The Philippines represent an ideal region for examining the effects of geologic and climatic influences on evolutionary processes and the accumulation of new species. Though the monitor lizard is the target of conservation efforts, little research has looked at the geological processes which have shaped the evolution and distribution of this group. Asian water monitors (Varanus salvator Complex) are distributed throughout a...

I know, not another pit viper.  These continue to be some of my favorite reptiles to photograph in the wild.  This species of viper in the Philippines (Trimereserus flavomaculatus) can be incredibly variable in its phenotype, with some populations possessing completely different color patterns....

The genus Brachymeles represents a unique radiation of semi-fossorial (burrowing) lizards, all but two of which are endemic to the Philippines in Southeast Asia. This radiation represents one of the best systems for studying the evolution of limb reduction and loss; body forms within the genus range from pentadactyl (five digits per limb) to externally limbless. Over the last decade, 21 new...

We review the species of the Brachymeles bonitae Complex (B. bonitae and B. tridactylus) and describe an additional two new species in this highly specialized, limb-reduced, endemic Philippine clade of fossorial lizards. For more than 4 decades, B. bonitae has been recognized as a single ‘‘widespread’’ species, a perception that has persisted as a result of limited sampling and similar overall morphology...

While new species are always being discovered, it is very uncommon to discover a completely new species of large-bodied vertebrates. Most large vertebrates have been discovered because there are so few places for them to remain hidden, with all the exploration that people and scientists have performed. Every year, there are fewer and fewer uncharted regions. Because it is so difficult for...

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...

An understanding of the evolutionary processes that produce a region’s biodiversity is key to conservation. In Southeast Asia, there has been a lack of biodiversity surveys due to inaccessible forests and difficult areas to study. This, in addition to the slow pace of taxonomic work, logistical complications with field work, and the sheer amount of diversity in the area has led to...

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...