Reptiles of the Galápagos: Life on the Enchanted Islands

Arteaga, Alejandro; Bustamante, Lucas; Vieira, José; Tapia, Washington; Guayasamín, Juan M.

doi:10.47051/aqju7348

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Criteria for common name designation are as proposed by Caramaschi et al (2006) and Coloma and Guayasamin (2011–2017) , reviewed by Arteaga et al (2019) . These are as follows (in order of importance): (i) the etymological intention (implicit or explicit) that the authors used when naming the species (specific epithet); (ii) a common name that is already widely used in the scientific literature; (iii) a common name that has an important ancestral or cultural meaning; (iv) a common name based on any distinctive aspect of the species (distribution, morphology, behavior, etc.).…”

Section: Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

Arteaga¹,

Quezada²,

Vieira³

et al. 2022

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The genus Atractus includes 146 species of cryptozoic snakes occurring from Panama to northeastern Argentina. Here, a molecular phylogeny of this genus is presented, which encompasses 29% (= 42; six are included here for the first time) of the species currently recognized. Morphological and phylogenetic support is found for three new species of ground snakes, which are described here based on their unique combination of molecular, meristic, and color pattern characteristics. The name A. arangoi Prado, 1939 is revalidated for a Colombian snake species previously subsumed under A. major Boulenger, 1894 based on new material collected in Ecuador. Reidentifications are provided for Atractus voucher specimens and sequences deposited in GenBank. With these changes, the number of Atractus reported in Ecuador increases from 27 to 31 species. Finally, attention is given to the importance of using a biogeographical framework that includes molecular data and a comprehensive geographic sampling when proposing species limits in complex taxonomic groups.

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Section: Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

Arteaga¹,

Quezada²,

Vieira³

et al. 2022

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“…However, some islands also populated by these long‐distance dispersers were excluded if they were continental shelf islands (i.e., connected with the continents during recent periods of low eustatic levels; Ludt & Rocha, 2015), are part of volcanic arcs situated at the edge of the continental shelf (e.g., Ryukyu Islands) and contained a high proportion of continental species in their assemblages (e.g., Papua New Guinea, Mindanao, and Taiwan; Sanguila et al., 2016). The study included 361 islands, with surface areas of 0.0005–150 437 km 2 , in which the presence of 306 species of squamates (excluding fully marine snakes) has been reported (Arteaga et al., 2019; Bauer & Sadlier, 2000; Buden & Taboroši, 2016; McCoy, 2006; McKeown, 1996; van Winkel et al., 2019; Zug, 2013; see also Supporting Information Appendices S1‐S3).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The models also included some relevant life‐history traits of the target species, that is, body size (mean snout‐vent length [SVL], in mm) and reproductive mode (categorical: bisexual–unisexual and viviparous–oviparous), based on the literature (Arteaga et al., 2019; Bauer & Sadlier, 2000; Buden & Taboroši, 2016; Goris & Maeda, 2004; McCoy, 2006; McKeown, 1996; van Winkel et al., 2019; Zug, 2013). These data are shown in Supporting Information Appendix S1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The colonization of these archipelagos by reptile fauna occurred gradually in a west–east direction, and several species predate archaeological evidence of human presence (Klein et al., 2016). Probably, transmarine dispersal over vast oceanic spaces is not easy for these small vertebrates, as suggested by the high island endemicity (Arteaga et al., 2019), and this process of dispersal may have a strong stochastic component (Simpson, 1940). However, some species were able to successfully spread over large distances across the Pacific Ocean (Tonione et al., 2011; Tonione et al., 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Success factors of great oceanic dispersers: Case of Squamata in the Pacific Ocean

Escoriza

2022

Journal of Zoology

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The Pacific Ocean is the largest in the world, and it contains many remote archipelagos, some of which are distant more than 4000 km from continents. Despite their isolation, these archipelagos harbour diverse assemblages of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes), and these species differ greatly in their dispersal ranges. This study tested the hypothesis that there is a spatial effect on the variation among species in dispersal ability and that it is also associated with the evolutionary relationships among species and their life-history strategies (body size and reproductive mode). The results indicated greater spatial than phylogenetic effects on the variables describing interspecific dispersal. The unisexual reproduction mode in squamates is not associated with a greater ability to colonize than sexual species that rely on similar mechanisms of dispersal. The higher reproductive rate of unisexual taxa might be initially advantageous for establishment on remote oceanic islands because of the unlikely arrival of sexual congenerics, which are frequently superior competitors in island ecosystems. Body size tends to exert a negative effect on the dispersal capacity of island squamates, but this relationship is positive in a subgroup of recently introduced commensal species.

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“…The Galapagos Islands retain most of their original biodiversity, with a total of 58 reptile species described within the archipelago ( Arteaga et al ., 2019 ). The most iconic and emblematic species are the giant Galapagos tortoises ( Chelonoidis spp.).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Haematology and plasma biochemistry reference intervals for the critically endangered western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis porteri)

Nieto-Claudín

Palmer

Esperón

et al. 2021

Conservation Physiology

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Reference intervals (RIs) are an increasingly valuable tool for monitoring captive and free-living wildlife populations. Galapagos tortoises are one of the most emblematic species on Earth with 9 of the 12 extant species considered endangered due to human activities. As part of a long-term health assessment within the Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme, we sampled a total of 210 free-living Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises ( Chelonoidis porteri ). We collected blood from the brachial vein and performed packed cell volume (PCV), total solids (TS), morphological evaluation, white blood cell (WBC) count estimates and differentials and a VetScan biochemistry panel for each individual. We calculated 95% RIs and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) using the Reference Value Advisor tool and following international standard guidelines. Tortoises were categorized by estimated age and sex, with RI and CI reported here for 164 adult tortoises and 46 sub-adult tortoises. We found significant differences between sexes, with adult females presenting a lower PCV and higher values for both calcium and potassium. Among age groups, adult tortoises presented higher PCV, TS and albumin and lower WBC counts, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase than sub-adult tortoises. We also found that tortoises presented higher numbers of lymphocytes during the dry season, but higher basophils, eosinophils, phosphorus, potassium and TS during the humid season. The heterophil:lymphocyte ratio did not differ between groups. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of formal plasma biochemistry and haematology RI for free-living Galapagos tortoises. With the present study we provide an important diagnostic tool for captive-breeding programs in the Galapagos and zoological institutions globally that care for giant tortoises. The ultimate goal of this study is to contribute to the understanding of giant tortoise baseline health parameters and to inform local management decisions that help to conserve these emblematic species.

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Reptiles of the Galápagos: Life on the Enchanted Islands

Cited by 14 publications

References 0 publications

Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

Success factors of great oceanic dispersers: Case of Squamata in the Pacific Ocean

Haematology and plasma biochemistry reference intervals for the critically endangered western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis porteri)

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Reptiles of the Galápagos: Life on the Enchanted Islands

Cited by 14 publications

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﻿Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

﻿Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

Success factors of great oceanic dispersers: Case of Squamata in the Pacific Ocean

Haematology and plasma biochemistry reference intervals for the critically endangered western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis porteri)

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Product

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Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach