Cemal Varol TOK

• Prof.
• Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

In this study, the sexual variations of the dorsal, ventral and lateral head plates of P. laevis specimens collected from Osmaniye, Türkiye (southern Anatolia) were examined and various body measurements were measured by classical morphometric methods and sexual variations were determined by both methods. According to the classical morphometrics, m...

DNA barcoding, a molecular taxonomy technique, has been increasingly used by herptile taxonomists in recent years. In DNA barcoding studies with museum specimens, there are difficulties in achieving success in specimens that have been exposed to formaldehyde, which is usually used as a fixative, for a long time and intensively. Here we studied the...

The endangered Caucasian salamander, Mertensiella caucasica (Waga, 1876), is endemic to the western Lesser Caucasus. Here, we used N-mixed models to analyse repeated count data of Caucasian salamanders from the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. We estimated a mean detection probability of 0.29, a population size of 21 individuals, and a range of...

Trachemys scripta is included among the 100 most invasive species worldwide. Since the first report on the presence of pond slider turtles from natural habitats in Türkiye, the distribution of this invasive species comprises almost thirty provinces. However, it spread to much wider sites than the regions determined until today. Besides, there is a...

Türkiye’ye insan eliyle getirilen Podarcis sicurus türünün kökeninin iki farklı kaynak populasyona dayanma olasılığı ya da farklı coğrafyalara taşınan örneklerin alttür seviyesinde farkılaşma olasılığı bulunmaktadır. Ada türlerinde gözlemlenen hızlı evrimleşme süreçleri, taşınmış ve izole olmuş popülasyonlarda da benzer şekilde ortaya çıkabilmekted...

Knowledge on the spatial distribution of taxa is crucial for the decision-making processes in the 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 139 reptile species (11 chelonians, 68 lizards, 3 amphisbaenians and 57 snake...

Using two mitochondrial DNA fragments and 13 microsatellite loci, we examined the phylogeographic structure and taxonomy of two codistributed snake species (Natrix natrix, N. tessellata) in their eastern distribution area, with a focus on Turkey. We found evidence for frequent interspecific hybridization, previously thought to be extremely rare, an...

Eiselt's pond turtle (Emys orbicularis eiselti) was described in 1998, based on only 4 museum specimens collected in the 1960s and 1970s. Its distribution range has been massively reduced by large-scale drainage measures and only little suitable habitat remains near the Turkish–Syrian border. During 20-yr-long fieldwork we could locate only 18 indi...

The Anatolian viper, Vipera anatolica Eiselt & Baran, 1970, is the rarest, critically endangered, and endemic spe-cies in the western Taurus Mountains, Antalya, Turkey. Here, we evaluated the current status, potential threats,and recommended necessary conservation measures for Anatolian meadow viper. We created some activ-ities during the 5-year sp...

The decrease in erythrocyte size of animals live at high altitudes yields an evolutionary advantage to survive by providing adaptation to colder temperatures and low partial oxygen pressures. We examined the effect of geographical changes on the erythrocyte morphology of two terrapins, Emys orbicularis and Mauremys rivulata, and analyzed whether su...

Yapılan çalışmada, Türkiye’nin Konya iline bağlı Akşehir ve civarından toplanmış olan ve Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi ZDEU-ÇOMÜ Koleksiyonu’nda bulunan örnekler kullanılmıştır. Lacertidae familyasına ait üç türden toplamda 30 birey (Lacerta trilineata 5♂♂, 5 juvenil; Ophisops elegans 5♂♂, 5♀♀; Parvilacerta parva 5♂♂, 5♀♀) değerlendirilmiştir...

Frogs have been harvested from the wild for the last 40 years in Turkey. We analysed the population dynamics of Anatolian water frogs ( Pelophylax spp.) in the Seyhan and Ceyhan Deltas during 2013–2015. We marked a total of 13,811 individuals during 3 years, estimated population sizes, simulated the dynamics of a harvested population over 50 years,...

The present lists show that Turkish vertebrate fauna consists of 1728 species. Fish species form its half part (51.74%) with 530 marine and 402 inland fish species. However, the total number is 894, since 38 of them are living in salty, brackish, and freshwater. At the class level, Petromyzonti is represented by 4, Elasmobranchii by 65, Holocephali...

