A phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy of iguanian lizards (Reptilia: Squamata).

University of Kansas. Museum of Natural History. Miscellaneous Publication. Nr. 81.
65 Seiten, 24 s/w-Abbildungen oder Landkarten.
University of Kansas, Lawrence KS 1989, ISBN 0-89338-033-4.

Evolution and ecology of lizard body sizes.

Global Ecology and Biogeography 17: 724-734.

Abstract:

Body size is instrumental in influencing animal physiology, morphology, ecology and evolution, as well as extinction risk. I examine several hypotheses regarding the influence of body size on lizard evolution and extinction risk, assessing whether body size influences, or is influenced by, species richness, herbivory, island dwelling and extinction risk.

I used literature data and measurements of museum and live specimens to estimate lizard body size distributions. I obtained body size data for 99% of the world's lizard species. The body size–frequency distribution is highly modal and right skewed and similar distributions characterize most lizard families and lizard assemblages across biogeographical realms. There is a strong negative correlation between mean body size within families and species richness. Herbivorous lizards are larger than omnivorous and carnivorous ones, and aquatic lizards are larger than non-aquatic species. Diurnal activity is associated with small body size. Insular lizards tend towards both extremes of the size spectrum. Extinction risk increases with body size of species for which risk has been assessed.

Main conclusions:  Small size seems to promote fast diversification of disparate body plans. The absence of mammalian predators allows insular lizards to attain larger body sizes by means of release from predation and allows them to evolve into the top predator niche. Island living also promotes a high frequency of herbivory, which is also associated with large size. Aquatic and nocturnal lizards probably evolve large size because of thermal constraints. The association between large size and high extinction risk, however, probably reflects a bias in the species in which risk has been studied.

Link to Appendix 2 - Lizard maximum Snout vent lengths (mm) PDF

A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar.

3. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage. 496 Seiten, 1500 Farbfotos, Verbreitungskarten, Sonagramme, umfangreiches Literaturverzeichnis. Vences & Glaw Verlags GbR, Köln. ISBN-13: 978-3929449037

Inhalt:

Umfangreicher Feldführer aller Amphibien und Reptilien Madagaskars mit zusätzlichen Kapiteln über Geologie, Klima und biogeografische Zonen, menschliche Besieldung Madagaskars, Flora, Wirbellose,  Süßwasserfische, Vögel, und Säugetiere Madagaskars liegt nun, in größerem Format und völlig überarbeitet in der dritten Auflage vor. Die Autoren haben in 12 Forschungsreisen u. a. 75 neue Frosch- sowie 7 neue Reptilienarten Madagskars beschrieben.

glaw-biblio

Taxonomic checklist of chameleons (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae).

Vertebrate Zoology 65 (2): 167-246

Abstract:

Due to their often brilliant colours, diurnal activity, and fascinating behaviours there is a long lasting high demand for chameleons in the pet trade. Accordingly, the international trade of most chameleon genera is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Floras (CITES). In order to facilitate operating and control of these regulations by national and international nature conservation authorities an updated taxonomic checklist of the family Chamaeleonidae (202 species plus 23 subspecies in 12 genera) is provided. A comparison with the last taxonomic checklist published in 1997 (132 species plus 39 subspecies in six genera) demonstrates the enormous progress in chameleon taxonomy and systematics in recent years. Although a substantial number of the currently accepted taxa are well defined, the taxonomy of several species and subspecies is in need of revision and many new species both from Africa and Madagascar still await their scientific description.

glaw-biblio

Erstmalige Nachzucht der Oman-Dornschwanzagame - Uromastyx thomasi PARKER, 1930 - (Sauria: Agamidae: Leiolepidinae) mit Hinweisen zur intraspezifischen Variabilität und zur Lebensweise.

SALAMANDRA 38 (1): 45-62

Zusammenfassung:

Während einer herpetologischen Expedition in das Sultanat von Oman im November und
Dezember 1998 konnten Daten zur Ökologie von Uromastyx thomasi erhoben und einige Tiere
im Rahmen eines wissenschaftlich begleiteten Zuchtprojektes gefangen werden. In der
vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Haltungsbedingungen beschrieben, die zur erstmaligen
Nachzucht dieser Art in Menschenobhut führten. Neben den Reproduktionsdaten werden die
Kenntnisse zur Ökologie sowie zur Chorologie, intraspezifischen Variabilität und Taxonomie
von Uromastyx thomasi zusammengefasst.

