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Kornilev YV, Natchev ND, Lillywhite HB. Perils of ingesting harmful prey by advanced snakes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:263-283. [PMID: 36192825 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The advanced snakes (Alethinophidia) include the extant snakes with a highly evolved head morphology providing increased gape and jaw flexibility. Along with other physiological and morphological adaptations, this allows them to immobilize, ingest, and transport prey that may be disproportionately large or presents danger to the predator from bites, teeth, horns, or spines. Reported incidents of snakes failing to consume prey and being injured or killed during feeding mostly reflect information in the form of natural-history notes. Here we provide the first extensive review of such incidents, including 101 publications describing at least 143 cases of mortality (including six of 'multiple individuals') caused by ingestion or attempted consumption of injurious prey. We also report on 15 previously unpublished injurious feeding incidents from the USA, Austria, and Bulgaria, including mortality of five juvenile piscivorous dice snakes (Natrix tessellata) from a single location. Occurrences are spread across taxa, with mortality documented for at least 73 species from eight families and 45 genera. Incidents were generally well represented within each of three major categories: oversized prey (40.6%), potentially harmful prey (40.6%), and predator's behavioural/mechanical errors (18.9%). Reptile (33%) and fish (26%) prey caused disproportionately high mortality compared to mammals (16%). Feeding can be dangerous throughout a snake's life, with the later stages of feeding likely being more perilous. The number of reports has increased over time, and the data seem biased towards localities with a higher number of field-working herpetologists. We propose a standardized framework, comprising a set of basic information that should ideally be collected and published, and which could be useful as a template for future data collection, reporting, and analyses. We conclude that incidents of mortality during feeding are likely to be more common than previously assumed, and this hypothesis has implications for the ecology of persistence where populations are impacted by changing trophic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yurii V Kornilev
- Vertebrates Department, National Museum of Natural History, Sofia, 1 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, 1000, Sofia, Bulgaria.,Unit for Integrative Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Vienna University, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nikolay D Natchev
- Unit for Integrative Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology, Vienna University, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.,Faculty of Natural Science, Shumen University, 115 Universitetska Street, 9700, Shumen, Bulgaria
| | - Harvey B Lillywhite
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611-8525, USA
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2
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Peng ZL, Wu W, Tang CY, Ren JL, Jiang D, Li JT. Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Olfactory System Expression Characteristics of Aquatic Snakes. Front Genet 2022; 13:825974. [PMID: 35154285 PMCID: PMC8829814 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.825974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal olfactory systems evolved with changes in habitat to detect odor cues from the environment. The aquatic environment, as a unique habitat, poses a formidable challenge for olfactory perception in animals, since the higher density and viscosity of water. The olfactory system in snakes is highly specialized, thus providing the opportunity to explore the adaptive evolution of such systems to unique habitats. To date, however, few studies have explored the changes in gene expression features in the olfactory systems of aquatic snakes. In this study, we carried out RNA sequencing of 26 olfactory tissue samples (vomeronasal organ and olfactory bulb) from two aquatic and two non-aquatic snake species to explore gene expression changes under the aquatic environment. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed significant differences in gene expression profiles between aquatic and non-aquatic habitats. The main olfactory systems of the aquatic and non-aquatic snakes were regulated by different genes. Among these genes, RELN may contribute to exploring gene expression changes under the aquatic environment by regulating the formation of inhibitory neurons in the granular cell layer and increasing the separation of neuronal patterns to correctly identify complex chemical information. The high expression of TRPC2 and V2R family genes in the accessory olfactory systems of aquatic snakes should enhance their ability to bind water-soluble odor molecules, and thus obtain more information in hydrophytic habitats. This work provides an important foundation for exploring the olfactory adaptation of snakes in special habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong-Liang Peng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chen-Yang Tang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Jin-Long Ren
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dechun Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Jia-Tang Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization and Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yezin Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
- *Correspondence: Jia-Tang Li,
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3
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Huang MCW, Liao CP, Chou CC, Lin JW, Huang WS. Size of Snake Eyes Correlates With Habitat Types and Diel Activity Patterns. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.821965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Eye size influences visual acuity, sensitivity, and temporal resolution and is a result of vertebrate adaptation to the environment. The habitats of snake species are diverse, ranging from fossorial, terrestrial, arboreal, to aquatic. They also demonstrate a variety of behavioral and physiological characteristics, such as activity time, feeding patterns, and prey detection. In this study, we comparatively investigated how the relative eye size (i.e., eye diameter vs. head width) associated with the ecological (i.e., habitat), behavioral (i.e., diel activity pattern, foraging strategy), and physiological traits (i.e., the presence of pits), respectively, across six snake families from Taiwan. Among the traits we examined, we found that terrestrial and/or diurnal snakes tended to exhibit the larger relative eye size, indicating the evolutionary responses of eye size to changes in habitat types and activity patterns, respectively, while no evidence of how foraging strategies and the presence of pits affected snake eye size was found. Our findings not only shed light on the adaptive significance of the visual system in diversifying the behaviors and the environments exploited in snakes, but also underline the interactive effects of multidimensional evolutionary attributes (e.g., behavior, ecology, physiology and phylogeny) on the evolution of optimal visual performance.
