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Ledesma DT, Scarpetta SG, Jacisin JJ, Meza A, Kemp ME. Identification of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil lizards from Hall's Cave (Kerr County, Texas) and a primer on morphological variation in North American lizard skulls. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0308714. [PMID: 39146299 PMCID: PMC11326655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308714] [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: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Fossil identification practices have a profound effect on our interpretation of the past because these identifications form the basis for downstream analyses. Therefore, well-supported fossil identifications are necessary for examining the impact of past environmental changes on populations and communities. Here we apply an apomorphic identification framework in a case study identifying fossil lizard remains from Hall's Cave, a late Quaternary fossil site located in Central Texas, USA. We present images and descriptions of a broad comparative sample of North American lizard cranial elements and compile new and previously reported apomorphic characters for identifying fossil lizards. Our fossil identifications from Hall's Cave resulted in a minimum of 11 lizard taxa, including five lizard taxa previously unknown from the site. Most of the identified fossil lizard taxa inhabit the area around Hall's Cave today, but we reinforce the presence of an extirpated species complex of horned lizard. A main goal of this work is to establish a procedure for making well-supported fossil lizard identifications across North America. The data from this study will assist researchers endeavoring to identify fossil lizards, increasing the potential for novel discoveries related to North American lizards and facilitating more holistic views of ancient faunal assemblages.
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Affiliation(s)
- David T Ledesma
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Simon G Scarpetta
- Department of Integrative Biology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - John J Jacisin
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Antonio Meza
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Melissa E Kemp
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America
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Heinicke MP, Nielsen SV, Bauer AM, Kelly R, Geneva AJ, Daza JD, Keating SE, Gamble T. Reappraising the evolutionary history of the largest known gecko, the presumably extinct Hoplodactylus delcourti, via high-throughput sequencing of archival DNA. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9141. [PMID: 37336900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35210-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Hoplodactylus delcourti is a presumably extinct species of diplodactylid gecko known only from a single specimen of unknown provenance. It is by far the largest known gekkotan, approximately 50% longer than the next largest-known species. It has been considered a member of the New Zealand endemic genus Hoplodactylus based on external morphological features including shared toe pad structure. We obtained DNA from a bone sample of the only known specimen to generate high-throughput sequence data suitable for phylogenetic analysis of its evolutionary history. Complementary sequence data were obtained from a broad sample of diplodactylid geckos. Our results indicate that the species is not most closely related to extant Hoplodactylus or any other New Zealand gecko. Instead, it is a member of a clade whose living species are endemic to New Caledonia. Phylogenetic comparative analyses indicate that the New Caledonian diplodactylid clade has evolved significantly more disparate body sizes than either the Australian or New Zealand clades. Toe pad structure has changed repeatedly across diplodactylids, including multiple times in the New Caledonia clade, partially explaining the convergence in form between H. delcourti and New Zealand Hoplodactylus. Based on the phylogenetic results, we place H. delcourti in a new genus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stuart V Nielsen
- Louisiana State University Shreveport, Shreveport, LA, USA
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | - Ryan Kelly
- University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI, USA
| | | | - Juan D Daza
- Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA
| | | | - Tony Gamble
- Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- The Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
- Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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Bunce M. It is time for ancient DNA to sweat the small stuff. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:2689-2691. [PMID: 37212188 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
When one thinks of the field of ancient DNA it conjures images of extinct megafauna, from mammoths and woolly rhinos, through to the giant, flightless elephant bird (but hopefully not dinosaurs - despite the pervasive idea of 'dino DNA' from Jurassic park). These taxa have fascinating evolutionary histories, and their extinction stories need to be told. At the other end of the vertebrate scale, however, is the often neglected 'small stuff' - lizards, frogs, and other herpetofauna. But here's the rub - extracting DNA from the bones of this 'small stuff' is not only difficult, it often destroys the sample. In this issue, Scarsbrook et al. (2023) describe a new way to study the ancient (or historical) DNA of small vertebrates that is minimally destructive. The authors use the method to reconstruct the dynamic evolutionary history of New Zealand geckos and make new insights into how remnant populations should be managed. This work provides some key insights into New Zealand geckos but also opens up opportunities of biomolecular research on the smallest of vouchered vertebrate samples held within museum collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Bunce
- Department of Conservation, Te Papa Atawhai, Wellington, New Zealand
- TrEnD Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Walton K, Scarsbrook L, Mitchell KJ, Verry AJF, Marshall BA, Rawlence NJ, Spencer HG. Application of palaeogenetic techniques to historic mollusc shells reveals phylogeographic structure in a New Zealand abalone. Mol Ecol Resour 2022; 23:118-130. [PMID: 35951485 PMCID: PMC10087340 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Natural history collections worldwide contain a plethora of mollusc shells. Recent studies have detailed the sequencing of DNA extracted from shells up to thousands of years old and from various taphonomic and preservational contexts. However, previous approaches have largely addressed methodological rather than evolutionary research questions. Here we report the generation of DNA sequence data from mollusc shells using such techniques, applied to Haliotis virginea Gmelin, 1791, a New Zealand abalone, in which morphological variation has led to the recognition of several forms and subspecies. We successfully recovered near-complete mitogenomes from 22 specimens including 12 dry-preserved shells up to 60 years old. We used a combination of palaeogenetic techniques that have not previously been applied to shell, including DNA extraction optimized for ultra-short fragments and hybridization-capture of single-stranded DNA libraries. Phylogenetic analyses revealed three major, well-supported clades comprising samples from: 1) the Three Kings Islands; 2) the Auckland, Chatham and Antipodes Islands; and 3) mainland New Zealand and Campbell Island. This phylogeographic structure does not correspond to the currently recognized forms. Critically, our non-reliance on freshly collected or ethanol-preserved samples enabled inclusion of topotypes of all recognized subspecies as well as additional difficult-to-sample populations. Broader application of these comparatively cost-effective and reliable methods to modern, historical, archaeological and palaeontological shell samples has the potential to revolutionize invertebrate genetic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry Walton
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
| | - Lachie Scarsbrook
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand.,Palaeogenomics and Bio-Archaeology Research Network, School of Archaeology, 1 South Parks Road, OX1 3TG, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kieren J Mitchell
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
| | - Alexander J F Verry
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand.,Centre for Anthropobiology and Genomics of Toulouse, CNRS UMR5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Bruce A Marshall
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 169 Tory St, Te Aro, 6011, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Nicolas J Rawlence
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
| | - Hamish G Spencer
- Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Box 56, Dunedin 9054, PO, New Zealand
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