Oscar Alberto Flores-Villela

Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | UNAM · School of Science

Advanced endoglyptodont snakes share a complex but homologous venom delivery system associated with the upper jaw and its dentition. Recently, a remarkable novel lower jaw venom delivery system was described for the Neotropical dipsadine radiation of goo-eating snakes. While most dipsadines are opistoglyphous and exhibit large, mainly serous venom...

El bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM) es catalogado como un ambiente altamente rico en especies de flora y fauna, y con un alto número de endemismos; del mismo modo, ha sido considerado como uno de los ecosistemas más amenazados. En el presente trabajo se hace una reseña de las principales problemáticas que enfrenta este tipo de vegetación así como l...

Population divergence leading to speciation is often explained by physical barriers causing allopatric distributions of historically connected populations. Environmental barriers have increasingly been shown to cause population divergence through local adaptation to distinct ecological characteristics. In this study, we evaluate population structur...

Aim: Our aim is to document the dimensions of current squamate reptile biodiversity in the Americas by integrating taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional data, and assessing how this may vary across phylogenetic scales. We also explore the potential underlying mechanisms that may have originated the observed geographical diversity patterns. Locat...

Empirical studies have shown that several taxa exhibit a decoupled relationship between lineage species diversification (the balance between speciation and extinction) and phenotypic diversification. This has been recognized by some authors as fundamental evidence for non-adaptive radiation. In the leaf-toed geckos Phyllodactylus of North America,...

The formation of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) and Pleistocene climatic fluctuations have been shown to influence the diversification of lineages and species distributed throughout central Mexico. In some taxa, however, evidence of lineage diversification is not easily recognized, as often is the case in reptiles. Here we present a phyloge...

The formation of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) and Pleistocene climatic fluctuations have been shown to influence the diversification of lineages and species distributed throughout central Mexico. In some taxa, however, evidence of lineage diversification is not easily recognized, as often is the case in reptiles. Here we present a phyloge...

El bosque mesófilo de montaña (BMM) es un ambiente altamente rico en especies de flora y fauna en México. La notable diversidad de especies resalta aún más cuando se analizan también los endemismos en este ambiente. En el presente estudio se describe la importancia de endemismos de vertebrados terrestres en México, considerando los grupos de anfibi...

We describe Sceloporus huichol sp. nov., a new species of spiny lizard of the genus Sceloporus, that is found in the mountainous regions of Jalisco and Nayarit in western Mexico. The new species belongs to the torquatus species group and has previously been confused with Sceloporus melanogaster, from which it differs by its smaller size, head color...

The cloud forest shows a great diversity of groups and has been considered as centers of high richness and endemism, throughout Asia, Africa and mainly in the Americas. To determine the specific and phylogenetic richness as well as the association in the composition of species of amphibians and reptiles in this environment in Mexico, using database...

A new snake species of the genus Rena is described from northern Jalisco, Mexico. The new species represents an isolated member of the R. dulcis group in the extreme southwest Mesa Central of the country. We redefine the R. dulcis and R. humilis groups within the genus Rena. The status of the other species allocated to these groups is discussed.

El género Phyllodactylus esta ampliamente representado en la región insular del Golfo de California (GC). En comparación con sus parientes continentales, los Phyllodactylus insulares se distribuyen en poblaciones aisladas y con tamaños efectivos (Ne) reducidos, lo que posiblemente ha favorecido su divergencia en alopatría. Bajo estas circunstancias...

The spiny lizard genus Sceloporus was described by Wiegmann in 1828, with S. torquatus posteriorly designated as the type species. The taxonomic history of S. torquatus is complicated, as it has been confused with other taxa by numerous authors. Many modern systematics works have been published on Sceloporus , but none have included all five recogn...

Senticolis triaspis is a widespread polytypic colubrid snake that ranges from the southwestern United States southward along the Pacific Coast and part of the Atlantic Coast of Mexico to Costa Rica. Three subspecies have been described based on differences in color pattern and scutellation: S. t. intermedia, S. t. mutabilis, and S. t. triaspis. The...

The genus Salvadora has not been subjected to a modern phylogenetic analysis. Described in 1853, its taxonomic history is complex and confusing. In this study, we evaluate the monophyly of the genus and present the first phylogenetic hypothesis based on an analysis of 66 qualitative and quantitative morphological characters of over 1000 specimens r...

The jumping pitvipers of the genus Metlapilcoatlus are generally associated with montane environments and are widely distributed from central and southern Mexico to Panama. In this study, we analyzed the phylogenetic position and compared the morphology of a population from the Sierra Madre Oriental, within the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, to ot...

Se hace una revisión del uso de Sauropsida para sustituir a Reptilia en la literatura reciente

Leaf-toed geckos (Phyllodactylus) exhibit much cryptic diversity, at least in North America. However, the origins of Central American taxa and their relationships with North American congeners remain unknown. The P. tuberculosus species complex is ideal for evolutionary and biogeographic studies because its geographic distribution extends from nort...

