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Key wo ds: Apa hya yassujica, In aspeci ic a iabili y, I an, m DNA
Cy b.
A icle No: e207502
Recei ed: 10. May 2020 / Accep ed: 31. July 2020
A ailable online: 03. Augus 2020 / P in ed: Decembe 2020
Hamzeh ORAIE1,2,* and Aza KHOSRAVANI3
1. Depa men o Zoology, Facul y o Science, Shah eko d Uni e si y,
Shah eko d, I an.
2. Depa men o Biodi e si y, Ins i u e o Bio echnology, Shah eko d Uni e si-
y, Shah eko d, I an.
3. I anian Pla eau He pe ology Resea ch G oup (IPHRG), Facul y o Science,
Razi Uni e si y, 6714967346 Ke manshah, I an.
*Co esponding au ho , H. O aie, E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
Fi s case o lo dosis in a wild- caugh Eu ope-
an pond u le (Emys o bicula is)
E en hough os eological abno mali ies a e e y a e in wild
ep iles (Telemaco e al. 2013, Löwenbo g & Hagman 2017),
hey a e mo e equen in cap i i y as a consequence o a de-
icien ca e, especially ela ed o nu i ion and UV de icien-
cies (Mendyk 2008). In chelonians, in some cases, i is also e-
la ed o so shell and py amidism (Muse i e al. 2014).
Kyphosis and lo dosis a e p oblems ela ed o he e e-
b al column, namely kyphosis when he column is ex uded
and lo dosis when he column is in uded. The e a e se e al
cases o bo h anomalies desc ibed in lace ids (Ga in-Ba io
e al. 2011), skinks (A i illaga & B own 2019) and sea u les
(D enen 1990). Ne e heless, in eshwa e u les only ky-
phosis is ela i ely common (Saumu e 2001, T emba h 2009,
Moldowan e al. 2015), wi h ew documen ed lo dosis cases
(Mi chell 2014; Selman 2019).
In wild Emys o bicula is se e al de o mi ies ha e been
desc ibed such as mic ooph almia (Esco iza 2012), axan h-
ism (Ca alcan e & B uni 2018), pholydosis abno mali ies as
accesso y scu es (Co de o e al. 2008) o accesso y and ab-
sen scu es (Lada & Voldi e a 2018). He e, we epo he i s
case o lo dosis in a Eu opean eshwa e u le (Emys o bicu-
la is), being he i s epo ed case o a lo do ic wild u le in
Eu ope.
The u le was cap u ed on he 22 h July 2011 in “Río A e a”, which
is a Special A ea o Conse a ion (ES2200013), in Na a e (Spain), in
a li le ca le pond (42º42’N; -1º16’E), whe e he majo i y o u les
we e ju eniles (Table 1), including he lo do ic u le, showing a di -
e en ial habi a selec ion among ju eniles and adul s (Ay es &
Co de o 2007). I was a h ee-yea -old u le (CL = 46,6 mm, weigh =
21 g) wi h algae enc us ed on he ca apace, and a conca e de o mi y
in he middle o he ca apace (Fig.1). Howe e , he e was appa en ly
no lack o mobili y.
The pond had a maximum dep h o less han 1 me e , wi h
Figu e 1. Lo do ic ju enile E.o bicula is wi h wo no mal shaped ju-
eniles.
Table 1. Measu emen s o he specimens cap u ed in he pond whe e
he lo do ic u le (in bold) was ound. Sex was classi ied as M
(male), F ( emale) o J (Ju enile wi h no ex e nal sexual cha ac e s).
Weigh was measu ed in g ams and he ca apace leng h (CL) in mil-
lime e s.
ID
Sex
Weigh (g)
CL (mm)
Neo10_04
J
12
38.49
Neo10_08
J
13
40.28
Neo10_02
J
13
40.38
Neo10_09
J
17
43.6
Neo10_05
J
17
45.16
Neo10_03
J
18
45.98
Neo09_04
J
21
46.63
Neo10_07
J
21
49.08
Neo10_06
J
22
49.49
Neo10_10
J
26
51.79
2454
J
72
73.28
2463
J
67
74.58
2450
F
141
92.26
2462
F
136
94.22
2446
F
152
97.76
2460
M
169
104.14
2465
M
207
111.7
2461
M
222
112.08
2457
F
260
112.76
2449
M
224
113.57
2455
M
234
118.79
2447
F
416
131.46
abundan wa e plan s, mac oin e eb a es and ogs. Nei he ishes
no c ay ishes we e p esen in he pond, al hough hey a e p esen in
he A e a Ri e , whe e adul u les commonly li e. In addi ion, i is
possible o conside he popula ion and hei indi iduals comple ely
wild since he loca ion was e y a om ci ies, illages o ou is ic
o ec ea ional a eas. Hence, i is e y imp obable ha he animal
could be main ained in cap i i y and eleased la e in he wild.
The u le was ca ied o CRFS Ilundáin, whe e i was adi-
og aphed, and i was eleased again he ollowing day in he pond
whe e i was cap u ed.
