The Mates are back after two and a half years of hiatus! They talk about all that’s happened in the intervening time, and where we are going from here!

Episode notes can get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

Get yourself a copy of Ethan’s book, Moistly Harmless!

Hiral is featured in this phenomenal book on Women in Herpetology! Go check out the Global Women in Herpetology project, over at https://www.womeninherpetology.com/.

Mark wants you to check out itaxotools.org for your taxonomy needs!

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • youtube

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble • bluesky

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble • bluesky

Ethan Kocak: personal website • comic • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon • bluesky

Hiral Naik: website • twitter • instagram • bluesky

The post SquaMates Ep. 22: Neil Caiman and Crew first appeared on SquaMates.

The Mates get into the evolution of Ambystoma, whether or not to use subspecies, and the fantastically diverse and oft maligned gymnophthalmids (gymmies!).

Episode notes can get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

Episode Citations

Boccia, C.K., Swierk, L., Ayala-Varela, F.P., Boccia, J., Borges, I.L., Estupiñán, C.A., Martin, A.M., Martínez-Grimaldo, R.E., Ovalle, S., Senthivasan, S., Toyama, K.S., del Rosario Castañeda, M., García, A., Glor, R.E. & Mahler, D.L. Repeated evolution of underwater rebreathing in diving Anolis lizards. Current Biology: DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.040

de Queiroz, K. (2007) Species concepts and species delimitation. Systematic Biology, 56(6):879–886. DOI: 10.1080/10635150701701083

de Queiroz, K. (2020) An updated concept of subspecies resolves a dispute about the taxonomy of incompletely separated lineages. Herpetological Review, 51(3):459–461.

Everson, K.M., Gray, L.N., Jones, A.G., Lawrence, N.M., Foley, M.E., Sovacool, K.L., Kratovil, J.D., Hotaling, S., Hime, P.M., Storfer, A., Parra-Olea, G., Percino-Daniel, R., Aguilar-Miguel, X., O’Neill, E.M., Zambrano, L., Shaffer, H.B. & Weisrock, D.W. (2021) Geography is more important than life history in the recent diversification of the tiger salamander complex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 118(17):e2014719118. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2014719118

Gymnophthalmids

Assorted gymnophthalmids illustrated by our very own Gabriel Ugueto

Assorted gymnophthalmine gymnophthalmids illustrated by our very own Gabriel Ugueto

Bachia species illustrated by Gabriel: above, B. trinitatis; below, B. lineata

Comparison of Gymnophthalmus (above) and Tretioscincus (below). Note the brille of Gymnophthalmus versus the movable eyelid with a semi-transparent window ind Tretioscincus

Reduction of limbs and digits in various Gymnophthalmids: a Bachia, b Gymnophthalmus (4 fingers), c Tretioscincus (5 fingers but 1st one very rudimentary), d Riolama (1st reduced and clawless) e Anadia (five digits presented and clawed)

Reduction of limbs and digits in various Bachia species

One of Gabriel’s favourite gymmies: Anadia marmorata

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble

Ethan Kocak: personal website • comic • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon

The post SquaMates Ep. 21: Bachia to the Future first appeared on SquaMates.

The Mates are joined this month by Hiral Naik, a snake ecologist from South Africa! We talk turtles, skinks, crocodiles, neocolonialism in science, and Lamprophiidae!

Episode notes can get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

Episode Citations

Thomson, R.C., Spinks, P.Q. & Shaffer, H.B. (2021) A global phylogeny of turtles reveals a burst of climate-associated diversification on continental margins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(7):e2012215118. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2012215118

