A new unstriped Ichthyophis is described based on one adult male and five larval specimens collected from the northwestern slope of Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The new species is distinguished from all other unstriped congeners by a combination of characters that includes position of tentacles and number of annuli, scale rows, splenial teeth, and vertebrae. The anterior phallodeum morphology is described for the new species. The evolution of large larvae of unstriped Ichthyophis is discussed briefly.

Plethodontid salamanders are known to aggressively interact not only with conspecifics but also with other potential competitors, such as centipedes. Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) are thus expected to respond aggressively toward potential competitors, both conspecifics and heterospecifics. Additionally, the residency status of a salamander can influence aggression levels. Male P. cinereus were exposed to one of four substrate chemical cue treatments: control, self, conspecific, or centipede (Scolopocryptops sexspinosus) to determine their behavioral reaction to the presence or absence of cues from conspecifics and heterospecifics. Salamanders were additionally paired with a conspecific or a centipede in different "habitats" to determine if behavioral interactions were affected by residency status. Salamanders did not respond aggressively when exposed to chemical cues from conspecifics or heterospecifics. However, P. cinereus increased the time spent in aggressive postures when physically paired with a centipede, but showed no increase in aggression when paired with a conspecific. Plethodon cinereus in our population did not respond aggressively toward conspecifics in either experimental setting; however, they did respond to centipedes with increased aggression regardless of their residency status, indicating that the decrease in aggression towards conspecifics is not paralleled by a decrease in aggression towards heterospecifics.

On the basis of three female specimens collected recently, some aspects of a little known Bornean bufonid, Ansonia latidisca, are reported. On the mitochondrial phylogenetic tree, the species is basal to the group consisting of some Bornean species, and most Peninsular Malaysian and Thailand species, which is sister to the other group consisting of the remaining Bornean species, several Philippine species, and one Peninsular species. This relationship indicates that the the genus Ansonia has originated within Borneo. Superficial similarity of the species with Sabahphrynus maculatus is thought be the result of convergence in adaptation to an arboreal life.

We investigated sexual size dimorphism (SSD), sexual shape dimorphism (SShD), and allometric growth in the skull of Takydromus tachydromoides using geometric morphometries. We analyzed 40 landmarks on the skull from dorsal, ventral, and lateral views. As a result, significant sexual dimorphisms were recognized in both size and shape of the skull. The analysis of SSD revealed that adult males have larger skull relative to the snout-vent length, and the analysis of SShD indicated that adult males have larger jaw muscle adductor chambers than adult females. Moreover, various allometric shape changes in both sexes were visualized by the thin plate splines. However, only subtle sexual differences in allometric shape changes were observed. The skull size and shape of this species may be influenced by phylogenetic constraints and only weakly driven by sexual selection.

Because animals are vulnerable to predators while sleeping, avoiding predation may be one of the most important factors influencing the selection of sleeping sites by animals. However, a given sleeping site is not always safe from predators consistently because species and foraging tactics often differ between diurnal and nocturnal predators. Thus, animals may have to leave their sleeping sites in response to the changes in predator composition from night to day. We investigated the pattern of space use by a diurnal gecko, Lygodactylus tolampyae, during day and night in a dry forest of Ampijoroa, northwestern Madagascar, where a variety of predators are present. We also video-recorded the behavior of geckos that departed sleeping sites in the early morning. Most geckos perched on tree trunks in the daytime, and slept on the tips of thin branches and leaves at night. Geckos began leaving sleeping sites before dawn when it was still too dark for diurnal predatory birds to forage. When leaving, geckos moved very slowly and intermittently toward tree trunks. We surmise that predator avoidance is the most likely explanation for the sleeping site selection by L. tolampyae and that the behavior employed by the gecko in leaving its sleeping sites minimizes the risk of both nocturnal and diurnal predation.

We isolated and characterized seven microsatellite markers including di-, tri-, and tetra-nucleotide repeats for Cynops ensicauda, which is a near-threatened species and endemic to the Central Ryukyus, Japan, using next-generation sequencing. Six out of the seven loci that showed polymorphism in Cynops ensicauda popei on Okinawajima Island were also amplified in C. e. ensicauda on Amamioshima Island. Expected heterozygosities of these markers were 0.00–0.738 (mean, 0.429) and 0.00–0.791 (mean, 0.459) in C. e. popei and C. e. ensicauda, respectively. These markers will be useful for genetic studies, such as evaluating the genetic diversity within and between populations of this species.

Occidozyga sumatrana is not uncommon in some parts of Southeast Asia but its reproduction in nature is poorly known. We observed egg-laying behavior of this species in Bali, Indonesia. The amplectic position was inguinal and the oviposition site was out of the water in O. sumatrana, both of which are unique given its phylogenetic position and the mainly aquatic habits of adults.