DOCSLIB.ORG

Reassessing the Effects of Prey Size and Status on Prey Restraint Behaviour of Macrostomate Snakes Rita S

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Reassessing the Effects of Prey Size and Status on Prey Restraint Behaviour of Macrostomate Snakes Rita S Ethology Contextual Flexibility: Reassessing the Effects of Prey Size and Status on Prey Restraint Behaviour of Macrostomate Snakes Rita S. Mehta* & Gordon M. Burghardt * Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA Department of Psychology and Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA Correspondence Abstract Rita S. Mehta, Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Storer Hall, Contextual flexibility in prey restraint behaviour has been documented One Shields Ave, Davis, CA 95616, USA. in advanced snakes (Colubroidea), but the degree of flexibility for earlier E-mail: [email protected] snake lineages has been largely unstudied. We document the prey restraint behaviour of five snake species belonging to three early mac- Received: May 29, 2007 rostomate lineages: Loxocemidae, Erycinae and Boidae. Species from Initial acceptance: August 4, 2007 these lineages were chosen for this study because they utilize similar Final acceptance: September 7, 2007 (S. A. Foster) prey resources but exhibit different ecological habits that may have important consequences on prey restraint behaviour. Snakes (n = 27) doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01437.x were studied in a systematic experimental design assessing the effects of mouse size (small and large) and status (live and dead) across a total of 216 feeding trials. Loxocemus and Erycine snakes were highly flexible in their prey restraint behaviour patterns and these varied across prey cate- gory. Individuals of Boa constrictor exhibited very little contextual flexi- bility in feeding behaviour, confirming earlier reports. Flexibility in prey restraint behaviour corresponded with loop application pattern, whether the snake bent laterally or ventrally when forming a loop around prey. Our study is the first to show that early macrostomate snakes exhibit flexible prey restraint behaviours. Thus, our results suggest that flexibil- ity in predatory behaviour may be more widespread across snake taxa than previously thought and we offer hypotheses for the observed inter- specific differences in snake feeding behaviour. tions such as under what conditions behavioural Introduction flexibility evolves (Gordon 1991). Animals interact with their environment in diverse Many predatory organisms have the ability to shift ways. Behavioural flexibility, the ability to vary the among different behaviours or modes while feeding deployment of behavioural patterns in response to (Helfman 1990). Flexibility in various aspects of the different situations, is an important aspect of the predatory cycle has been shown to be dependent phenotype of many organisms (Caro & Bateson upon proximate characteristics of the prey as well as 1986; Helfman 1990; Gordon 1991; Kieffer & Colgan ecological conditions that may affect the density of 1993; Mercier & Lenoir 1999). The aggregate set of the prey or where prey can be found (Jaeger & Bar- available behaviours, commonly known as a nard 1981; Formanowicz et al. 1982; Brown 1986). behavioural repertoire, represents the variety of Within the predatory cycle, prey handling is one ways in which an organism can respond to a partic- common axis of behavioural diversification that may ular situation. Understanding when and why specific reveal interspecific divergence between predators behaviours are employed as well as their flexibility utilizing similar resources. Prey vary in size, shape, has the potential to shed light on more general ques- elusiveness, antipredator adaptations and location. Ethology 114 (2008) 133–145 ª 2008 The Authors Journal compilation ª 2008 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin 133 Contextual Flexibility R. S. Mehta & G. M. Burghardt Any number of combinations of these prey charac- extent of flexibility in prey restraint behaviour, how- teristics can influence the types of prey acquisition ever, has not been determined for most snake lin- behaviours employed and, in turn, shape the eages, and it is premature to evaluate whether the behavioural flexibility of predators (Helfman & Clark present observations are due to shared descent or 1986; Helfman & Winkelman 1991; Burghardt & other factors such as physiology or ecology. Our goal Krause 1999; Souza et al. 2007). Determining how here was to empirically evaluate the contextual natural variation in prey characteristics affects prey flexibility