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FIGURE 2 in Geckos in the granite: two new geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from rocky, scrub habitats in Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India

FIGURE 2. Cnemaspis rishivalleyensis sp. nov. (holotype, NCBS-BH723), (A) dorsal view of body, (B) ventral view of body, (C) dorsal view of tail, and (D) ventral view of tail. Scale bars 10 mm.

FIGURE 8 in Geckos in the granite: two new geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from rocky, scrub habitats in Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India

FIGURE 8. Hemidactylus rishivalleyensis sp. nov. (holotype, NCBS-BH728), (A) dorsal view of head, (B) ventral view of head, (C) lateral view of head, (D) view of femoral region showing femoral pores, (E) ventral view of left manus, and (F) ventral view of left pes. Scale bars 10 mm.

FIGURE 3 in Geckos in the granite: two new geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from rocky, scrub habitats in Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India

FIGURE 3. Cnemaspis rishivalleyensis sp. nov. (holotype, NCBS-BH723), (A) dorsal view of head, (B) ventral view of head, (C) lateral view of head, (D) view of cloacal region showing precloacal and femoral pores, (E) ventral view of right manus, and (F) ventral view of right pes. Scale bars 5 mm.

FIGURE 9 in Geckos in the granite: two new geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from rocky, scrub habitats in Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India

FIGURE 9. Details at mid-body of Hemidactylus rishivalleyensis sp. nov. (holotype, NCBS-BH728), (A) dorsal aspect and (B) ventral aspect. Scale bars 10 mm.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Landscape genetics of leaf-toed geckos in the tropical dry forest of northern Mexico

Habitat fragmentation due to both natural and anthropogenic forces continues to threaten the evolution and maintenance of biological diversity. This is of particular concern in tropical regions that are experiencing elevated rates of habitat loss. Although less well-studied than tropical rain forests, tropical dry forests (TDF) contain an enormous diversity of species and continue to be threatened by anthropogenic activities including grazing and agriculture. However, little is known about the processes that shape genetic connectivity in species inhabiting TDF ecosystems. We adopt a landscape genetic approach to understanding functional connectivity for leaf-toed geckos (Phyllodactylus tuberculosus) at multiple sites near the northernmost limit of this ecosystem at Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. Traditional analyses of population genetics are combined with multivariate GIS-based landscape analyses to test hypotheses on the potential drivers of spatial genetic variation. Moderate levels of within-population diversity and substantial levels of population differentiation are revealed by FST and Dest. Analyses using STRUCTURE suggest the occurrence of from 2 to 9 genetic clusters depending on the model used. Landscape genetic analysis suggests that forest cover, stream connectivity, undisturbed habitat, slope, and minimum temperature of the coldest period explain more genetic variation than do simple Euclidean distances. Additional landscape genetic studies throughout TDF habitat are required to understand species-specific responses to landscape and climate change and to identify common drivers. We urge researchers interested in using multivariate distance methods to test for, and report, significant correlations among predictor matrices that can impact results, particularly when adopting least-cost path approaches. Further investigation into the use of information theoretic approaches for model selection is also warranted.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →

Data from: Key innovations and island colonization as engines of evolutionary diversification: a comparative test with the Australasian diplodactyloid geckos

The acquisition of key innovations and the invasion of new areas constitute two major processes that facilitate ecological opportunity and subsequent evolutionary diversification. Using a major lizard radiation as a model, the Australasian diplodactyloid geckos, we explored the effects of two key innovations (adhesive toepads and a snake-like phenotype) and the invasion of new environments (island colonization) in promoting the evolution of phenotypic and species diversity. We found no evidence that toepads had significantly increased evolutionary diversification, which challenges the common assumption that the evolution of toepads has been responsible for the extensive radiation of geckos. In contrast, a snakelike phenotype was associated with increased rates of body size evolution and, to a lesser extent, species diversification. However, the clearest impact on evolutionary diversification has been the colonization of New Zealand and New Caledonia, which were associated with increased rates of both body size evolution and species diversification. This highlights that colonizing new environments can drive adaptive diversification in conjunction or independently of the evolution of a key innovation. Studies wishing to confirm the putative link between a key innovation and subsequent evolutionary diversification must therefore show that it has been the acquisition of an innovation specifically, not the colonization of new areas more generally, that has prompted diversification.

opencc-zeroJun 2021View details →

Ontogeny, phylogeny, and mechanisms of adaptive changes in evaporative water loss in geckos