Chapple, D.G., Roll, U., Böhm, M., Aguilar, R., Amey, A.P., Austin, C.C., Baling, M., Barley, A.J., Bates, M.F., Bauer, A.M., Blackburn, D.G., Bowles, P., Brown, R.M., Chandramouli, S.R., Chirio, L., Cogger, H., Colli, G.R., Conradie, W., Couper, P.J., Cowan, M.A., Craig, M.D., Das, I., Datta-Roy, A., Dickman, C.R., Ellis, R.J., Fenner, A.L., Ford, S., Ganesh, S.R., Gardner, M.G., Geissler, P., Gillespie, G.R., Glaw, F., Greenlees, M.J., Griffith, O.W., Grismer, L.L., Haines, M.L., Harris, D.J., Hedges, S.B., Hitchmough, R.A., Hoskin, C.J., Hutchinson, M.N., Ineich, I., Janssen, J., Johnston, G.R., Karin, B.R., Keogh, J.S., Kraus, F., LeBreton, M., Lymberakis, P., Masroor, R., McDonald, P.J., Mecke, S., Melville, J., Melzer, S., Michael, D.R., Miralles, A., Mitchell, N.J., Nelson, N.J., Nguyen, T.Q., de Campos Nogueira, C., Ota, H., Pafilis, P., Pauwels, O.S.G., Perera, A., Pincheira-Donoso, D., Reed, R.N., Ribeiro-Júnior, M.A., Riley, J.L., Rocha, S., Rutherford, P.L., Sadlier, R.A., Shacham, B., Shea, G.M., Shine, R., Slavenko, A., Stow, A., Sumner, J., Tallowin, O.J.S., Teale, R., Torres-Carvajal, O., Trape, J.-F., Uetz, P., Ukuwela, K.D.B., Valentine, L., Van Dyke, J.U., van Winkel, D., Vasconcelos, R., Vences, M., Wagner, P., Wapstra, E., While, G.M., Whiting, M.J., Whittington, C.M., Wilson, S., Ziegler, T., Tingley, R. & Meiri, S. (2021) Conservation status of the world’s skinks (Scincidae): Taxonomic and geographic patterns in extinction risk. Biological Conservation, 257:109101. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109101

Hekkala, E., Gatesy, J., Narechania, A., Meredith, R., Russello, M., Aardema, M.L., Jensen, E., Montanari, S., Brochu, C., Norell, M. & Amato, G. (2021) Paleogenomics illuminates the evolutionary history of the extinct Holocene “horned” crocodile of Madagascar, Voay robustus. Communications Biology, 4(1):505. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02017-0

Naik, H., Kgaditse, M. M. & Alexander, G. J. (2021) Ancestral Reconstruction of Diet and Fang Condition in the Lamprophiidae: Implications for the Evolution of Venom Systems in Snakes. Journal of Herpetology, 55(1):1–10. DOI: 10.1670/19-071 [x]

Shout-outs

Liam Revell’s PhyTools blog

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble

Ethan Kocak: personal website • comic • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon

Hiral Naik: website • twitter • instagram • save the snakes

The post SquaMates Ep. 20: Lerista Explains It All first appeared on SquaMates.

After a corona-induced hiatus, the Mates are back with a looser format and some deep dives on tiny chameleons, glowing geckos, and the much debated Lacey act!

Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

Works in Froggress

National Geographic Article featuring Gabriel’s illustrations

Get ready for the superstars of the story of life

The first three books in @Ben_garrod‘s #Extinct series are out on 13th May! Fantastically illustrated by @SerpenIllus.

Pre-order here & support independent bookshops: https://t.co/SSIy6oxgwM pic.twitter.com/jN1hJWZWb7

— Zephyr Books (@_ZephyrBooks) April 10, 2021

Mark and Ella at their wedding!

Episode Citations

Scherz, M.D., Schmidt, L., Crottini, A., Miralles, A., Rakotoarison, A., Raselimanana, A.P., Köhler, J., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2021) Into the Chamber of Horrors: A proposal for the resolution of nomenclatural chaos in the Scaphiophryne calcarata complex (Anura: Microhylidae), with a new species-level phylogenetic hypothesis for Scaphiophryninae. Zootaxa, 4938(1):392–420. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4938.4.2

Glaw, F., Köhler, J., Hawlitschek, O., Ratsoavina, F.M., Rakotoarison, A., Scherz, M.D. & Vences, M. (2021) Extreme miniaturization of a new amniote vertebrate and insights into the evolution of genital size in chameleons. Scientific Reports, 11:2522. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80955-1

Prötzel, D., Heß, M., Schwager, M., Glaw, F. & Scherz, M.D. (2021) Neon-green fluorescence in the desert gecko Pachydactylus rangei caused by iridophores. Scientific Reports, 11:297. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79706-z

Jowers, M.J., Othman, S.N., Borzée, A., Rivas, G.A., Sánchez-Ramírez, S., Auguste, J., Downie, J.R., Read, M. & Murphy, J.C. (2021) Unraveling unique island colonization events in Elachistocleis frogs: phylogeography, cryptic divergence, and taxonomical implications. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 21:189–206. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13127-021-00487-y

Dal Vechio, F., Prates, I., Grazziotin, F.G., Graboski, R. & Rodrigues, M.T. (2021) Molecular and phenotypic data reveal a new Amazonian species of pit vipers (Serpentes: Viperidae: Bothrops). Journal of Natural History 54(37–38):2415–2437. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00222933.2020.1845835

Marshall, B.M., Strine, C. & Hughes, A.C. (2020) Thousands of reptile species threatened by under-regulated global trade. Nature Communications 11:4738. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18523-4 

Shout-outs

The Chameleon Academy Podcast

Darren Naish: @tetzoo • The Tetzoo Blog

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble

Ethan Kocak: personal website • comic • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon

The post SquaMates Ep. 19: Nobody Expects the Lacey Imposition first appeared on SquaMates.