of prey restraint behaviour for representa- acquisition by predators is an important step to tives of three early macrostomate lineages: Loxocemus understanding the development of predatory reper- bicolor, New and Old World Erycines (Charina toires and ultimately the evolution of novel feeding trivirgata, Charina bottae and Eryx muelleri) and Boa strategies. constrictor. These five taxa were chosen for this study Snakes comprise a monophyletic clade of obligate because they exhibit different ecological habits and predators that exhibit tremendous ecological and molecular and morphological phylogenies indicate evolutionary diversity. The vast majority of the 3000 that two of these lineages, L. bicolor and ‘Erycines’ or so species of snakes are able to consume large and (sensu latu), may be potentially interesting for future potentially dangerous prey (Cundall & Greene comparative studies attempting to polarize behavio- 2000). The widespread presence of constriction, a ural characters in snakes (Tchernov et al. 2000; specialized prey restraint behaviour in snake lineages Scanlon 2006). Recent molecular studies suggest that that are known to consume relatively bulky prey, L. bicolor is the sister taxon to pythons (Vidal & suggests that large prey species, capable of retaliating David 2004; Vidal & Hedges 2004; Vidal et al. 2007) against the predator, necessitate specialized restraint while Old World and New World Erycines are boid tactics. snakes but are not each others closest relatives (Vidal During constriction a snake restrains prey by et al. 2007). Loxocemus bicolor and Erycines exhibit applying two or more body loops around the prey both semi-fossorial and terrestrial habits, while while exerting pressure (Greene & Burghardt 1978; B. constrictor is semi-arboreal and terrestrial. Despite Greene 1983a, 1994). Constriction serves as an ideal these ecological differences, dietary data reveals con- topic for comparative evolutionary studies as it con- siderable dietary overlap across these five species. sists of a readily defined sequential modal action pat- Both L. bicolor and Erycines consume lizards, squa- tern (Burghardt 1973; Barlow 1977), varies across mate eggs and small mammals (Mora & Robinson species, and occurs in lineages that are ecologically 1984; Mora 1987, 1991; Rodriguez-Robles et al. and morphologically diverse (Greene 1977; Greene 1999; Rodriguez-Robles 2003), while larger Erycine & Burghardt 1978; Moon & Mehta 2007). Much of snakes also tend to add larger mammals and birds in the work on prey restraint repertoires in snakes has their diet (Rodriguez-Robles et al. 1999). Boa constric- focused on members of a large and diverse radiation, tor consumes mostly lizards, birds and mammals the Colubroidea, containing over 80% of all snake (Greene 1983a,b; Smith 1994; Sironi et al. 2000; species. Many members of the Colubroidea, have a Greene et al. 2003; Boback 2004). Therefore, any relatively large prey restraint repertoire and are interspecific differences in the prey restraint reper- known to vary their restraint behaviours in response toire of these boid predators, may suggest that other to prey size, type and activity level (Greene & Burg- factors may shape the evolution of feeding behav- hardt 1978; Greenwald 1978; De Queiroz 1984; iour in early macrostomate snakes. Milostan 1989; Gregory et al. 1980; Mori 1991, Although Greene & Burghardt (1978) examined 1994, 1995; Rodriguez-Robles & Leal 1993; Mehta the constriction postures of boas and pythons on 2003). Based on observations of a small number of various substrates and with various prey items, a species, it has been suggested that other snake lin- systematic stimulus control design was not used. eages, such as boas and pythons, are less capable of A stimulus control study not only allows for close varying their prey restraint behaviour in response to examination of any variability in behaviour, but this proximate characteristics of the prey (Greene 1977; standard experimental design is ideal for comparative Milostan 1989). studies. This study is the first to systematically The observation that prey restraint behaviour address the contextual flexibility, or lack thereof, in exhibits some degree of flexibility and that this flexi- prey restraint behaviour for non-colubroid snakes. bility varies interspecifically in colubrid snakes, sug- To examine the effects of prey characteristics on the gests that factors such as phylogenetic history may predatory cycle, we varied two aspects of mamma- shape the prey restraint repertoire of snakes. The lian prey (Mus musculus) previously shown to affect Ethology 114 (2008) 133–145 ª 2008 The Authors 134 Journal compilation ª 2008 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin R. S. Mehta & G. M. Burghardt Contextual Flexibility prey restraint behaviour in snakes: size (Mehta used a 2 · 2 factorial design (small prey vs. large 2003) and status (De Queiroz 1984). prey · live vs. dead) in which prey were adminis- tered using an 8 · 8 Latin square cyclic matrix. Snakes were tested twice in each of the four prey Materials and Methods categories. Twelve adult sunbeam snakes, L. bicolor, six subadult Experiments were initiated by placing live prey or
