Embryonic Skull Development in the Gecko, Tarentola Annularis (Squamata
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A New Early Cretaceous Lizard with Well-Preserved Scale Impressions from Western Liaoning , China*
PROGRESS IN NATURAL SCIENCE Vol .15 , N o .2 , F ebruary 2005 A new Early Cretaceous lizard with well-preserved scale impressions from western Liaoning , China* JI Shu' an ** (S chool of Earth and S pace Sciences, Peking University , Beijing 100871 , China) Received May 14 , 2004 ;revised September 29 , 2004 Abstract A new small lizard , Liaoningolacerta brevirostra gen .et sp .nov ., from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of w estern Liaoning is described in detail.The new specimen w as preserved not only by the skeleton , but also by the exceptionally clear scale impressions.This lizard can be included w ithin the taxon Scleroglossa based on its 26 or more presacrals, cruciform interclavicle with a large anterior p rocess, moderately elongated pubis, and slightly notched distal end of tibia .The scales vary evidently in size and shape at different parts of body :small and rhomboid ventral scales, tiny and round limb scales, and large and longitudinally rectangular caudal scales that constitute the caudal w horls.This new finding provides us with more information on the lepidosis of the Mesozoic lizards. Keywords: new genus, Squamata, skeleton, lepidosis, Early Cretaceous, western Liaoning . Lizards are majo r groups in the Late Mesozoic Etymology:Liaoning , the province where the Jehol Biota of w estern Liaoning and the adjacent holoty pe w as collected ;lacerta (Latin), lizard . regions, no rtheastern China .Several fossil lizards Brevi- (Latin), short ;rostra (Latin), snout . have been found from the Yixian Formation , the lower unit of the Early C retaceous Jehol G roup in Holotype :An articulated skeleton w ith its rig ht w hich the feathered theropods , primitive birds , early fo relimb and mid to posterior caudals missing (GM V mamm als and angiosperms were discovered in the past 1580 ; National Geological Museum of China , decade[ 1, 2] . -
A Redescription and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Cretaceous Fossil Lizard Polyglyphanodon Sternbergi Gilmore, 1940
A Redescription and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Cretaceous Fossil Lizard Polyglyphanodon sternbergi Gilmore, 1940 by Meredith Austin Fontana B.S. in Biology, May 2011, The University of Texas at Austin A Thesis submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science August 31, 2014 Thesis directed by James M. Clark Ronald Weintraub Professor of Biology © Copyright 2014 by Meredith Austin Fontana All rights reserved ii This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, Lee Landsman Zelikow – my single greatest inspiration, whose brilliant mind and unconditional love has profoundly shaped and continues to shape the person I am today. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am deeply grateful to my graduate advisor Dr. James Clark for his support and guidance throughout the completion of this thesis. This work would not have been possible without his invaluable assistance and commitment to my success, and it has been a privilege to be his student. I would also like to express my appreciation to the additional members of my Master’s examination committee, Dr. Alexander Pyron and Dr. Hans-Dieter Sues, for generously contributing their knowledge and time toward this project and for providing useful comments on the manuscript of this thesis. I am especially grateful to Dr. Sues for allowing me access to the exquisite collection of Polyglyphanodon sternbergi specimens at the National Museum of Natural History. I am also extremely thankful to the many faculty members, colleagues and friends at the George Washington University who have shared their wisdom and given me persistent encouragement. -
Exploring the Host Specificity and Diversity of Haemogregarines in the Canary Islands Beatriz Tomé1,2*, Ana Pereira1,2, Fátima Jorge3, Miguel A