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4
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Poyarkov NA, Nguyen TV, Pawangkhanant P, Yushchenko PV, Brakels P, Nguyen LH, Nguyen HN, Suwannapoom C, Orlov N, Vogel G. An integrative taxonomic revision of slug-eating snakes (Squamata: Pareidae: Pareineae) reveals unprecedented diversity in Indochina. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12713. [PMID: 35047234 PMCID: PMC8757378 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Slug-eating snakes of the subfamily Pareinae are an insufficiently studied group of snakes specialized in feeding on terrestrial mollusks. Currently Pareinae encompass three genera with 34 species distributed across the Oriental biogeographic region. Despite the recent significant progress in understanding of Pareinae diversity, the subfamily remains taxonomically challenging. Here we present an updated phylogeny of the subfamily with a comprehensive taxon sampling including 30 currently recognized Pareinae species and several previously unknown candidate species and lineages. Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA and nuDNA data supported the monophyly of the three genera Asthenodipsas, Aplopeltura, and Pareas. Within both Asthenodipsas and Pareas our analyses recovered deep differentiation with each genus being represented by two morphologically diagnosable clades, which we treat as subgenera. We further apply an integrative taxonomic approach, including analyses of molecular and morphological data, along with examination of available type materials, to address the longstanding taxonomic questions of the subgenus Pareas, and reveal the high level of hidden diversity of these snakes in Indochina. We restrict the distribution of P. carinatus to southern Southeast Asia, and recognize two subspecies within it, including one new subspecies proposed for the populations from Thailand and Myanmar. We further revalidate P. berdmorei, synonymize P. menglaensis with P. berdmorei, and recognize three subspecies within this taxon, including the new subspecies erected for the populations from Laos and Vietnam. Furthermore, we describe two new species of Pareas from Vietnam: one belonging to the P. carinatus group from southern Vietnam, and a new member of the P. nuchalis group from the central Vietnam. We provide new data on P. temporalis, and report on a significant range extension for P. nuchalis. Our phylogeny, along with molecular clock and ancestral area analyses, reveal a complex diversification pattern of Pareinae involving a high degree of sympatry of widespread and endemic species. Our analyses support the "upstream" colonization hypothesis and, thus, the Pareinae appears to have originated in Sundaland during the middle Eocene and then colonized mainland Asia in early Oligocene. Sundaland and Eastern Indochina appear to have played the key roles as the centers of Pareinae diversification. Our results reveal that both vicariance and dispersal are responsible for current distribution patterns of Pareinae, with tectonic movements, orogeny and paleoclimatic shifts being the probable drivers of diversification. Our study brings the total number of Pareidae species to 41 and further highlights the importance of comprehensive taxonomic revisions not only for the better understanding of biodiversity and its evolution, but also for the elaboration of adequate conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay A. Poyarkov
- Laboratory of Tropical Ecology, Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center, Hanoi, Vietnam,Faculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tan Van Nguyen
- Department of Species Conservation, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
| | - Parinya Pawangkhanant
- Division of Fishery, School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand
| | - Platon V. Yushchenko
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Linh Hoang Nguyen
- Department of Zoology, Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Hung Ngoc Nguyen
- Department of Zoology, Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Chatmongkon Suwannapoom
- Division of Fishery, School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand
| | - Nikolai Orlov
- Department of Herpetology, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Gernot Vogel
- Society for Southeast Asian Herpetology, Heidelberg, Germany
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5