Here we studied the possible cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of Anatolian endemic mountain viper, Montivipera bulgardaghica albizona (M.b. albizona) venom on human PC-3 and DU-145 prostate cancer cell lines. M.b. albizona venom induced cytotoxicity and apoptosis of both prostate cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Protein array result...

Information on the reproduction biology of Anguis fragilis complex and Pseudopus apodus living in Turkey was very limited or rare. Here we dissected a total of 80 female Anguid (61 A. fragilis complex and 19 P. apodus) lizards to examine the ovaries for eggs and embryos. According to the frequencies concerning ripe eggs and embryos (for A. fragilis...

We evaluated the current status and main threats to the Caucasus viper (Vipera kaznakovi Nikolsky 1909), from the East Black Sea Region, Turkey, via 21 days of intensive fieldwork and interviews with locals. We found that habitat loss and destruction, illegal collection, and intentional or accidental killings are the main threats to V. kaznakovi in...

Here we summarized the historical improvement of the terms ethnobiology and ethnozoology in general. The term ethnobiology was first used in 19th century as well as the term ethnozoology which was primarily used in 1899. However, relationships between people and their environment are as old as the history of men. First, the interactions were simply...

Here we summarized the historical improvement of the terms ethnobiology and ethnozoology in general. The term ethnobiology was first used in 19th century as well as the term ethnozoology which was primarily used in 1899. However, relationships between people and their environment are as old as the history of men. First, the interactions were simply...

Amphibians developed various defensive strategies in order to be protected from predators and increase their survival success. One of these behaviors is called "immobility", in which during threat of predator attacks, amphibians stand still and then curl their tails and heads inward to show the "threatening" body coloration to the predator. Here, w...

Bu çalışmada, Çanakkale’nin iki farklı bölgesinden toplanan [Kalabakbaşı köyü 12 (5♂♂, 7♀♀), Kirazlı köyü 9 (4♂♂, 5♀♀)] Lissotriton vulgaris örneklerinden hazırlanan kan preparatlarında genetik materyaldeki hasarın göstergelerinden biri olan mikronukleus (MN) ve nuklear anomaliler (NA) belirlenmiştir. Çalışmada mikronukleusun yanısıra binukleat, to...

Bu çalışmada, Çanakkale, Ezine ilçesine bağlı Araplar Boğazı civarı herpetofauna ve avifauna açısından araştırılmıştır. Araplar Boğazı; Çanakkale'de bulunan tali kuş göç yollarından biri olması sebebiyle çalışma alanı önem taşımaktadır. Bu alanda 2003-2016 yılları arasında yapılan tüm çalışmalardan elde edilen veriler değerlendirilmiş; beş amfibi,...

Interactions between the environment and internal regulation drive the biophysiological dynamics of lizards. Although diurnal lizards are usually heliothermic, they can sometimes be active in the absence of sunlight. Here, we report, for the first time, a case of nocturnal behavior (aided by the artificial light) in the spiny-tailed lizard-Darevski...

The Mountain viper, Montivipera albizona, is an endemic to Anatolia and distributes in Anatolian Diagonal, Anti-Taurus Mountains and Amanos Mountains. Unfortunately, the species faced serious threats within narrow distribution range. Here, we evaluated the present status and main threats of the Mountain viper by 60-days intensive fieldwork and inte...

Here, we report some new localities for Pelodytes caucasicus, Caucasian Parsley Frog, from Giresun (Cımbırtlık, Dereli and Gelevera River) and Mertensiella caucasica, Caucasian Salamander, from Gümüşhane (Kocadal and Kalis River) provinces based on our fieldwork conducted in 2017. These new localities were filled in the gap in the both species' dis...

In this study, Lissotriton vulgaris specimens collected from different locations in Çanakkale (Kalabakbaşı; 12 (5♂♂, 7♀♀), Kirazlı; 9 (4♂♂, 5♀♀)) were analyzed. In the blood samples from the specimens, micronuclei (MN) and nuclear abnormalities (NA), an indicator of damage in a genetic material, were identified. Cytoplasmic vacuole (CV) and microcy...

