1
|
Molecular Phylogenetics and Morphometrics Reveal a New Endemic Jumping Pitviper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Metlapilcoatlus) from the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. J HERPETOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1670/20-028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
2
|
Gomes DF, Azevedo J, Murta-Fonseca R, Faurby S, Antonelli A, Passos P. Taxonomic revision of the genus Xenopholis Peters, 1869 (Serpentes: Dipsadidae): Integrating morphology with ecological niche. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0243210. [PMID: 33306700 PMCID: PMC7732082 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A reliable identification and delimitation of species is an essential pre-requisite for many fields of science and conservation. The Neotropical herpetofauna is the world's most diverse, including many taxa of uncertain or debated taxonomy. Here we tackle one such species complex, by evaluating the taxonomic status of species currently allocated in the snake genus Xenopholis (X. scalaris, X. undulatus, and X. werdingorum). We base our conclusions on concordance between quantitative (meristic and morphometric) and qualitative (color pattern, hemipenes and skull features) analyses of morphological characters, in combination with ecological niche modeling. We recognize all three taxa as valid species and improve their respective diagnosis, including new data on color in life, pholidosis, bony morphology, and male genitalia. We find low overlap among the niches of each species, corroborating the independent source of phenotypic evidence. Even though all three species occur in the leaf litter of distinct forested habitats, Xenopholis undulatus is found in the elevated areas of the Brazilian Shield (Caatinga, Cerrado and Chaco), whereas X. scalaris occurs in the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests, and X. werdingorum in the Chiquitanos forest and Pantanal wetlands. We discuss the disjunct distribution between Amazonian and Atlantic Forest snake species in the light of available natural history and ecological aspects. This study shows the advantages of combining multiple data sources for reliable identification and circumscription of ecologically similar species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Faustino Gomes
- Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Josué Azevedo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Programa de Coleções Científicas Biológicas, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Roberta Murta-Fonseca
- Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Laboratório de Zoologia, Campus do Pantanal, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Bairro Universitário, Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil
| | - Søren Faurby
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Alexandre Antonelli
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey, United Kingdom
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Paulo Passos
- Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Not withering on the evolutionary vine: systematic revision of the Brown Vine Snake (Reptilia: Squamata: Oxybelis) from its northern distribution. ORG DIVERS EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13127-020-00461-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
4
|
Evolutionary Insights of the ZW Sex Chromosomesin Snakes: A New Chapter Added by the AmazonianPuffing Snakes of the Genus Spilotes. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10040288. [PMID: 30970650 PMCID: PMC6523457 DOI: 10.3390/genes10040288] [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: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Amazonian puffing snakes (Spilotes; Colubridae) are snakes widely distributed in the Neotropical region. However, chromosomal data are scarce in this group and, when available, are only limited to karyotype description using conventional staining. In this paper, we focused on the process of karyotype evolution and trends for sex chromosomes in two Amazonian Puffer Snakes (S. pulllatus and S. sulphureus). We performed an extensive karyotype characterization using conventional and molecular cytogenetic approaches. The karyotype of S. sulphureus (presented here for the first time) exhibits a 2n = 36, similar to that previously described in S. pullatus. Both species have highly differentiated ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes, where the W chromosome is highly heterochromatic in S. pullatus but euchromatic in S. sulphureus. Both W chromosomes are homologous between these species as revealed by cross-species comparative genomic hybridization, even with heterogeneous distributions of several repetitive sequences across their genomes, including on the Z and on the W chromosomes. Our study provides evidence that W chromosomes in these two species have shared ancestry.