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Chang KX, Huang BH, Luo MX, Huang CW, Wu SP, Nguyen HN, Lin SM. Niche partitioning among three snail-eating snakes revealed by dentition asymmetry and prey specialisation. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:967-977. [PMID: 33481265 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The level of dentition asymmetry in snail-eating snakes may reflect their prey choice and feeding efficiency on asymmetric land snails. The three species of Pareas snakes (Squamata: Pareidae) in Taiwan, which form partially sympatric distribution on the island, provide a potential case to test the hypothesis of niche partitioning and character displacement with regard to dentition asymmetry and specialisation in feeding behaviour. In this study, behavioural experiments confirmed that P. formosensis feeds exclusively on slugs, whereas P. atayal and P. komaii consumed both. However, P. atayal more efficiently preys on land snails than P. komaii, exhibiting a shorter handling time and fewer mandibular retractions. Micro-CT and ancestral character reconstruction demonstrated the lowest asymmetry in P. formosensis (the slug specialist), the highest dentition asymmetry in P. atayal (the land snail specialist) and flexibility in P. komaii (the niche switcher): increased dentition asymmetry when sympatrically distributed with the slug eater (character displacement), and decreased asymmetry when living alone (ecological niche release). Ecological niche modelling showed that the distribution of P. formosensis is associated with the presence of slugs, while that of P. atayal could be explained by the land snails. Combining the results from morphology, phylogeny, behavioural experiments and ecological niche modelling, we showed that competition in the sympatric region might have facilitated character displacement among congeners, while the absence of competition in allopatric region has led to ecological niche release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Xiang Chang
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bing-Hong Huang
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Min-Xin Luo
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Wei Huang
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Ping Wu
- Department of Earth and Life Science, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hung Ngoc Nguyen
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Zoology, Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Si-Min Lin
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Jirapatrasilp P, Tongkerd P, Jeratthitikul E, Liew TS, Pholyotha A, Sutcharit C, Panha S. Molecular phylogeny of the limacoid snail family Dyakiidae in Southeast Asia, with the description of a new genus and species. Zool J Linn Soc 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Members of the terrestrial snail family Dyakiidae from Southeast Asia show a distinct geographical distribution pattern and possess different degrees of complexity in their amatorial organ gland. This study is the first molecular phylogeny of ten of the 12 genera in this family, performed to provide insights into the origin of Dyakiidae and the evolution of their shells and amatorial organ gland structure. A new genus and new species, Pseudoquantula lenticularis Jirapatrasilp & Panha gen. & sp. nov., was uncovered based on its distinct morphological characters and molecular divergence. All other genera were retrieved as monophyletic except for Dyakia. Mainland Southeast Asia was inferred to be the ancestral range of the Dyakiidae, and the lineages then dispersed to and diversified in Borneo. Cladistic analysis showed that all 14 morphological characters used in this study were homoplastic. These results disagree with the previous amatorial organ transformation series, in which neither Pseudoplecta nor Quantula was ancestral to the other genera. The enigmatic genus Pseudoplecta, which lacks an amatorial organ gland, exhibited secondary loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parin Jirapatrasilp
- Animal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Piyoros Tongkerd
- Animal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Ekgachai Jeratthitikul
- Animal Systematics and Molecular Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Thor-Seng Liew
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Arthit Pholyotha
- Animal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Chirasak Sutcharit
- Animal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Somsak Panha
- Animal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Academy of Science, The Royal Society of Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand
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7
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Woronowicz KC, Schneider RA. Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the evolution of form and function in the amniote jaw. EvoDevo 2019; 10:17. [PMID: 31417668 PMCID: PMC6691539 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-019-0131-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The amniote jaw complex is a remarkable amalgamation of derivatives from distinct embryonic cell lineages. During development, the cells in these lineages experience concerted movements, migrations, and signaling interactions that take them from their initial origins to their final destinations and imbue their derivatives with aspects of form including their axial orientation, anatomical identity, size, and shape. Perturbations along the way can produce defects and disease, but also generate the variation necessary for jaw evolution and adaptation. We