Tomé et al. Parasites & Vectors (2018) 11:190 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-2760-5 RESEARCH Open Access Along for the ride or missing it altogether: exploring the host specificity and diversity of haemogregarines in the Canary Islands Beatriz Tomé1,2*, Ana Pereira1,2, Fátima Jorge3, Miguel A. Carretero1, D. James Harris1 and Ana Perera1 Abstract Background: Host-parasite relationships are expected to be strongly shaped by host specificity, a crucial factor in parasite adaptability and diversification. Because whole host communities have to be considered to assess host specificity, oceanic islands are ideal study systems given their simplified biotic assemblages. Previous studies on insular parasites suggest host range broadening during colonization. Here, we investigate the association between one parasite group (haemogregarines) and multiple sympatric hosts (of three lizard genera: Gallotia, Chalcides and Tarentola) in the Canary Islands. Given haemogregarine characteristics and insular conditions, we hypothesized low host specificity and/or occurrence of host-switching events. Methods: A total of 825 samples were collected from the three host taxa inhabiting the seven main islands of the Canarian Archipelago, including locations where the different lizards occurred in sympatry. Blood slides were screened to assess prevalence and parasitaemia, while parasite genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships were inferred from 18S rRNA gene sequences. Results: Infection levels and diversity of haplotypes varied geographically and across host groups. Infections were found in all species of Gallotia across the seven islands, in Tarentola from Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma, and in Chalcides from Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro. Gallotia lizards presented the highest parasite prevalence, parasitaemia and diversity (seven haplotypes), while the other two host groups (Chalcides and Tarentola) harbored one haplotype each, with low prevalence and parasitaemia levels, and very restricted geographical ranges. -
The Sclerotic Ring: Evolutionary Trends in Squamates
The sclerotic ring: Evolutionary trends in squamates by Jade Atkins A Thesis Submitted to Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Applied Science July, 2014, Halifax Nova Scotia © Jade Atkins, 2014 Approved: Dr. Tamara Franz-Odendaal Supervisor Approved: Dr. Matthew Vickaryous External Examiner Approved: Dr. Tim Fedak Supervisory Committee Member Approved: Dr. Ron Russell Supervisory Committee Member Submitted: July 30, 2014 Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my family, friends, and mentors who helped me get to where I am today. Thank you. ! ii Table of Contents Title page ........................................................................................................................ i Dedication ...................................................................................................................... ii List of figures ................................................................................................................. v List of tables ................................................................................................................ vii Abstract .......................................................................................................................... x List of abbreviations and definitions ............................................................................ xi Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... -
Cretaceous Fossil Gecko Hand Reveals a Strikingly Modern Scansorial Morphology: Qualitative and Biometric Analysis of an Amber-Preserved Lizard Hand
Cretaceous Research 84 (2018) 120e133 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Cretaceous Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/CretRes Cretaceous fossil gecko hand reveals a strikingly modern scansorial morphology: Qualitative and biometric analysis of an amber-preserved lizard hand * Gabriela Fontanarrosa a, Juan D. Daza b, Virginia Abdala a, c, a Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical, CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, Argentina b Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, 1900 Avenue I, Lee Drain Building Suite 300, Huntsville, TX 77341, USA c Catedra de Biología General, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucuman, Argentina article info abstract Article history: Gekkota (geckos and pygopodids) is a clade thought to have originated in the Early Cretaceous and that Received 16 May 2017 today exhibits one of the most remarkable scansorial capabilities among lizards. Little information is Received in revised form available regarding the origin of scansoriality, which subsequently became widespread and diverse in 15 September 2017 terms of ecomorphology in this clade. An undescribed amber fossil (MCZ Re190835) from