Fitness disadvantages to disrupted embryogenesis impose selection against suboptimal nest-site choice by female grass snakes, Natrix natrix (Colubridae)

Nesting ecology of the grass snake (Natrix natrix) and its implications for conservation

Study of Blood Parasites of the Three Snake Species in Iran: Natrix natrix, Natrix tessellata and Zamenis longissimus (Colubridae)

Infections with blood parasites are common phenomenon in reptiles from all over the world. Apicomplexan are the majority of blood parasites that frequently occur with high levels of parasitaemia in the snakes. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of blood parasites in some snakes Guilan province in the North of Iran. A total of 51 specimens of three snake species were captured in...

A glitch in the Natrix: cryptic presence of alien grass snakes in Switzerland

The difficulty to detect invasive species depends of numerous factors, such as morphological similarities with local taxa (Dubey et al., 2014), low densities (Fitzpatrick et al., 2009), cryptic behaviours (Mazzotti et al., 2015), or remote distribution ranges (Lass et al., 2002). In some circumstances, alien taxa hybridize with local ones resulting in individuals with intermediate phenotypes. T...

Morphological and Histochemical Studies of the Chromatoid Body in the Grass-snake, Natrix natrix By BHUPINDER N. SUD

The chromatoid body in the spermatogenesis of the grass-snake, Natrix natrix, has been studied by the use of phase-contrast microscopy, vital dyes, and histochemical tests. It first appears during the growth of the primary spermatocyte and is also seen in the secondary spermatocyte and late spermatid, but is absent at metaphases of both the maturation divisions, in the early spermatid, and duri...

Maternal Nest-site Choice and Offspring Fitness in a Tropical Snake (tropidonophis Mairii, Colubridae)

Do reproducing female reptiles adaptively manipulate phenotypic traits of their offspring by selecting appropriate nest sites? Evidence to support this hypothesis is indirect, mostly involving the distinctive characteristics of used (vs. available) nest sites, and the fact that physical conditions during egg incubation can modify hatchling phenotypic traits that plausibly might influence fitnes...