We describe a new species of leaf-toed gecko of the genus Phyllodactylus from María Cleofas Island, the smallest island of Tres Marías Archipelago, Nayarit, México. Genomic, phylogenomic, and morphological evidence support that the new species presents a unique combination of diagnostic characters. Morphologically , the new species has a high numbe...

Abronia and Mesaspis are two of the five anguid lizard genera in the subfamily Gerrhonotinae. Their members are restricted to Mesoamerica, and most have allopatric distributions. Species of Abronia are primarily arboreal and occur in cloud and seasonally dry pine-oak forests, whereas those of Mesaspis are terrestrial and inhabit mesic microhabitats...

A combined approach based on karyology and DNA taxonomy allowed us to characterize the taxonomic peculiarities in 10 Mesoamerican lizard species, belonging to six genera and five families, inhabiting two Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico: La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve, and Montes Azules Biosphere. The karyotypes of four species, Phyllodactylus...

A combined approach based on karyology and DNA taxonomy allowed us to characterize the taxonomic peculiarities in 10 Mesoamerican lizard species, belonging to six genera and five families, inhabiting two Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico: La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve, and Montes Azules Biosphere. The karyotypes of four species, Phyllodactylus...

A combined approach based on karyology and DNA taxonomy allowed us to characterize the taxonomic peculiarities in 10 Mesoamerican lizard species, belonging to six genera and five families, inhabiting two Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico: La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve, and Montes Azules Biosphere. The karyotypes of four species, Phyllodactylus...

We utilize the efficient GBS technique to obtain thousands of nuclear loci and SNPs to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Mexican leaf-toed geckos (Phyllodactylus). Through the incorporation of unprecedented sampling for this group of geckos, in combination with genomic data analysis, we generate mostly consistent phylogenetic hypotheses using...

The ecological and evolutionary factors underlying life history trait variation is one of the most interesting topics in biology. Although many studies have evaluated either macroevolutionary or macroecological patterns of life history traits across several taxonomic groups, only few studies have attempted to integrate both dimensions in a single a...

A revision of the Coniophanes lateritius and C. piceivittis groups was conducted to evaluate the taxonomic status of their members. The supraspecific groups of Coniophanes can be easily distinguished from each other, but the species within them exhibit wide overlap in scutellation. Apparently, these taxa can be differentiated by color pattern and g...

Body size is one of the most influential traits affecting many ecological and physiological processes across animal and plant taxa. Studies of the environmental factors shaping body size patterns may evaluate either temporal or spatial dimensions. Here, we analyzed body size evolution in the radiation of Anolis lizards across both geographical and...

The Mohave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) is a highly venomous pitviper inhabiting the arid interior deserts, grasslands, and savannas of western North America. Currently two subspecies are recognized: the Northern Mohave Rattlesnake (C. s. scutulatus) ranging from southern California to the southern Central Mexican Plateau, and the Huamantla Ra...

The mechanisms driving phenotypic evolution have been of interest to biologists since Darwin. Ecological release-wherein adaptive evolution occurs following relaxation of constraining selective pressures-and environmental filtering-wherein exaptive traits allow colonization of a new area-have been studied in several insular cases. Anolis lizards, w...

Species of the genus Lithobates are difficult to identify, especially on the ‘Rana pipiens’ complex, because the morphological differences among the species are often subtle. In this study, we used 12S ribosomal RNA gene partial sequences to identify specimens of leopard frogs from some new localities (not sampled on previous studies) of the Southe...

Anoles have been studied by researchers to a greater extent than any other group of lizards. Their high diversity has led them to colonize a variety of niches, making them an ideal model group for evaluating ecological hypotheses such as dietary niche overlap. This work analyzes the stomach contents of 73 individuals from three species of the genus...

Invasive exotic species have been identified worldwide as a major threat to biodiversity. Legal instruments are an important tool in counteracting their negative impacts. There are four important aspects that any legal instrument should have, that is: an explicit (and transparent) method for species inclusion; an exclusive focus, so that conflict b...

A new species of snake of the genus Salvadora from Oaxaca, Mexico, is described. This taxon was confused with S. intermedia in previous taxonomic descriptions. It is characterized by lacking a pale vertebral stripe and by having incomplete dorsolateral stripes that do not reach the posterior part of the body, which is typical of congeners; by havin...

We explored the hypothesis that high β–diversity of terrestrial vertebrates of Mexico is associated with a high environmental heterogeneity (HEH) and identify the drivers of β–diversity at different spatial scales. We used distribution range maps of 2,513 species of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds occurring in Mexico. We estimated β–divers...

Supporting information file containing Figure A and Table B. (DOCX)

Supporting information file containing the data for the analyses performed. (ZIP)

Snake venoms represent an enriched system for investigating the evolutionary processes that lead to complex and dynamic trophic adaptations. It has long been hypothesized that natural selection may drive geographic variation in venom composition, yet previous studies have lacked the population genetic context to examine these patterns. We leverage...

