We describe a new species of goby, Varicus lacerta sp. n., which was collected from a mesophotic reef at Curacao, southern Caribbean. The new species is the tenth species of Varicus, all of which occur below traditional SCUBA depths in the wider Caribbean area. Its placement in the genus Varicus is supported by a molecular phylogenetic analysis of three nuclear genes and the mitochondrial gene ...

The Psammodromus hispanicus species group has been recently shown to include three lineages that differ in morphology (San-Jose et al. 2012), have largely parapatric range but exhibit little evidence of historical gene flow (Fitze et al. 2011), leading to the recognition of these three lineages as distinct species (Fitze et al. 2012). The eastern species can be unambiguously associated with the...

In the present study, we contributed to knowledge of distribution endemic lizard species, Pamphylian green in Turkey and pointed out northernmost localities species. Until recently, occurrence species was only known from Antalya Mersin provinces Turkey. According most recent records, it has been reported some (Aşağı Kırıntı, Yukarı Kasımlar, Belence) Sütçüler district Isparta province. our also...

The mechanisms underlying honest signal expression remain elusive and may involve the integration of social and physiological costs. Corticosterone is a socially modulated metabolic hormone that mediates energy investment and behavior and may therefore function to deter dishonest signal expression. We examined the relationship between corticosterone and green badge coloration in male sand lizar...

OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Ligula intestinalis and infections caused by these on freshwater fish in rivers and streams in the Kars plateau of north-eastern Anatolia, Turkey. METHODS This research was conducted between April and July 2011. Fish samples were caught via a casting net and an electro-shocker. The samples were immediately examined to determine...

Novel selective pressures derived from human activities challenge the persistence of animal populations worldwide. Behavior is expected to be a major factor driving animals' responses to global change because it largely determines how animals interact with the environment. However, the role of individual variation in behavior to facilitate the persistence of animals in changing environments rem...

Phenotypic similarity of species occupying similar habitats has long been taken as strong evidence of adaptation, but this approach implicitly assumes that similarity is evolutionarily derived. However, even derived similarities may not represent convergent adaptation if the similarities did not evolve as a result of the same selection pressures; an alternative possibility is that the similar f...