In adiog aphs aken in do so- en al (Fig. 2A) and la e o-
la e al (Fig. 2B) p ojec ion, he angle be ween he las ce i-
cal and i s ho acic e eb ae as well as he op o lumba
e eb ae and he op o he sac um e eb ae a e clea ly
acu e and no conca ous. Nei he usion, demi-ne aliza ion
No h-Wes e n Jou nal o Zoology 2020, ol.16 (2) - Co espondence: No es
243
Figu e 2. Radiog aphs aken in do so- en al (A) and la e o-la e al
(B) p ojec ion wi h 1cm whi e ba as scale, showing lo dosis.
no in ec ious signs (local de o mi ies o os eolysis) a e ob-
se ed in any a ec ed e eb ae (Ro schild e al. 2013).
Howe e , Figu e 2B shows ha abno mal cu a u e a ec ed
no only he e eb al column bu also he plas al bones.
Ven al bones had a ligh lo do ic cu a u e bu wi h a less
acu e angle han he one obse ed in e eb al spine. Despi e
a common belie ha lo dosis could be a isk ac o o back
pain, beha iou al e idences in his u le e ealed ha he e
was no back pain symp oms du ing locomo ion. Rega ding
he de mal scales, nei he duplica ion o usion, no e e-
b al o cos al scu es we e obse ed.
In ep iles, spinal mal o ma ions o spinal e a ology can
be due o inco ec condi ions du ing he incuba ion o eggs,
i.e. excessi ely low o high empe a u es and low ela i e
humidi y; hough no ably, oxics and pollu an s (e.g. insec i-
cides) migh also be esponsible o mal o ma ions obse ed
in wild ep iles (Bellai s 1981). Se e al hypo heses ha e been
p oposed o explain he o igin o shell abno mali ies in che-
lonians. Mos o hem a e ela ed o p oblems du ing em-
b yonic o ea ly ju enile de elopmen (Ro hschild e al.
2013, Ca acappa e al. 2016, Nagle e al. 2018, Zimm e al.
2018, Lange e al. 2020). The e is e idence ha polychlo in-
a ed biphenyls (PCBs), a azine and glyphosa e ha e a nega-
i e e ec on bone de elopmen du ing incuba ion on
eshwa e u les (Adams e al. 2016; Mendoçal e al. 2016).
Addi ional s udies ha e also shown ha inb eeding o ep-
ile popula ions wi h low gene ic di e si y can cause mal-
o ma ions (Madsen e al. 1992; Olsson e al. 1996). In cap i e
u les, spinal mal o ma ions can also be caused by me abol-
ic bone diseases (F ye 1991, Muse i e al. 2014).
In u les, he ho acic and lumba e eb ae canno
mo e in he join due o he ac ha hey me ge o ming
acon ex column in he ea ly s ages o de elopmen
(P i cha d 2008). In ou case, he shell conca i y and he ab-
sence o up igh pos u e could ha e been de eloped since
he i s de elopmen s ages o he u le. Mine al de icien-
cies we e disca ded by adiog aphic analyses, and he u le
seemed o ha e g own no mally as well as he o he u les
ound in he pond, so ha nu i ional p oblems should no
be he cause o he lo dosis. En i onmen al pollu an s a e al-
so a highly unlikely cause, as indica ed by he absence o
o he a ec ed animals such as u les o o he aqua ic o gan-
isms a ound he a ea. As he e was no shield usion, he
cause o he abno mali y could be congeni al.
Acknowledgemen s. Eu opean pond u les we e cap u ed unde
licence o he Na a e Regional Go e nmen Numbe 581/2011. The
CRFS Ilundáin, depending on he Go e nmen o Na a e and
managed by he public en e p ise ‘Ges ión Ambien al de Na a a’,
assumed he cos s o he adiog aphs.
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Lada, G.A., Boldy e a, M.P. (2018): Pholidosis Abno mali ies and Inju ies in he
Eu opean Pond Tu le (Emys o bicula is) in he Condi ions o he Khope sky
Na u e Rese e. KnE Li e Sciences 4(3): 87-91.
Lange , S.V., Kap on, C.M., Da y, C.M. (2020): Abno mal pe sis ence o he
cho ioallan oic memb ane is associa ed wi h se e e de elopmen al
abno mali ies in eshwa e u les. Canadian Jou nal o Zoology 98(3): 229-
235.
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Mendoçal, J., Viei al, L.G., Valdes, S.A.C., San os, A.L.Q. (2016): E ec s o he
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G ow h, sexual ma u i y, and ep oduc ion o a emale Midland Pain ed
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Key wo ds: os eological abno mali ies, Emydidae, Spain, he pe ology,
e a ology.
A icle No: e207503
Recei ed: 23. June 2020 / Accep ed: 19. Augus 2020
A ailable online: 23. Augus 2020 / P in ed: Decembe 2020
Ai o VALDEÓN1,2,*, Césa AYRES3, Vi ginia RADA4,
Al onso BAÑERES5 and Albe MARTÍNEZ-SILVESTRE6
1. G upo de in es igación Clima, Agua, Cambio Global y Sis emas Na u ales-
IUCA-Depa amen o de Geog a ía-Uni e sidad de Za agoza. C/Ped o Ce -
buna, 12. 50009 Za agoza. Spain.