Wasseragamen und Segelechsen.

128 Seiten, 118 Fotos, 12 Grafiken, 3 Tabellen, 6 Verbreitungskarten
3. Auflage. NTV-Verlag, Münster. ISBN 978-3-931587-58-1.

Verlagstext:

Seit der Frühzeit der Terraristik gehören Wasseragamen zu den beliebtesten Echsen. Kein Wunder: Sie sind beeindruckend und wunderschön, sie werden sehr zahm und bauen eine regelrechte Beziehung zum Pfleger auf, sie sind sehr gut haltbar, erreichen ein hohes Alter im Terrarium und sie sind leicht nachzuzüchten. Die Aufzucht der entzückenden Wasseragamenbabys gehört zu den Höhepunkten jeder Terrarianer-Laufbahn.
Spektakuläre Nachzuchterfolge von Echsenfarmen haben dafür gesorgt, dass neben der Grünen auch die Australische Wasseragame einen Siegeszug durch die Terrarien angetreten hat. Aber auch die unbekannteren und etwas schwieriger zu pflegenden Neuguinea-Wasseragamen und Segelechsen kommen regelmäßig in den Handel – dieses Buch gibt alle Informationen zur Biologie und Haltung aller Arten.

A new species of the Agama agama group (Squamata: Agamidae) from western Kenya, East Africa, with comments on Agama lionotus Boulenger, 1896.

Russian Journal of Herpetology 12 (2): 143-150

Abstract:

We describe a new species of Agama from westernmost Kenya. It is a member of the Agama agama species group characterized by small size (males up to 89 mm snout-vent length and 245 mm total length) and a unique male breeding coloration: flame- to scarlet-red head, neck and forelimbs, jet- or velvetly-black body, hindlimbs and tail root, and again a scarlet-red tail the terminal third of which is again black. Morphologically, the new species is similar to A. planiceps from southwestern Africa but has a much less depressed body. It also resembles typical A. agama from West and Central Africa, but is much smaller, less stoutly built and differently colored.

It is strikingly different from the two parapatric species of the Agama agama group, viz. A. caudospinosa and A. mwanzae, and differs also considerably from the sympatric representatives of the Agama agama complex itself: from the geographically neighboring A. a. elgonis and A. a. lionotus. We provide evidence that the latter taxon deserves full species rank and that the other East African subspecies of A. agama (i.e., elgonis, dodomae,  usambarae, ufipae) should be subordinated under a full species Agama lionotus.

(PDF Download available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258867706_A_new_species_of_the_Agama_agama_group_Squamata_Agamidae_from_western_Kenya_East_Africa_with_comments_on_Agama_lionotus_Boulenger_1896 [accessed Aug 18, 2017].

Chamäleons - Bunte Juwelen der Natur.

4. Auflage, gebunden. 366 Seiten, 430 Farbfotos, 5 SW-Fotos, 45 Zeichnungen, davon 3 in Farbe, 1 Karte

Edition Cimaira. ISBN 978-3-930612-02-4.

Verlagstext:

"Handbuch der modernen Chamäleonologie" - diesen Untertitel verdient das Buch von Petr Necas sicher nach wie vor zurecht, zumal die zweite Auflage gegenüber der ersten erheblich erweitert wurde. Selbstverständlich wurden dabei auch sämtliche Artmonographien überarbeitet und aktualisiert. Von den historischen Chamäleonbildern und einigen faszinierenden, bisher unveröffentlichten Fotos (z.T. von noch unbeschriebenen Arten) bis zu den tabellarischen Übersichten (Biologie und Systematik der heute bekannten Chamäleon-Arten) wurde das Buch umfassend ergänzt. Zudem konnten zwei sehr schöne Farb- sowie mehrere SW-Zeichnungen des bekannten Schweizer Graphikers R. Attinger als Illustrationen verwendet werden. Necas legt hiermit die 3. Auflage des derzeit umfassendsten Handbuches über Chamäleons vor, welches mit wissenschaftlichem Anspruch auch verständliche und praxisnahe Informationen zu allen Fragen der Haltung und Zucht gibt.

