In the article "Responses of Galapagos Lava Lizards (Microlophus bivittatus) to Manipulation of Female Nuptial Coloration on Lizard Robots" (Clark et al. 2017, 73:323-330), the DOIs for the ...Supplementary Material were printed with missing information. Figure S1.-https://doi.org/10.1655/Herpetologica-D-16-00056.SF1; Video S1.-https://doi.org/10.1655/Herpetologica-D-16-00056.
The Pampas is a biologically rich South American biome, but is poorly represented in phylogeographic studies. While the Pleistocene glacial cycles may have affected the evolutionary history of ...species distributed in forested biomes, little is known about their effects on the habitats that remained stable through glacial cycles. The South American Pampas have been covered by grasslands during both glacial and interglacial periods and therefore represent an interesting system to test whether the genetic structure in such environments is less pronounced. In this study, we sampled Pampean populations of Homonota uruguayensis from Southern Brazil and Uruguay to assess the tempo and mode of population divergence, using both morphological measurements and molecular markers. Our results indicate that, in spite of its narrow geographic distribution, populations of H. uruguayensis show high levels of genetic structure. We found four major well-supported mtDNA clades with strong geographic associations. Estimates of their divergence times fell between 3.16 and 1.82 million years before the present. Populations from the central portion of the species distribution, on the border between Uruguay and Brazil, have high genetic diversity and may have undergone a population expansion approximately 250,000 years before the present. The high degree of genetic structure is reflected in the analyses of morphological characters, and most individuals could be correctly assigned to their parental population based on morphology alone. Finally, we discuss the biogeographic and conservation implications of these findings.
In ectothermic vertebrates, behavioral fever, where an individual actively seeks warmer areas, seems to be a primary response to pathogens. This is considered a broad and evolutionarily conserved ...response among vertebrates. Recent population declines in amphibians are associated with an increase of infectious disease driven largely by climate change, habitat degradation, and pollution. Immediate action through research is required to better understand and inform conservation efforts. The literature available, does not provide unifying concepts that can guide adequate experimental protocols and interpretation of data, especially when studying animals in the field. The aim of this review is to promote common understanding of terminology and facilitating improved comprehension and application of key concepts about the occurrence of both sickness behavior or behavioral fever in ectothermic vertebrates. We start with a conceptual synthesis of sickness behavior and behavioral fever, with examples in different taxa. Through this discussion we present possible paths to standardize terminology, starting from original use in endothermic tetrapods which was expanded to ectothermic vertebrates, particularly amphibians and reptiles. This conceptual expansion from humans (endothermic vertebrates) and then to ectothermic counterparts, gravitates around the concept of 'normality'. Thus, following this discussion, we highlight caveats with experimental protocols and state the need of a reference value considered normal (RVCN), which is different from experimental control and make recommendations regarding experimental procedures and stress the value of detailed documentation of behavioral responses. We also propose some future directions that could enhance interaction among disciplines, emphasizing relationships at different levels of biological organization. This is crucial given the increasing convergence of fields such as thermal physiology, immunology, and animal behavior due to emerging diseases and other global crises impacting biodiversity.In ectothermic vertebrates, behavioral fever, where an individual actively seeks warmer areas, seems to be a primary response to pathogens. This is considered a broad and evolutionarily conserved response among vertebrates. Recent population declines in amphibians are associated with an increase of infectious disease driven largely by climate change, habitat degradation, and pollution. Immediate action through research is required to better understand and inform conservation efforts. The literature available, does not provide unifying concepts that can guide adequate experimental protocols and interpretation of data, especially when studying animals in the field. The aim of this review is to promote common understanding of terminology and facilitating improved comprehension and application of key concepts about the occurrence of both sickness behavior or behavioral fever in ectothermic vertebrates. We start with a conceptual synthesis of sickness behavior and behavioral fever, with examples in different taxa. Through this discussion we present possible paths to standardize terminology, starting from original use in endothermic tetrapods which was expanded to ectothermic vertebrates, particularly amphibians and reptiles. This conceptual expansion from humans (endothermic vertebrates) and then to ectothermic counterparts, gravitates around the concept of 'normality'. Thus, following this discussion, we highlight caveats with experimental protocols and state the need of a reference value considered normal (RVCN), which is different from experimental control and make recommendations regarding experimental procedures and stress the value of detailed documentation of behavioral responses. We also propose some future directions that could enhance interaction among disciplines, emphasizing relationships at different levels of biological organization. This is crucial given the increasing convergence of fields such as thermal physiology, immunology, and animal behavior due to emerging diseases and other global crises impacting biodiversity.
Micronucleus (MN) cell counting emerged in 1973–1975 as a valid alternative for characterizing chromosomal damage caused by different agents. It was first described in mammals, but its application ...was rapidly extended to other vertebrates, mainly fish. However, it was not until 28 years later that this test was implemented in studies on reptiles. Nowadays, reptiles are found to be excellent non-target species from environmental contamination exposure and MN test has become a fundamental tool for analyzing genotoxic effects induced by various xenobiotics. In this article we provide an updated review of the application of the MN test in reptile species, from an ecotoxicological perspective. Therefore, we present (I) a bibliometric analysis of the available research on genotoxic-induced MN formation in reptile species; (II) the use of reptiles as sentinel organisms in ecotoxicological studies; and (III) the strength and weakness of the application of the MN test in this group. With this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive view on the use of the MN test in ecotoxicology and to encourage further studies involving reptile species.
