Fossil lizard from central Europe resolves the origin of large body size and herbivory in giant Canary Island lacertids

Čerňanský, Andrej; Klembara, Jozef; Smith, Krister T.

doi:10.1111/zoj.12340

Cited by 38 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The origin of the genus Psammodromus was likely in Western Europe according to previous knowledge. The European origin of lacertids, and of the Gallotiinae in particular, is supported by (1) fossil evidence (Augé, ; Čerňanský, Klembara, & Smith, ; Figure S4, Table S3), (2) the mainly European distribution of the first genera to branch off in the lacertid phylogeny (Arnold et al., ) and (3) a high species diversity in Europe compared to Africa (Arnold et al., ; Pavlicev & Mayer, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Biogeographical crossroad across the Pillars of Hercules: Evolutionary history of Psammodromus lizards in space and time

Mendes

Harris

Carranza

et al. 2017

Journal of Biogeography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim To infer the biogeographical and evolutionary history of the Western Mediterranean Psammodromus lizards with the aim of assessing the role of vicariance and dispersal on the cladogenetic events within the palaeogeological dynamics of the Strait of Gibraltar. Location North Africa and Western Europe. Methods We built a dataset including all six species of Psammodromus using mitochondrial (12S, cytb, nd4) and nuclear (acm4, mc1r, pomc) gene fragments. Species tree and concatenation methods were used to infer phylogenetic relationships and divergence times. Phylogenies were used for biogeographical inference using S‐DIVA, DEC and BBM. Results Psammodromus probably originated in Iberia, with P. algirus diverging early. The ancestor of the African P. blanci and P. microdactylus dispersed to Africa through the Betic‐Rif massif, c. 10 Ma. The cladogenetic events within Africa and Iberia were probably due to vicariance mediated by habitat and climatic changes at the end of the Miocene (P. blanci and P. microdactylus) and during the Pliocene (P. occidentalis, P. hispanicus and P. edwardsianus). Psammodromus algirus shows three lineages, two in Iberia and one in Africa, the latter originated following a transmarine dispersal during the Middle Pleistocene (1.5 Ma). Main conclusions Over‐sea dispersal has played a major role in intercontinental exchange and divergence in Psammodromus, with two dispersal events towards Africa that occurred 10 and 1.5 Ma resulting in the African lineages. This study, combined with previous literature, provides compelling evidence that major biotic exchanges took place across the Strait of Gibraltar well before or long after the land connection during the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC, 5.9–5.33 Ma). These findings suggest caution in the application of the relatively short event of Atlantic flooding at the end of the MSC as cause for divergence in molecular clock calibrations, which is a popular approach in literature.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Biogeographical crossroad across the Pillars of Hercules: Evolutionary history of Psammodromus lizards in space and time

Mendes

Harris

Carranza

et al. 2017

Journal of Biogeography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among the taxa studied here, the occipital shield is large in T. lepidus (but also in Pl. lydekkeri [8]) and G. stehlini (for this character state see also [11]). (14) The lateral margins of the parietal are not completelly preserved and can be only estimated.…”

Section: Maxillamentioning

confidence: 95%

“…33D-E). Moreover, the maxillary processes are reduced in this taxon [11]. The narrow nasal process of the premaxilla is present in members of the Eolacertidae [9].…”

Section: Premaxillamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The first Miocene fossils of Lacerta cf.trilineata(Squamata, Lacertidae) with a comparative study of the main cranial osteological differences in green lizards and their relatives

Čerňanský

Syromyatnikova

2019

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We here describe the first fossil remains of a green lizardof the Lacerta group from the late Miocene (MN 13) of the Solnechnodolsk locality in southern European Russia. This region of Europe is crucial for our understanding of the paleobiogeography and evolution of these middle-sized lizards. Although this clade has a broad geographical distribution across the continent today, its presence in the fossil record has only rarely been reported. In contrast to that, the material described here is abundant, consists of a premaxilla, maxillae, frontals, parietals, jugals, quadrate, pterygoids, dentaries and vertebrae. The comparison of these elements to all extant green lizard species shows that these fossils are indistinguishable from Lacerta trilineata. Thus, they form the first potential evidence of the occurrence of this species in the Miocene. This may be also used as a potential calibration point for further studies. Together with other lizard fossils, Solnechnodolsk shows an interesting combination of survivors and the dawn of modern species. This locality provides important evidence for the transition of an archaic Miocene world to the modern diversity of lizards in Europe. In addition, this article represents a contribution to the knowledge of the comparative osteological anatomy of the selected cranial elements in lacertid. This study gives special emphasis to the green lizards, but new data are also presented for related taxa, e.g., Timon lepidus, Podarcis muralis or Zootoca vivipara. Although the green lizards include several cryptic species for which determination based on isolated osteological material would be expected to be difficult, our comparisons show several important morphological differences.

show abstract

“…Fossil records of Gallotia clade, a group of lacertid lizards that inhabit the Canary Islands, shows that island environments are crucial in the development of herbivory, since even the individuals which are primitively of large body, the herbivory just has developed after the colonization of the islands [29]. Before the colonization they were carnivores.…”

Section: Environmental Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbivory by Lizards

Pietczak¹,

Vieira²

2017

Herbivores

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The extent of herbivory in lizards is influenced by several factors. Plant tissues are more difficult to digest than invertebrates due to the presence of cellulose. Thus, so many lizards exhibit carnivorous diet. Nevertheless, some species consume vegetables. Essentially herbivorous diet occurs in about 3% of lizards, while most omnivores add plants in their diets. Omnivorous species tend to eat more fruits, flower, and nectar, because they are easier to digest and provide more nutrients than leaves, which are rich in cellulose. The main factors influencing the consumption of plant material are related to the habitat of the species. Insular and arid environments favor the consumption of plants because such locations have low amount of arthropods available and present water scarcity. It is also possible to observe ontogenetic changes in the lizard's diet, in such a way that young individuals consume only invertebrates, whereas the adults supplement their diet with plant material. When consuming fruits and nectar, lizards become potential dispersers and pollinators. In this sense, some studies have already corroborated seed dispersal and pollination events by lizards. In islands where other species are absent, these interactions are essential for the maintenance of communities.

show abstract

Fossil lizard from central Europe resolves the origin of large body size and herbivory in giant Canary Island lacertids

Cited by 38 publications

References 38 publications

Biogeographical crossroad across the Pillars of Hercules: Evolutionary history of Psammodromus lizards in space and time

Biogeographical crossroad across the Pillars of Hercules: Evolutionary history of Psammodromus lizards in space and time

The first Miocene fossils of Lacerta cf.trilineata(Squamata, Lacertidae) with a comparative study of the main cranial osteological differences in green lizards and their relatives

Herbivory by Lizards

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About