AG magazine (in print)
Online magazine (pdf)
Online articles (html)
Literature- and poster projects
of the real lizards, family Lacertidae
Acanthodactylus ilgazi KURNAZ & SAHIN, 2021
Karatas, A. & Cicek, K. (2023) -
Kurnaz, M. & M.K. Sahin (2022) -
Acanthodactylus Wiegmann, 1834 is one of the widespread lizard genus in North Africa, southern Europe, Asia Minor to the Iberian Peninsula and east through the Arabian Peninsula and western India. We recently discovered Acanthodactylus ilgazi from Eastern Anatolia Turkey. However, a nomenclatural clause for electronic publishing of species names according to the Code of International Nomenclature caused the new name has been unavailable up to now. Therefore, here we formally describe A. ilgazi. In addition to that, the description of the male specimen is given for the first time for this species.
Kurnaz, M. & Şahin, M.K. (2021) -
Acanthodactylus Wiegmann, 1834 is one of the most diverse and widespread lizard genus in the Palearctic realm. Here, we describe a new species, - Acanthodactylus ilgazi sp. nov. - from the Anatolian Peninsula. This new species ranges approximately 250 km north from the closest population of this genus in Turkey. Compared to other fringefingered lizards, the new species is phylogenetically close to A. robustus, A. tristrami and A. orientalis but it has some distinct morphological characteristics: reddish coloration under the tail, a sharp white or grayish stripe in the middle of the dorsum, and four plates in a row on the 4th finger. Moreover, phylogenetic molecular data, based on cyt b gene fragment, verifies that the new species is phylogenetically a member of the tristrami species group with 13.03%, 17.35% and 20.56 genetic distance respectively from A. orientalis, A. tristrami and A. robustus. Lastly, the known range of this species, located in Yazıhan, Malatya in Eastern Anatolia, is restricted by a dam, thus habitat loss endangers its continuity. Therefore, the conservation status of this species should be assessed immediately.
Yasar, C. & Cicek, L. & Mulder, J. & Tok, C.V. (2021) -
Knowledge on the spatial distribution of taxa is crucial for the decision-making processes in conservation and management of biodiversity that rely on precise distribution data. We present an annotated list for a total of 37 amphibian (20 caudatans and 17 anurans) and 141 reptile species (11 chelonians, 70 lizards, 3 amphisbaenians and 57 snakes) in Turkey, using both available scientific literature up to December 2020 and our own fieldwork data from 1987 to 2020. We provide a comprehensive listing of taxonomy, names, distribution and conservation status of Turkish amphibians and reptiles. The herpetofauna list will be particularly useful for establishing national conservation priorities as well as for placing Turkish fauna into phylogenetic and biogeographic contexts. We compiled information published in books, journals and various web sources and added our personal data. We projected the data in the WGS84 coordinate system and created an overlay grid with cells of 50x50 km2. The database comprises more than 500 grid cells and 11,913 records. As a result, the distribution of Turkish amphibians and reptiles has been extensively mapped with geographical information systems and a database has been created. The obtained data will be useful in planning future studies on taxonomy, ecology and conservation of Turkish amphibians and reptiles.