GRISMER, L. LEE,  PERRY L. WOOD, JR., EVAN S. H. QUAH, SHAHRUL ANUAR, MOHD. ABDUL MUIN, MONTRI SUMONTHA, NORHAYATI AHMAD, AARON M. BAUER, SANSAREEYA WANGKULANGKUL, JESSE L. GRISMER & OLIVIER S. G. PAUWELS (2012).

A phylogeny and taxonomy of the Thai-Malay Peninsula Bent-toed Geckos of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae): combined morphological and molecular analyses with descriptions of seven new species.

Zootaxa 3520: 1–55.

Abstract:

An integrative taxonomic analysis using color pattern, morphology and 1497 base pairs of the ND2 itochondrial gene and its five flanking tRNAs demonstrated that nine monophyletic species-level lineages occur within the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex (Cyrtodactylus pulchellus sensu strictu and C. macrotuberculatus) of the Thai-Malay Peninsula that have a sequence divergence between them ranging from 5.9–16.8%. Additionally, each lineage is discretely diagnosable from one another based on morphology and color pattern and most occur in specific geographic regions (upland areas or islands) that prevent or greatly restrict interpopulation gene  flow. Six of these lineages were masquerading under the nomen C. pulchellus and are described as the following: Cyrtodactylus astrum sp. nov. from  northwestern  Peninsular Malaysia and southwestern Thailand; C. langkawiensis sp. nov., at this point endemic to Langkawi Island, Malaysia; C. bintangrendah sp. nov., a lowland  species  surrounding  the  Banjaran  (=mountain  range)  Bintang  of  northwestern Peninsular Malaysia; C. bintangtinggi sp. nov., endemic to the upland regions of the Banjaran Bintang of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia; C. trilatofasciatus sp. nov., endemic to upland regions of Cameron Highlands in the central portion of the Banjaran Titiwangsa in Peninsular Malaysia; and C. stralotitiwangsaensis sp. nov. from the more southerly upland regions of the Banjaran Titiwangsa. An additional species, Cyrtodactylus lekaguli sp. nov. from Satun, Trang, Surat Thani, and Phang-nga provinces in southern Thailand, was identified on the basis of morphology and color pattern and is hypothesized to be part of a clade containing C. astrum sp. nov. and C. langkawiensis sp. nov.

Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata)

Zootaxa 3459: 1–156

Abstract:

Despite advances within particular groups, systematics of the Teiidae has long been unsatisfactory, because few morphological characters have been described for this family. Consequently, most species have been assigned to the large, polyphyletic, and poorly defined genera Ameiva and Cnemidophorus. We describe 137 morphological characters and score them for most species of Neotropical Teiidae. Important, but previously undescribed, character suites include pupil shape; the frontal ridge; longitudinal division of the interparietal; the rostral groove; patterns of supraciliary fusion; the preauricular skin fold; the “toothy” first supralabial; modified apical granules; the pectoral sulcus; expansion of scales at the heel; tibiotarsal shields; scales between the digital lamellae along the postaxial edges of the toes; scale surface microstructure of macrohoneycomb, macroridges, or lamellae; distribution patterns and morphology of enticular scale organs; types of epidermal generation glands; and several hemipenial structures. We propose a new taxonomy of the Teiidae based on recovered evolutionary history and numerous morphological characters surveyed in this study. We recognize three subfamilies: Callopistinae new subfamily, Teiinae Estes et al., and Tupinambinae Estes et al. To resolve polyphyly of Ameiva and Cnemidophorus, we erect four new genera for various groups of Neotropical Teiidae: Ameivula new genus, Aurivela new genus, Contomastix new genus, and Medopheos new genus. We resurrect Holcosus Cope from the synonymy of Ameiva and Salvator Duméril and Bibron from the synonymy of Tupinambis. On the basis of shared derived characters, we propose new species groups of our redefined Ameiva and Cnemidophorus. We incorporate our new characters into a key to the genera and species groups of Teiidae. A phylogenetic hypothesis of Teiidae based on morphological characters differs substantially from hypotheses based on mitochondrial DNA. The phylogeny based on morphology is consistent with well-established biogeographic patterns of Neotropical vertebrates and explains extreme morphological divergence in such genera as Kentropyx and Aurivela.