Two new Viper specimens obtained from Zekeriyaköy (Ardanuç, Artvin) in Northeastern Anatolia were investigated. When obtained data were compared with the related literature, it was observed that pholidosis characteristics and body measurements of the retrieved specimens were similar to both Vipera (Pelias) olguni and Vipera (Pelias) darevskii. The...

Borçka-Karagöl Tabiat Parkı ve çevresinde yayılış gösteren kurbağa türleri ve dağılışları, 2003-2006 yıllarıile 2015-2017 yıllarında yapılan arazi çalışmalarıyla belirlenmiştir. Karagöl Tabiat Parkı ve çevresinde 5 kuyruksuz[Rana macrocnemis, Pelophylax ridibundus, Hyla orientalis, Pelodytes caucasicus ve Bufo verrucosissimus] veiki kuyruklu kurbağ...

Introduction: Lizards display a broad activity pattern variety due to interactions between their internal rhythms and environment. Moreover, Lacertids normally considered to represent diurnal activity patterns in their habitats as a result of their heliothermic strategy. Although several reports in the literature have noted nocturnal activity in pr...

For two consecutive years (2012 and 2013), studies on reproductive ecology of Emys orbicularis were conducted at seven localities in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Our findings show that individuals usually emerge from hibernation between the end of February and early March. Depending on latitude and elevation, mating occurred between March an...

In this study, we rediscovered some snake species after quite a long time during the fieldwork in 2014 and 2015 on Gökçeada (Imbros). Natrix tessellata (Laurenti, 1768), which was found in Kaleköy, and Elaphe sauromates (Pallas, 1811), which was detected and photographed around the Education and Resting Association, Ministry of Justice, Republic...

This study describes a new subspecies of Ophisops elegans from vicinity of Mut, Mersin, Turkey and named Ophisops elegans budakibarani n. subsp. The new subspecies is distinguished from geographically the closest subspecies O. elegans basoglui, found in the south of its distribution, by having higher number of the longitudinal row of scales+plates...

This study presents data on the food composition of the Near Eastern Fire Salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata, from Bingöl, eastern Turkey. A total of 139 prey items was determined in the food content of 28 individuals (14 juveniles, 7 males, and 7 females). Insecta (N%= 37.4), Gastropoda (27.3%), and Isopoda (25.9%) constitute together 91% of t...

Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, is native to Italy including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, to southern Switzerland and southern France, and to the northwestern Balkan Peninsula. However, the species is known for colonising and adapting successfully to different places outside its natural range. It has been introduced to Spain, Turkey,...

Here, the current and future distributions of Neurergus strauchii was predicted by using the maximum entropy ecological niche modeling. The most important factors which shaped the present distribution of the species are isothermality and precipitation of driest month. The species is particularly distributed on the Euphrates Valley and in the west a...

In this study, we report two new localities of Xerotyphlops vermicularis from western and central Black Sea Region. With these records, the distribution of the species is extended about 90km to the north. The specimens were examined morphologically and compared with the relevant literature. In addition, on the basis of the new and literature record...

In this study, a new subspecies of the Lycian salamander, Lyciasalamandra atifi oezi n. ssp., was described from Gazipaşa (Antalya, Turkey). The Lyciasalamandra specimens collected in Doğanca (Gazipaşa, Antalya) are clearly distinguished from the known subspecies of L. atifi by the very small and few white flecks on the dorsal ground pattern or by...

Skeletochronology is a widely used method for determining age of ectotherm animals as fishes, amphibians and reptiles. In addition, there are some skeletochronology studies on the endothermic animals (birds and mammals) which provided reliable informations about longevity. Our purpose was to compare different types of bones (cervical vertebras, tib...

The late Quaternary climatic oscillations have always been an important actor for genetic differentiation within species. These differentiation patterns can be informative to understand species’ historical demographic structure. There are a number of studies showing that many species distributed in the temperate zone have experienced range expansio...

Here, we report a melanistic female of Natrix natrix from Gökçeada (Imbros), Turkey. This is first recorded melanism case in N.natrix from Western Anatolia, Turkey. The specimen was examined morphologically (measurements, pholidosis, and color pattern) and compared with literary data. The ventral color-pattern of specimen is different from the one...