Insular systems are usually characterized by have a high species diversity, endemism, and evolutionary uniqueness. Although ecological and evolutionary factors shaping insular diversity and endemism are relatively well established, there is a little understanding about climatic niche dynamics for many insular adaptive radiations. Here, we evaluate...

ABSTRACT.—We describe a new species of the genus Lepidophyma from the Pacific lowlands of Guerrero, southern Mexico. Previously referred to as L. smithii, the new taxon is distinguished by a series of morphological characteristics, principally higher numbers of gulars, paravertebrals, and lateral tubercle rows. This new species increases the number...

Como resultado de una búsqueda exhaustiva en la literatura y en bases de datos de información taxonómica, se encontraron registros de 103 taxones dedicados a Antoine Louis, Alfred Auguste y Eugène Romain Dugès. Dichos taxones corresponden a una gran variedad de grupos biológicos, que incluyen bacterias, hongos, plantas, invertebrados, vertebrados,...

The Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) inhabits deserts and arid grasslands of the western United States and Mexico. Despite considerable interest in its highly toxic venom and the recognition of two subspecies, no molecular studies have characterized range-wide genetic diversity and population structure or tested species limits within C. scu...

A new species of hylid frog is described from the southwestern edge of the Mexican Plateau from the states of Morelos and Mexico through Michoacán and Jalisco, reaching the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sinaloa and western Durango. The new species is part of the widespread Mexican hylid Sarcohyla bistincta (sensu amplo) complex, comprised of S. bistin...

We present an updated checklist of the amphibians and reptiles for the state of Guerrero, Mexico. This list is based on bibliographic records, the revision of scientific collections and the authors' field notes. The herpetofauna of the state includes 259 species (78 amphibians, 181 reptiles), of which three are introduced. The conservation status o...

An integrative taxonomy approach was implemented based on analysis of genetic, phylogenetic, morphological and ecological data to identify the cryptic diversity within the Phyllodactylus lanei complex. At least six species can be identified, of which four are currently considered subspecies: Phyllodactylus lanei, Phyllodactylus rupinus, Phyllodacty...

Delimiting species is a crucial goal of integrative biology, and yet can be misled by homoplasy and high levels of morphological variation. The snake tribe Sonorini contains three genera that have long confounded taxonomists: Chilomeniscus, Chionactis and Sonora. Dynamic colour evolution in this group, including rampant geographic variation in colo...

We report for the first time the presence of Exerodonta smaragdina in Guerrero, Mexico, and comment on its distribution based on a series of specimens recently collected in the field by the authors and others, obtained by reviewing the Colección Nacional de Anfibios y Reptiles (CNAR) and the Colección Herpetológica del Museo de Zoología Alfonso L....

We describe two diminutive species of rattlesnakes (genus Crotalus) from small nearshore islands off the coast of Baja California in the western Gulf of California, Mexico. In order to test the hypothesis that some island populations represent cohesive species entities, we applied linear discriminant analysis and uniform validation procedures to mu...

Current global changes are putting both biodiversity and the processes that depend on it at risk. This is especially true for semi-arid regions and the flagship groups that inhabit them, such as amphibians and reptiles. Semi-arid regions are often thought to have lower biodiversity and thus have been overlooked, resulting in the underestimation of...

Species list with MZFC accession numbers for each individual collected

Understanding the climatic and historical factors shaping species richness is a major goal of ecology and biogeography. Consensus on how climate affects species richness is still lacking, but four potential and non-exclusive explanations have emerged: water-energy, where diversity is determined by precipitation and/or temperature; seasonality, wher...

We evaluated the tempo and mode of climatic niche evolution in the radiation of Caribbean Anolis lizards and the role of climate in shaping their exceptional insular endemism. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, climatic niche data and a calibrated phylogeny, we reconstructed climatic niche dynamics across time and space for Caribbean Anolis li...

On 7 December 2016, the federal government of Mexico published an Agreement listing Exotic Invasive Species for Mexico ([ 1 ][1]). However, the report contains inaccurate information about the species and ambiguous measures regarding the prevention, control, and eradication of these species.

We estimated the distribution and abundance of the Central American River Turtle, Dermatemys mawii, in four aquatic systems in southern Quintana Roo, Mexico. Using nets and free diving we captured 52 individuals D. mawii among the winter, dry and rainy seasons. We recorded 12 variables to characterize the habitat and correlated these with the abund...

We give detailed information about the publication dates of the livraisons (deliveries) for the Reptiles and Amphibians of the Mission scientifique au Mexique et dans l’Amerique Centrale. We correct some of the previously published information regarding the publication dates and authorship of the livraisons. By providing this information we hope to...

Johann Friedrich Eschscholtz published two herpetological titles, the first in a journal named Quatember. Until now, this paper, which contains descriptions of three sea turtle taxa, including Chelonia olivacea, has been overlooked, and the nomenclatural implications have been ignored. The Quatember paper preceded, and has precedence over, Eschscho...