Michael J Jowers

Rey Juan Carlos University | URJC

Over the last two decades, molecular work on the reptile and amphibian fauna of the island of Trinidad (West Indies) has revealed the presence of cryptic species and island endemics resulting in the re-description of species for northern South America. In this study, we assess the taxonomy of a population of Elachistocleis sp. formerly assigned to...

We examine, for the first time, biogeographic patterns in a series of tropical montane coastal systems in northern South America. We use amphibians and reptiles, which constitute the most critical communities based upon the prevalence of endemic taxa, to assess the region’s biodiversity. The montane coastal system spans an east-west distance of 925...

Natural history museum collections hold extremely rare, extinct species often described from a single known specimen. On occasions, rediscoveries open new opportunities to understand selective forces acting on phenotypic traits. Recent rediscovery of few individuals of Bocourt´s Terrific Skink Phoboscincus bocourti , from a small and remote islet i...

Coralsnakes of the genus Micrurus are a diverse group of venomous snakes ranging from the southern United States to southern South America. Much uncertainty remains over the genus diversity, and understanding Micrurus systematics is of medical importance. In particular, the widespread Micrurus nigrocinctus spans from Mexico throughout Central Ameri...

Aim To date a vicariant event through the mutualistic relationship of a hylid frog and its bromeliad host found across two isolated mountain ranges as part of an island–continental split and to use this information to calibrate a molecular dating analysis of hylids. Location South America. Time Period Pliocene. Major Taxa Studied Treefrogs, Arbo...

"I shall not pretend to assert that they are as numerous as land snakes; but it is very likely that one hundred species at least of this tribe exist in the waters of the ocean, lakes, and rivers." C. S. Rafinesque, 1817. Dissertation on water snakes, sea snakes, and sea serpents. Philosophical Transaction When Rafinesque wrote this, 14 species of...

The taxonomic identity of Iberus alonensis has traditionally been surrounded by great con-troversy because under this name a large number of similarly-shaped populations distributed over a vast geographical area and probably belonging to different species have been subsumed. The publication of the first phylogenetic study on the genus Iberus began...

Se realiza una revisión taxonómica desde una perspectiva integrativa (geografía, morfología y filogenia) de Iberus serpentinae, I. marmoratus marmoratus e I. marmoratus loxanus, taxones próximos geográficamente y con rasgos morfológicos similares. La suma de evidencias sugiere que I. serpentinae no es una especie distinta a I. m. marmoratus y que I...

A new cryptic rock-dwelling species of the genus Iberus Montfort, 1810 (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae) from the southern Iberian Peninsula. Since the description in 1957 of Iberus ortizi, a land snail endemic to the southeastern Iberian Peninsula, there has been limited information about its distribution. It has traditionally been assumed...

We describe a new species of miniaturized gecko (genus Pseudogonatodes) from the Peninsula de Paria in northeastern Venezuela. Externally, the new species resembles Pseudogonatodes furvus and Pseudogonatodes manessi, from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia and the Central Coastal Range in Venezuela, respectively; however, it differs from...

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The taxonomically poorly known Iberian genus of land snails Iberus exhibits high levels of endemicity, often confined to small regions. An example is a small snail restricted to the southeastern coastal area of the Iberian Peninsula which had been known as Iberus carthaginiensis until a new species, I. calaensis, was assigned to its westernmost pop...

The taxonomically poorly known Iberian genus of land snails Iberus exhibits high levels of endemicity, often confined to small regions. An example is a small snail restricted to the southeastern coastal area of the Iberian Peninsula which had been known as Iberus carthaginiensis until a new species, I. calaensis, was assigned to its westernmost pop...

Genetic differentiation between populations inhabiting ecologically different habitats might appear because of limited dispersal and gene flow, which may lead to patterns of phenotypic divergence and local adaptation. In this study, we use dispersal, genotypic (24 microsatellite loci) and phenotypic (body size and clutch size) data to analyse patte...