<p>Body-size dependence of metabolic rate, body surface and scale morphology complicate disentangling the contribution of these characteristics to adaptive changes in total evaporative water loss (TEWL) of reptiles. To separate adaptive changes from size-related dependence, we compared intra- and interspecific scaling of several candidate traits in eyelid geckos (Eublepharidae), a group exhibiting large variation in body size and TEWL. The intraspecific allometry of TEWL of an eublepharid species fits the geometric surface-mass relationship. However, evolutionary shifts to both higher and lower evaporation were strongly correlated with habitat aridity and cannot be explained by shifts in body size alone. The intraspecific allometry of standard metabolic rate is nearly the same as the interspecific allometry. Unlike for mammals and birds, this pattern rules out respiratory water loss as a driver of the adaptive changes in TEWL among eublepharids. Scale morphology was independent of TEWL variation as well, but the correlation between cutaneous water loss and TEWL suggests a crucial role of skin permeability in adaptation to habitat aridity. Our analyses demonstrate how powerful a comparison of intra- and interspecific allometries can be for detecting body size-dependent mechanisms of adaptive changes in ecophysiological traits correlated with body size.</p>

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Morphological and functional implications of sexual size dimorphism in the Moorish gecko, Tarentola mauritanica

Sexual dimorphism (SD) is a common trait in animals, appearing due to sexual selection, fecundity selection or natural selection promoting sexual niche segregation. To evaluate the relative contribution of these mechanisms in shaping phenotypic patterns, we explored morphological and functional SD in the Moorish gecko, Tarentola mauritanica (Linnaeus, 1758). This species is particularly interesting because the sex of individuals is determined by the incubation temperature of the eggs, which may pose constraints on the expression of SD. Our results indicate the existence of marked SD in T. mauritanica. Males were overall larger than females, and were able to bite harder, but we found no differences between the sexes in climbing capacities. When differences in body size were taken into account, SD became less pronounced, appearing only in relative head dimensions, relative hind limb length and bite force. Different body parts varied under the same static allometric slopes in both sexes, a pattern not very usual in lizards. Put together, our results suggest constraints in the expression of SD in the Moorish gecko, possibly due to either not particularly intense sexual selection, to counter-balancing selection in similar traits in both sexes, or to the mode of sexual determination.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: Subdigital adhesive pad morphology varies in relation to structural habitat use in the Namib Day Gecko, Rhoptropus afer

1. Morphological features that lead to increased locomotor performance, such as faster sprint speed, are thought to evolve in concert with habitat use. The latter depends on available habitat structure, and how the animal moves within that habitat. Thus, this behavioral variation will impact how natural selection acts on locomotion and morphology. 2. Quantifying the interplay between escape behavior and locomotor morphology across habitats that vary in structural composition could reveal how selection acts on locomotion at local levels. Substrate features, such as incline and topographical variation, are likely key drivers of morphological and functional disparity among terrestrial animals. We investigated the impact of habitat variation and escape behavior on morphology, including the adhesive system, of Rhoptropus afer, a diurnal and cursorial gecko from Namibia. Substrate incline and topographical variation are likely important for this pad-bearing gecko due to the trade-off between adhering and sprinting (i.e. using adhesion results in decreased sprint speed) that is triggered by certain inclines. 3. We corroborate the hypothesis that the adhesive system exhibits the greatest degree of reduction in populations that utilize the flattest terrain during an escape. Our findings suggest that the adhesive apparatus is detrimental to rapid for locomotion on relatively horizontal surfaces, and may thus be counterproductive to the evasion of predators in such situations. A broad scale analysis of geckos would determine whether diversity of adhesive morphology is driven primarily by habitat use. 4. Phenotypic plasticity of the adhesive system and interspecific competition are plausible candidates for driving our results. However, it is unclear whether the differences we observed have a genetic basis. Future work should focus on how variation of the adhesive system impacts downstream locomotor components such as kinematics and mechanics, and how the integration of these traits is related to habitat use.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Non-uniform evolutionary response of gecko eye size to changes in diel activity patterns

Geckos feature a large range of eye sizes, but what drives this phenotypic diversity is currently unknown. Earlier studies point towards diel activity patterns (DAP) and locomotory mode, but phylogenetic comparative studies in support of the proposed adaptive mode of eye evolution are lacking. Here we test the hypothesis of DAP as the driver of eye size evolution with a dataset on 99 species of gecko. Results from phylogenetic generalized least square analysis (PGLS) and multivariate model-fitting reveal smaller eyes in diurnal geckos consistent with different phenotypic optima. However, Bayesian analyses of selective regime shifts demonstrate that only 2 of 9 transitions from nocturnal to diurnal activity are coupled with decreases in eye size, and 2 other regime shifts are not associated with DAP transitions. This non-uniform evolutionary response suggests that eye size is not the only functionally relevant variable. Evolutionary adaptations may therefore include different combinations of several traits (e.g., photoreceptors), all with the same functional outcome. Our results further demonstrate that DAP only partially explains eye size diversity in geckos. As open habitats favor the evolution of large eyes while obstructed habitats favor small eyes, the degree of habitat clutter emerges as another potential axis of eye diversification.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Higher incubation temperatures produce long-lasting upward shifts in cold tolerance, but not heat tolerance, of hatchling geckos

