| intersexual differences in chemical composition of precloacal gland secretions of the amphisbaenian blanus cinereus. | pheromonal communication seems to be especially important in amphisbaenians, a group of reptiles morphologically and functionally adapted to fossorial life. both male and female amphisbaenians (blanus cinereus) produce copious amounts of a secretion from the precloacal glands. analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed that these secretions contain 29 major lipophilic compounds, including several steroids (mainly cholesterol and cholesteryl methyl ether), n-c9 to n-c18 carboxylic ... | 2005 | 16365713 |
| effect of taxon sampling on recovering the phylogeny of squamate reptiles based on complete mitochondrial genome and nuclear gene sequence data. | the complete nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial (mt) genomes of three species of squamate lizards: blanus cinereus (amphisbaenidae), anguis fragilis (anguidae), and tarentola mauritanica (geckkonidae) were determined anew. the deduced amino acid sequences of all 13 mt protein-coding genes were combined into a single data set and phylogenetic relationships among main squamate lineages were analyzed under maximum likelihood (ml) and bayesian inference (bi). within squamata, the monophyly of ... | 2009 | 18639394 |
| the amphisbaenian ear: blanus cinereus and diplometopon zarudnyi. | observations on the structure and function of the ear in amphisbaenians have been extended to two new species: to blanus cinereus of the family amphisbaenidae and diplometopon zarudnyi of the family trogonophidae. blanus, considered one of the most primitive of this group of reptiles, shows a distinctive form of sound-receptive mechanism. the usual extracolumella is lacking, and the columella attaches to a cartilaginous plate beneath the skin posterior to the facial area. diplometopon zarudnyi, ... | 1975 | 1055420 |
| random sampling of squamate reptiles in spanish natural reserves reveals the presence of novel adenoviruses in lacertids (family lacertidae) and worm lizards (amphisbaenia). | here, we report the results of a large-scale pcr survey on the prevalence and diversity of adenoviruses (advs) in samples collected randomly from free-living reptiles. on the territories of the guadarrama mountains national park in central spain and of the chafarinas islands in north africa, cloacal swabs were taken from 318 specimens of eight native species representing five squamate reptilian families. the healthy-looking animals had been captured temporarily for physiological and ethological ... | 2016 | 27399970 |
| potential chemosignals associated with male identity in the amphisbaenian blanus cinereus. | pheromone-based chemosensory sex discrimination occurs in many reptiles, but the specific chemosignals responsible for this discrimination have been rarely identified. chemoreception is especially important for amphisbaenians, a group of fossorial, almost blind, reptiles. we analyzed the role of semiochemicals produced by precloacal glands in intraspecific communication and chemosensory sex recognition of the amphisbaenian blanus cinereus. we expected that sexual discrimination in amphisbaenians ... | 2009 | 19406874 |
| phylogeographical and speciation patterns in subterranean worm lizards of the genus blanus (amphisbaenia: blanidae). | the peculiar lifestyle of subterranean reptiles must determine their modes of speciation and diversification. to further understand the evolutionary biology of subterranean reptiles, we studied the phylogeny of worm lizards of the genus blanus and the phylogeography of its iberian representatives. we used mitochondrial (nd4 and 16s rrna) and nuclear (anonymous) partial gene sequences to resolve phylogenetic relationships within blanus. the eastern mediterranean blanus strauchi was recovered as s ... | 2007 | 17391273 |
| responses by amphisbaenianblanus cinereus to chemicals from prey or potentially harmful ant species. | we tested the ability of amphisbaenians (blanus cinereus) to discriminate between odors of ant species selected as prey (pheidole pallidula) and odors of potentially harmful ant species (messor barbarus) that are avoided. tongue-flick rate to swabs impregnated with ant odors, cologne, or deionized water differed among treatments, showing that amphisbaenians were able to discriminate ant species odors. amphisbaenians showed an aggressive response and bit applicators bearing the odor of harmful an ... | 1994 | 24242308 |
| the role of chemosensory cues in discrimination of prey odors by the amphisbaenianblanus cinereus. | responses of amphisbaenians (blanus cinereus) to deionized water, a control for pungency (cologne), and integumental prey odors (coleopteran larvae and adult ants) on cotton swabs were studied in experiments with a randomized blocks design to discover whether amphisbaenians use chemical cues to detect and identify prey. no individual bit the applicators. amphisbaenians tongue-flicked at lower rates than epigean saurians, which are active foragers. tongue-flick rate differed among treatments, but ... | 1992 | 24254635 |
| comments on the pelvic appendicular vestiges in an amphisbaenian: blanus cinereus (reptilia, squamata). | a detailed description of muscular and skeletal features of the pelvi-cloacal region of the amphisbaenian blanus cinereus reveals that the species has real hind limbs articulating with a real pelvic girdle. arguments support this homology: 1) a link with the vertebral column; 2) a movable articulation, showing all the features of a diarthrosis, between the femur and the acetabulum; 3) all the long bone characteristics for the femur which distally bears a horny element. the morphological peculiar ... | 1991 | 29865527 |