Geographical, morphological and genetic evidences are provided that allow to reconsider the current taxonomic status of the taxa Iberus gualtieranus mariae and Iberus gualtieranus ornatissimus, which are reclassified within a new species named Iberus mariae. A new local morphotype is also described.

The monospecific genus Tartessiberus was described in the year 2021 including a single species (T. cilbanus). However, its description relied solely on morphological and anatomical data. In the present work, we use a fraction of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) and the nuclear large ribosomal su...

The Iberian Peninsula constitutes a diversity hotspot with a high number of endemisms, where the land snail genus Iberus is likely the best example. Despite this, its species diversity is still debated as it holds several cryptic species. In the present paper, we use molecular evidence (mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I) to clarify the...

The Trinidad and Tobago archipelago is in the southern Caribbean between the Caribbean Sea and the central Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela. The sister islands are often cited as the southernmost islands of the Lesser Antilles. However, Trinidad is a continental island with strong geologic and geomorphic connections to mainland South America...

The Trinidad-Tobago archipelago contains two major islands and about 25 satellite islands ranging in size from 3.6 km² to less than 1 ha. Despite different origins, both islands with satellites share a continental biota and have a rich snake fauna originating from vicariance and dispersal events. The authors used published molecular and morphologic...

Genetic differentiation among populations inhabiting ecologically different habitats might arise as a consequence of limited or non-random dispersal and diversifying selection, which could lead to local patterns of phenotypic divergence and adaptation between habitats. In bird populations, the optimal clutch size (defined as that which maximizes th...

Purpose: Introduced or invasive fish are susceptible to new parasites but can simultaneously carry infectious parasites from their native range towards new hosts. Screening these parasites is key to address the health of fish populations and spread of diseases. Methods: In this study, we sequenced a Coccidia parasite, for the first time from the...

An expansive and detailed review of the biology of Caribbean amphibians, considering their threats, conservation and outlook in a changing world. Amphibians are the group of vertebrates undergoing the fastest rate of extinction; it is urgent that we understand the causes of this and find means of protecting them. This landmark illustrated volume br...

Multiple Quaternary glacial refugia in the Iberian Peninsula, commonly known as “refugia within refugia”, allowed diverging populations to come into contact and admix, potentially boosting substantial mito-nuclear discordances. In this study, we employ a comprehensive set of mitochondrial and nuclear markers to shed light onto the drivers of geogra...

RESUMO A calhandra-do-ilhéu-Raso Alauda razae é uma das aves mais raras e ameaçadas do mundo. Esta espécie esteve confinada ao Raso até à translocação em 2018 para a ilha vizinha Santa Luzia. A sobrevivência desta está altamente dependente do tempo de incubação bem-sucedido e de riscos baixos de predação. Neste estudo, primeiramente identificámos p...

Omobranchus punctatus is native to the Indo-Pacifc region and invasive in the Atlantic region, currently being considered one of the most widely distributed blenny species. However, recent molecular studies indicated that O. punctatus is a complex of species, with three divergent mtDNA lineages identifed to date, stressing the need for a taxonomic...

Multiple Quaternary glacial refugia in the Iberian Peninsula, commonly known as “refugia within refugia”, allowed diverging populations to come into contact and admix, potentially boosting substantial mito-nuclear discordances. In this study, we employ a comprehensive set of mitochondrial and nuclear markers to shed light onto the drivers of geogra...

Taxa with vast distribution ranges often display unresolved phylogeographic structures and unclear taxonomic boundaries resulting into hidden diversity. This hypothesis-driven study reveals the evolutionary history of Bufonidae, covering the phylogeographic patterns found in Holarctic bufonids from the West Gondwana to the phylogenetic taxonomy of...

Trinidad and Tobago are home to three endemic species in the anuran genus Pristimantis , of which two ( Pristimantis charlottevillensis and Pristimantis turpinorum ) occur in Tobago alone and the third ( Pristimantis urichi ) is present on both islands. Earlier, the IUCN assessed the conservation status of these species as: P. urichi , Endangered (...

