Current Herpetology

Examination of the holotype of Rana taiwaniana Otsu, 1973 has revealed that it does not differ from Rana swinhoana Boulenger, 1903 in any morphological character, confirming its synonymous status with the latter. Allocation of R. taiwaniana to the genus Amolops by some authors is not justified.

Breeding of the long-tailed clawed salamander, Onychodactylus fischeri, was observed in the field for the first time. The breeding site was located within a brook in a cave. At the site, more males were observed than females. To inseminate a pair of egg sacs from each female, more than five males formed a mating ball. The oviposition site on the wall, whose upper margin was approximately 40 cm below the water surface, was 2 m wide and 1 m high. A total of 173 pairs of egg sacs were found at the site, of which most were attached to the side of rock walls in a brook.

Genital morphology of Varanus mabitang is described for the first time, based on the hemiclitores of the holotype. The formerly invertedly fixed outer genital organs could be brought to subsequent eversion through a slight maceration and a partial reversion of the original fixation effects by storing the dissected and removed organs in 2% potassium hydroxide solution (KOH). Morphological features of the organs, especially the derived structures of the hemibaubella, corroborate the view that V. mabitang is presumably sister to another Philippine species, V. olivaceus, and this renders the subgenus Philippinosaurus polytypic.

Animal color patterns often have functions in thermoregulation, predation avoidance, and intraspecific communication. Examining intraspecific variation of color patterns is an effective approach to clarify their functions in a specific animal. We investigated the variation of dorsal color pattern within a dry forest population of the Madagascan iguanian lizard, Oplurus cuvieri cuvieri. Mark-and-recapture study showed that the number of dorsal black bands (DBBs) varies from one to seven, and often increases and decreases ontogenetically. Among four factors (snout-vent length, sex, age, and habitat) and three interactions between them, only sex and habitat had significant effects on the number of DBBs. Female lizards and lizards inhabiting a forested area tended to have more DBBs than males and those in an open habitat, respectively. All captive born hatchlings had seven DBBs, and juveniles reared under a 40W lamp retained more DBBs than those reared under a 60W lamp. This suggests that the number of DBBs of O. c. cuvieri is affected by thermal conditions, implying a thermoregulatory function of this color pattern.

A new type of wet physical model that mimics frog body temperature is proposed and tested for performances in the field. The model is made from a piece of sponge made of foam phenol synthetic resin commercially developed for flower arranging. When the water content was maintained between 60 and 70%, the sponge model exhibited a temperature profile very close to that of a real frog (Rana japonica) of comparable size in a range of ambient temperature normally experienced by the frog in the field (15–25 C). Higher water-absorption capability, more ruggedness, and less weight of the sponge model facilitate its use in large numbers in the field than previously proposed models such as those made of agar or plaster, or formalin-fixed frogs.

We describe the advertisement call of Scaphiophryne gottlebei from the Isalo Massif (southcentral Madagascar). Calling males were found during a rainy night in November (21 C in air temperature). The call is similar in temporal and spectral structure to that of other Scaphiophryne species, such as S. boribory and S. spinosa, with a note repetition rate of 32–36/s, and a frequency range of 500–1400 Hz.

A large gravid female of Hydrophis melanocephalus was captured in early December 2004 from offshore of Wakayama Prefecture, west-central Honshu, Japan. This is the first confirmed record of this species from waters adjacent to Honshu. The female gave birth to three juveniles (one born alive, and the other two stillborn) within three days of capture. Autopsy of the female after her death in one month later yielded another developing embryo and four undeveloped eggs in oviducts. This suggests that her actual litter size was four and potential litter size was eight.