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Xenosaurus Tzacualtipantecus. the Zacualtipán Knob-Scaled Lizard Is Endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of Eastern Mexico
    Xenosaurus tzacualtipantecus. The Zacualtipán knob-scaled lizard is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of eastern Mexico. This medium-large lizard (female holotype measures 188 mm in total length) is known only from the vicinity of the type locality in eastern Hidalgo, at an elevation of 1,900 m in pine-oak forest, and a nearby locality at 2,000 m in northern Veracruz (Woolrich- Piña and Smith 2012). Xenosaurus tzacualtipantecus is thought to belong to the northern clade of the genus, which also contains X. newmanorum and X. platyceps (Bhullar 2011). As with its congeners, X. tzacualtipantecus is an inhabitant of crevices in limestone rocks. This species consumes beetles and lepidopteran larvae and gives birth to living young. The habitat of this lizard in the vicinity of the type locality is being deforested, and people in nearby towns have created an open garbage dump in this area. We determined its EVS as 17, in the middle of the high vulnerability category (see text for explanation), and its status by the IUCN and SEMAR- NAT presently are undetermined. This newly described endemic species is one of nine known species in the monogeneric family Xenosauridae, which is endemic to northern Mesoamerica (Mexico from Tamaulipas to Chiapas and into the montane portions of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala). All but one of these nine species is endemic to Mexico. Photo by Christian Berriozabal-Islas. amphibian-reptile-conservation.org 01 June 2013 | Volume 7 | Number 1 | e61 Copyright: © 2013 Wilson et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Com- mons Attribution–NonCommercial–NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License, which permits unrestricted use for non-com- Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 7(1): 1–47.
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography and Scientific Name Index to Amphibians
    lb BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SCIENTIFIC NAME INDEX TO AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES IN THE PUBLICATIONS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON BULLETIN 1-8, 1918-1988 AND PROCEEDINGS 1-100, 1882-1987 fi pp ERNEST A. LINER Houma, Louisiana SMITHSONIAN HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION SERVICE NO. 92 1992 SMITHSONIAN HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION SERVICE The SHIS series publishes and distributes translations, bibliographies, indices, and similar items judged useful to individuals interested in the biology of amphibians and reptiles, but unlikely to be published in the normal technical journals. Single copies are distributed free to interested individuals. Libraries, herpetological associations, and research laboratories are invited to exchange their publications with the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles. We wish to encourage individuals to share their bibliographies, translations, etc. with other herpetologists through the SHIS series. If you have such items please contact George Zug for instructions on preparation and submission. Contributors receive 50 free copies. Please address all requests for copies and inquiries to George Zug, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20560 USA. Please include a self-addressed mailing label with requests. INTRODUCTION The present alphabetical listing by author (s) covers all papers bearing on herpetology that have appeared in Volume 1-100, 1882-1987, of the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington and the four numbers of the Bulletin series concerning reference to amphibians and reptiles. From Volume 1 through 82 (in part) , the articles were issued as separates with only the volume number, page numbers and year printed on each. Articles in Volume 82 (in part) through 89 were issued with volume number, article number, page numbers and year.
