Mehmet K. Atatür

A taxonomical survey of the Mountains frogs of Anatolia

The aim of this survey is to establish systematical positions of the mountain frogs of Anatolia. Our material was obtained from 24 different populations; 18 populations, of which we have a sufficient number of specimens, are compared biometrically. Due to insufficient number of available specimens, it was not possible to establish properly the taxonomical positions of populations from Artvin and Hakkâri regions. Newer and richer material should be studied from the said localities to clear their taxonomical status.

Taxonomic notes on the snakes of Northern Cyprus, with observations on their morphologies and ecologies

A total of 66 specimens belonging to eleven snake species, some of which were collected during the fi eld studies of 17-31 July and 3-25 September 2003, and some others which have been previously collected and all have been deposited into the collection of ZDEU (Zoology Dept. Ege University), were evaluated taxonomically. 25 of the specimens belonged to Typhlopidae, 37 to Colubridae, three to Viperidae and one to Boidae. Th ese specimens were evaluated from the points of view of pholidosis, pattern and coloration and morphological measurements. Some biological and ecological information were also given with the brief geological history of eastern Mediterranean region.

Comparative morphological and serological studies of three Anatolian Mountain frogs, Rana macrocnemis , R. camerani and R. holtzi (Anura, Ranidae)

Three currently recognized species of Anatolian mountain frogs were analyzed for species boundaries. Meristic and proportional measurement data of three populations, including two topotypical ones, were evaluated using both univariate and discriminant analyses, and blood-serum samples were analyzed electrophoretically with polyacrylamide-disc electrophoresis. The results indicate that only two distinct mountain frog species inhabit Anatolia. We recommend that R. camerani from Mt Erciyes should be recognized as a synonym of R. macrocnemis.

Morphological and serological investigations on Lacerta laevis Gray, 1838 (Sauria: Lacertidae) populations from Anatolia

Abstract A total of 51 specimens of Lacerta laevis (25 ♂, 26 ♀) from the area of Mersin and Hatay (southern Anatolia) were investigated morphologically, and of these 24 specimens (12 ♂, 12 ♀) were analyzed from the viewpoint of their blood-serum proteins. The populations were found to show great intra- and interpopulation variation in their pattern and colour characteristics and in their serological analyses, while their morphometric characteristics were found to be similar. It is thus concluded that, for the present, it is not possible to separate them into different subspecies.

Morphological characterisation of a population of Rana ridibunda Pallas, 1771 in the Dalaman area, Turkey

Abstract 91 specimens of the Marsh or Lake Frog Rana ridibunda from the vicinity of Kapıkargın Village (Dalaman, Muğla province, Turkey) were investigated morphometrically and from the viewpoint of colouration and colour pattern. While the specimens were found to be identical morphometrically with Rana ridibunda, the venter of 87% of the specimens was more or less covered with fine black or yellow warts, which is not known from elsewhere in Turkey.

A study on the blood cells of the Caucasus Frog, Pelodytes caucasicus

Abstract This study gives detailed information on the size and number of the various blood cells from a sample of the Caucasus Frog, Pelodytes caucasicus, based on 10 ♂ and 10 ♀ from Uzungöl (Trabzon province). P. caucasicus does not show sexual dimorphism in the number and size of blood cells; the erythrocytes of P. caucasicus are smaller than those of the other Turkish anurans, but their number is higher.

The Present Status of Mertensiella caucasica (WAGA, 1876) (Urodela: Salamandridae) in Northeastern Anatolia

Mertensiella caucasica specimens, collected from various parts of northeastern Anatolia, are compared statistically and from the point of view of their pattern and coloration. While no significant taxonomic differences were detected between the samples of different populations, the range diagrams, constructed from several body ratios, show a marked difference between the adult males, adult females, sub-adults, juveniles and larvae of the same population.

Reproductive ecology and body size-fecundity relationships of the Green Toad,Pseudepidalea viridis(Laurenti, 1768), in the Kocaçay Stream, İzmir, Turkey: (Amphibia: Anura)

Abstract We studied the breeding biology of the Green Toad, Pseudepidalea viridis (Laurenti, 1768), in the 2007–2008 breeding seasons at Kocaçay Stream. The breeding period began in early February and lasted approximately two months. The median of the breeding seasons was calculated as 5tMarch for the entire study period 2007–2008. The average clutch size was 14,594 eggs and this value was higher than in other conspecific populations from Denmark, Israel and Italy. Clutch size and clutch mass were significantly correlated with female body size, but single egg mass and egg diameter were not. A negative significant correlation was seen between clutch size and egg diameter.

A Comparison of the Amphibian Fauna of Turkish Thrace with that of Anatolia and Balkan States

The amphibian species of Turkish Thrace, compiled from material collected during several excursions undertaken between 1977 and 1980, are compared with those of other Balkan States and Anatolia.