Heatwaves are a regular occurrence in Australia, and are predicted to increase in intensity and duration in the future. These changes may elevate temperatures inside lizard nests, shortening the incubation period, so that hatchlings are more likely to emerge during heatwaves. Potentially, developmental plasticity or heat hardening could buffer hatchings from future warming. For example, higher incubation temperatures could shift critical thermal maxima upwards, enabling lizards to withstand higher temperatures. To investigate whether developmental plasticity affects hatchling thermal tolerance, we incubated eggs of the velvet gecko Amalosia lesueurii under two fluctuating incubation treatments to mimic current warm (mean = 24.3°C, range 18.4 - 31.1°C) and future hot (mean = 28.9°C, range 19.1 - 38.1°C) nest temperatures. We maintained the hatchlings under identical conditions, and measured their thermal tolerance (CTmax) at age 14 d and 42 d. We then released hatchlings at field sites, and recaptured individually marked lizards at age six months, to determine whether incubation induced shifts in thermal tolerance were transitory or long-lasting. We found that at age 14 d, hatchlings from the future hot temperature incubation treatment had higher CTmax (mean = 39.96 ± 0.25°C) than hatchlings from the current warm incubation treatment (mean = 39.70 ± 0.36°C). Hatchlings from the warm-incubation treatment also had significantly higher heat hardening capacity (mean = 0.79 ± 0.37°C) than hatchlings from hot-temperature incubation treatment (mean = 0.47 ± 0.17°C). However, both of these incubation-induced effects did not persist into later life. By contrast, incubation treatment had significant and long-lasting effects on the cold tolerance of hatchlings. At age 14 d, warm-incubated hatchlings tolerated colder temperatures (CTmin = 11.24 ± 0.41°C) than hot-incubated hatchlings (CTmin = 14.11 ± 0.25°C). This significant difference in cold tolerance persisted into the juvenile life stage, and was present in 6 month old lizards that we recaptured from field sites. This finding indicates that upward shifts in cold tolerance caused by higher nest temperatures might impact negatively on overwinter survival of lizards, but field studies linking fitness to thermal tolerance are necessary to test this idea. Overall, our results suggest that developmental plasticity for heat tolerance is unlikely to buffer lizard populations from increasing temperatures.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: Critically endangered island endemic or peripheral population of a widespread species? Conservation genetics of Kikuchi's gecko and the global challenge of protecting peripheral oceanic island endemic vertebrates

Aim: To highlight the significant conservation challenge of evaluating peripheral endemic vertebrates in island archipelago systems and to assess empirically the complexities of approaches to conservation genetic studies across political and biogeographic boundaries. To demonstrate the poignant need for international collaboration and coordination when species delimitation problems with high conservation concern involve island endemics with biogeographically peripheral ranges. Location: Southeast Asia, Lanyu Island, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Methods: Genetic samples were collected and sequenced for one mitochondrial gene and five nuclear loci for species of the Gekko mindorensis-G. kikuchii species complex in Southeast Asia. We used maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic methods and coalescent-based species delimitation analyses to estimate phylogeographic relationships, construct multilocus haplotype networks and test putative species boundaries. Results: Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses suggest that Kikuchi's Gecko may represent a peripheral population of a widespread species distributed from the northern Philippines to Taiwan. However, we identify a discrepancy between inferences of species boundaries resulting from methods based on allele frequencies versus coalescent-based methods that incorporate evolutionary history. Coalescent-based analyses suggest that G. kikuchii may be a distinct evolutionary lineage. Our study underscores the need for coalescent-based methods in conjunction with population genetic approaches for conservation genetic assessments of widespread species. Main conclusions: This study joins a few recent works suggesting that Philippine-derived anomalies in the fauna of Lanyu (and possibly greater Taiwan) are worthy of careful reconsideration. Determining whether each is the result of recent human-mediated introduction or (possibly more ancient) natural dispersal should be the goal of future studies on this seldom-conceived biogeographic relationship. Isolated species endemic to islands on the outer periphery of biogeographic and political regions represent particular conservation challenges. This is especially true if a species occurs on an isolated island that is allied biogeographically with one nation, but politically administered by another.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Multilocus phylogeography reveals nested endemism in a gecko across the monsoonal tropics of Australia

