Two new species of the shieldtail snake genus Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae), from the Rakwana and the Knuckles Massifs of Sri Lanka.

Two new species of the uropeltid snake genus Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 are described from Sri Lanka. Rhinophis martin sp. nov.

A new species of Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the eastern escarpment of the southern Western Ghats, India.

A new species of the uropeltid ('shieldtail') snake genus Uropeltis is described based on eight specimens from the southern part of peninsular India's Western Ghats. Uropeltis caudomaculata sp. nov.

Genomic SNPs resolve the phylogeny of an ancient amphibian island radiation from the Seychelles.

Unusually for oceanic islands, the granitic Seychelles host multiple lineages of endemic amphibians. This includes an ancient (likely ca. 60 million years) radiation of eight caecilian species, most of which occur on multiple islands.

Diversity and Molecular Evolution of Nonvisual Opsin Genes across Environmental, Developmental, and Morphological Adaptations in Frogs.

Nonvisual opsins are transmembrane proteins expressed in the eyes and other tissues of many animals. When paired with a light-sensitive chromophore, nonvisual opsins form photopigments involved in various nonvisual, light-detection functions including circadian rhythm regulation, light-seeking behaviors, and seasonal responses. Here, we investigate the molecular evolution of nonvisual opsin genes in anuran amphibians (frogs and toads).

Circadian rhythm and surface activity in soil-dwelling caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona).

The degree to which burrowing, soil-dwelling caecilian amphibians spend time on the surface is little studied, and circadian rhythm has not been investigated in multiple species of this order or by manipulating light-dark cycles. We studied surface-activity rhythm of the Indian caecilians Ichthyophis cf. longicephalus and Uraeotyphlus cf.