The number of ethological studies based on Mexican mammals have increased in recent years compared to those from other Latin American countries. This study conducts an analytical review of the literature on ethological studies of native Mexican mammals. Specialized publications and electronic bibliographic databases were thoroughly searched to iden...

We describe a new species of gymnophthalmid lizard, Oreosaurus bisbali sp. nov., from the Turimiquire Massif in northeastern Venezuela. It is one of three reptile species known to be endemic to the region and the fifth species of Oreosaurus from Venezuela. It can be distinguished from all congeners by a combination of rectangular dorsal scales at m...

Over the last two decades, vocal and genetic data have been extensively used in avian studies addressing taxonomic and systematic issues. However, even when multiple lines of evidence lean toward lumping or splitting of species, some taxonomic committees refuse to acknowledge their validity until convincing genetic evidence is produced and integrat...

Over the last two decades, vocal and genetic data have been extensively used in avian studies addressing taxonomic and systematic issues. However, even when multiple lines of evidence lean toward lumping or splitting of species, some taxonomic committees refuse to acknowledge their validity until convincing genetic evidence is produced and integrat...

en The islands of Trinidad and Tobago form a southern extension of the Lesser Antilles. Unlike the continental island of Trinidad, the more northerly Tobago formed as an older oceanic island volcanic arc. Their reptile biodiversity reflects colonization events from the South American mainland through land bridge connections at times of glacial maxi...

The Dwarf Marsupial Frog, Flectonotus fitzgeraldi (family Hemiphractidae), has been reported to occur only in Trinidad, Tobago, and the Paria Range of Venezuela. This species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, based on its small geographic distribution and the fragmentation of its habitat, which is said to be declining both in extent and...

The Dwarf Marsupial Frog, Flectonotus fitzgeraldi (family Hemiphractidae), has been reported to occur only in Trinidad, Tobago, and the Paria Range of Venezuela. This species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, based on its small geographic distribution and the fragmentation of its habitat, which is said to be declining both in extent and...

Reconstructing the demographic history of endangered taxa is paramount to predict future fluctuations and disentangle the contributing factors. Extinct taxa or populations might also provide key insights in this respect by means of the DNA extracted from museum specimens. Nevertheless, the degraded status of biological material and the limited numb...

Reconstructing the demographic history of endangered taxa is paramount to predict future fluctuations and disentangle the contribution factors. Extinct taxa or populations might also provide key insights in this respect from DNA extracted from museum specimens. Nevertheless, the degraded status of biological material and the limited number of recor...

The Horvath’s rock lizard Iberolacerta horvathi (Méhely, 1904) is an understudied lacertid species, which is geographically isolated from its congeners and currently classified as Near Threatened under IUCN red listing criteria. Due to its limited distribution and narrow environmental preferences, we expect that the species had been affected by pas...

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-021-00491-2

The Brown Vine Snake, Oxybelis aeneus, was until recently considered a single species, distributed from southern Arizona through the Neotropics into southeastern Brazil. However, newly conducted research restructured the species with a substantial taxonomic revision , recognizing five additional taxa (i.e. O. koehleri, O. microphthalmus, O. potosie...

Tantilla is a diverse New World Colubrid genus comprising 69 small to medium sized, cryptozoic and semi-fossorial species. Morphological data of Tantilla melanocephala in the Eastern Caribbean region, and more precisely on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago and nearby Venezuela, have shown differences in scales and color patterns associated with th...

Tadpoles of the Asiatic torrent frog genus Amolops possess large abdominal suckers and a complex oral apparatus which allow them to adhere tightly to and also to move over wet rock surfaces, a morphology termed gastromyzo-phorous. Accounts of larval development, and overall sucker morphology and microstructure are patchy in this genus. Here, from a...

Tadpoles of the Asiatic torrent frog genus Amolops possess large abdominal suckers and a complex oral apparatus which allow them to adhere tightly to and also to move over wet rock surfaces, a morphology termed gastromyzophorous. Accounts of larval development, and overall sucker morphology and microstructure are patchy in this genus. Here, from a...

