sized terrestrial snake endemic to Mexico that has been reported from the states of Sonora (Lara-... more sized terrestrial snake endemic to Mexico that has been reported from the states of Sonora (Lara-Resendiz et al., 2016), Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima (Ponce-Campos & Smith, 2001), and Michoacán (Suazo-Ortuño et al., 2014). Scant information on the habitat of the species is available, but it has been reported from thorn scrub, and tropical deciduous forests (Reyes-Velasco et al., 2009; Suazo-Ortuño et al., 2014) at elevations of 16 to 1589 m asl (Ponce-Campos, 2007). Here we report on the first records of C. lateritius from the state of Guerrero, Mexico, and the first report on its diet. A juvenile female Coniophanes lateritius (MZFC 32626) was collected at 19:15 h on 27 June 2004 near the San Antonio-Ciudad Altamirano highway, municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta, Guerrero, México (17.95809°N, -101.2261°W, WGS-84; 1600 m; Fig. 1) as it was active in the forest floor. The habitat was tropical semi-deciduous forest. The specimen measured 126 mm in snout–vent length (SVL) with a ...
Reportamos la presencia de nuevas poblaciones de sapos arlequines pertenecientes a las especies A... more Reportamos la presencia de nuevas poblaciones de sapos arlequines pertenecientes a las especies Atelopuspalmatus y A. nepiozomus en las provincias de Pastaza y Loja respectivamente. Estos nuevos hallazgos permiten re-evaluar y corroborar el estado de conservación de estas especies. La información aquí reportada es una contribución al conocimiento del género Atelopus sobre el cual existe todavía importantes vacíos de información sobre su taxonomía, sistemática e historia natural.
A new species of Dipsas Laurenti, 1768, from Central Panama is described based on molecular analy... more A new species of Dipsas Laurenti, 1768, from Central Panama is described based on molecular analyses, hemipenial morphology, and external characters. This is the sixth species of Dipsas to be described for the country; the snake has been suspected to exist since 1977 and has not been thoroughly studied until now. Additionally, morphological comparations including scale counts are done with other species within the genus, and the current geographic distribution of Dipsas temporalis (Werner, 1909), the sister species, is updated. Finally, a key to the species of Dipsas currently known from Middle America is presented.
We conduct species delimitation of the widespread parachuting frog species Rhacophorus catamitus ... more We conduct species delimitation of the widespread parachuting frog species Rhacophorus catamitus using samples from across the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. We use mitochondrial, genomic and morphological data, and find that R. catamitus is composed of three lineages corresponding to northern, central and southern lineages. Mitochondrial and genomic data show admixture or incomplete lineage sorting between the central and southern lineages, but deep divergence from the northern lineage. Coalescent species delimitation supports a three species model for this complex, and we recommend that the northern lineage be described as a new species. Our study highlights the power of coalescent species delimitation in an integrative framework for identifying unrecognised diversity in understudied tropical species complexes. We also emphasise the evolutionary importance of northern Sumatra, a region that harboured montane refugia during Pliocene–Pleistocene climate change, but has also been heav...
GENUS <i>HUIA</i> YANG, 1991 (FIG. 6A) <i>Type species:</i> <i>Rana... more GENUS <i>HUIA</i> YANG, 1991 (FIG. 6A) <i>Type species:</i> <i>Rana cavitympanum</i> Boulenger, 1893, <i>Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London</i>: 525. Holotype: BMNH 1893.5.30.26 (BMNH 1947.2.4.16); adult male). <i>Type locality:</i> Kina Baloo, North Borneo (Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia). Collector: A. Everett. <i>Common name:</i> Sabah Huia frog (English) following Frank & Ramus (1995) and Frost (2019); Kongkang Jeram Sabah (Bahasa Indonesia). <i>Phylogenetic definition and content: Huia</i> is a distinct and independently evolving genus, which shares a most recent common ancestor with the genus <i>Meristogenys</i> (Fig. 2). It is currently understood to be monotypic, containing <i>H. cavitympanum</i>, which is endemic to the island of Borneo. <i>Diagnosis:</i> (Tadpole characters presented here are based on observation by U.A., whereas morphological cha...