Here’s episode 18, a Works in Froggress episode, featuring the Mates, Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak, talking about what’s going on in their new lives stuck inside—Ethan’s setting off on a freelancing lifestyle, Gabriel has been tweaking the same illustration forever, and Mark is working on FIIIIIIIIIISH! The Mates then dive into a discussion about Uroplatus geckos!

Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references and beautiful pictures), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

A note: this episode was recorded on the 24th of April 2020, a time when most of humanity seemed united in their fight against a common enemy, the coronavirus COVID-19. In the meantime, another enemy of humanity has been brought into the limelight that, by its very nature, divides. That enemy is racism. The experiences of Christian Cooper highlight how people of colour may be treated when engaging in field sciences like ornithology or herpetology, and similar stories are being heard from people of colour across social media (e.g. see the #BlackInNature tag on twitter). We must strive to make field-based sciences like herpetology inclusive of people of colour, and to fight racism wherever we encounter it in order to disassemble the systematic discrimination that plagues our fields and our societies. We at the SquaMates podcast stand firmly behind the BlackLivesMatter movement.

Check out Ethan’s new professional website, www.ethankocak.com!

Episode Citations

Glaw, F., Scherz, M.D., Rakotoarison, A., Crottini, A., Raselimanana, A.P., Andreone, F., Köhler, J. & Vences, M. (2020) Genetic variability and partial integrative revision of Platypelis frogs (Microhylidae) with red flash marks from eastern Madagascar. Vertebrate Zoology, 70(2):141–156. DOI: 10.26049/VZ70-2-2020-04 [pdf]

Miralles, A., Bruy, T., Wolcott, K., Scherz, M.D., Begerow, D., Beszteri, B., Bonkowski, M., Felden, J., Gemeinholzer, B., Glaw, F., Glöckner, F.O., Hawlitschek, O., Kostadinov, I., Nattkemper, T.W., Printzen, C., Renz, J., Rybalka, N., Stadler, M., Weibulat, T., Wilke, T., Renner, S.S. & Vences, M. (2020) Repositories for taxonomic data: where we are and what is missing. Systematic Biology, syaa026. DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syaa026 (online ahead of print)

Mantidactylus radaka, one of the recently described frogs.

Rancilhac, L., Bruy, T., Scherz, M.D., Pereira, E.A., Preick, M., Straube, N., Lyra, M., Ohler, A., Streicher, J.W., Andreone, F., Crottini, A., Hutter, C.R., Randrianantoandro, J.C., Rakotoarison, A., Glaw, F., Hofreiter, M. & Vences, M. (in press) Target-enriched DNA sequencing from historical type material enables a partial revision of the Madagascar giant stream frogs (genus Mantidactylus). Journal of Natural History. DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1748243 (online ahead of print) [Request PDF]

Rakotoarison, A., Scherz, M.D., Köhler, J., Ratsoavina, F.M., Hawlitschek, O., Megson, S., Vences, M. & Glaw, F. (2020) Frogs of the genus Platypelis from the Sorata massif in northern Madagascar: description of a new species and reports of range extensions. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 96(1):263–274. DOI: 10.3897/zse.96.47088 [pdf]

Curious Kids: can chameleons change colour when they sleep?

Main discussion: Uroplatus

Here are some of Mark’s photos of some Uroplatus species. Also check out www.uroplatus.info for information about Uroplatus geckos!

Gamble, T., Greenbaum, E., Jackman, T.R. & Bauer, A.M. (2015) Into the light: diurnality has evolved multiple times in geckos. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 115(4):896–910. DOI: 10.1111/bij.12536

Ratsoavina, F.M., Raminosoa, N.R., Louis Jr., E.E., Raselimanana, A.P., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2013) An overview of Madagascar’s leaf tailed geckos (genus Uroplatus): species boundaries, candidate species and review of geographical distribution based on molecular data. Salamandra, 49(3):115–148. Available here, and strongly recommended reading for those interested in Uroplatus!