mid- Accepted in revised form 2 November 2017 Cretaceous outcrops of the north of Myanmar dated at 99 Ma, previously assigned to stem Gekkota, Available online 14 November 2017 preserves carpal, metacarpal and phalangeal bones, as well as supplementary climbing structures, such as adhesive pads and paraphalangeal elements. This fossil documents the presence of highly specialized Keywords: Squamata paleobiology adaptive structures. Here, we analyze in detail the manus of the putative stem Gekkota. We use Paraphalanges morphological comparisons in the context of extant squamates, to produce a detailed descriptive analysis Hand evolution and a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) based on 32 skeletal variables of the manus. -
The Phylogeny of Squamate Reptiles (Lizards, Snakes, and Amphisbaenians) Inferred from Nine Nuclear Protein-Coding Genes
C. R. Biologies 328 (2005) 1000–1008 http://france.elsevier.com/direct/CRASS3/ Evolution / Évolution The phylogeny of squamate reptiles (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians) inferred from nine nuclear protein-coding genes Nicolas Vidal a,b,∗, S. Blair Hedges a a Department of Biology and Astrobiology Research Center, 208 Mueller Lab., Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-5301, USA b UMS 602, Taxonomie et collections, Reptiles–Amphibiens, département « Systématique et Évolution », Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, 25, rue Cuvier, Paris 75005, France Received 14 September 2005; accepted 3 October 2005 Available online 27 October 2005 Presented by Pierre Buser Abstract Squamate reptiles number approximately 8000 living species and are a major component of the world’s terrestrial vertebrate diversity. However, the established relationships of the higher-level groups have been questioned in recent molecular analyses. Here we expand the molecular data to include DNA sequences, totaling 6192 base pairs (bp), from nine nuclear protein-coding genes (C-mos, RAG1, RAG2, R35, HOXA13, JUN, α-enolase, amelogenin and MAFB) for 19 taxa representing all major lineages. Our phylogenetic analyses yield a largely resolved phylogeny that challenges previous morphological analyses and requires a new classification. The limbless dibamids are the most basal squamates. Of the remaining taxa (Bifurcata), the gekkonids form a basal lineage. The Unidentata, squamates that are neither dibamids nor gekkonids, are divided into the Scinciformata (scincids, xantusiids, and cordylids) and the Episquamata (remaining taxa). Episquamata includes Laterata (Teiformata, Lacertiformata, and Amphisbaenia, with the latter two joined in Lacertibaenia) and Toxicofera (iguanians, anguimorphs and snakes). Our results reject several previous hypotheses that identified either the varanids, or a burrowing lineage such as amphisbaenians or dibamids, as the closest relative of snakes. -
Mapping the Distributions of Ancient Plant and Animal Lineages in Southern Africa
Mapping the distributions of ancient plant and animal lineages in southern Africa Ashlyn Levadia Padayachee 209514118 Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, In the school of Agriculture, Earth and Environmental Science University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban November 2014 Supervisor: Prof. Şerban Procheş 2014 Preface: Declaration of plagiarism I hereby declare that this dissertation, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science, to the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is a result of my own research and investigation, which has not been previously submitted, by myself, for a degree at this or any other institution. I hereby declare that this work is my own, unaided work; appropriately referenced where others’ work has been used. ________________________ _________________________ Ashlyn Levadia Padayachee Date ________________________ __________________________ Prof. Şerban Procheş Date ii Acknowledgements: The success of this study would not have been possible without the help, guidance and direction given to me by the members of staff of the School of Agriculture, Earth and Environmental Science (University of KwaZulu-Natal), family and friends. I would like to acknowledge the following people: God Almighty for blessing me with the courage and determination to complete this project Prof. Şerban Procheş, my supervisor and the man with the brilliant ideas. Very sincere and heartfelt thanks for the motivation, guidance and direction throughout this project, for which without it, it would not have been accomplished. Thank you Prof, the ‘pep-talks’ which were much needed, especially towards the end. Dr. Sandun Perera, who in the absence of my supervisor, stepped into the role of ‘interim supervisor’. -
