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...

The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of vertebrates contains a series of organs beginning with the mouth and ending with the anus or cloacal opening. Each organ represents a unique environment for resident microorganisms. Due to their simple digestive anatomy, snakes are good models for studying microbiome variation along the GIT. Cloacal sampling captures the majority of the microbial diversity found in the GIT...

The Philippine archipelago is an exceptionally biodiverse region that includes at least 112 species of land snakes from 41 genera and 12 families. Recently, Cyclocoridae (formerly Lamprophiidae: Cyclocorinae) was proposed as a distinct, Philippine-endemic family, containing four genera: Cyclocorus, Hologerrhum, Myersophis, and Oxyrhabdium. Here, we describe an additional cyclocorid genus and species, Levitonius mirus, new genus and species, from Samar and Leyte...

While considerable progress has been made in the taxonomic studies of the genus Lycodon in Asia, questions remain to be clarified regarding the taxonomy of certain groups, particularly those containing species in China. Not only do many regions in China remain overlooked by herpetologists, resulting in the possibility of undiscovered new species, but the surveyed areas also have suspicious records of recognized...

The genus Boiga includes 35, primarily arboreal snake species distributed from the Middle East to Australia and many islands in the western Pacific, with particularly high species diversity in South-East Asia. Despite including the iconic mangrove snakes (Boiga dendrophila complex) and the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis; infamous for avian extinctions on small islands of the Pacific), species-level phylogenetic relationships and the...

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In this synopsis, we provide basic information relating to each of the currently known species of snakes that has been recorded from the Philippines. The references included with each account provide guidance to literature that contains additional information. This work represents an up-to-date account of the snake fauna of the Philippine Archipelago....

The Sam Noble Museum had another fantastic Science in Action event last weekend, with booths run from all over the museum, campus and Oklahoma (highlights included the Oklahoma Biological Survey and the Museum of Osteology). The museum holds the event annually and it is a great opportunity for the general public to enjoy the galleries for FREE, learn about what types of research...

This is the third in a series featuring the recent OU graduates who are members of the Siler Lab.  In their own words, they will highlight the experiences they had with us as students, volunteers and/or employees.  Begin the series here with Rachel Flanagan. I started working in Dr. Cameron Siler’s herpetology lab as my honors thesis project my senior year.  While I had...

Two of the Siler Lab members who received internal research grants presented their findings at OU’s annual Undergraduate Research Day on April 18, 2015.  Tucker Walton gave an oral presentation entitled “Delineating morphometric characters for use in snake species descriptions” with the help of Matt DeRuyter, Jessa Watters, and Cameron Siler.  Matt DeRuyter presented a poster entitled “Preliminary Phylogenetic Study of the Lizard Genus...

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....