Ratsoavina, F.M., Scherz, M.D., Tolley, K.A., Raselimanana, A.P., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2019) A new species of Uroplatus (Gekkonidae) from Ankarana National Park, Madagascar, of remarkably high genetic divergence. Zootaxa, 4683(1):84–96. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4683.1.4

Ratsoavina, F.M., Raselimanana, A.P., Scherz, M.D., Rakotoarison, A., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2019) Finaritra! A new leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus) species from Marojejy National Park in north-eastern Madagascar. Zootaxa, 4545(4):563–577. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4545.4.7

Ratsoavina, F.M., Gehring, P.-S., Scherz, M.D., Vieites, D.R., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2017) Two new species of leaf-tailed geckos (Uroplatus) from the Tsaratanana mountain massif in northern Madagascar. Zootaxa, 4347(3):446–464. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4347.3.2

Russell, A.P., Hood, H.A. & Bauer, A.M. (2014) Laryngotracheal and cervical muscular anatomy in the genus Uroplatus (Gekkota: Gekkonidae) in relation to distress call emission. African Journal of Herpetology, 63(2):127–151. DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2014.940065

Crottini, A., Madsen, O., Poux, C., Strauß, A., Vieites, D.R. & Vences, M. (2012) Vertebrate time–tree elucidates the biogeographic pattern of a major biotic change around the K–T boundary in Madagascar. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 109(14):5358–5363. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1112487109

Shout-outs

The Chameleon Academy Podcast

Dave Hone: @Dave_Hone

Darren Naish: @tetzoo • The Tetzoo Blog

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble

Ethan Kocak: hire Ethan • website • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon

The post SquaMates Ep. 18: Amici manere domi! first appeared on SquaMates.

We’re back with Episode 17! In this Breaking Newts episode, the Mates, Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak, talk about the coolest new research in herpetology and Gabriel’s extremely squeaky chair! Featuring a few controversial new bits of science, some amazing turtles, diverse salamanders, and glowing, bony amphibians!

Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

A note: this episode was recorded on the 24th of April 2020, a time when most of humanity seemed united in their fight against a common enemy, the coronavirus COVID-19. In the meantime, another enemy of humanity has been brought into the limelight that, by its very nature, divides. That enemy is racism. The experiences of Christian Cooper highlight how people of colour may be treated when engaging in field sciences like ornithology or herpetology, and similar stories are being heard from people of colour across social media (e.g. see the #BlackInNature tag on twitter). We must strive to make field-based sciences like herpetology inclusive of people of colour, and to fight racism wherever we encounter it in order to disassemble the systematic discrimination that plagues our fields and our societies. We at the SquaMates podcast stand firmly behind the BlackLivesMatter movement.

Episode Citations

Anole Online Learning Resources

Xing, L., O’Connor, J.K., Schmitz, L., Chiappe, L.M., McKellar, R.C., Yi, Q. & Li, G. (2020) Hummingbird-sized dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Myanmar. Nature, 579:245–249. 10.1038/s41586-020-2068-4 — Darren Naish has done a great job of first writing about this in its original interpretation, and then updating his article to explain the ethical and phylogenetic problems associated with the paper. On the 29th of May, 2020, an editor’s note was added to the paper, that reads ‘Readers are alerted that doubts have been expressed about the phylogenetic placement of the fossil described in this paper. We are investigating and appropriate editorial action will be taken once this matter is resolved.’

Breuil M, Schikorski D, Vuillaume B, Krauss U, Morton MN, Corry E, Bech N, Jelić M, Grandjean F (2020) Painted black: Iguana melanoderma (Reptilia, Squamata, Iguanidae) a new melanistic endemic species from Saba and Montserrat islands (Lesser Antilles). ZooKeys, 926:95-131. 10.3897/zookeys.926.48679

Vargas-Ramírez, M., Caballero, S., Morales-Betancourt, M.A., Lasso, C.A., Amaya, L., Gregorio Martínez, J., das Neves Silva Viana, M., Vogt, R.C., Pires Farias, I., Hrbek, T., Campbell, P.D. & Fritz, U. (2020) Genomic analyses reveal two species of the matamata (Testudines: Chelidae: Chelus spp.) and clarify their phylogeography. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 106823. 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106823

Sánchez-Villagra, M.R., Pritchard, P.C.H., Paolillo, A. & Linares, O.J. (1995) Geographic variation in the matamata turtle, Chelus fimbriatus, with observations on its shell morphology and morphometry. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 1(4):293–300.

Here is the Tetrapod Zoology blog by Darren Naish about Matamata mentioned in the episode, which was the basis of this comic by Ethan!