2. Dp o. He pe ología. Sociedad de Ciencias A anzadi. Zo oagagaina 11. 20014
Donos ia-San Sebas ián. Spain
3. AHE-Galicia. Ba celona, 86, 6C. 36211, Vigo (Pon e ed a). Spain.
4. Ta alla, Spain, E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
5. BASATI Ve e ina y N.G.O. Na a a egion, Spain, E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
6. Ca alonian Rep ile and Amphibian Rehabili a ion Cen e (CRARC) 08783,
Masque a, Spain.
* Co espponding au ho , A. Valdeón, E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
Unsuccess ul p eda ion a emp o
Lep odac ylus syphax (Anu a:
Lep odac ylidae) on Acan hoscu ia sp.
(A aneae: The aphosidae)
Anu ans a e conside ed gene alis and oppo unis ic p eda-
o s, hei gape and head size being he main cons ain s o
he maximum p ey size hey can seize and inges (Duellman
& T ueb 1994, Ce on e al. 2018, Ma ques-Pin o e al. 2019).
F ogs a e impo an elemen s in he complex ene gy ne -
wo ks a opical egions, since hey eed on a wide a ie y
o ood i ems, such as insec s and a h opods, and a e
p eyed upon by a a ie y o animals such as snakes and
small and medium mammals (Ma ques-Pin o e al. 2019,
Zipkin e al. 2020).
Spide s a e commonly ea en by anu ans (Solé e al. 2005,
Sugai e al. 2012, Came a e al. 2014), mainly because hey
co-occu in en i onmen s used by ogs (Schalk & Sezano
2014). Con e sely, spide s o he amilies Psau idae, C e-
nidae, and The aphosidae o en eed on amphibians (Menin
e al. 2005, Meneses e al. 2020). Howe e , p eda ion e en s
o ogs consuming a an ulas a e a e in na u e, since hese
gene ally la ge spide s p esen a po en ial dange o hei
p eda o s by wounding hem wi h hei se ae and en en-
oma ing hem using he chelice ae (Rosa e al. 2012, Be ani
& Guadanucci 2013, Bogan & Eppehime 2017, Valencia-
Valdez e al. 2019).
He e we p esen a p eda ion a emp on an Acan ho-
scu ia sp. (The aphosidae) by a Lep odac ylus syphax Boke -
mann 1969. The e en was obse ed on Oc obe 15, 2018,
du ing nigh ieldwo k o a emnan o na i e ege a ion,
nea he Roncado Ecological S a ion, B asília, Dis i o Fed-
e al, B azil (15°56'S, 47°48 'W, 1095 m a.s.l.). The og was in
an open ocky a ea (sensu Ribei o & Wal e 2008), holding
he spide in i s mou h when we loca ed hem. One o he
spide 's chelice a was pene a ing he lowe lip o he og
(Fig. 1). A e 5 min he og eleased he spide , bu i was
al eady dead. The og le he a ea, no showing any ob i-
ous sign o dis ess. The obse a ion was du ing he ainy
season o he Ce ado, a a ime ha he males o bo h spe-
cies a e in hei ep oduc i e pe iods and ac i ely sea ching
o emales (Sil a & Gia e a 2009, Mo a 2014), which could
inc ease he chance o he wo species encoun e ing.
Figu e 1. An adul male Lep odac ylus syphax a emp ing p eda ion on
an adul male Acan hoscu ia sp. No e ha a leas one o he spi-
de ’s chelice ae is pe o a ing he og’s uppe lip.
Lep odac ylus ogs use he “si and wai ” o aging s a e-
gy (Sugai e al. 2012, Ganci e al. 2018, Solé e al. 2019) ha is
ypical o species wi h a gene alis die , la gely based on in-
e eb a es such as Bla a ia, Coleop e a, Dip e a, Hemip-
e a, Hymenop e a, O hop e a, and A aneae (including
The aphosidae spide s; see Solé e al. 2005, Sugai e al. 2012,
Teles e al. 2018). Lep odac ylus syphax is a mid-sized og be-
longing o he L. uscus g oup (Sá e al. 2014), widely dis ib-
u ed in B azil (especially in he Ce ado, Caa inga and Chaco
biomes), wi h eco ds in Boli ia and Pa aguay (And ade e
al. 2011). I is commonly associa ed wi h open a eas wi h
ocky ou c ops, using ock ca i ies and e mi e bu ows
close o c eeks as e ea si es (Heye e al. 2010).
Acan hoscu ia is a The aphosid genus o la ge Mygalo-
mo ph spide s, wi h species in he Ce ado eaching up o 80
mm in body leng h (cephalo ho ax + abdomen; Mo a 2014).
These spide s can be iden i ied by hei dis inc s idula o y
se ae on he e ola e al ace o he palpal ochan e and by
he p esence o one ibial apophysis on he male’s leg I (Pé-
ez-Miles e al. 1996). Se en species we e eco ded o he