Journal of Animal Diversity
Volume:2 Issue: 1, Mar 2020

A checklist of the croakers of the world, family Sciaenidae, is presented. A total of 584 nominal species belonging to 289 valid species and 69 genera is included. Four genera, Johnius with 32 species, Cynoscion 25, Stellifer 24, and Umbrina 17 contains 30% of the species, whereas 43% of the genera (31) are monotypic. Eques is a valid genus-name and should be used instead of Equetus. Fourteen nominal species remain unidentifiable and are placed in incertae sedis, whereas 12 nominal species currently described in sciaenid genera lay outside the family. Among this latter group two of them represent senior synonyms of well-established species: Sciaena guttata Bloch and Schneider, 1801 and Sciaena pallida Walbaum, 1792 predate Giuris margaritaceus (Valenciennes, 1837) and Cymolutes praetextatus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824), respectively, and they are here declared nomina oblita.

We reanalyzed 657 base pairs of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) sequences of the Small Five-toed jerboas Scarturus from Iran, which had been published as Allactaga by Mohammadi et al. (2016) in the Zoology in the Middle East. We show that taxonomic names are available for the three main clusters they recognized: S. hotsoni, S. elater, and S. toussi. The last two species each contained two lineages, both in our analysis as well in those published earlier. We recommend the taxonomic identification of specimens in molecular analyses and call for deposition of voucher material in responsible public collections.

The text of the book is written bilingually in Persian and English and is printed on thick glossy paper, sized at 25x34 cm. The book is heavy, weighing about 1.5 kg and cannot be held in one hand for long. In the table of contents, each family is indicated with a logo of one species of that family (similar to Mansoori’s Field Guide, 2001). The text starts with 28 pages of introductory general information about birds including a summary of ornithological studies in Iran, Iranian bird checklists, how to use the book, avian morphology and anatomy, avian breeding and migration, how to identify birds, and the major habitats of Iran and conservation categories. This book project was funded by the Iran Department of the Environment. The front cover is illustrated with a picture of a Sind Woodpecker and the back cover with a Hume’s Wheatear.

In wildlife management, sufficient information about fauna is vital for conservation of species and their habitats. Furthermore, the number of bird species in a habitat can represent an index of habitat quality. Therefore, this study was carried out to identify bird fauna on a university campus (i.e. Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, abbreviated as ASNRUKH) in the southwest of Iran in order to determine the number of bird species, the day of their arrival, and the presence time of migratory birds on campus. Field survey and identification of birds were carried out in the study area, with an area of 72.9 ha, using binoculars from June 2017 to May 2018 in linear transects spaced 20 meters apart. We identified 62 bird species, including nine raptors, which is equal to 11.25% of bird species in Iran. In total, 19 residents, five summer visitors, 21 winter visitors and 17 passing migratory birds were identified. The lowest co-occurrence number of species (21–25) was observed from middle June to early October and the maximum number of concurrent species (38–41) were recorded from late November to early January. The Western Barn Owl Tyto alba was the only resident raptor, which is part of an integrated pest management system throughout the year. ASNRUKH’s long-established persistent favorable microclimate supports both resident and migratory birds. In addition, the study area provides food and safety for migratory birds from across the globe as a stopover site.

Organisms can adapt to habitat conditions that ensure their survival. Habitat separation can lead to different populations of body shape during the phenotypic plasticity process. Both traditional and modern (geometric) morphology are being used in fish population studies. In this study, the body shape differences between Garra rufa (Heckel) populations captured in the Jarrahi River (from the Tigris Basin) were investigated using traditional and geometric morphometric methods. The samples were captured from the Rostam Abad, Aghajari and Behbahan tributaries and transferred to the laboratory. For the traditional morphometric analysis, 10 meristic characters and 19 morphometric characters were measured. Geometric morphological information was extracted using 13 landmark points on left side photographs of individual fish. According to the results of the traditional morphometric analysis, there were differences between the three populations in meristic (lateral line scales, predorsal scales, circamucaudal scales) and morphometric (14 of 19 characters) traits. In the geometric morphometric analysis, the major part of the shape variation is due to landmark points in the head region and the dorsal fin base, with the anal fin and caudal peduncle being the most conservative body regions. The populations had significant differences in body shape with populations from Aghajari and Behbahan tributaries being most similar and the Rostam Abad population was different from the two other populations.

The widow spider Latrodectus dahli Levi, 1959 is recorded for the first time from Iraq, based on four female specimens collected in Basra Province. There are 32 valid species of the genus Latrodectus with a worldwide distribution. The female copulatory organ is illustrated. Latrodectus dahli is similar to L. hystrix Simon, 1890 in the female internal duct system but differs in the shape and coloration of the opisthosoma. Distribution records now include North Africa, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Central Asia (WSC, 2020), and now Iraq.