the colouration is predominantly blue or uniformly black.

Biogeographic Inferences on the Evolutionary History of the King Cobra (, Cantor 1836) Species Complex.

King cobra () is a snake widely distributed through southeastern tropical Asia, but in two separate subpopulations: one located in the Western Ghats (western Indian Peninsula) and the other much more extensive, ranging between the southern slopes of the Himalayas, Assam, Indochina to southeastern China. Similarly, it also appears in numerous tropical archipelagos such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Andaman Islands, but surprisingly it is absent from other large islands like Sri Lanka and Taiwan. In this study, we evaluated how climate could be shaping the distribution of this snake and estimated the future distribution of the species utilizing ecological niche modelling.

Niche diversification of Mediterranean and southwestern Asian tortoises.

Background: Tortoises of the genus are widely distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia. However, the evolutionary mechanisms of diversification in this genus are still poorly understood.

Methods: In this study, we assessed the evolutionary patterns in the climate niches of five species and 11 subspecies of the genus using ecological niche models and evaluated the niche overlap based on species phylogenetic distances.

Dispersal patterns of Squamata in the Mediterranean: An evolutionary perspective.

Mediterranean islands have a high diversity of squamates, although they are unevenly distributed. This variability in the composition of the reptile assemblages across islands may have been influenced by differences in the colonization abilities of these species. To evaluate the dispersal capacities of squamate species, we modeled their sea routes using cost surface models.

Vegetation cover and occurrence of salamanders in the western Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean region possesses a rich diversity of salamanders, which also exhibit a high degree of ecological diversification. It is assumed that the presence of salamanders is dependent on the level of vegetation cover in terrestrial habitats, but the strength of this association is likely to vary among species. In this study, we investigated the patterns of habitat utilization for Mediterranean salamanders based on 589 records of 33 species.

Ship rats and island reptiles: patterns of co-existence in the Mediterranean.

Background: The western Mediterranean archipelagos have a rich endemic fauna, which includes five species of reptiles. Most of these archipelagos were colonized since early historic times by anthropochoric fauna, such as ship rats (). Here, I evaluated the influence of ship rats on the occurrence of island reptiles, including non-endemic species.

Organization of Squamata (Reptilia) assemblages in Mediterranean archipelagos.

Mediterranean islands have complex reptile assemblages, but little is known about the factors that determine their organization. In this study, the structure of assemblages of Squamata was evaluated based on their species richness and two measures of phylogenetic diversity (variability and clustering). I evaluated the composition of the assemblages comparing distinct biogeographic subregions within the Mediterranean: Adriatic, Aegean, Balearic, Corsica-Sardinia, Crete, Gulf of Gabés, Ionian Sea, Ligurian Sea, Malta, Sicily, and Tyrrhenian Sea.

A new subspecies of African fire salamander (Urodela, Salamandridae) from the Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco.

A new subspecies within the species complex from north-western Africa is described. Previous molecular analysis showed that the populations of from north-western Morocco consisted of two well supported clades: clade 1 distributed in the Rif Mountains, from Chefchaouen (type locality) to Al Hoceima, and clade 2, located southern from clade 1 being isolated in the northern and central Middle Atlas Mountains. Clade 2 is herein described as a distinct subspecies: based on morphological data, allopatric range and molecular divergence.

Habitat use in south-west European skinks (genus ).

Background: Congeneric species of reptiles frequently exhibit partitioning in terms of their use of habitats or trophic resources in order to reduce competition. In this study, we investigated habitat use by two species of European skinks: and , based on 49 records from southern France, Spain, and Portugal.

Methods: We measured three levels of niche descriptors: macroscale (climate, topography, and substrate), mesoscale (plant associations), and microscale (vegetation cover and shelters).

Comparative larval morphology in three species of (Urodela: Salamandridae).

The Ribbed newts (genus Pleurodeles) are endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa (Raffaëlli 2013), and comprise three species: Pleurodeles nebulosus (Guichenot 1850), Pleurodeles poireti (Gervais 1836) and Pleurodeles waltl Michahelles 1830. Pleurodeles nebulosus is found in northern Algeria and Tunisia with an average size of 18 cm, while P. poireti is endemic to the Edough Massif, in northeastern Algeria and is the smallest species, with 12.

Diversity of Guilds of Amphibian Larvae in North-Western Africa.

The composition and diversity of biotic assemblages is regulated by a complex interplay of environmental features. We investigated the influence of climate and the aquatic habitat conditions on the larval traits and the structure of amphibian larval guilds in north-western Africa. We classified the species into morphological groups, based on external traits: body shape, size, and the relative positions of the eyes and oral apparatus.

Linderiella jebalae sp. nov. (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Anostraca), a new species from the Rif mountains (northern Morocco).

A new species of fairy shrimp, Linderiella jebalae sp. nov., was found in temporary ponds located in the Rif region of northern Morocco.

Review of the systematics, distribution, biogeography and natural history of Moroccan amphibians.

The amphibian fauna of the Kingdom of Morocco was traditionally regarded as poor and closely related to its European counterpart. However, an increase in research during the last decades revealed a considerable degree of endemism amongst Moroccan amphibians, as well as phenotypic and genotypic inter- and intraspecific divergence. Despite this increase in knowledge, a comprehensible overview is lacking while several systematic issues have remained unresolved.