A new species of Lepidodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea.

We describe a new species of Lepidodactylus from Umboi Island, just to the west of New Britain. It is a member of the Lepidodactylus guppyi Group and can be distinguished from all other Melanesian Lepidodactylus by aspects of digital scalation, digital webbing, enlarged femoral/precloacal scales, and color pattern. It is genetically distinct from its closest congeners, and genetic and morphological data indicate that the new species is most similar among named species to Lepidodactylus guppyi from the Solomon Islands, but it diverged from this species and other close relatives approximately 8 MYA or longer at a time prior to the existence of the island that it now occupies.

Taxonomy of Micronesian monitors (Reptilia: Squamata: ): endemic status of new species argues for caution in pursuing eradication plans.

In the light of recent phylogenetic studies, we re-assess the taxonomy and biogeography of the populations distributed in the Micronesian islands of Palau, the Western Carolines and the Marianas. Whether these populations are of natural origin or human introductions has long been contentious, but no study has fully resolved that question. Here, we present molecular and morphological evidence that monitor lizards of the Group reached both Palau and the Mariana Islands sometime in the late Pleistocene and subsequently differentiated into two separate species endemic to each geographical region.

Phylogenomics of Monitor Lizards and the Role of Competition in Dictating Body Size Disparity.

Organismal interactions drive the accumulation of diversity by influencing species ranges, morphology, and behavior. Interactions vary from agonistic to cooperative and should result in predictable patterns in trait and range evolution. However, despite a conceptual understanding of these processes, they have been difficult to model, particularly on macroevolutionary timescales and across broad geographic spaces.

New species of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea.

We describe a new species of Cyrtodactylus from Karkar Island, an active volcano off the northern coast of New Guinea. It is a member of the C. sermowaiensis species group, which is defined by the absence of enlarged precloacal and femoral scales and the absence of precloacal/femoral pores in males.

A new blue-tailed Monitor lizard (Reptilia, Squamata, Varanus) of the Varanus indicus group from Mussau Island, Papua New Guinea.

We describe a new species of Varanus from Mussau Island, north-east of New Guinea. The new species is a member of the Varanus indicus species group and is distinguished from all other members by both morphological and molecular genetic characters. It is the third species of Varanus reported from the Bismarck Archipelago and the first record of a yellow tongued member of the Varanus indicus species group from a remote oceanic island.