We present information on primary type specimens for 13,282 species and subspecies of reptiles compiled in the Reptile Database, that is, holotypes, neotypes, lectotypes, and syntypes. These represent 99.4% of all 13,361 currently recognized taxa (11,050 species and 2311 subspecies). Type specimens of 653 taxa (4.9%) are either lost or not located, were never designated, or we did not find any information about them. 51 species are based on iconotypes. To map all types to physical collections we have consolidated all synonymous and ambiguous collection acronyms into an unambiguous list of 364 collections holding these primary types. The 10 largest collections possess more than 50% of all (primary) reptile types, the 36 largest collections possess more than 10,000 types and the largest 73 collections possess over 90% of all types. Of the 364 collections, 107 hold type specimens of only 1 species or subspecies. Dozens of types are still in private collections. In order to increase their utility, we recommend that the description of type specimens be supplemented with data from high-resolution images and CT-scans, and clear links to tissue samples and DNA sequence data (when available). We request members of the herpetological community provide us with any missing type information to complete the list.
A period of isolation in allopatry typically precedes local adaptation and subsequent divergence among lineages. Alternatively, locally adapted phenotypes may arise and persist in the face of gene flow, resulting in strong correlations between ecologically‐relevant phenotypic variation and corresponding environmental gradients. Quantifying genetic, ecological, and phenotypic divergence in such lineages can provide insights into the abiotic and biotic mechanisms that structure populations and drive the accumulation of phenotypic and taxonomic diversity. Low‐vagility organisms whose distributions span ephemeral geographic barriers present the ideal evolutionary context within which to address these questions. Here, we combine genetic (mtDNA and genome‐wide SNPs) and phenotypic data to investigate the divergence history of caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) endemic to the oceanic island of São Tomé in the Gulf of Guinea archipelago. Consistent with a previous mtDNA study, we find two phenotypically and genetically distinct lineages that occur along a north‐to‐south axis with extensive admixture in the centre of the island. Demographic modelling supports divergence in allopatry (~300 kya) followed by secondary contact (~95 kya). Consequently, in contrast to a morphological study that interpreted latitudinal phenotypic variation in these caecilians as a cline within a single widespread species, our analyses suggest a history of allopatric lineage divergence and subsequent hybridization that may have blurred species boundaries. We propose that late Pleistocene volcanic activity favoured allopatric divergence between these lineages with local adaptation to climate maintaining a stable hybrid zone in the centre of São Tomé Island. Our study joins a growing number of systems demonstrating lineage divergence on volcanic islands with stark environmental transitions across small geographic distances.
This chapter reviews the diversity, evolutionary relationships, ecology, and conservation of the Gulf of Guinea oceanic islands’ endemic caecilian and anuran fauna. A total of nine amphibian species (representing five families) are known from São Tomé and Príncipe islands, all of which are endemic. No amphibians have been reported from Annobón. Taxonomic research on this group of animals began in the second half of the nineteenth century with subsequent refinement following the advent of molecular techniques. The presence of several amphibians from distinct evolutionary lineages is unexpected for oceanic islands and has motivated several biogeographic studies to reconstruct the evolutionary histories of these enigmatic species. Yet, the continental source for many of the islands’ amphibians remains unknown. The amphibians of São Tomé and Príncipe also exhibit intriguing phenotypic diversity for addressing long-standing hypotheses in evolutionary biology, including body size evolution and gigantism on islands, intraspecific variation and interspecific divergence in coloration, and reproductive and dietary niche partitioning. Recent studies have confirmed the presence of the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in amphibian communities on both São Tomé and Príncipe, but it is unclear whether this pathogen is negatively impacting local populations. Most of the Gulf of Guinea oceanic island endemic amphibians are incredibly abundant and widespread, occurring in primary forest, secondary forest, and agricultural habitats across the islands. Three anuran species (Hyperolius thomensis, Leptopelis palmatus, Ptychadena newtoni) have more limited distributions and/or more specialized ecologies; consequently, additional land-use change poses a threat to the long-term persistence of these taxa.
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