•Environmental contaminants induce MN and NA formation in reptiles.•reptiles are excellent non-target species for environmental contamination.•MN test applied to 32 out of the 12.060 reptile species worldwide.•Crocodilians are the reptile group most studied (11.11 % of total).•The main pollutants reported are pesticides, followed by heavy metals.
Even though steadily increasing, biofluorescence is a rarely documented phenomenon in vertebrates. Within geckos, only six species have been shown to produce fluorescence and only one case of dermal ...fluorescence has been reported. Here, we report on the discovery of dermal fluorescence in the Dune Sand Gecko (Stenodactylus doriae), the Eastern Sand Gecko (S. leptocosymbotes), and the Arabian Web-footed Sand Gecko (Trigonodactylus arabicus), three closely-related, nocturnal, desert-adapted Arabian geckos. We show that there are interspecific differences in fluorescent regions which might be linked to the habitat preference and behaviour of each species. Our results are in agreement with prior hypotheses suggesting that desert-adapted geckos might use dermal biofluorescence for conspecific signalling. With the present work, we expand the current knowledge on skin fluorescence in reptiles and provide new insights on fluorescence of desert-adapted geckos.
•Second case of dermal fluorescence in geckos.•Species inhabiting sand dune deserts show wider and brighter fluorescent regions.•Fluorescence might be biologically relevant for conspecific signaling in these desert-dweller geckos.•The closest case of dermal fluorescence is from another desert-dweller species which diverged from Stenodactylus and Trigonodactylus geckos more than 70 mya.
Penelitian tentang keanekaragaman reptil dilakukan untuk mempelajari jenis-jenis reptil apa saja yang menempati habitat Sungai Elo, Sungai Bengawan Solo, Kota Surakarta, dan Kabupaten Magetan. ...Penelitian ini dilaksanakan selama bulan Februari 2022 hingga bulan Maret 2022 dengan teknik Visual Encounter Survey (VES) atau teknik survei perjumpaan visual di empat lokasi pengamatan secara diurnal dan nokturnal. Total telah ditemukan 1 spesies dari Sungai Elo (Varanus salvator), 2 spesies dari Sungai Bengawan Solo (Varanus rudicollis dan Acrochordus granulatus), 2 spesies dari Kota Surakarta (Calotes versicolor dan Eutropis multifasciata) dan 1 spesies dari Kabupaten Magetan (Lygosoma quadrupes). Hasil analisis diperoleh nilai indeks keanekaragaman Shannon-Wiener pada Sungai Elo dan Kabupaten Magetan sebesar 0; pada Sungai Bengawan Solo sebesar 0,4506; dan pada Kota Surakarta sebesar 0,6518 sehingga termasuk dalam kategori keanekaragaman yang rendah.
The Upper Maastrichtian of Morocco has produced a remarkably diverse fauna of mosasaurids, the most diverse known for any time or place. As apex predators, Mosasauridae provide a picture of the ...marine ecosystem just before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Here we describe a bizarre new plioplatecarpine mosasaurid, Khinjaria acuta, characterized by enlarged, dagger-like anterior teeth, short, robust jaws, and posterior elongation of the skull. Khinjaria is related to Goronyosaurus nigeriensis from Nigeria and Niger, and Gavialimimus almaghribensis from Morocco. These species form a distinct clade of specialized mosasaurids so far unknown outside of Africa. Mosasaurids show high endemism in the Maastrichtian, with different lineages occurring in different regions, implying that mosasaurid diversity is underestimated because of limited geographic sampling. The large size, robust jaws, akinetic skull, and bladelike teeth of Khinjaria suggest it was an apex predator, but the unusual skull and jaw differ from those of contemporary predators like Hainosaurus, Thalassotitan, and Mosasaurus, suggesting a distinct feeding strategy. Mosasaurids became increasingly specialized in the latest Cretaceous, repeatedly evolving to occupy the apex predator niche, suggesting a diverse marine ecosystem persisted up to the K/Pg boundary. Late Cretaceous marine ecosystems differ from modern marine ecosystems in the high diversity of large predators.
Macroevolutionary rates of diversification and anthropogenic extinction risk differ vastly throughout the Tree of Life. This results in a highly heterogeneous distribution of Evolutionary ...distinctiveness (ED) and threat status among species. We examine the phylogenetic distribution of ED and threat status for squamates (amphisbaenians, lizards, and snakes) using fully-sampled phylogenies containing 9574 species and expert-based estimates of threat status for ~4000 species. We ask whether threatened species are more closely related than would be expected by chance and whether high-risk species represent a disproportionate amount of total evolutionary history. We found currently-assessed threat status to be phylogenetically clustered at broad level in Squamata, suggesting it is critical to assess extinction risks for close relatives of threatened lineages. Our findings show no association between threat status and ED, suggesting that future extinctions may not result in a disproportionate loss of evolutionary history. Lizards in degraded tropical regions (e.g., Madagascar, India, Australia, and the West Indies) seem to be at particular risk. A low number of threatened high-ED species in areas like the Amazon, Borneo, and Papua New Guinea may be due to a dearth of adequate risk assessments. It seems we have not yet reached a tipping point of extinction risk affecting a majority of species; 63% of the assessed species are not threatened and 56% are Least Concern. Nonetheless, our results show that immediate efforts should focus on geckos, iguanas, and chameleons, representing 67% of high-ED threatened species and 57% of Unassessed high-ED lineages.
•We present fully-sampled phylogenies of 9754 squamates.•Threat status is phylogenetically clustered in Squamata.•Threat status has no association with Evolutionary distinctiveness.•Degraded habitats with diverse assemblages are hotspot of risk.•We have not yet reached a tipping point of extinction risk affecting a majority of species.
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