Lamb, J.Y. & Davis, M.P. (2020) Salamanders and other amphibians are aglow with biofluorescence. Scientific Reports, 10:2821. 10.1038/s41598-020-59528-9

Jaramillo, A.F., De La Riva, I., Guayasamin, J.M., Chaparro, J.C., Gagliardi-Urrutia, G., Gutiérrez, R.C., Brcko, I., Vilà, C. & Castroviejo-Fisher, S. (2020) Vastly underestimated species richness of Amazonian salamanders (Plethodontidae: Bolitoglossa) and implications about plethodontid diversification. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 149:106841. 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106841

Vieites, D.R., Wollenberg, K.C., Andreone, F., Köhler, J., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2009) Vast underestimation of Madagascar’s biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 106(20):8267–8272. 10.1073/pnas.0810821106

Rovito, S.M., Parra-Olea, G., Hanken, J., Bonett, R.M. & Wake, D.B. (2013) Adaptive radiation in miniature: the minute salamanders of the Mexican highlands (Amphibia: Plethodontidae: Thorius). Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society, 109:622–643.

Yoshida, T., Ujiie, R., Savitzky, A.H., Jono, T., Inoue, T., Yoshinaga, N., Aburaya, S., Aoki, W., Takeuchi, H., Ding, L., Chen, Q., Cao, C., Tsai, T.-S., Silva, A.d., Mahaulpatha, D., Nguyen, T.T., Tang, Y., Mori, N. & Mori, A. (2020) Dramatic dietary shift maintains sequestered toxins in chemically defended snakes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 117:5964. 10.1073/pnas.1919065117

Paluh, D.J., Stanley, E.L. & Blackburn, D.C. (2020) Evolution of hyperossification expands skull diversity in frogs. Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences of the USA, 117:8554. 10.1073/pnas.2000872117

Jared, C., Mailho-Fontana, Pedro L., Antoniazzi, Marta M., Mendes, Vanessa A., Barbaro, Katia C., Rodrigues, Miguel T. & Brodie, Edmund D., Jr. (2015) Venomous Frogs Use Heads as Weapons. Current Biology, 25(16):2166–2170. 10.1016/j.cub.2015.06.061

Interestingly, there is probably a third species we did not know about: Cajade, R., Hermida, G., Piñeiro, J.M., Regueira, E., Alcalde, L., Fusco, L.S. & Marangoni, F. (2017) Multiple anti-predator mechanisms in the red-spotted Argentina Frog (Amphibia: Hylidae). Journal of Zoology, 302(2):94–107. 10.1111/jzo.12439 — thanks to Dan Paluh (@danpaluh) for bringing that to our attention on twitter!

Esquerré, D., Donnellan, S., Brennan, I.G., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.M., Zaher, H., Grazziotin, F.G. & Keogh, J.S. (in press) Phylogenomics, biogeography and morphometrics reveal rapid phenotypic evolution in pythons after crossing Wallace’s line. Systematic Biology. 10.1093/sysbio/syaa024

Sandoval, M.T., Ruiz García, J.A. & Álvarez, B.B. (2020) Intrauterine and post-ovipositional embryonic development of Amerotyphlops brongersmianus (Vanzolini, 1976) (Serpentes: Typhlopidae) from northeastern Argentina. Journal of Morphology, 281:523–535. 10.1002/jmor.21119

Simison, W.B., Parham, J.F., Papenfuss, T.J., Lam, A.W. & Henderson, J.B. (in press) An annotated chromosome-level reference genome of the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans). Genome Biology and Evolution. 10.1093/gbe/evaa063

Grundler, M.C. (2020) SquamataBase: a natural history database and R package for comparative biology of snake feeding habits. Biodiversity Data Journal, 8:e49943. 10.3897/BDJ.8.e49943

Shout-outs

Yara Haridy: @yara_haridy

Darren Naish: @tetzoo • The Tetzoo Blog

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble

Ethan Kocak: website • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon

The post SquaMates Ep. 17: Malayopython and the Glowing Tail first appeared on SquaMates.

Episode 16 is here, in this episode we—Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak—feature an interview with Professor Emily Taylor of Cal Poly, and two of her students, Isabelle Barnes and Katie Rock, talking about their amazing dataset about sex biases in publishing in herpetology, recorded at the 9th World Congress of Herpetology in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

For more information about the dataset we talk about, check out Professor Taylor’s tweet about it here, but most importantly, read the detailed blog post about it here. We were thrilled to be able to interview this team, and will update this post when the data are published.

More shoutouts:

Rachunliu G. Kamei: @chungkamei

Helen Bond Plylar: @SssnakeySci

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble

Ethan Kocak: website • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon

The post SquaMates Ep. 16: Sex-bias in herpetology first appeared on SquaMates.

