Background Aposematic Batesian mimicry occurs when one relatively harmless species has a close resemblance to a dangerous or poisonous different species. Over time, as the two species live in close proximity, the individuals of the harmless species that more closely resemble the dangerous species will have higher survival and reproduction rates, leading to a population that appears dangerous. This mimicry is often...

There are only four groups of scincid lizards at the genus level which have species that are fully limbed as well as species without limbs. All species are known to burrow and live in dry, rotting material inside decaying logs or in loose soil and leaves. Many different populations within the genus Brachymeles look very similar, so identifying separate species within this...

Last Sunday, Sept. 28, the Siler lab participated in the Sam Noble Museum’s annual Science in Action and Object ID Day event.  Over 700 members of the public came by to learn about the museum’s galleries, collections, and additional University of Oklahoma participants, such as the Sooner Lunar and OU Botany Club. The Siler lab shared 9 historical and recent specimens collected...

The Philippines have an incredible level of biodiversity and a great need for conservation. The islands’ amphibians are among the top priorities for vertebrate conservation. The vast majority of Philippines amphibians occur nowhere else in the world, and many are greatly limited in their geographic ranges. There are many secretive species that are poorly known to researchers. We have a poor understanding...

Over 30% of all amphibians species worldwide are threatened with extinction, and one of the largest threats comes from the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium (Bd). It has been directly associated with the extinction of over 150 amphibian species in many parts of the world, and its effects are amplified in combination with habitat destruction and climate change. We tested 3,000 frogs from at...

Habitat destruction is a problem for all species, but it is especially detrimental to conservation efforts of large vertebrates with highly specialized habitats. Large-bodied sailfin lizards, which require lowland, costal and mangrove forests, have seen their suitable habitats shrink, leaving them with little area to live. In the past 75 years, degradation of the coastal forests and mangroves has lead to a...

Lamprolepis smaragdina is a tree-dwelling skink found throughout the Philippine Islands, eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the islands of the West Pacific. One of three recognized subspecies, L. s. philippinica, is endemic to the Philippine islands, which means it is found in these islands and nowhere else in the world. Populations of this species range in color from green on the...

Recent studies of forest lizards in Southeast Asia have highlighted spectacular morphological and cryptic genetic diversity in several poorly known clades. Unfortunately, many of the included species have microhabitat preferences for forested environments, and therefore they are threatened by extensive forest destruction throughout the region. This is particularly true in the Philippines, an archipelago with a strikingly high proportion (84%) of endemic...

We review the recent discovery of multiple populations of the enigmatic, semi-aquatic Sphenomorphus Group skink, Parvoscincus leucospilos Peters, and investigate the morphological and genetic diversity of isolated, allopatric populations of this unique skink. Our investigations support the recognition of four unique evolutionary lineages distributed across Luzon Island in the Philippines, three of which are herein described as new species (P. tikbalangi sp....

Despite rampant coastal development throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific, studies of conservation genetics and ecology of vulnerable, coastal species are rare. Large bodied vertebrates with highly specialized habitat requirements may be at particular risk of extinction due to habitat degradation and fragmentation, especially if these habitats are naturally patchily distributed, marginal, otherwise geographically limited, or associated in space with high human...

Aim To highlight the significant conservation challenge of evaluating peripheral endemic vertebrates in island archipelago systems and to assess empirically the complexities of approaches to conservation genetic studies across political and biogeographic boundaries. To demonstrate the poignant need for international collaboration and coordination when species delimitation problems with high conservation concern involve island endemics with biogeographically peripheral ranges. Location Southeast Asia, Lanyu...