Bringing you the recent scientific advancements in the field of Herpetology.
Episodes
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Saturday Oct 28, 2023
Fire salamanders are the focus of this episode. Like humans, they have been facing a pandemic recently, and new research delves into how populations have been coping. We top it off with a brand new snake species from Vietnam.
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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Erens J, Preissler K, Speybroeck J, Beukema W, Spitzen-van Der Sluijs A, Stark T, Laudelout A, Kinet T, Schmidt BR, Martel A, Steinfartz S, Pasmans F. 2023. Divergent population responses following salamander mass mortalities and declines driven by the emerging pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 290:20230510. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0510.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Kane D, Tapley B, La TV, Nguyen LT. 2023. A new species of the genus Rhabdophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Squamata: Colubridae) from the Hoang Lien range, northwest Vietnam. Zootaxa 5343:101–125. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5343.2.1.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Ivimey‐Cook ER, Pick JL, Bairos‐Novak KR, Culina A, Gould E, Grainger M, Marshall BM, Moreau D, Paquet M, Royauté R, Sánchez‐Tójar A, Silva I, Windecker SM. 2023. Implementing code review in the scientific workflow: Insights from ecology and evolutionary biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 36:1347–1356. DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14230.
Other Links/Mentions:
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Tuesday Oct 10, 2023
Crocodiles leave their mouths open for long periods of time, and we don’t really know why. We also take a long tangent on the swiftlet nest business and what wee reptiles are cashing in themselves.
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Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Price C, Ezat MA, Hanzen C, Downs CT. 2022. Never smile at a crocodile: Gaping behaviour in the Nile crocodile at Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa. Behavioural Processes 203:104772. DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104772.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Quah ESH, Chong JL. 2022. Reptile predators of swiftlets (genus Aerodramus) with a focus on their impact on the swiftlet farming industry. Herpetology Notes.
Wüster, W., & Tillack, F. 2023. On the importance of types and the perils of “en passant” taxonomy: a brief history of the typification of Coluber naja Linnaeus, 1758 (Serpentes: Elapidae) and its implications, with the designation of a lectotype. Zootaxa, 5346(4), 403-419.
Other Links/Mentions:
AmphibiaWeb. 2023. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 28 Sep 2023. https://amphibiaweb.org/cgi/amphib_query?where-scientific_name=Hyperolius+tuberilinguis&rel-scientific_name=contains&include_synonymies=Yes
Audio from flamelily via iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152630015
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Friday Oct 06, 2023
Friday Oct 06, 2023
Tracking and understanding invasive species is difficult, but even more so when the invasive can interbreed with the endangered native species creating a more powerful hybrid. This episode we look at a hybridising salamander. We also have a very special Species of the Bi-week.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Cooper RD, Shaffer HB. 2023. Managing invasive hybrids with pond hydroperiod manipulation in an endangered salamander system. Conservation Biology:cobi.14167. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14167.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Major T, Renk P, Reissig J, Paijmans JLA, Morris E, Hofreiter M, Barlow A, Broadley DG, Wüster W. 2023. Museum DNA reveals a new, potentially extinct species of rinkhals (Serpentes: Elapidae: Hemachatus) from the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. PLOS ONE 18:e0291432. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291432.
Other Links/Mentions:
Conversation article about the Nyanga rinkhals: https://shorturl.at/ouvyL
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Chameleons have evolved a diversity of weaponry. New research determines what these weapons are, and which chameleon groups are the most heavily-armed.
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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Van Kleeck-Hann M, Wiens JJ. 2023. Macroevolution of sexually selected weapons: weapon evolution in chameleons. Evolution:qpad138. DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad138.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Kang, C., Kim, Y. E., & Jang, Y. 2016. Colour and pattern change against visually heterogeneous backgrounds in the tree frog Hyla japonica. Scientific reports, 6(1), 22601.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
They call them mamushi, or the Japanese pitviper. New research determines whether these snakes operate in chilly weather, or if their prey are safe to relax.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Kodama T, Mori A. 2023. How important is temperature for strike success of ectotherms? Thermal effects on predator–prey interactions of free‐ranging pit vipers (Gloydius blomhoffii). Ethology:eth.13400. DOI: 10.1111/eth.13400.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Lawson LP, Loader SP, Lyakurwa JV, Liedtke HC. 2023. Diversification of spiny-throated reed frogs (Anura: Hyperoliidae) with the description of a new, range-restricted species from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania. PLOS ONE 18:e0277535. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277535.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Kimbrough L. 2023.No croak: New silent frog species described from Tanzania’s ‘sky island’ forests. Available at https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/no-croak-new-silent-frog-species-described-from-tanzanias-sky-island-forests/ (accessed April 12, 2023).
