Galápagos tortoise stable isotope ecology and the 1850s Floreana Island Chelonoidis niger niger extinction.

A consequence of over 400 years of human exploitation of Galápagos tortoises (Chelonoidis niger ssp.) is the extinction of several subspecies and the decimation of others. As humans captured, killed, and/or removed tortoises for food, oil, museums, and zoos, they also colonized the archipelago resulting in the introduction of invasive plants, animals, and manipulated landscapes for farming, ranching, and infrastructure.

On the distribution of Gonyosoma prasinum (Blyth, 1854) and Gonyosoma coeruleum Liu, Hou, Ye Htet Lwin, Wang amp; Rao, 2021, with a note on the status of Gonyosoma gramineum Gnther, 1864 (Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae).

Based on 85 examined specimens, photographs of living specimens and illustrations published in the literature, we refine the distribution ranges of both Gonyosoma prasinum (Blyth, 1854) and of the recently described species Gonyosoma coeruleum Liu, Hou, Ye Htet Lwin, Wang Rao, 2021, which was not clearly addressed in its original description. We also redescribe the syntypes of Coluber prasinus Blyth, 1854 and the holotype of Gonyosoma gramineum Gnther, 1864, we discuss the status of this latter taxon, and we describe the hemipenial morphology of G. coeruleum.

Speciation and secondary contact in a fossorial island endemic, the São Tomé caecilian.

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.

A global catalog of primary reptile type specimens.

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).