Many processes of biological diversification can simultaneously affect multiple evolu- tionary lineages. Examples include multiple members of a gene family diverging when a region of a chromosome is duplicated, multiple viral strains diverging at a “super- spreading” event, and a geological event fragmenting whole communities of species. It is difficult to test for patterns of shared divergences predicted by such processes because...

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Despite multiple recent field studies, herpetological species diversity of the Romblon Island Group in the central Phil- ippines—particularly Sibuyan Island—has remained underestimated. Recently, we investigated the diversity of the herpetofauna of Mount Guiting-Guiting Natural Park, based on an elevational transect (10–1557 m a.s.l.). Our surveys resulted in a total of 47 species of amphibians and reptiles, including 14 new island records and...

The study of animal personality is a growing field that has applications for welfare of animals living in captive settings. We measured personality traits (activity, exploration, and neophobia) in Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) living in human care before they were released to their natal habitat as part of a headstart program. We found evidence of consistent inter-individual differences in activity and...

Cryptic ecologies, the Wallacean Shortfall of undocumented species’ geographical ranges and the Linnaean Shortfall of undescribed diversity, are all major barriers to conservation assessment. When these factors overlap with drivers of extinction risk, such as insular dis- tributions, the number of threatened species in a region or clade may be underestimated, a situation we term ‘cryptic extinction risk’. The genus Lepidodactylus is...

The University of Oklahoma Biological Station (UOBS) was established in 1950 in Marshall Co., Oklahoma along the newly created reservoir, Lake Texoma. Generations of biology students and independent researchers have documented the flora and fauna on the station grounds and surrounding areas. Herein we compare herpetological records for the area published in the 1950s to herpetology course survey events from 1978–1986 and...

Recent higher level phylogenetic analyses of gekkonid lizards of the genus Lepidodactylus uncovered an array of unrecognized species diversity, particularly within the Philippine archipelago. Novel phylogenetic analyses of multilocus data sets suggest that as many as five, previously undescribed, species-level lineages of Scaly-toed Geckos occur in just the northern portions of the archipelago. Here, we evaluate Lepidodactylus species diversity in the Lepidodactylus...

Intermediate metrics of translocation success are useful for long-lived, slow to mature species where survival and reproduction happen over decades. With fewer than 150 individuals in the wild, the Critically Endangered Philippine crocodile (Crocodylus mindorensis) is one of the most threatened species on Earth. This study presents the first analysis of diet and body condition of wild Philippine crocodiles and headstarted (i.e....

Habitat fragmentation has negative consequences on threatened and endangered species by creating isolated populations. The Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) is experiencing population declines and localized extirpations throughout its range and has been classified as a species of greatest conservation need in Oklahoma, USA. Younger age classes have been poorly studied but may be vital to the stability of remaining populations. To...

After a handful of weather-related delays, the Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) that have been raised at the Oklahoma City Zoo “Lizard Lab” for the last 1–2 years have just been released in small “soft release” pens (where they will remain for ~1 month). The juveniles were collected from Tinker Air Force Base as either eggs or brand-new hatchlings and raised in...

Combining the results from morphological and molecular analyses, we explore the taxonomy of the genus Achalinus from Southwest China. As a result, we describe two new species, A. panzhihuaensis sp. nov. and A. yangdatongi sp. nov. from southern Sichuan and southern Yunnan provinces, respectively, and we record a new country record, A. emilyae, from Guangxi Zhuang A. R.. The mitochondrial genealogy suggests...