Nuclear SNP data associated with STACKS output (includes STRUCTURE and PHYLIP files used in multi... more Nuclear SNP data associated with STACKS output (includes STRUCTURE and PHYLIP files used in multiple analyses). Both 25% and 50% missing individuals/SNP datasets are included
Strong spatial sorting of genetic variation in contiguous populations is often explained by local... more Strong spatial sorting of genetic variation in contiguous populations is often explained by local adaptation or secondary contact following allopatric divergence. A third explanation, spatial sorting by stochastic effects of range expansion, has been considered less often though theoretical models suggest it should be widespread, if ephemeral. In a study designed to delimit species within a clade of venomous coralsnakes, we identified an unusual pattern within the Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener): strong spatial sorting of divergent mitochondrial (mtDNA) lineages over a portion of its range, but weak sorting of these lineages elsewhere. We tested three alternative hypotheses to explain this pattern—local adaptation, secondary contact following allopatric divergence, and range expansion. Collectively, near panmixia of nuclear DNA, the signal of range expansion associated sampling drift, expansion origins in the Gulf Coast of Mexico, and species distribution modeling suggest that the spatial sorting of divergent mtDNA lineages within M. tener has resulted from genetic surfing of standing mtDNA variation—not local adaptation or allopatric divergence. Our findings highlight the potential for the stochastic effects of recent range expansion to mislead estimations of population divergence made from mtDNA, which may be exacerbated in systems with low vagility, ancestral mtDNA polymorphism, and male-biased dispersal
Meristic and molecular data provide evidence for an exceptional multi-chromatic defensive strateg... more Meristic and molecular data provide evidence for an exceptional multi-chromatic defensive strategy in an Indian coralsnake, Calliophis bibroni from the state of Kerala. We propose a mimcry hypothesis involving a combination of an ontogenetic colour shift at maturity, from initial Mullerian mimicry with a subtropical Indian coralsnake Sinomicrurus macclellandii, to one of two very different adult dorsal colours: 1) an aposematic pattern resembling that of the sympatric tropical Indian coralsnake Calliophis castoe or 2) a cryptic dark brown colouration. This study briefly compares the rich body of work on mimicry in New World elapids to that of their Old World counterparts while addressing the hitherto unexplored yet exciting prospect of investigating mimicry, crypsis and aposematism in Old World coralsnakes.
sized terrestrial snake endemic to Mexico that has been reported from the states of Sonora (Lara-... more sized terrestrial snake endemic to Mexico that has been reported from the states of Sonora (Lara-Resendiz et al., 2016), Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima (Ponce-Campos & Smith, 2001), and Michoacán (Suazo-Ortuño et al., 2014). Scant information on the habitat of the species is available, but it has been reported from thorn scrub, and tropical deciduous forests (Reyes-Velasco et al., 2009; Suazo-Ortuño et al., 2014) at elevations of 16 to 1589 m asl (Ponce-Campos, 2007). Here we report on the first records of C. lateritius from the state of Guerrero, Mexico, and the first report on its diet. A juvenile female Coniophanes lateritius (MZFC 32626) was collected at 19:15 h on 27 June 2004 near the San Antonio-Ciudad Altamirano highway, municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta, Guerrero, México (17.95809°N, -101.2261°W, WGS-84; 1600 m; Fig. 1) as it was active in the forest floor. The habitat was tropical semi-deciduous forest. The specimen measured 126 mm in snout–vent length (SVL) with a ...
Reportamos la presencia de nuevas poblaciones de sapos arlequines pertenecientes a las especies A... more Reportamos la presencia de nuevas poblaciones de sapos arlequines pertenecientes a las especies Atelopuspalmatus y A. nepiozomus en las provincias de Pastaza y Loja respectivamente. Estos nuevos hallazgos permiten re-evaluar y corroborar el estado de conservación de estas especies. La información aquí reportada es una contribución al conocimiento del género Atelopus sobre el cual existe todavía importantes vacíos de información sobre su taxonomía, sistemática e historia natural.
A new species of Dipsas Laurenti, 1768, from Central Panama is described based on molecular analy... more A new species of Dipsas Laurenti, 1768, from Central Panama is described based on molecular analyses, hemipenial morphology, and external characters. This is the sixth species of Dipsas to be described for the country; the snake has been suspected to exist since 1977 and has not been thoroughly studied until now. Additionally, morphological comparations including scale counts are done with other species within the genus, and the current geographic distribution of Dipsas temporalis (Werner, 1909), the sister species, is updated. Finally, a key to the species of Dipsas currently known from Middle America is presented.