Constraints on the Timescale of Animal Evolutionary History
Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Constraints on the timescale of animal evolutionary history Michael J. Benton, Philip C.J. Donoghue, Robert J. Asher, Matt Friedman, Thomas J. Near, and Jakob Vinther ABSTRACT Dating the tree of life is a core endeavor in evolutionary biology. Rates of evolution are fundamental to nearly every evolutionary model and process. Rates need dates. There is much debate on the most appropriate and reasonable ways in which to date the tree of life, and recent work has highlighted some confusions and complexities that can be avoided. Whether phylogenetic trees are dated after they have been estab- lished, or as part of the process of tree finding, practitioners need to know which cali- brations to use. We emphasize the importance of identifying crown (not stem) fossils, levels of confidence in their attribution to the crown, current chronostratigraphic preci- sion, the primacy of the host geological formation and asymmetric confidence intervals. Here we present calibrations for 88 key nodes across the phylogeny of animals, rang- ing from the root of Metazoa to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens. Close attention to detail is constantly required: for example, the classic bird-mammal date (base of crown Amniota) has often been given as 310-315 Ma; the 2014 international time scale indicates a minimum age of 318 Ma. Michael J. Benton. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Philip C.J. Donoghue. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Robert J. -
Original Papers Helminth Parasites of the White-Spotted Wall Gecko
Annals of Parasitology 2019, 65(1), 71-75 Copyright© 2019 Polish Parasitological Society doi: 10.17420/ap6501.184 Original papers Helminth parasites of the white-spotted wall gecko, Tarentola annularis (Squamata: Gekkonidae), from Shendi area, Sudan Yassir Sulieman 1, Randa E. Eltayeb 1, Natchadaporn Srimek 2, Theerakamol Pengsakul 3 1Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Shendi, Shendi, Sudan 2Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand 3Faculty of Medical Technology, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand Corresponding Author: Yassir Sulieman; e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT. This is the first report on helminths parasitize the white-spotted wall gecko, Tarentola annularis from Shendi area in Sudan. A total of 32 geckos were collected between January and May 2018, and examined for helminth infections. Three nematode species of the family Pharyngodonidae were identified: Pharyngodon mamillatus , Spauligodon brevibursata and Parapharyngodon sp. The most prevalent nematode found was P. mamillatus followed by S. brevibursata . The overall prevalence and intensity of infections was 81.3% and 6.8 nematodes per one infected gecko, respectively. The prevalence and intensity of infections were observed to be more in adult male geckos compared to adult females. On the other hand, the prevalence and intensity of infections were significantly higher in adult geckos compared to the juveniles. Key words: Tarentola annularis , helminth, prevalence, intensity, Sudan Introduction small vertebrates [6,8]. Previous reports reveal infection of T. annularis with different parasite Different genera of geckos are known as species [9 −13]. However, in general, gecko species common reptile of human dwellings around the are reported to be parasitized by various parasite world. -
Lista Patrón De Los Anfibios Y Reptiles De España (Actualizada a Diciembre De 2014)