Ophisops elegans is a widely distributed lizard species. Like other lacertids, O. elegans has characteristic head plates. In this paper, the variation of the head plate morphology between sexes was studied in the subspecies Ophisops elegans centralanatoliae. According to our results, both size and shape of the head plates show sexual dimorphism. Th...

In this study, we present data on the population of Western Caspian Turtle, Mauremys rivulata, from Gökçeada (Imbros) located at the westernmost of Turkey. The species is distributed almost all around the island, particularly in the western part, with a very low density. Distribution of the species on the island was mapped and a total of 73 individ...

This study presents data on age, growth and longevity of a population of Neurergus strauchii in Eastern Anatolia (Bingöl, Turkey) based on skeletochronological data. The phalangeal diaphyseal cross-sections of 54 individuals studied (12♂, 42♀) showed that females are on average older than males: the ages ranged from 6 to 14 years, with an average a...

We studied the age structure of Kotschy’s gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi, from the Sultan Mountains (Central Anatolia, Turkey) using the skeletochronological method. We examined the humeral diaphyseal cross sections of a total of 19 (six males and 13 females) museum specimens. Our results showed that the age structure ranged from three to seven year...

The European Pond Turtle, Emys orbicularis, is threatened due to many factors, particularly habitat loss and destruction. Since the status of E.orbicularis populations is vulnerable in Turkey, sustainable conservation action plans are urgently needed. Within this scope, we planned to develop conservation action plans by attempting to determine popu...

Bu çalışmada Karadeniz Bölgesi'nde yer alan Sinop, Samsun ve Tokat illerinde yapılmış olan arazi çalışmalarında gözlenen sürüngen türleri bunlara ait koruma statüleri verilmiştir.

A record of the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810), from Atakum (Samsun, Central Black Sea Region) is provided in this study. In addition, 5 specimens (3 ♂♂and 2 ♀♀) from Atakum (Samsun) and 14 specimens (7 ♂♂ and 7 ♀♀) from Gelibolu (Çanakkale, Thrace), with records provided recently, were evaluated in terms of measu...

In this study, age estimation using skeletochronology was done in 43 specimens (6 ♂♂, 29 ♀♀, 8 juv.) of Anatololacerta anatolica living in the vicinity of Çanakkale. When the cross-sections taken from phalanges were examined, the median age for the Çanakkale population was 4 years. The maximum age was calculated as 10 years for female individuals,...

In this study, a total of 36 (12♂♂, 18♀♀, 6 juveniles) Hemidactylus turcicus specimens, caught in the vicinity of Muğla (Turkey) between 2006 and 2011, were evaluated using the skeletochronology method. The mean snout-to-vent length (SVL) was measured as 28.45 ± 1.92 mm for juveniles, 50.53 ± 1.06 mm for males, and 51.1 ± 0.75 mm for females. When...

This study investigated the amphibian and reptilian fauna of the Lake District around Burdur, Turkey. A total of 21 amphibian and reptile species were identified, consisting of two anurans, two turtles, one tortoise, seven lizards, and nine snakes. A zoogeographical assessment was also carried out in which the chorotypes and the IUCN criteria of th...

We examined the food composition of the European Glass Lizard, Pseudopus apodus, from Çanakkale (Western Anatolia, Turkey), by means of the stomach content analysis. Some 72 prey items with sizes ranging from 10 to 60 mm were detected in the stomach contents of the 13 (7 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀) museum specimens under examination. The median number of prey items...

This study presents distribution maps of the amphibians and reptiles in the Province of Çanakkale (Marmara Region, Turkey), based on information from field studies conducted at intervals between 2002 and 2013, and the existing literature records. The herpetological inventory comprises 43 species, nine amphibians (three urodelans and six anurans) an...

In this study, the specimens of Eumeces schneiderii obtained from the vicinity of Aralik (Igdir) and - for the first time - Digor (Kars) in North-eastern Anatolia were examined morphologically and compared with the literature concerned. According to the obtained results, the specimens under examination resembled subspecies pavimentatus in terms of...