focus on molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate form in the amniote jaw complex, and that enable structural and functional integration. Special emphasis is placed on the role of cranial neural crest mesenchyme (NCM) during the species-specific patterning of bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle, and other jaw tissues. We also address the effects of biomechanical forces during jaw development and discuss ways in which certain molecular and cellular responses add adaptive and evolutionary plasticity to jaw morphology. Overall, we highlight how variation in molecular and cellular programs can promote the phenomenal diversity and functional morphology achieved during amniote jaw evolution or lead to the range of jaw defects and disease that affect the human condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine C Woronowicz
- 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, Box 0514, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514 USA.,2Present Address: Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA 02115 USA
| | - Richard A Schneider
- 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1161, Box 0514, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514 USA
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8
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Czekanski-Moir JE, Rundell RJ. The Ecology of Nonecological Speciation and Nonadaptive Radiations. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:400-415. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Noda T, Satoh N, Asami T. Heterochirality results from reduction of maternal diaph expression in a terrestrial pulmonate snail. ZOOLOGICAL LETTERS 2019; 5:2. [PMID: 30656060 PMCID: PMC6329061 DOI: 10.1186/s40851-018-0120-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spiral cleavage is a feature of non-ecdysozoan protostomes, in which left-right reversal frequently evolved in gastropod molluscs. In pulmonate gastropods, maternal molecules are responsible for chirality patterning, on which the polarities of visceral and coiling asymmetries depend. In the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis (the clade Hygrophila), a frame-shift mutation of one of tandem-duplicated, diaphanous-related formin genes (diaph) resulted in incomplete reversal from dextral to sinistral cleavage. Is this mechanism of chirality regulation common to, or shared with other pulmonates? To answer this question, we examined genes involved in chirality patterning in the land snail, Bradybaena similaris which belongs to the clade Stylommatophora. RESULTS Both dextral and sinistral siblings develop from progeny of a racemic mutant of B. similaris. Differences in maternal mRNAs between the two strains were searched by transcriptome analyses. We found fifty maternal transcripts that exhibited less expression in early embryos of the mutant strain. The most conspicuous was a homolog of diaph. The diaph gene was duplicated in the stylommatophoran ancestor (diaph-a and diaph-b), as in the case of the ancestor of Lymnaea (Lsdiaph1 and Lsdiaph2). The quantity of maternal diaph-b mRNA was drastically reduced in early embryos of the racemic mutant compared to wild-type, while diaph-a expression was at nearly the same level in both strains. Unlike the case of Lsdiaph2, which is frame-shifted to produce truncated peptides in the mutant of L. stagnalis, however, Bsdiaph-b mRNA in the mutant strain is not frame-shifted and most probably produces normal Diaph-b protein. These results suggest the presence of regulatory mechanisms of gene expression for chirality patterning in pulmonate gastropods, although genomic analyses are required for confirmation. CONCLUSIONS Heterochirality resulting from the loss of polarity control in spiral cleavage does not require mutation of the diaph gene in B. similaris. The determination of left-right polarity instead depends on the expression of this diaph gene, which is duplicated in stylommatophoran Bradybaena, as well as in hygrophilan Lymnaea. Our results provide an avenue to identifying a regulatory mechanism that controls the direction of spiral cleavage in gastropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Noda
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, 390-8621 Japan
| | - Noriyuki Satoh
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, 904-0495 Japan
| | - Takahiro Asami
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, 390-8621 Japan