    [Show full text]
  • THE ORIGIN and EVOLUTION of SNAKE EYES Dissertation
    CONQUERING THE COLD SHUDDER: THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF SNAKE EYES Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment for the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Christopher L. Caprette, B.S., M.S. **** The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Thomas E. Hetherington, Advisor Approved by Jerry F. Downhower David L. Stetson Advisor The graduate program in Evolution, John W. Wenzel Ecology, and Organismal Biology ABSTRACT I investigated the ecological origin and diversity of snakes by examining one complex structure, the eye. First, using light and transmission electron microscopy, I contrasted the anatomy of the eyes of diurnal northern pine snakes and nocturnal brown treesnakes. While brown treesnakes have eyes of similar size for their snout-vent length as northern pine snakes, their lenses are an average of 27% larger (Mann-Whitney U test, p = 0.042). Based upon the differences in the size and position of the lens relative to the retina in these two species, I estimate that the image projected will be smaller and brighter for brown treesnakes. Northern pine snakes have a simplex, all-cone retina, in keeping with a primarily diurnal animal, while brown treesnake retinas have mostly rods with a few, scattered cones. I found microdroplets in the cone ellipsoids of northern pine snakes. In pine snakes, these droplets act as light guides. I also found microdroplets in brown treesnake rods, although these were less densely distributed and their function is unknown. Based upon the density of photoreceptors and neural layers in their retinas, and the predicted image size, brown treesnakes probably have the same visual acuity under nocturnal conditions that northern pine snakes experience under diurnal conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Carbajal Et Al 15-17 2015
    REVISTA MEXICANA DE HERPETOLOGÍA VOL. 1, NO. 1 :15–17 Loxocemus bicolor (SERPENTES: LOXOCEMIDAE): ELEVATIONAL AND GEOGRAPHIC RANGE EXTENSION IN MICHOACAN, MEXICO Rubén Alonso Carbajal-Márquez1 *, Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy2 , Marco Antonio Domínguez- De la Riva3 and Eric Abdel Rivas-Mercado3 1Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, La Paz, Baja California Sur, 23096, México. 2Laboratorio de Herpetología, Museo de Zoología, Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510. Distrito Federal, México. 3Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Centro de Ciencias Básicas, Departamento de Biología, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes 20131, México. *Correspondent: [email protected] Abstract.— We document the occurrence of Loxocemus bicolor in the arid tropical scrub forest at Hoyo del Aire, Municipality of Taretan, Michoacan, an adult specimen that represents a new municipality record, which increases the geographic range and elevational gradient of the species in the state. Keywords.— Mexican Burrowing Python, Taretan, Squamata. Resumen.— Se registra la presencia de Loxocemus bicolor en el bosque tropical caducifolio de Hoyo del Aire, municipio de Taretan, Michoacán; un ejemplar adulto que representa un nuevo registro municipal y que incrementa la distribución geográfica y el gradiente de altitud para la especie en el estado. Palabras clave.— Pitón de Madriguera Mexicano, Taretan, Squamata The Mexican burrowing python is the only iguana eggs (Greene 1983, Mora and species in the monotypic genus Loxocemus and Robinson 1984, Mora 1987). This is an family Loxocemidae (Uetz 2013). It lives in oviparous species, with the largest dry forests and savannas, from sea level up documented clutch of four eggs (Köhler to ~600 m, from Nayarit, Mexico to Costa 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • Microsoft Word
    LIST OF EXTANT INGROUP TAXA: Agamidae: Agama agama, Pogona vitticeps, Calotes emma, Physignathus cocincinus. Chamaeleonidae: Brookesia brygooi, Chamaeleo calyptratus. Corytophanidae: Basiliscus basiliscus, Corytophanes cristatus. Crotaphytidae: Crotaphytus collaris, Gambelia wislizenii. Hoplocercidae: Enyalioides laticeps, Morunasaurus annularis. Iguanidae: Brachylophus fasciatus, Dipsosaurus dorsalis, Sauromalus ater. Leiolepidae: Leiolepis rubritaeniata, Uromastyx hardwicki. Leiosauridae: Leiosaurus catamarcensis, Pristidactylus torquatus, Urostrophus vautieri. Liolaemidae: Liolaemus elongatus, Phymaturus palluma. Opluridae: Chalarodon madagascariensis, Oplurus cyclurus. Phrynosomatidae: Petrosaurus