The mean micronucleated erythrocyte (MNE) frequencies and nuclear abnormalities in the peripheral blood erythrocytes of Coronella austriaca, Dolicophis schmidti and two Natrix tessellata specimens collected from Vize (K?rklareli), K?z?lcahamam (Ankara) and Digor (Kars) are reported for the first time in the present study. Different numbers of micro...

We examined the food composition of the European Glass Lizard, Pseudopus apodus, from Çanakkale (Western Anatolia, Turkey), by means of the stomach content analysis. Some 72 prey items with sizes ranging from 10 to 60 mm were detected in the stomach contents of the 13 (7 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀) museum specimens under examination. The median number of prey items...

In this research, 29 species of 11 amphibian and reptile families were detected in the endorheic basin of Aksehir and Eber. Of these species, 5 are anurans, 1 is a tortoise, 1 is a turtle, 9 are lizards, and 13 are snakes. In addition, the chorotype classification of the species recorded in the study area and their distributions depending on plants...

Bu çalışmada, 2013 yılı sonuna kadar yapılmış amfibi, sürüngen, kuş ve memelilere ait çalışmaların sonuçları topluca verilmiştir. Çalışmada 9 amfibi, 5 kaplumbağa, 14 kertenkele ve 15 yılan olmak üzere 19 aileye dâhil 43 amfibi ve sürüngen türü, 44 aileye dâhil 185 kuş türü ve 21 aileye dâhil 77 memeli türü yer almaktadır. Ayrıca gruplara ait tablo...

In this study, age determination was performed with the method of skeletochronology in 23 (13 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀) Ophisops elegans specimens collected from Çanakkale in the west of Turkey and 20 (10 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀) Ophisops elegans specimens collected from the vicinity of AkĢehir-Eber in the Central Anatolia Region. The mean ages of the specimens whose femur cro...

In this study, mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome b sequences were used to infer the genetic structure of Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775) populations sampled from 40 North latitude of Turkey. Mean percent G-C contents of 47.13 and 46.66 were determined for 16S rRNA and cytochrome b datasets, respectively. Two haplotypes were found using 16S rRNA...

Birçok hayvan türünde erkek ve dişi rastgele çiftleşmez ve eş seçiminde genellikle dişiler belirleyicidir. Eşin büyüklüğü, aktivitesi, çağrısı, renklenmesi veya deseni gibi bazı özellikler dişinin seçiminde belirleyici olmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Çukurova'da (Adana) Pelophylax bedriagae'de dişi ile erkek arasındaki kucaklaşma (ampleksus) için büyüklük...

We present a detailed morphological review of the leaf-toed gecko, Asaccus elisae from Birecik, Şanliurfa (Southeastern Anatolia), as well as a comparison with specimens from Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The great majority of morphological characteristics of the Birecik sample are in accordance with those given for A. elisae (Werner, 1895).

Gökçeada, Gelibolu Yarımadası'ndan yaklaşık 13 km batıda bulunan ve 285,5 km2'lik bir alanla Türkiye'nin en büyük adasıdır. Adanın doğusu ile batısı arasında yaklaşık 27,5 km, kuzeyi ile güneyi arasında ise yaklaşık 15 km mesafe bulunmaktadır (Seçmen ve Leblebici, 1977). Gökçeada'ya ait ilk herpetofaunistik çalışmalar Başoğlu ve Baran (1980) ve Bar...

The taxonomic situation of Anguis fragilis species is still unclear in Turkey. In order to clarify this situation, we used the DNA sequences of 16S rRNA and cytochrome b genes to analyze the phylogenetic relationship among A. fragilis populations. A total of 13 haplotypes in 16S rRNA dataset and 20 haplotypes in cytochrome b dataset were detected....

In this study, the age structure, growth and longevity of 27 individuals (8 juveniles, 8 males and 11 females) from the Mount Ararat (Iǧdir, Turkey) population of Phrynocephalus horvathi were examined with the method of skeletochronology. According to the obtained data, the median age was 3.5 (range= 2-5) for males and 4 (2-5) for females. Both sex...

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##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

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##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##

##Assembly-Data-START## Assembly Method :: MEGA v. 5 Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##