See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/272447364 Lista patrón de los anfibios y reptiles de España (Actualizada a diciembre de 2014) TECHNICAL REPORT · DECEMBER 2014 CITATIONS READS 2 383 4 AUTHORS: Miguel A. Carretero Inigo Martinez-Solano University of Porto Estación Biológica de Doñana 256 PUBLICATIONS 1,764 CITATIONS 91 PUBLICATIONS 1,158 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Enrique Ayllon Gustavo A. Llorente ASOCIACION HERPETOLOGICA ESPAÑOLA University of Barcelona 30 PUBLICATIONS 28 CITATIONS 210 PUBLICATIONS 1,239 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Available from: Inigo Martinez-Solano Retrieved on: 13 November 2015 Lista patrón de los anfibios y reptiles de España | Diciembre 2014 Lista patrón de los anfibios y reptiles de España (Actualizada a diciembre de 2014) Editada por: Miguel A. Carretero Íñigo Martínez-Solano Enrique Ayllón Gustavo Llorente (Comisión permanente de taxonomía de la AHE) La siguiente lista patrón tiene como base la primera lista patrón: MONTORI, A.; LLORENTE, G. A.; ALONSO-ZARAZAGA, M. A.; ARRIBAS, O.; AYLLÓN, E.; BOSCH, J.; CARRANZA, S.; CARRETERO, M. A.; GALÁN, P.; GARCÍA-PARÍS, M.; HARRIS, D. J.; LLUCH, J.; MÁRQUEZ, R.; MATEO, J. A.; NAVARRO, P.; ORTIZ, M.; PÉREZ- MELLADO, V.; PLEGUEZUELOS, J. M.; ROCA, V.; SANTOS, X. & TEJEDO, M. (2005): Conclusiones de nomenclatura y taxonomía para las especies de anfibios y reptiles de España. MONTORI, A. & LLORENTE, G. A. (coord.). Asociación Herpetológica Española, Barcelona. En caso de aquellos ítems sin comentarios, la información correspondiente se encuentra en esta primera lista, que está descargable en: http://www.magrama.gob.es/es/biodiversidad/temas/inventarios- nacionales/lista_herpetofauna_2005_tcm7-22734.pdf Para aquellos ítems con nuevos comentarios, impliquen o no su modificación, se adjunta la correspondiente explicación con una clave numerada (#). -
Literature Cited in Lizards Natural History Database
Literature Cited in Lizards Natural History database Abdala, C. S., A. S. Quinteros, and R. E. Espinoza. 2008. Two new species of Liolaemus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from the puna of northwestern Argentina. Herpetologica 64:458-471. Abdala, C. S., D. Baldo, R. A. Juárez, and R. E. Espinoza. 2016. The first parthenogenetic pleurodont Iguanian: a new all-female Liolaemus (Squamata: Liolaemidae) from western Argentina. Copeia 104:487-497. Abdala, C. S., J. C. Acosta, M. R. Cabrera, H. J. Villaviciencio, and J. Marinero. 2009. A new Andean Liolaemus of the L. montanus series (Squamata: Iguania: Liolaemidae) from western Argentina. South American Journal of Herpetology 4:91-102. Abdala, C. S., J. L. Acosta, J. C. Acosta, B. B. Alvarez, F. Arias, L. J. Avila, . S. M. Zalba. 2012. Categorización del estado de conservación de las lagartijas y anfisbenas de la República Argentina. Cuadernos de Herpetologia 26 (Suppl. 1):215-248. Abell, A. J. 1999. Male-female spacing patterns in the lizard, Sceloporus virgatus. Amphibia-Reptilia 20:185-194. Abts, M. L. 1987. Environment and variation in life history traits of the Chuckwalla, Sauromalus obesus. Ecological Monographs 57:215-232. Achaval, F., and A. Olmos. 2003. Anfibios y reptiles del Uruguay. Montevideo, Uruguay: Facultad de Ciencias. Achaval, F., and A. Olmos. 2007. Anfibio y reptiles del Uruguay, 3rd edn. Montevideo, Uruguay: Serie Fauna 1. Ackermann, T. 2006. Schreibers Glatkopfleguan Leiocephalus schreibersii. Munich, Germany: Natur und Tier. Ackley, J. W., P. J. Muelleman, R. E. Carter, R. W. Henderson, and R. Powell. 2009. A rapid assessment of herpetofaunal diversity in variously altered habitats on Dominica. -
The Making of Calibration Sausage Exemplified by Recalibrating the Transcriptomic Timetree of Jawed Vertebrates
bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2019.12.19.882829; this version posted January 5, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-ND 4.0 International license. The making of calibration sausage exemplified by recalibrating the transcriptomic timetree of jawed vertebrates 1 David Marjanović 2 Department of Evolutionary Morphology, Science Programme “Evolution and Geoprocesses”, 3 Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolutionary and Biodiversity Research, Berlin, 4 Germany 5 ORCID: 0000-0001-9720-7726 6 Correspondence: 7 David Marjanović 8 [email protected] 9 Keywords: timetree, calibration, divergence date, Gnathostomata, Vertebrata 10 Abstract 11 Molecular divergence dating has the potential to overcome the incompleteness of the fossil record in 12 inferring when cladogenetic events (splits, divergences) happened, but needs to be calibrated by the 13 fossil record. Ideally but unrealistically, this would require practitioners to be specialists in molecular 14 evolution, in the phylogeny and the fossil record of all sampled taxa, and in the chronostratigraphy of 15 the sites the fossils were found in. Paleontologists have therefore tried to help by publishing 16 compendia of recommended calibrations, and molecular biologists unfamiliar with the fossil record 17 have made heavy use of such works (in addition to using scattered primary sources