The padloper’ s tortuous path (Chelonia: Testudinidae): Two genera, not one
Margaretha D. Hofmeyr a and William R. Branchb,c
aChelonian Biodiversity and Conservation, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa; bDepartment of Herpetology, Port Elizabeth Museum, PO Box 13147, Humewood 6013, South Africa; cDepartment of Zoology, PO Box 77000, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa
ABSTRACT
Since 1957, all padlopers were considered Homopus, which was an anomaly, because only two species have four claws on the front and hind limbs. The revival of the genus Chersobius for the fivetoed species (signatus, boulengeri and solus) now limits Homopus to the four-toed species (areolatus and femoralis). Molecular data indicate that Homopus is paraphyletic with two well-supported clades: the four-toed Homopus in one clade and the five-toed Chersobius together with Chersina angulata in a second clade. There are numerous distinct morphological and ecological differences between the genera. All Chersobius species have a single, large inguinal scute, whereas the number is variable in Homopus. The midline pectoral scute of Chersobius is consistently longer, and the nuchal scute shorter, than in Homopus. The fourth to fifth vertebral suture is narrow in Homopus and broad in Chersobius. Forelimb scales also differ with 3–4 large rows and 5–6 smaller rows, respectively, in Homopus and Chersobius. Chersobius males have a plastral concavity and Homopus males not. Two Chersobius species (C. signatus and C. boulengeri) are distinguishable from Homopus by having 12 or more marginal scutes, whereas Homopus species have 11 or fewer. The glans penes are respectively V-shaped and heartshaped in Homopus and Chersobius. Ecological differences include that Chersobius species are rupicolous and inhabit arid regions, whereas Homopus species inhabit more mesic habitats. Homopus females produce multi-egg clutches and tend to be bigger compared to single-egg clutching Chersobius females. Females of all species are larger than conspecific males, and all males have larger shell openings than females have.
ZooBank—urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub: 18229454-6662-46F3-8B15-836BF2AC38EB
KEYWORD S
aridity; Chersobius; Homopus; rock-dwelling; Southern Africa; tortoise
A contribution to the phylogeny and taxonomy of the Pachydactylus weberi group (Squamata: Gekkonidae): a case of intraspecific colour polymorphism confounding taxonomy
Jiř í Š mída,b, Hanlie Engelbrechta,b, Jody M. Tafta,c, Nicolas S. Telforda, Buyisile G. Makhubod, Aaron M. Bauere and Krystal A. Tolleya,f
aSouth African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town, South Africa; bDepartment of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, South Africa; cDepartment of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa; dHerpetology Department, National Museum, PO Box 266, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa; eDepartment of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania 19085, USA; fCentre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park 2000, Johannesburg, South Africa
ABSTRACT
Pachydactylus is the most species-rich reptile genus in southern Africa. Most species are habitat specialists adapted to hyper-arid
conditions of the Namibian and north-western South African xeric regions. Although a fair number of phylogenetic studies and
taxonomic revisions have been published, some species still remain rather enigmatic. In the ten years since the taxonomic
revision of the weberi group, some of the species have not been recorded and our knowledge on their distribution, phylogenetic
affinities, or intraspecific variability is limited or non-existent. Pachydactylus goodi is one such species. In this study, we report a
newly discovered population of P. goodi in the Richtersveld National Park, South Africa, which considerably extends the known range of the species. In addition, the results of our phylogenetic analyses indicate that P. goodi is paraphyletic with respect to P. atorquatus. Although there is a striking colour polymorphism observed between these two species, the level of genetic differentiation within the goodi-atorquatus clade is comparable with intraspecific variability observed in other Pachydactylus species. As a result of these findings, which are further supported by morphological similarity of the two species, we conclude that they represent a single species and synonymiseP. goodi with P. atorquatus.
KEYWORD S
Gekkota; genetic variability; synonymy; reptiles; thicktoed geckos
The first record of Wormian bones in lizards
Lauren Rudie and Patrick J. Lewis
Sam Houston State University, Biological Sciences, Huntsville, United States
ABSTRACT
Wormian bones are accessory bones found between cranial elements. These rare bones vary greatly in size, shape and placement. Wormian bones are well-known in mammals, notably in humans and chimpanzees, but not in lizards. Here we examine the genus Zygaspis, a southern African amphisbaenian with complex cranial sutures, for the presence of Wormian bones. Skulls from seven of the eight species of Zygaspis were examined for the presence of Wormian bones. Because of their small size, complex sutures and delicate nature, high-resolution X-ray computed tomography was used to produce 3D models of the skulls. We discovered three Wormian bones in the interdigitated frontoparietal suture of Z. kafuensis. This discovery is the first known record of Wormian bones in a lizard and it is one of the few reports of them in the Squamata. The presence of Wormian bones in a head-first, burrowing squamate allows for a possible functional role to be hypothesised. Additional studies on a variety of squamate taxa are now needed, particularly in burrowing groups with interdigitated sutures, to improve our understanding of these rare cranial elements.