Collapse
|
5
|
Jadin RC, Blair C, Jowers MJ, Carmona A, Murphy JC. Hiding in the lianas of the tree of life: Molecular phylogenetics and species delimitation reveal considerable cryptic diversity of New World Vine Snakes. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 134:61-65. [PMID: 30716397 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The Brown Vine Snake, Oxybelis aeneus, is considered a single species despite the fact its distribution covers an estimated 10% of the Earth's land surface, inhabiting a variety of ecosystems throughout North, Central, and South America and is distributed across numerous biogeographic barriers. Here we assemble a multilocus molecular dataset (i.e. cyt b, ND4, cmos, PRLR) derived from Middle American populations to examine for the first time the evolutionary history of Oxybelis and test for evidence of cryptic lineages using Bayesian and maximum likelihood criteria. Our divergence time estimates suggest that Oxybelis diverged from its sister genus, Leptophis, approximately 20.5 million years ago (Ma) during the lower-Miocene. Additionally, our phylogenetic and species delimitation results suggest O. aeneus is likely a complex of species showing relatively deep species-level divergences initiated during the Pliocene. Finally, ancestral area reconstructions suggest a Central American origin and subsequent expansion into North and South America.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robert C Jadin
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St., Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625-4699, USA.
| | - Christopher Blair
- Department of Biological Sciences, New York City College of Technology, The City University of New York, 285 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY 1120, USA; Biology PhD Program, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave., New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Michael J Jowers
- CIBIO/InBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos), Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrario De Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Anthony Carmona
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St., Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625-4699, USA
| | - John C Murphy
- Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Montingelli GG, Grazziotin FG, Battilana J, Murphy RW, Zhang Y, Zaher H. Higher‐level phylogenetic affinities of the Neotropical genus
Mastigodryas
Amaral, 1934 (Serpentes: Colubridae), species‐group definition and description of a new genus for
Mastigodryas bifossatus. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna G. Montingelli
- Department of Life SciencesNatural History Museum London UK
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| | | | | | - Robert W. Murphy
- Royal Ontario MuseumCentre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Toronto Ontario Canada
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and EvolutionKunming Institute of Zoology Kunming China
| | - Ya‐Ping Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and EvolutionKunming Institute of Zoology Kunming China
- Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio‐ResourcesYunnan University Kunming China
| | - Hussam Zaher
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Modahl CM, Mrinalini, Frietze S, Mackessy SP. Adaptive evolution of distinct prey-specific toxin genes in rear-fanged snake venom. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1003. [PMID: 30068680 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Venom proteins evolve rapidly, and as a trophic adaptation are excellent models for predator-prey evolutionary studies. The key to a deeper understanding of venom evolution is an integrated approach, combining prey assays with analysis of venom gene expression and venom phenotype. Here, we use such an approach to study venom evolution in the Amazon puffing snake, Spilotes sulphureus, a generalist feeder. We identify two novel three-finger toxins: sulditoxin and sulmotoxin 1. These new toxins are not only two of the most abundant venom proteins, but are also functionally intriguing, displaying distinct prey-specific toxicities. Sulditoxin is highly toxic towards lizard prey, but is non-toxic towards mammalian prey, even at greater than 22-fold higher dosage. By contrast, sulmotoxin 1 exhibits the reverse trend. Furthermore, evolutionary analysis and structural modelling show highest sequence variability in the central loop of these proteins, probably driving taxon-specific toxicity. This is, to our knowledge, the first case in which a bimodal and contrasting pattern of toxicity has been shown for proteins in the venom of a single snake in relation to diet. Our study is an example of how toxin gene neofunctionalization can result in a venom system dominated by one protein superfamily and still exhibit flexibility in prey capture efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra M Modahl
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, 501 20th Street, Greeley, CO 80639-0017, USA
| | - Mrinalini
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Seth Frietze
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, 501 20th Street, Greeley, CO 80639-0017, USA
| | - Stephen P Mackessy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, 501 20th Street, Greeley, CO 80639-0017, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Vanzolini PE, Myers CW. The Herpetological Collection of Maximilian, Prince of Wied (1782–1867), With Special Reference To Brazilian Materials. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2015. [DOI: 10.1206/910.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|