mearnsi, Phrynosoma platyrhinos, Sceloporus variabilis, Uma scoparia, Uta stansburiana. Polychrotidae: Anolis carolinensis, Polychrus marmoratus. Tropiduridae: Leiocephalus barahonensis, Stenocercus guentheri, Tropidurus plica, Uranoscodon superciliosus. Anguidae: Ophisaurus apodus, Anniella pulchra, Diploglossus enneagrammus, Elgaria multicarinata. Cordylidae: Chamaesaura anguina, Cordylus mossambicus. Dibamidae: Anelytropsis papillosus, Dibamus novaeguineae. Eublepharidae: Aeluroscalobates felinus, Coleonyx variegatus, Eublepharis macularius. "Gekkonidae": Teratoscincus przewalski, Diplodactylus ciliaris, Phyllurus cornutus, Rhacodactylus auriculatus, Gekko gecko, Phelsuma lineata. Gonatodes albogularis. Gerrhosauridae: Cordylosaurus subtesselatus, Zonosaurus ornatus. Gymnophthalmidae: Colobosaura modesta, Pholidobolus montium. Helodermatidae:
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogenetic Relationships of the Dwarf Boas and a Comparison of Bayesian and Bootstrap Measures of Phylogenetic Support
    MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 25 (2002) 361–371 www.academicpress.com Phylogenetic relationships of the dwarf boas and a comparison of Bayesian and bootstrap measures of phylogenetic support Thomas P. Wilcox, Derrick J. Zwickl, Tracy A. Heath, and David M. Hillis* Section of Integrative Biology and Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA Received 4 February 2002; received in revised form 18 May 2002 Abstract Four New World genera of dwarf boas (Exiliboa, Trachyboa, Tropidophis, and Ungaliophis) have been placed by many syste- matists in a single group (traditionally called Tropidophiidae). However, the monophyly of this group has been questioned in several studies. Moreover, the overall relationships among basal snake lineages, including the placement of the dwarf boas, are poorly understood. We obtained mtDNAsequence data for 12S, 16S, and intervening tRNA–valgenes from 23 species of snakes repre- senting most major snake lineages, including all four genera of New World dwarf boas. We then examined the phylogenetic position of these species by estimating the phylogeny of the basal snakes. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that New World dwarf boas are not monophyletic. Instead, we find Exiliboa and Ungaliophis to be most closely related to sand boas (Erycinae), boas (Boinae), and advanced snakes (Caenophidea), whereas Tropidophis and Trachyboa form an independent clade that separated relatively early in snake radiation. Our estimate of snake phylogeny differs significantly in other ways from some previous estimates of snake phy- logeny. For instance, pythons do not cluster with boas and sand boas, but instead show a strong relationship with Loxocemus and Xenopeltis.
    [Show full text]
  • Wildlife Conservation Act 2010
    LAWS OF MALAYSIA ONLINE VERSION OF UPDATED TEXT OF REPRINT Act 716 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ACT 2010 As at 1 October 2014 2 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ACT 2010 Date of Royal Assent … … 21 October 2010 Date of publication in the Gazette … … … 4 November 2010 Latest amendment made by P.U.(A)108/2014 which came into operation on ... ... ... ... … … … … 18 April 2014 3 LAWS OF MALAYSIA Act 716 WILDLIFE CONSERVATION ACT 2010 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS PART I PRELIMINARY Section 1. Short title and commencement 2. Application 3. Interpretation PART II APPOINTMENT OF OFFICERS, ETC. 4. Appointment of officers, etc. 5. Delegation of powers 6. Power of Minister to give directions 7. Power of the Director General to issue orders 8. Carrying and use of arms PART III LICENSING PROVISIONS Chapter 1 Requirement for licence, etc. 9. Requirement for licence 4 Laws of Malaysia ACT 716 Section 10. Requirement for permit 11. Requirement for special permit Chapter 2 Application for licence, etc. 12. Application for licence, etc. 13. Additional information or document 14. Grant of licence, etc. 15. Power to impose additional conditions and to vary or revoke conditions 16. Validity of licence, etc. 17. Carrying or displaying licence, etc. 18. Change of particulars 19. Loss of licence, etc. 20. Replacement of licence, etc. 21. Assignment of licence, etc. 22. Return of licence, etc., upon expiry 23. Suspension or revocation of licence, etc. 24. Licence, etc., to be void 25. Appeals Chapter 3 Miscellaneous 26. Hunting by means of shooting 27. No licence during close season 28. Prerequisites to operate zoo, etc. 29. Prohibition of possessing, etc., snares 30.