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Páll-Gergely B, Unyadi A, Asami T. Enantiomorphs and taxonomy of three conchological species in flat-shelled snails Trichocathaica (Pulmonata, Camaenidae). Zookeys 2019:19-44. [PMID: 30613172 PMCID: PMC6308220 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.810.29824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomodal (flat/globular or slender/tall) shell/body shapes are associated with dichotomous (simultaneous reciprocal or non-reciprocal) modes of copulation behaviour in the fully-shelled stylommatophoran snails. In flat-shelled groups that copulate simultaneously reciprocally, no study has found an example of enantiomorphism that persists within a population. However, the original description of a flat camaenid snail, Trichocathaicaamphidroma, noted that it is dextral- or sinistral-coiled. By examination of shell surface morphology, we found that shell specimens classified as those of this species include shells of three different morphological species. Namely, T.amphidroma, Trichocathaicavestita (Pilsbry, 1934), comb. n., and Trichocathaicamacrosquamata Páll-Gergely, sp. n. In each of the three species, both sinistral and dextral shells have been collected from presumably one area. Ethanol-fixed soft bodies of single dextral and sinistral individuals of T.vestita, which were available for the first time for interchiral comparison of genital morphology in the present genus, differed from each other in the pattern of penial microsculpture. They might represent enantiomorphs that have recently diverged in allopatry instead of enantiomorphism within a population or species. However, their shell and genital differences were not discrete enough to divide them taxonomically into two morphologically distinct species. Our results demonstrate the importance of evaluating individual variation relative to differences between incipient species in penial morphology, especially between conchologically indistinguishable enantiomorphs in the flat groups. We revise the taxonomy of the genus Trichocathaica including the above-mentioned new species, and Trichocathaicaputeolata Páll-Gergely, sp. n.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barna Páll-Gergely
- Plant Protection Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest Hungary
| | - András Unyadi
- Adria sétány 10G 2/5., Budapest 1148, Hungary Unaffiliated Budapest Hungary
| | - Takahiro Asami
- Department of Biology, Shinshu University, Matsumoto 390-8621, Japan Shinshu University Matsumoto Japan
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11
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Pizzatto L, Oliveira JLD, Marques OA, Martins M. Body Shape and Food Habits of South American Goo-Eater Snakes of the GenusSibynomorphus. J HERPETOL 2018. [DOI: 10.2994/sajh-d-17-00049.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lígia Pizzatto
- Conjoint Researcher, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, University Drive, 2308, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Juliana Lima de Oliveira
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Otavio A.V. Marques
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto Butantan, Av. Dr. Vital Brasil, 1500, 05503-900, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcio Martins
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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12
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Hoso M. Asymmetry of mandibular dentition is associated with dietary specialization in snail-eating snakes. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3011. [PMID: 28265502 PMCID: PMC5337109 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In vertebrates, the left-and-right pairs of homologous organs are generally present in equal numbers. A remarkable exception is snail-eating snakes in the family Pareidae: almost all the pareid snakes have much more teeth on the right mandible than on the left for functional specialization in feeding on the dextral majority of land snails. Because the only exceptional species with symmetric dentition has been regarded as a slug-eater, the extent of dietary specialization on slugs could shape the degree of the lateral asymmetry of mandibular dentition (dentition asymmetry) even among snail eaters. Methods To test this, I compared the morphology and behavior of two sympatric species of Taiwanese snail-eating snakes, Pareas atayal and P. formosensis. Results Specimens collected in the same locality showed that the dentition asymmetry of P. formosensis was significantly smaller than that of P. atayal. Congruent to its weak asymmetry, P. formosensis showed a strong preference of slugs to snails in the feeding experiment. Discussion The dietary specialization of P. formosensis on slugs would contribute to niche partitioning from the sympatric congener P. atayal. This study suggests that the diverse variation in the dentition asymmetry of pareid snakes is the result of their dietary specialization and divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Hoso
- Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Department of Zoology/Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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13
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Cranial adaptations for feeding on snails in species of Sibynomorphus (Dipsadidae: Dipsadinae). ZOOLOGY 2017; 120:24-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2016.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Revised: 07/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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