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Daza JD, Stanley EL, Heinicke MP, Leah C, Doucet DS, Fenner KL, Arias JS, Smith RDA, Peretti AM, Aung NN, Bauer AM. Compound osteoderms preserved in amber reveal the oldest known skink. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15662. [PMID: 38977836 PMCID: PMC11231356 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66451-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Scincidae is one of the most species-rich and cosmopolitan clades of squamate reptiles. Abundant disarticulated fossil material has also been attributed to this group, however, no complete pre-Cenozoic crown-scincid specimens have been found. A specimen in Burmite (99 MYA) is the first fossil that can be unambiguously referred to this clade. Our analyses place it as nested within extant skinks, supported by the presence of compound osteoderms formed by articulated small ostedermites. The specimen has a combination of dorsal and ventral compound osteoderms and overlapping cycloid scales that is limited to skinks. We propose that this type of osteoderm evolved as a response to an increased overlap of scales, and to reduced stiffness of the dermal armour. Compound osteoderms could be a key innovation that facilitated diversification in this megadiverse family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan D Daza
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, 77341, USA.
| | - Edward L Stanley
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.
| | | | - Chuck Leah
- Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Daniel S Doucet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, 77341, USA
| | - Kelsey L Fenner
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - J Salvador Arias
- Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones, and Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales, 3300, Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Ru D A Smith
- Jabatan Geologi, University Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Adolf M Peretti
- Peretti Museum Foundation, Baumschulweg, 13, 6045, Meggen, Switzerland
| | - Nyi Nyi Aung
- Peretti Museum Foundation, Baumschulweg, 13, 6045, Meggen, Switzerland
- Myanmar Geosciences Society, Department of Geology, University of Yangon, Yangon, 11041, Myanmar
| | - Aaron M Bauer
- Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA
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Skeels A, Boschman LM, McFadden IR, Joyce EM, Hagen O, Jiménez Robles O, Bach W, Boussange V, Keggin T, Jetz W, Pellissier L. Paleoenvironments shaped the exchange of terrestrial vertebrates across Wallace's Line. Science 2023; 381:86-92. [PMID: 37410831 DOI: 10.1126/science.adf7122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Faunal turnover in Indo-Australia across Wallace's Line is one of the most recognizable patterns in biogeography and has catalyzed debate about the role of evolutionary and geoclimatic history in biotic interchanges. Here, analysis of more than 20,000 vertebrate species with a model of geoclimate and biological diversification shows that broad precipitation tolerance and dispersal ability were key for exchange across the deep-time precipitation gradient spanning the region. Sundanian (Southeast Asian) lineages evolved in a climate similar to the humid "stepping stones" of Wallacea, facilitating colonization of the Sahulian (Australian) continental shelf. By contrast, Sahulian lineages predominantly evolved in drier conditions, hampering establishment in Sunda and shaping faunal distinctiveness. We demonstrate how the history of adaptation to past environmental conditions shapes asymmetrical colonization and global biogeographic structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Skeels
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
| | - L M Boschman
- Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - I R McFadden
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - E M Joyce
- Systematics, Biodiversity and Evolution of Plants, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 80331 Munich, Germany
| | - O Hagen
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - O Jiménez Robles
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
- Institute of Biology, École Normale Supérieure, 75005 Paris, France
| | - W Bach
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - V Boussange
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - T Keggin
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - W Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - L Pellissier
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Ecosystems and Landscape Evolution, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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Thorn KM, Fusco DA, Hutchinson MN, Gardner MG, Clayton JL, Prideaux GJ, Lee MSY. A giant armoured skink from Australia expands lizard morphospace and the scope of the Pleistocene extinctions. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230704. [PMID: 37312544 PMCID: PMC10265006 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
There are more species of lizards and snakes (squamates) alive today than any other order of land vertebrates, yet their fossil record has been poorly documented compared with other groups. Here, we describe a gigantic Pleistocene skink from Australia based on extensive material that includes much of the skull and postcranial skeleton, and spans ontogenetic stages from neonate to adult. Tiliqua frangens substantially expands the known ecomorphological diversity of squamates. At approximately 2.4 kg, it was more than double the mass of any living skink, with an exceptionally broad, deep skull, squat limbs and heavy, ornamented body armour. It probably filled the armoured herbivore niche that land tortoises (testudinids), absent from Australia, occupy on other continents. Tiliqua frangens and other giant Plio-Pleistocene skinks suggest that small-bodied groups that dominate vertebrate biodiversity might have lost their largest and often most morphologically extreme representatives in the Late Pleistocene, expanding the scope of these extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailah M. Thorn
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Diana A. Fusco
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
| | - Mark N. Hutchinson
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Michael G. Gardner
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Jessica L. Clayton
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
| | - Gavin J. Prideaux
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
| | - Michael S. Y. Lee
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Australia
- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia
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Shea GM. Nomenclature of supra-generic units within the Family Scincidae (Squamata). Zootaxa 2021; 5067:301-351. [PMID: 34810739 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5067.3.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The modern classification of skinks is based on a nomenclature that dates to the 1970s. However, there are a number of earlier names in the family group that have been overlooked by recent workers. These names are identified and their validity with respect to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature investigated, along with their type genera. In most cases, use of these names to supplant junior synonyms in modern day use is avoidable by use of the Reversal of Precedence articles of the Code, but the names remain available in case of future divisions at the tribe and subtribe level. Other names are unavailable due to homonymy, either of their type genera or the stems from similar but non-homonymous type genera. However, the name Egerniini is replaced by Tiliquini, due to a limited timespan of use of Egerniini. A new classification of the Family Scincidae is proposed, providing a more extensive use of Code-regulated levels of classification, including tribes and subtribes, and a detailed synonymy provided for each taxonomic unit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn M Shea
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science B01, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, 1 William St, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia .
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Ristevski J, Price GJ, Weisbecker V, Salisbury SW. First record of a tomistomine crocodylian from Australia. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12158. [PMID: 34108569 PMCID: PMC8190066 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91717-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on the known fossil record, the majority of crocodylians from the Cenozoic Era of Australia are referred to the extinct clade Mekosuchinae. The only extant crocodylians in Australia are two species of Crocodylus. Hence, the viewpoint that Crocodylus and mekosuchines have been the only crocodylians inhabiting Australia during the Cenozoic has remained largely undisputed. Herein we describe Australia's first tomistomine crocodylian, Gunggamarandu maunala gen. et sp. nov., thus challenging the notion of mekosuchine dominance during most of the Cenozoic. The holotype specimen of Gunggamarandu maunala derives from the Pliocene or Pleistocene of south-eastern Queensland, marking the southern-most global record for Tomistominae. Gunggamarandu maunala is known from a large, incomplete cranium that possesses a unique combination of features that distinguishes it from other crocodylians. Phylogenetic analyses place Gunggamarandu in a basal position within Tomistominae, specifically as a sister taxon to Dollosuchoides from the Eocene of Europe. These results hint at a potential ghost lineage between European and Australian tomistomines going back more than 50 million years. The cranial proportions of the Gunggamarandu maunala holotype specimen indicate it is the largest crocodyliform yet discovered from Australia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorgo Ristevski
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Gilbert J Price
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Steven W Salisbury
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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