    [Show full text]
  • G Iant Snakes
    Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Giant Snakes Giant Giant Snakes A Natural History John C. Murphy & Tom Crutchfield Snakes, particularly venomous snakes and exceptionally large constricting snakes, have haunted the human brain for a millennium. They appear to be responsible for our excellent vision, as well as the John C. Murphy & Tom Crutchfield & Tom C. Murphy John anxiety we feel. Despite the dangers we faced in prehistory, snakes now hold clues to solving some of humankind’s most debilitating diseases. Pythons and boas are capable of eating prey that is equal to more than their body weight, and their adaptations for this are providing insight into diabetes. Fascination with snakes has also drawn many to keep them as pets, including the largest species. Their popularity in the pet trade has led to these large constrictors inhabiting southern Florida. This book explores what we know about the largest snakes, how they are kept in captivity, and how they have managed to traverse ocean barriers with our help. Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Giant Snakes A Natural History John C. Murphy & Tom Crutchfield Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview. Giant Snakes Copyright © 2019 by John C. Murphy & Tom Cructhfield All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First Printing March 2019 ISBN 978-1-64516-232-2 Paperback ISBN 978-1-64516-233-9 Hardcover Published by: Book Services www.BookServices.us ii Copyrighted Material Some pages are omitted from this book preview.
    [Show full text]
  • Characteristics of Miniaturization in Squamates: A
    CHARACTERISTICS OF MINIATURIZATION IN SQUAMATES: A PHYLOGENETIC PERSPECTIVE FROM CRANIAL MORPHOLOGY ___________ A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences Sam Houston State University ___________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science ___________ by Maria Camila Vallejo Pareja August, 2018 CHARACTERISTICS OF MINIATURIZATION IN SQUAMATES: A PHYLOGENETIC PERSPECTIVE FROM CRANIAL MORPHOLOGY by Maria Camila Vallejo Pareja ___________ APPROVED: Juan Diego Daza, PhD Committee Director Christopher Randle, PhD Committee Co-Director Monte L. Thies, PhD Committee Member Jessica Anderson Maisano, PhD Committee Member John B. Pascarella, PhD Dean, College of Sciences and Engineering Technology DEDICATION A Mariana y Manuel, A Nacho y a Silvia, A Carito y Juanis. Con infinita gratitud. iii ABSTRACT Vallejo Pareja, Maria Camila, Characteristics of miniaturization in squamates: A phylogenetic perspective from cranial morphology. Master of Science (Biological Sciences), August, 2018, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas. Miniaturization is recurrent in tetrapods, and has been widely recognized to be an evolutionary process resulting from the occupation of previously unexploited niches (Hanken and Wake, 1993; Rieppel, 1984a, 1996). In this thesis I review the process of miniaturization and its effects on the skull of squamates (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians). I compiled a list of characteristics previously described for squamates and summarized the main differences among higher level groups (e.g., Iguania, Gekkota or Scincomorpha). I also investigated whether observed traits linked to miniaturization are the product of convergent evolution. I used a large published morphological data set that includes 204 species of which 54 are miniaturized. I coded characters for an additional species that represent the smallest known squamates (e.g., Sphaerodactylus ariasae and Brookesia micra) and belong to taxonomic groups with minor representation in the original dataset.
    [Show full text]
  • The Available Name for the Taxonomic Group Uniting Boas and Pythons
    70 (3): 291 – 304 © Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 2020. 2020 Constrictores Oppel, 1811 – the available name for the taxonomic group uniting boas and pythons Georgios L. Georgalis 1, 2, * & Krister T. Smith 3, 4 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, Torino, 10125, Italy — 2 Department of Ecology, Labora- tory of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina, Bratislava, 84215, Slovakia — 3 Department of Messel Research and Mammalogy, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt am Main, 60325, Germany — 4 Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Max-von-Laue- Straße 13, University of Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany — * Corresponding author; [email protected] Submitted April 25, 2020. Accepted June 17, 2020. Published online at www.senckenberg.de/vertebrate-zoology on June 26, 2020. Published in print on Q3/2020. Editor in charge: Uwe Fritz Abstract Recent advances in the phylogenetic relationships of snakes using both molecular and morphological data have generally demonstrated a close relationship between boas and pythons but also induced nomenclatural changes that rob the least inclusive clade to which both belong of a name. This name would be tremendously useful, because it is the least inclusive group to which a large number of fossil boa-like or python-like taxa can be assigned. Accordingly, an update of higher-level nomenclature is desirable. We herein provide an overview of all the names that have historically been applied to boas and pythons. We show that the earliest name for the supra-familial group encompass- ing boas and pythons is Constrictores Oppel, 1811.