We’re back with Episode 15! In this Works in Froggress and Discussion episode, the Mates, Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak, talk about what they’ve been up to since October 2019, and discuss the event of the year, the 9th World Congress of Herpetology in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Episode notes sometimes get clipped on your device or by your podcast provider; for full (extensive) notes (and references), go to http://www.squamatespod.com

Episode Citations

Ratsoavina, F.M., Scherz, M.D., Tolley, K.A., Raselimanana, A.P., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2019) A new species of Uroplatus (Gekkonidae) from Ankarana National Park, Madagascar, of remarkably high genetic divergence. Zootaxa, 4683(1):84–96. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4683.1.4

Rasolonjatovo, S.M., Scherz, M.D., Hutter, C.R., Glaw, F., Rakotoarison, A., Razafindraibe, J.H., Goodman, S.M., Raselimanana, A.P. & Vences, M. (2020) Sympatric lineages in the Mantidactylus ambreensis complex of Malagasy frogs originated allopatrically rather than by in-situ speciation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 144:106700. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106700

Prötzel, D., Scherz, M.D., Ratsoavina, F.M., Vences, M. & Glaw, F. (2020) Untangling the trees: Revision of the Calumma nasutum complex (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 70(1):23–59. DOI: 10.26049/VZ70-1-2020-3

Get the book about Joan Procter mentioned by Mark here!

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • redbubble

Ethan Kocak: website • twitter • tumblr • facebook • patreon

The post SquaMates Ep. 15: And now for something completely different first appeared on SquaMates.

Dr Mark D. Scherz, Gabriel Ugueto, and Ethan Kocak are back for a new start in 2020 and a small change to our episode format! In this Breaking Newts episode, we highlight important herpetological papers published since October 2019!

Episode Citations

Post, Y., Puschhof, J., Beumer, J., Kerkkamp, H.M., de Bakker, M.A.G., Slagboom, J., de Barbanson, B., Wevers, N.R., Spijkers, X.M., Olivier, T., Kazandjian, T.D., Ainsworth, S., Iglesias, C.L., van de Wetering, W.J., Heinz, M.C., van Ineveld, R.L., van Kleef, R.G.D.M., Begthel, H., Korving, J., Bar-Ephraim, Y.E., Getreuer, W., Rios, A.C., Westerink, R.H.S., Snippert, H.J.G., van Oudenaarden, A., Peters, P.J., Vonk, F.J., Kool, J., Richardson, M.K., Casewell, N.R. & Clevers, H. (2020) Snake Venom Gland Organoids. Cell, 180, 233–247.e21. 10.1016/j.cell.2019.11.038

Garberoglio, F.F., Apesteguía, S., Simões, T.R., Palci, A., Gómez, R.O., Nydam, R.L., Larsson, H.C.E., Lee, M.S.Y. & Caldwell, M.W. (2019) New skulls and skeletons of the Cretaceous legged snake Najash, and the evolution of the modern snake body plan. Science Advances, 5, eaax5833. 10.1126/sciadv.aax5833

Macrì, S., Savriama, Y., Khan, I. & Di-Poï, N. (2019) Comparative analysis of squamate brains unveils multi-level variation in cerebellar architecture associated with locomotor specialization. Nature Communications, 10, 5560. 10.1038/s41467-019-13405-w

Čerňanský, A., Herrel, A., Kibii, J.M., Anderson, C.V., Boistel, R. & Lehmann, T. (2020) The only complete articulated early Miocene chameleon skull (Rusinga Island, Kenya) suggests an African origin for Madagascar’s endemic chameleons. Scientific Reports, 10, 109. 10.1038/s41598-019-57014-5

Burbrink, F.T., Grazziotin, F.G., Pyron, R.A., Cundall, D., Donnellan, S., Irish, F., Keogh, J.S., Kraus, F., Murphy, R.W., Noonan, B., Raxworthy, C.J., Ruane, S., Lemmon, A.R., Lemmon, E.M. & Zaher, H. (2019) Interrogating genomic-scale data for Squamata (Lizards, Snakes, and Amphisbaenians) shows no support for key traditional morphological relationships. Systematic Biology,  10.1093/sysbio/syz062

Fischer, E.K., Roland, A.B., Moskowitz, N.A., Vidoudez, C., Ranaivorazo, N., Tapia, E.E., Trauger, S.A., Vences, M., Coloma, L.A. & O’Connell, L.A. (2019) Mechanisms of convergent egg provisioning in poison frogs. Current Biology, 29, 4145–4151.e3. 10.1016/j.cub.2019.10.032