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...

The neotropical aquatic snake genus Helicops contains 19 species, some of which are oviparous, while others are viviparous. Using phylogenetic and morphological relationships, H. angulatus from the island of Trinidad (West Indies) is compared to other mainland populations. We recover H. angulatus as paraphyletic, suggesting evidence of cryptic dive...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223080.].

The hirola antelope (Beatragus hunteri) is considered to be the most endangered antelope in the world. In the ex situ translocated population at Tsavo East National Park, calf mortality and the critically low population numbers might suggest low genetic diversity and inbreeding depression. Consequently, a genetic study of the wild population is piv...

Recent reviews on sexual dichromatism in frogs included Mannophryne trinitatis as the only example they could find of dynamic dichromatism (males turn black when calling) within the family Aromobatidae and found no example of ontogenetic dichromatism in this group. We demonstrate ontogenetic dichromatism in M. trinitatis by rearing post-metamorphic...

A small population of Asiatic black bear—known as the Baluchistan black bear—survives in the western limit of the species’ range in Iran, where the species is rare, difficult to monitor and occupy an atypical habitat with extreme environmental conditions. Through the use of noninvasively collected samples, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA control regi...

Research on elusive amphibians is challenging, resulting in a lack of basic information on their natural history. This is the case of Leptodactylus nesiotus, a rare and elusive frog found in a small swamp in the southwestern peninsula of the island of Trinidad (West Indies). Here, we provide additional call descriptions for data collected in the fi...

In this study we sequenced two mitochondrial (COI and 16S rRNA) and one nuclear (18S rRNA) gene fragment of an introduced muzzled blenny (Omobranchus punctatus) specimen collected from the Orinoco Delta (Gulf of Paria estuary) in Venezuela. This is the first genetic data generated for this species' introduced range in Central and South America, sug...

The Three-lined Snake is found in Trinidad, Tobago, northern Venezuela, western Guyana, and in Brazil from Roraima as far south as Manaus. The origins of the Trinidad and Tobago populations and their relationships with mainland populations were investigated by Murphy et al. (2019). They found Atractus trilineatus to be deeply divergent from the oth...

The hirola antelope (Beatragus hunteri) is considered to be the most endangered antelope in the world. In the ex situ translocated population at Tsavo East National Park, calf mortality and the critically low population numbers might suggest low genetic diversity and inbreeding depression. Consequently, a genetic study of the wild population is piv...

ABSTRACT: The Neotropical dipsadid snake genus Atractus contains more species than any other genus of serpents. The type species for the genus, Three-lined Snakes (Atractus trilineatus), occurs in northern South America, as well as in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Little is known about the phylogenetic position of this fossorial snake. Here,...

Recent reviews on sexual dichromatism in frogs included Mannophryne trinitatis as the only example they could find of dynamic dichromatism (males turn black when calling) within the family Aromobatidae and found no example of ontogenetic dichromatism in this group. We demonstrate ontogenetic dichromatism in M. trinitatis by rearing post-metamorphic...

In this study, we analyse New World coral snakes in a phylogenetic framework based upon an increased molecular data set, including novel sequences for the only two sympatric species known from an island (Trinidad, West Indies). Their presence in Trinidad and absence in Tobago offers a unique system to study the phylogeography of the region. We asse...

The phylogenetic and systematic relationships of the reduced limbed lizards of the genus Bachia are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the eastern Caribbean Bachia assigned to the B. heteropa and B. flavescens groups, whose members are characterized by a band of hexagonal or quadrangular scales on the dorsum, respectively. The polytypic Bachia...

obago is a small island on the southeast edge of the Caribbean Plate with a continental flora and fauna. Using DNA sequences from Genbank, new sequences, and morphological data from the snakes Erythrolamprus epinephalus, E. melanotus, E. reginae, and E. zweifeli, the species status of specimens of a Tobago snake previously considered to be Erythrol...