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography and Scientific Name Index to Theamphibians
    -^^6(2. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SCIENTIFIC NAME INDEX R^ pT TO THE AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF THE FLORIDA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, VOLUME 1-55, 1937-1992, THE FLORIDA FIELD NATURALIST, VOLUME 1-20, 1973-1992, AND THE FLORIDA NATURALIST, VOLUME 1-65, 1926-1992 Ernest A. Liner Houma, Louisiana r SMITHSONIAN HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION SERVICE NO. 113 1997 SMITHSONIAN HERPETOLOGICAL INFORMATION SERVICE The SHIS series publishes and distributes translations, bibliographies, indices, and similar items judged useful to individuals interested in the biology of amphibians and reptiles, but unlikely to be published in the normal technical journals. Single copies are distributed free to interested individuals. Libraries, herpetological associations, and research laboratories are invited to exchange their publications with the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles. We wish to encourage individuals to share their bibliographies, translations, etc. with other herpetologists through the SHIS series. If you have such items please contact George Zug for instructions on preparation and submission. Contributors receive 50 free copies. Please address all requests for copies and inquiries to George Zug, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20560 USA. Please include a self-addressed mailing label with requests. INTRODUCTION The following alphabetical listing of these three Florida publications by author (s) covers all the papers dealing with amphibians and reptiles that have appeared in these publications. The Florida Academy of Sciences was originally published as Proceedingss through volume 7. Volumes 1-5 appeared as one number a year with 6-7 becomming guarterly. Volume 6 numbers 1-2 were not numbered consecutively but number three picked up page numbering as if numbers 1-2 were.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded from the NBCI Genbank Database Emerging from Hibernation in Order to Bask, Mate, and (See Additional File 9)
    Hsiang et al. BMC Evolutionary Biology (2015) 15:87 DOI 10.1186/s12862-015-0358-5 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access The origin of snakes: revealing the ecology, behavior, and evolutionary history of early snakes using genomics, phenomics, and the fossil record Allison Y Hsiang1*, Daniel J Field1,2, Timothy H Webster3, Adam DB Behlke1, Matthew B Davis1, Rachel A Racicot1 and Jacques A Gauthier1,4 Abstract Background: The highly derived morphology and astounding diversity of snakes has long inspired debate regarding the ecological and evolutionary origin of both the snake total-group (Pan-Serpentes) and crown snakes (Serpentes). Although speculation abounds on the ecology, behavior, and provenance of the earliest snakes, a rigorous, clade-wide analysis of snake origins has yet to be attempted, in part due to a dearth of adequate paleontological data on early stem snakes. Here, we present the first comprehensive analytical reconstruction of the ancestor of crown snakes and the ancestor of the snake total-group, as inferred using multiple methods of ancestral state reconstruction. We use a combined-data approach that includes new information from the fossil record on extinct crown snakes, new data on the anatomy of the stem snakes Najash rionegrina, Dinilysia patagonica,andConiophis precedens, and a deeper understanding of the distribution of phenotypic apomorphies among the major clades of fossil and Recent snakes. Additionally, we infer time-calibrated phylogenies using both new ‘tip-dating’ and traditional node-based approaches, providing new insights on temporal patterns in the early evolutionary history of snakes. Results: Comprehensive ancestral state reconstructions reveal that both the ancestor of crown snakes and the ancestor of total-group snakes were nocturnal, widely foraging, non-constricting stealth hunters.
    [Show full text]