Lind, A.L., Lai, Y.Y.Y., Mostovoy, Y., Holloway, A.K., Iannucci, A., Mak, A.C.Y., Fondi, M., Orlandini, V., Eckalbar, W.L., Milan, M., Rovatsos, M., Kichigin, I.G., Makunin, A.I., Johnson Pokorná, M., Altmanová, M., Trifonov, V.A., Schijlen, E., Kratochvíl, L., Fani, R., Velenský, P., Rehák, I., Patarnello, T., Jessop, T.S., Hicks, J.W., Ryder, O.A., Mendelson, J.R., Ciofi, C., Kwok, P.-Y., Pollard, K.S. & Bruneau, B.G. (2019) Genome of the Komodo dragon reveals adaptations in the cardiovascular and chemosensory systems of monitor lizards. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3, 1241–1252. 10.1038/s41559-019-0945-8

Suryamohan, K., Krishnankutty, S.P., Guillory, J., Jevit, M., Schröder, M.S., Wu, M., Kuriakose, B., Mathew, O.K., Perumal, R.C., Koludarov, I., Goldstein, L.D., Senger, K., Dixon, M.D., Velayutham, D., Vargas, D., Chaudhuri, S., Muraleedharan, M., Goel, R., Chen, Y.-J.J., Ratan, A., Liu, P., Faherty, B., de la Rosa, G., Shibata, H., Baca, M., Sagolla, M., Ziai, J., Wright, G.A., Vucic, D., Mohan, S., Antony, A., Stinson, J., Kirkpatrick, D.S., Hannoush, R.N., Durinck, S., Modrusan, Z., Stawiski, E.W., Wiley, K., Raudsepp, T., Kini, R.M., Zachariah, A. & Seshagiri, S. (2020) The Indian cobra reference genome and transcriptome enables comprehensive identification of venom toxins. Nature Genetics, 52, 106-117. 10.1038/s41588-019-0559-8

Li, J., Yu, H., Wang, W., Fu, C., Zhang, W., Han, F. & Wu, H. (2019) Genomic and transcriptomic insights into molecular basis of sexually dimorphic nuptial spines in Leptobrachium leishanense. Nature Communications, 10, 5551. 10.1038/s41467-019-13531-5

Furness, A.I. & Capellini, I. (2019) The evolution of parental care diversity in amphibians. Nature Communications, 10, 4709. 10.1038/s41467-019-12608-5

Perkins, R.D., Gamboa, J.R., Jonika, M.M. Lo, J., Shum, A., Adams, R. H. & Blackmon, H. (2019) A database of amphibian karyotypes. Chromosome Research 27:313. 10.1007/s10577-019-09613-1

Shout-outs

Eva Fischer: @evakfischer • Fischer lab website • Personal Website

Lauren O’Connell: @alaurenoconnell • Stanford Laboratory of Organismal Biology

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • artwork prints

Ethan Kocak: website • twitter • tumblr • facebook

The post SquaMates Ep. 14: And Another Thing… first appeared on SquaMates.

We are the worst, but at least we have an Episode 13, unlike a certain podcast we know. In this long-delayed episode, it’s just two of your normal co-hosts, Dr Mark D. Scherz and Gabriel Ugueto, in a more laid-back, chatty format than the usual!

In this thirteenth episode, the structure of the show is a bit different, but we do talk about biogeography and conservation of some geckos and frogs from Madagascar, how exciting we find turtles, and some really cool new science.

Works in Frogress

Mohan, A.V., Gehring, P.-S., Scherz, M.D., Glaw, F., Ratsoavina, F.M. & Vences, M. (2019) Comparative phylogeography and patterns of deep genetic differentiation of two gecko species, Paroedura gracilis and Phelsuma guttata, across north-eastern Madagascar. Salamandra, 55(3):211–220.

Scherz, M.D., Glaw, F., Hutter, C.R., Bletz, M.C., Rakotoarison, A., Köhler, J. & Vences, M. (2019) Species complexes and the importance of Data Deficient classification in Red List assessments: the case of Hylobatrachus frogs. PLoS One, 14(8):e0219437. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219437 — for more information about this paper, see Mark’s article in The Conversation (short) and on his blog (long) about it

Mark mentions this paper as well when talking about the former:

Gehring, P.-S., Siarabi, S., Scherz, M.D., Ratsoavina, F.M., Rakotoarison, A., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. (2018) Genetic differentiation and species status of the large-bodied leaf-tailed geckos Uroplatus fimbriatus and U. giganteus. Salamandra, 54(2):132–146.

and this paper when talking about the latter:

Gehara, M., Crawford, A.J., Orrico, V.G.D., Rodríguez, A., Lötters, S., Fouquet, A., Barrientos, L.S., Brusquetti, F., De la Riva, I., Ernst, R., Urrutia, G.G., Glaw, F., Guayasamin, J.M., Hölting, M., Jansen, M., Kok, P.J.R., Kwet, A., Lingnau, R., Lyra, M., Moravec, J., Pombal, J.P., Jr., Rojas-Runjaic, F.J.M., Schulze, A., Señaris, J.C., Solé, M., Rodrigues, M.T., Twomey, E., Haddad, C.F.B., Vences, M. & Köhler, J. (2014) High levels of diversity uncovered in a widespread nominal taxon: continental phylogeography of the Neotropical tree frog Dendropsophus minutus. PLoS ONE, 9(9):e103958. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103958

Some showcases of what Gabriel talked about:

His ‘cheat-sheets’ to some American lizards:

Jurassic taxa for his upcoming book:

Follow-up

Wollenberg Valero, C.K., Marshall, C.J., Bastiaans, E., Caccone, A., Camargo, A., Morando, M., Niemiller, L.M., Pabijan, M., Russello, A.M., Sinervo, B., Werneck, P.F., Sites, W.J., Wiens, J.J. & Steinfartz, S. (2019) Patterns, mechanisms and genetics of speciation in reptiles and amphibians. Genes, 10(9): DOI: 10.3390/genes10090646

Rasys, A.M., Park, S., Ball, R.E., Alcala, A.J., Lauderdale, J.D. & Menke, D.B. (2019) CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing in Lizards Through Microinjection of Unfertilized Oocytes. Cell Reports, 28(9):2288–2292.e3. DOI: 10.1101/591446

Breuil, M., Vuillaume, B., Schikorski, D., Krauss, U., Morton, M.N., Haynes, P., Daltry, J.C., Corry, E., Gaymes, G., Gaymes, J., Bech, N., Jelić, M. & Grandjean, F. (2019) A story of nasal horns: two new subspecies of Iguana Laurenti, 1768 (Squamata, Iguanidae) in Saint Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, and Grenada (southern Lesser Antilles). Zootaxa, 4608(2):201–232. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4608.2.1

Breaking Newts

Women Researching and Talking Herpetology

The September 2019 issue of MDPI Diversity is packed with herpetology!

Fischer, E.K., Roland, A.B., Moskowitz, N.A., Tapia, E.E., Summers, K., Coloma, L.A. & O’Connell, L.A. (2019) The neural basis of tadpole transport in poison frogs. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1907):20191084. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1084 — Mark said this was in Open Science but it was not

Rovatsos, M., Farkačová, K., Altmanová, M., Johnson Pokorná, M. & Kratochvíl, L. (2019) The rise and fall of differentiated sex chromosomes in geckos. Molecular Ecology, 28(12):3042-3052. DOI: 10.1111/mec.15126

Feiner, N. (2019) Evolutionary lability in Hox cluster structure and gene expression in Anolis lizards. Evolution Letters, 3(5):474–484. DOI: 10.1002/evl3.131 — check out the post on this article on Anole Annals!

Skipwith, P.L., Bi, K. & Oliver, P.M. (2019) Relicts and radiations: Phylogenomics of an Australasian lizard clade with east Gondwanan origins (Gekkota: Diplodactyloidea). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 140:106589. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106589

Watanabe, A., Fabre, A.-C., Felice, R.N., Maisano, J.A., Müller, J., Herrel, A. & Goswami, A. (2019) Ecomorphological diversification in squamates from conserved pattern of cranial integration. Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences of the USA, 116(29):14688. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1820967116

Chaplin, K., Sumner, J., Hipsley, C.A. & Melville, J. (2019) An integrative approach using phylogenomics and high-resolution x-ray computed tomography for species delimitation in cryptic taxa. Systematic Biology: DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syz048

Shout-outs

Common Descent Podcast: PodBean • Apple Podcasts • @CommDescentPC

Eva Fischer: @evakfischer • Fischer lab website • Personal Website

Lauren O’Connell: @alaurenoconnell • Stanford Laboratory of Organismal Biology

Follow the show and the hosts on social media!

SquaMates: website • twitter • instagram • facebook

Mark D. Scherz: website • twitter • instagram • tumblr • facebook • researchgate • redbubble

Gabriel Ugueto: website • twitter • instagram • facebook • artwork prints

Ethan Kocak: website • twitter • tumblr • facebook

The post Squamates Ep. 13: Mostly Humbugs first appeared on SquaMates.