KEYWORD S
Amphisbaenia; frontal; parietal; supernumerary; ossicles; Zygaspis
Review of the leaf-litter skinks (Scincidae: Panaspis) from the Gulf of Guinea Oceanic Islands, with the description of a new species
Leonor B. Soaresa,b, Luis M. P. Ceríaco b,c, Mariana P. Marquesb,d, Cristiane BastosSilveirab, Lauren A. Scheinberge, D. James Harrisd, António Brehmf and José Jesusd,f,g
aDepartamento de Biologia, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Apartado 94, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal; b Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia (Museu Bocage), Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, 1269–102 Lisboa, Portugal.; cDepartment of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085-1699, USA; dCentro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO/UP), Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; eCalifornia Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA; fFaculdade de Ciências da Vida, Universidade da Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9000-390 Funchal, Portugal; gCIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos – Polo dos Açores, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias, Universidade dos Açores, R. Mãe de Deus 13A, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Açores, Portugal.
ABSTRACT
Leaf-litter skinks of the genus Panaspis are currently represented in the oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea by two species, Panaspis africana and P. annobonensis. Here we describe a third species, Panaspis thomensis sp. nov., endemic to São Tomé Island. Data from previous studies and a new phylogenetic analysis using the mitochondrial 16S gene shows that the new species is genetically divergent and reciprocally monophyletic with respect to P. africana. Morphological data (scalation and morphometry) identify consistent, yet subtle, phenotypic differences between the two island populations. We also confirm that P. Annobonensis represents a valid species, sister to the species pair P. africana + P. thomensis sp. nov., based on both molecular and morphologicalevidence. This description raises the number of known Panaspis species in the Gulf of Guinea oceanic islands to three, with consequences for the interpretation of local endemicity.
ZooBank—Panaspis thomensis: lsid: zoobank.org:act:A1E69D28-CF4C-4070-BBCC-91E39C21DBA6
KEYWORD S
endemism; Panaspis africana; Panaspis annobonensis; Panaspis thomensis sp. nov.
Comparative skull osteology and preliminary systematic revision of the African lizard genus Heliobolus (Squamata: Lacertidae)
Mirjam Dubkea, Christy A. Hipsleya,b,c and Johannes Müllera
aMuseum für Naturkunde – Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitatsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, Berlin, 10115 Germany; bUniversity of Melbourne, Bio Sciences, Parkville, 3010, Australia; cMuseums Victoria, Melbourne VIC 3001, Australia
ABSTRACT
The anatomy of African lacertid lizards (Lacertidae: Eremiadini) is poorly known, which has hindered a better understanding of their evolutionary relationships. This applies especially to the East African clade, which includes the genera Nucras, Latastia,
Philochortus, Pseuderemias and Heliobolus. We present a detailed description of the skull osteology of the genus Heliobolus using X-ray microcomputed tomography and compare its morphology to the above lacertid taxa. Because the genus Heliobolus includes species of doubtful validity and affinities (Heliobolus neumanni and Heliobolus nitidus), we also present a detailed intrageneric comparison and construct a morphological character matrix that we analyse against a phylogenetic backbone derived from previous molecular studies. Heliobolus lugubris and Heliobolus spekii can be well characterised as a monophyletic group on the basis of a short postorbital and a continuously broad posterior margin of the parietal, differing from H. nitidus and other
members of the East African clade in an overall low degree of ossification and reduced ventral extension of the frontal bone.
Our preliminary phylogenetic analysis suggests that the genus Heliobolus is currently polyphyletic. We propose that the name
H. neumanni be officially retracted, because specimens assigned to this species show very different morphologies relative to each
other and are placed in different parts of the tree in our analysis. Also, the type specimen is lost and no specimens were collected
from the type locality. H. nitidus shows a signal towards the genus Latastia. A definitive, new generic assignment of H. nitidus must await further investigations based on molecular data.
KEYWORD S
computed tomography; cranial osteology; systematics
