| a new species of bunchgrass lizard (squamata: phrynosomatidae) from the southern sky islands of the sierra madre occidental, mexico. | a new species of bunchgrass lizard in the sceloporus scalaris group is described from the southern portion of the sierra madre occidental in mexico. the new species, sceloporus aurantius sp. nov., was previously confused with s. brownorum but differs from this and all but one species within the s. scalaris group by a lack of blue belly patches in males. it shares with s. chaneyi an absence of blue belly patches, but differs from this species in size, number of dorsal scales, number of scales aro ... | 2014 | 24869877 |
| species delimitation using bayes factors: simulations and application to the sceloporus scalaris species group (squamata: phrynosomatidae). | current molecular methods of species delimitation are limited by the types of species delimitation models and scenarios that can be tested. bayes factors allow for more flexibility in testing non-nested species delimitation models and hypotheses of individual assignment to alternative lineages. here, we examined the efficacy of bayes factors in delimiting species through simulations and empirical data from the sceloporus scalaris species group. marginal-likelihood scores of competing species del ... | 2014 | 24262383 |
| relative roles of neogene vicariance and quaternary climate change on the historical diversification of bunchgrass lizards (sceloporus scalaris group) in mexico. | neogene vicariance during the miocene and pliocene and quaternary climate change have synergistically driven diversification in mexican highland taxa. we investigated the impacts of these processes on genetic diversification in the widely distributed bunchgrass lizards in the sceloporus scalaris group. we searched for correlations between timing in diversification and timing of (1) a period of marked volcanism across the trans-mexican volcanic belt in central mexico 3-7.5million years ago (ma) a ... | 2012 | 22075377 |
| optimization of pcr conditions to amplify microsatellite loci in the bunchgrass lizard (sceloporus slevini) genomic dna. | microsatellites, also called simple sequence repeats (ssrs), repetitions of nucleotide motifs of 1-5 bases, are currently the markers of choice due to their abundant distribution in the genomes, and suitability for high-throughput analysis. a total of five different primer pairs were optimized for polymerase chain reaction (pcr) to amplify microsatellite loci in total genomic dna of bunchgrass lizards (sceloporus slevini) collected from three sites in southeastern arizona; the sonoita plain, chi ... | 2011 | 21281503 |
| evolution of viviparity in sceloporine lizards: in utero po2 as a developmental constraint during egg retention. | reptilian viviparity evolves through selection for increasingly prolonged egg retention within the oviduct. in the majority of sceloporine lizard species, however, egg retention past the normal time of oviposition results in retarded or arrested embryonic development. in this study, we tested the hypothesis that the amount of embryonic development normally attained in utero is directly related to in utero oxygen partial pressure (po(2)). the three species of sceloporine lizards we used are chara ... | 2013 | 16691524 |
| mitochondrial dna sequence-based phylogeny and the evolution of viviparity in the sceloporus scalaris group (reptilia, squamata). | the lizard genus sceloporus contains both oviparous and viviparous species. the scalaris complex is the only monophyletic group within the genus that includes both reproductive modes, thus it is particularly well suited for studies of the evolution of viviparity. approximately 874 nucleotides of mtdna sequence data, collected from 38 specimens, comprising 25 populations of all five recognized species within the group, were used in a phylogenetic analysis of the origin of viviparity. viviparity a ... | 1997 | 28565493 |
| thermal and reproductive biology of high and low elevation populations of the lizard sceloporus scalaris: implications for the evolution of viviparity. | viviparity in squamate reptiles is presumed to evolve in cold climates by selection for increasingly longer periods of egg retention. longer periods of egg retention may require modifications to other reproductive features associated with the evolution of viviparity, including a reduction in eggshell thickness and clutch size. field studies on the thermal and reproductive biology of high (he) and low (le) elevation populations of the oviparous lizard, sceloporus scalaris, support these expectati ... | 1995 | 28306919 |