Laurie J. Vitt

University of Oklahoma | ou

Background Environmental conditions on Earth are repeated in non-random patterns that often coincide with species from different regions and time periods having consistent combinations of morphological, physiological and behavioral traits. Observation of repeated trait combinations among species confronting similar environmental conditions suggest...

The genus Oxybelis currently is composed of four taxa despite numerous studies suggesting and describing multiple taxa within the O. aeneus complex. Here, we utilize a multilocus molecular dataset (i.e., cyt b, ND4, 12S, 16S, cmos, PRLR, 3663 bp) to conduct phylogenetic analyses to assess the evolutionary history of Oxybelis. Our molecular analyses...

Kentropyx calcarata is a widely foraging teiid lizard species that inhabits forest environments east of the Andes in South America. We studied the ecology of a K. calcarata population in a remnant of Atlantic Forest in Brazil and evaluated lizards' body temperatures, stomach content, activity time, body measurements, and reproduction stage. We test...

We summarize thermal-biology data of 69 species of Amazonian lizards, including mode of thermoregulation and field-active body temperatures (Tb). We also provide new data on preferred temperatures (Tpref), voluntary and thermal-tolerance ranges, and thermal-performance curves (TPC’s) for 27 species from nine sites in the Brazilian Amazonia. We test...

Preferred, voluntary and critical temperatures from all individuals tested in ecophysiological experiments. Tpref = preferred temperature; VTmin = Minimum voluntary temperature; VTmax = Maximum voluntary temperature; CTmin = Minimum critical temperature; CTmax = Maximum critical temperature. Available on doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.5293756. (XLSX)

Widespread niche convergence suggests that species can be organized according to functional trait combinations to create a framework analogous to a periodic table. We compiled ecological data for lizards to examine patterns of global and regional niche diversification, and we used multivariate statistical approaches to develop the beginnings for a...

Identification of mechanisms that promote variation in life-history traits is critical to understand the evolution of divergent reproductive strategies. Here we compiled a large life-history data set (674 lizard populations, representing 297 species from 263 sites globally) to test a number of hypotheses regarding the evolution of lifehistory trait...

Anole lizards represent one of the best studied radiations of terrestrial vertebrates. Herein we examine the autecology of Anolis brasiliensis from the Cerrado of central Brazil, based on a large amount of data collected across much of its geographic range. Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) techniques revealed that A. brasiliensis likely has a w...

Disturbance alters the structure and dynamics of communities. Here, we examined the effects of seasonal flooding on the lizard community structure by comparing two adjacent habitats, a seasonally flooded and a non-flooded forest, in a Cerrado-Amazon ecotone area, the Cantão State Park, Tocantins state, Brazil. Despite the strong potential impact of...

Life is defined by a capacity for reproduction, yet the ways in which animals reproduce vary tremendously among species. Reproductive life histories are complex phenomena influenced by a variety of factors, such as physical condition of individuals, food supply, bauplan, and phylogenetic history, which are often correlated. Understanding life histo...

This chapter focuses on ecological determinants of present-day distributions of amphibians and reptiles. It discusses how the history of the Earth's continents has affected amphibian and reptile distributions. Finally, it shows several phylogeography studies to show how the combined use of well-supported phylogenetic hypotheses and geological-fossi...

Squamates are a monophyletic group that includes lizards, amphisbaenians, and snakes, each of which has been historically placed in different evolutionary groups (suborders). Because snakes are a large and diverse monophyletic group within squamates, we treat them in the next chapter and restrict our use of “lizards” to the non-snake squamates. Of...

Snakes are limbless squamates that share a set of unique skeletal traits that separate them from remaining squamates. Approximately 3400 species of snakes are placed in 22 families. Snakes capture, manipulate, and consume their prey using only the body and mouth. Some capture prey with their mouth and simply swallow them, some hold their prey with...

Rhynchocephalians, the sister taxon to squamates, are represented today by only two species in a single genus, Sphenodon, the tuataras. Although tuataras are lizard-like in appearance, they have a gastralia and many other skeletal features that squamates lack. The premaxillary teeth have been replaced by chisel-shaped extensions of the premaxillary...

The genus Pseustes Fitzinger, 1843 is composed of three recognized species, Pseustes poecilonotus, P. shropshirei and P. sulphureus, which may be the largest sized colubrid snake in the New World. The group has a complex systematic history that has yet to be untangled using modern molecular phylogenetic approaches. The systematic position, within-g...

Abstract. Lizard foraging has played a central role in the evolution of diet, chemosensory sensitivity and morphology, locomotor morphology, and physiological capacities, and has been key character in cladogenesis. Quantitative data needed for comparative studies to establish the phylogeny of foraging modes and identify correlates of foraging mode...

Cnemidophorus gramivagus from Brazil was examined for helminths. Found were 1 species of Cestoda, Oochoristica freitasi, and 7 species of Nematoda, Amphibiocapillaria freitasilenti, Kentropyxia sauria, Oswaldocruzia vitti, Parapharyngodon senisfaciecaudus, Physaloptera retusa, Spinicauda spinicauda, and Acuariid gen. sp. Seven new host records are...

Four species of Gonatodes, Gonatodes albogularis, Gonatodes antillensis, Gonatodes concinnatus, and Gonatodes humeralis, were examined for helminths. Found were 8 species of Nematoda: gravid specimens of Cosmocerca parva, Parapharyngodon scleratus, Physaloptera retusa, Skrjabinelazia galliardi, Spauligodon bonairensis, and Spauligodon oxkutzcabiens...

Inferring the evolutionary and biogeographic history of taxa occurring in a particular region is one way to determine the processes by which the biodiversity of that region originated. Tree boas of the genus Corallus are an ancient clade and occur throughout Central and South America and the Lesser Antilles, making it an excellent group for investi...

Alaeuris rinconensis n. sp. (Oxyuroidea, Pharyngodonidae) from the large intestine of the Bonaire whiptail lizard, Cnemidophorus ruthveni, is described and illustrated. Alaeuris rinconensis n. sp. represents the 13th Neotropical species assigned to the genus. It is most similar to Alaeuris iguanae in that only these 2 Neotropical species have postb...

We compared reproduction, diet, and body size of Polychrus acutirostris (Squamata: Polychrotidae) from the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes in Brazil. Because these two biomes have widely different climates, we predicted that lizards in Caatinga would produce smaller clutches in response to rainfall unpredictability. We also expected reproductive timing...

Four hundred twenty-six specimens representing 13 species of Anolis, A. auratus, A. biporcatus, A. capito, A. frenatus, A. humilis, A. limifrons, A. lionotus, A. pachypus, A. pentaprion, A. poecilopus, A. townsendi, A. tropidogaster, and A. woodi, from Central America were examined for metazoan endoparasites. Five species of Digenea (Brachycoelium...

The Anolis chrysolepis species group is distributed across the entire Amazon basin and currently consists of A. bombiceps and five subspecies of A. chrysolepis. These lizards are characterized by moderate size, relatively narrow digital pads, and a small dewlap that does not reach the axilla. We used the mitochondrial gene ND2 to estimate phylogene...

Sphaerodactyl geckos comprise five genera distributed across Central and South America and the Caribbean. We estimated phylogenetic relationships among sphaerodactyl genera using both separate and combined analyses of seven nuclear genes. Relationships among genera were incongruent at different loci and phylogenies were characterized by short, in s...

We report five new records of mammals for Le Flore County, Oklahoma, and additional records of Sorex longirostris for the state. Records for 14 other species, some not reported from the county or state in decades, provide new information on distributions in southeastern Oklahoma.Presentamos cinco nuevos registros de especies de mamíferos para el co...