Multilocus phylogeography can uncover taxonomically unrecognized lineage diversity across complex biomes. The Australian monsoonal tropics includes vast, ecologically intact savanna-woodland plains interspersed with ancient sandstone uplands. Though recognized in general for its high species richness and endemism, the biodiversity of the region remains underexplored due to its remoteness. This is despite a high rate of ongoing species discovery, especially in wetter regions and for rock-restricted taxa. To provide a baseline for ongoing comparative analyses, we tested for phylogeographic structure in an ecologically generalized and widespread taxon, the gecko Heteronotia binoei. We apply coalescent analyses to multilocus sequence data (mitochondrial DNA and eight nuclear DNA introns) from individuals sampled extensively and at fine scale across the region. The results demonstrate surprisingly deep and geographically nested lineage diversity. Several intraspecific clades previously shown to be endemic to the region were themselves found to contain multiple, short-range lineages. To infer landscapes with concentrations of unique phylogeographic diversity, we probabilistically estimate the ranges of lineages from point data and then, combining these estimates with the nDNA species tree, estimate phyloendemism across the region. Highest levels of phyloendemism occur in northern Top End, especially on islands, across the topographically complex Arnhem escarpment, and across the sandstone ranges of the western Gulf region. These results drive home that deep phylogeographic structure is prevalent in tropical low-dispersal taxa, even ones that are ubiquitous across geography and habitats.

opennotspecifiedDec 2004View details →

FIGURE 1 in Cyrtodactylus thirakhupti (Squamata: Gekkonidae), a new cavedwelling gecko from southern Thailand

FIGURE 1. Adult female holotype of Cyrtodactylus thirakhupti, sp. nov. (CUMZ R 2003.120) from Tham Khao Sonk, Thachana District, Surat Thani Province, Thailand. Scale bar equals 10 mm. Photo by Aaron M. Bauer.

opennotspecifiedDec 2004View details →

FIGURE 2 in Cyrtodactylus thirakhupti (Squamata: Gekkonidae), a new cavedwelling gecko from southern Thailand

FIGURE 2. Specimen of Cyrtodactylus thirakhupti, sp. nov. in life, showing the long tail, elongate, slender limbs and digits, and characteristic dorsal banding pattern of the species. Photo by Montri Sumontha.

FIGURE 5 in A new species of Semaphore gecko Pristurus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Mauretania, represents a 4700 km range extension for genus

FIGURE 5. Habitats of Pristurus adrarensis n. sp. a. Type locality: Eastern part of the Zerga mountains, ca 34 km WSW of Chinguetti, Adrar Atar, central Mauritania. b. Locality of second paratype: 44km from Chinguetti on the road to Adrar, 19km before the Nouatil Pass, Adrar Atar Region, Mauretania. (Photographs by Ph. Geniez).

FIGURE 1 in A new species of Semaphore gecko Pristurus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Mauretania, represents a 4700 km range extension for genus

FIGURE 1. Geographical distribution of the genus Pristurus. The star indicates the only known area where Pristurus adrarensis n. sp. has been found to date.

FIGURE 2 in A new species of Semaphore gecko Pristurus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Mauretania, represents a 4700 km range extension for genus

FIGURE 2. General views of type series of Pristurus adrarensis n. sp. in life. a. Holotype; Eastern part of the Zerga mountains, about 34 km WSW of Chinguetti, Adrar Atar, central Mauritania. b. First paratype; same locality. c. Second paratype; 44km from Chinguetti on the road to Adrar, 19km before the Nouatil Pass, Adrar Atar Region, Mauretania. Photographs by Ph. Geniez.

FIGURE 4 in A new species of Semaphore gecko Pristurus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Mauretania, represents a 4700 km range extension for genus

FIGURE 4. Ventral views of Pristurus adrarensis n. sp. in life. a. Holotype; Eastern part of the Zerga mountains, ca 34 km WSW of Chinguetti, Adrar Atar, central Mauritania. b. Second paratype; 44km from Chinguetti on the road to Adrar, 19km before the Nouatil Pass, Adrar Atar Region, Mauretania. (Photographs by Ph. Geniez)

FIGURE 3 in A new species of Semaphore gecko Pristurus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Mauretania, represents a 4700 km range extension for genus

FIGURE 3. Heads of of type series of Pristurus adrarensis in life. a. Holotype; Eastern part of the Zerga mountains, ca 34 km WSW of Chinguetti, Adrar Atar, central Mauritania. b. First paratype; same locality. c. Second paratype; 44km from Chinguetti on the road to Adrar, 19km before the Nouatil Pass, Adrar Atar Region, Mauretania. (Photographs by Ph. Geniez)