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Vocal plasticity is the topic for this episode. Can tokay geckos modify their call? Do young turtle vocalisations help them coordinate their movements?
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Brumm H, Zollinger SA. 2017. Vocal plasticity in a reptile. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 284:20170451. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0451.
Lacroix C, Davy CM, Rollinson N. 2022. Hatchling vocalizations and beneficial social interactions in subterranean nests of a widespread reptile. Animal Behaviour 187:233–244. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.006.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Goutte S, Mason MJ, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C, Merle D, Cazes L, Toledo LF, el-Hafci H, Pallu S, Portier H, Schramm S, Gueriau P, Thoury M. 2019. Intense bone fluorescence reveals hidden patterns in pumpkin toadlets. Scientific Reports 9:5388. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-41959-8.
Goutte S, Mason MJ, Christensen-Dalsgaard J, Montealegre-Z F, Chivers BD, Sarria-S FA, Antoniazzi MM, Jared C, Almeida Sato L, Felipe Toledo L. 2017. Evidence of auditory insensitivity to vocalization frequencies in two frogs. Scientific Reports 7:12121. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12145-5.
Bornschein MR, Jr MMR, Pie MR, Confetti AE, Ribeiro LF. 2018. Redescription of the advertisement call of Brachycephalus tridactylus (Anura: Brachycephalidae). PeerJ Inc. DOI: 10.7287/peerj.preprints.27243v1.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Snake diets are difficult to study, but are deeply interesting. This episode we look at a paper that has gathered together records (paper and digital) to examine whether rat snakes and cobras compete for food. We also have a tiny hopping Species of the Bi-week.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Weiss M, Kalki Y. 2023. Trophic Niche Partitioning between Sympatric Naja naja and Ptyas mucosa: Crowdsourced Data in Application to Community Ecology. Journal of Herpetology 57. DOI: 10.1670/22-013.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Mângia S, Santana DJ, De Oliveira Drummond L, Sabagh LT, Ugioni L, Costa PN, Wachlevski M. 2023. A new species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from Serra do Tabuleiro, Southern Brazil. Vertebrate Zoology 73:575–597. DOI: 10.3897/vz.73.e102098.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Essner RL, Pereira REE, Blackburn DC, Singh AL, Stanley EL, Moura MO, Confetti AE, Pie MR. 2022. Semicircular canal size constrains vestibular function in miniaturized frogs. Science Advances 8:eabn1104. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn1104.
Other Links/Mentions:
Davey M. 2023. ‘Oh my god’: live worm found in Australian woman’s brain in world-first discovery. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/28/live-worm-living-womans-brain-australia-depression-forgetfulness
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
Caecilians are well adapted to a life underground, but a serious threat lives under there with them. All over the world, they have evolved the same means to fight this subterranean threat.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Mancuso M, Zaman S, Maddock ST, Kamei RG, Salazar-Valenzuela D, Wilkinson M, Roelants K, Fry BG. 2023. Resistance Is Not Futile: Widespread Convergent Evolution of Resistance to Alpha-Neurotoxic Snake Venoms in Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24:11353. DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411353.
Other Links/Mentions:
https://www.threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/article/view/8336/9359
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Aug 22, 2023
Tuesday Aug 22, 2023
We chat about some new research on the social behaviour of rattlesnakes. Plus a brand new snake species just described from Australia.
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Martin CE, Fox GA, Putman BJ, Hayes WK. 2023. Social security: can rattlesnakes reduce acute stress through social buffering? Frontiers in Ethology 2:1181774. DOI: 10.3389/fetho.2023.1181774.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Nankivell JH, Maryan B, Bush BG, Hutchinson MN. 2023. Whip it into shape: Revision of the Demansia psammophis (Schlegel, 1837) complex (Squamata: Elapidae), with a description of a new species from central Australia. Zootaxa 5311:301–339. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5311.3.1.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Tian, L., Preisser, E. L., Haynes, K. F., & Zhou, X. 2017. Social buffering in a eusocial invertebrate: termite soldiers reduce the lethal impact of competitor cues on workers. Ecology, 98(4), 952-960.
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Tuesday Jul 18, 2023
Two toad species are wreaking havoc as invaders, but which is worse - and why?
Become a Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/herphighlights
Merch: https://www.redbubble.com/people/herphighlights/shop
Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Kelly, C. L., Schwarzkopf, L., Christy, T. M., & Kennedy, M. S. (2023). The toad less travelled: Comparing life histories, ecological niches, and potential habitat of Asian black-spined toads and cane toads. Wildlife Research. doi: 10.1071/WR22111
Other Links/Mentions:
Ingerophrynus parvus call by Zaharil Dzulkafly from: http://bitly.ws/LcAv
Editing and Music:
Podcast edited by Emmy – https://www.fiverr.com/emmyk10
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com