We conduct species delimitation of the widespread parachuting frog species Rhacophorus catamitus ... more We conduct species delimitation of the widespread parachuting frog species Rhacophorus catamitus using samples from across the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. We use mitochondrial, genomic and morphological data, and find that R. catamitus is composed of three lineages corresponding to northern, central and southern lineages. Mitochondrial and genomic data show admixture or incomplete lineage sorting between the central and southern lineages, but deep divergence from the northern lineage. Coalescent species delimitation supports a three species model for this complex, and we recommend that the northern lineage be described as a new species. Our study highlights the power of coalescent species delimitation in an integrative framework for identifying unrecognised diversity in understudied tropical species complexes. We also emphasise the evolutionary importance of northern Sumatra, a region that harboured montane refugia during Pliocene–Pleistocene climate change, but has also been heav...
GENUS <i>HUIA</i> YANG, 1991 (FIG. 6A) <i>Type species:</i> <i>Rana... more GENUS <i>HUIA</i> YANG, 1991 (FIG. 6A) <i>Type species:</i> <i>Rana cavitympanum</i> Boulenger, 1893, <i>Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London</i>: 525. Holotype: BMNH 1893.5.30.26 (BMNH 1947.2.4.16); adult male). <i>Type locality:</i> Kina Baloo, North Borneo (Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia). Collector: A. Everett. <i>Common name:</i> Sabah Huia frog (English) following Frank & Ramus (1995) and Frost (2019); Kongkang Jeram Sabah (Bahasa Indonesia). <i>Phylogenetic definition and content: Huia</i> is a distinct and independently evolving genus, which shares a most recent common ancestor with the genus <i>Meristogenys</i> (Fig. 2). It is currently understood to be monotypic, containing <i>H. cavitympanum</i>, which is endemic to the island of Borneo. <i>Diagnosis:</i> (Tadpole characters presented here are based on observation by U.A., whereas morphological cha...
Nuclear SNP data associated with STACKS output (includes STRUCTURE and PHYLIP files used in multi... more Nuclear SNP data associated with STACKS output (includes STRUCTURE and PHYLIP files used in multiple analyses). Both 25% and 50% missing individuals/SNP datasets are included
Strong spatial sorting of genetic variation in contiguous populations is often explained by local... more Strong spatial sorting of genetic variation in contiguous populations is often explained by local adaptation or secondary contact following allopatric divergence. A third explanation, spatial sorting by stochastic effects of range expansion, has been considered less often though theoretical models suggest it should be widespread, if ephemeral. In a study designed to delimit species within a clade of venomous coralsnakes, we identified an unusual pattern within the Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener): strong spatial sorting of divergent mitochondrial (mtDNA) lineages over a portion of its range, but weak sorting of these lineages elsewhere. We tested three alternative hypotheses to explain this pattern—local adaptation, secondary contact following allopatric divergence, and range expansion. Collectively, near panmixia of nuclear DNA, the signal of range expansion associated sampling drift, expansion origins in the Gulf Coast of Mexico, and species distribution modeling suggest that the spatial sorting of divergent mtDNA lineages within M. tener has resulted from genetic surfing of standing mtDNA variation—not local adaptation or allopatric divergence. Our findings highlight the potential for the stochastic effects of recent range expansion to mislead estimations of population divergence made from mtDNA, which may be exacerbated in systems with low vagility, ancestral mtDNA polymorphism, and male-biased dispersal
Meristic and molecular data provide evidence for an exceptional multi-chromatic defensive strateg... more Meristic and molecular data provide evidence for an exceptional multi-chromatic defensive strategy in an Indian coralsnake, Calliophis bibroni from the state of Kerala. We propose a mimcry hypothesis involving a combination of an ontogenetic colour shift at maturity, from initial Mullerian mimicry with a subtropical Indian coralsnake Sinomicrurus macclellandii, to one of two very different adult dorsal colours: 1) an aposematic pattern resembling that of the sympatric tropical Indian coralsnake Calliophis castoe or 2) a cryptic dark brown colouration. This study briefly compares the rich body of work on mimicry in New World elapids to that of their Old World counterparts while addressing the hitherto unexplored yet exciting prospect of investigating mimicry, crypsis and aposematism in Old World coralsnakes.
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