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-Evolutionary relationships among Neotropical leaf litter geckos showing differences in foot structure (toe drawings from Kluge, 1995 except for those of C. septentrionalis, which were taken from Avila-Pires, 1995). a 5 lateral view, b 5 dorsal view, c 5 ventral view of toes.
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We studied the ecology of four species of closely related leaf litter geckos, Coleodactylus amazonicus, C. septentrionalis, Lepidoblepharis xanthostigma, and Pseudogonatodes guianensis in tropical rainforests of Brazil and Nicaragua. All are found in leaf litter of undisturbed tropical forest where mean hourly surface temperatures vary from 23.5-29...
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Context 1
... these small, closely related geckos look alike but can be distinguished at the generic level by distinct differences in toe morphology ( Fig. 4; Kluge, 1995). Among the species we studied, C. amazonicus was the smallest whereas L. xanthostigma was the largest (Fig. 5). Hatchlings of C. amazonicus were as small as 11.6 mm SVL and those of P. guianensis were as small as 14.4 mm SVL. We did not collect hatchlings of the other spe- cies. Morphology varied considerably among ...
Context 2
... differences in bauplan are evi- dent as well. All three genera have toe tips that lack the prominent exposed claws found in the sister taxon Gonatodes (Fig. 4). Rather, claws are reduced and hidden within a sheath of scales. The shape of the ungual sheath also differs among the three genera. In Coleodac- tylus, one scale makes nearly complete contact with the substrate. In Lepidoblepharus and Pseudogonatodes, the sheath is bilaterally TABLE 6.-Empirically generated dietary overlaps among ...
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Citations
... Outro fator que pode levar a redução da riqueza de espécies de lagartos heliotérmicos (p.e. Teídeos) em ambientes florestais pode ser o maior sombreamento nestas áreas, mas um fator importante para a ocorrência de Gymnophtalmídeos (TEIXEIRA, 2002) e Sphaerodactylídeos -Coleodactylus (COLLI et al., 2002;VITT et al., 2005), que estão associados a ambientes relativamente úmidos, com temperatura mais amena e grande disponibilidade de serapilheira. ...
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... Surface-dwelling and semi-fossorial habits can counteract thermoregulatory deficits by limiting exposure to sunlight and providing insulation (Stevenson, 1985;Kearney et al., 2009). In fact, the ability to use shaded pockets in the understory and interstitial terrestrial spaces is in part enabled by extremely small body size (Farji-Brener et al., 2004;Vitt et al., 2005). Miniaturized lizards likely complement a terrestrial microhabitat preference with behavioural responses, including activity patterns, thermoregulatory behaviours, and microhabitat selection, that coincide with favourable environmental conditions to maintain stability with regard to both humidity and temperature (Allen & Powell, 2014). ...
... Perpetually dark environments underground and in caves limit the use of vision (Schlegel et al., 2009;Emerling & Springer, 2014), eusocial behaviour in insects is rapidly and reliably mediated by olfactory signals (Zhou et al., 2015;d'Etorre et al., 2017), and small body size sets limits on sensing modes in oceanic animals (Martens et al., 2015). For miniaturized squamates, arthropods of similar size are appropriate ecological analogues, filling comparable ecological niches, sharing similar assemblages of predators and prey, and having high population densities (Rodda et al., 2001;Vitt et al., 2005). Among arthropods, the use of substrate-borne vibrations is widespread (Barth, 1982;Cocroft & Rodríguez, 2005;Cividini & Montesanto, 2020), functioning in prey localization (Casas et al., 1998), predator avoidance (Roberts, 2017), assessment of habitat (Evans et al., 2005), and intraspecific communication, the latter including advertisement of food resources (Yadav et al., 2017) and predatory threats (Hunt & Richard, 2013), parent-offspring communication (Savoyard et al., 1998), territory defence (Yack et al., 2001), and courtship (Uetz & Roberts, 2002). ...
Extreme body size reductions bring about unorthodox anatomical arrangements and novel ways in which animals interact with the environment. Drawing from studies of vertebrates and invertebrates, we provide a theoretical framework for miniaturization to inform hypotheses using lizards as a study system. Through this approach, we demonstrate the repeated evolution of miniaturization across 11 families and a tendency for miniaturized species to occupy terrestrial microhabitats, possibly driven by physiological constraints. Differences in gross brain morphology between two gecko species demonstrate a proportionally larger telencephalon and smaller olfactory bulbs in the miniaturized species, though more data are needed to generalize this trend. Our study brings into light the potential contributions of miniaturized lizards to explain patterns of body size evolution and its impact on ecology and neuroanatomy. In addition, our findings reveal the need to study the natural history of miniaturized species, particularly in relation to their sensory and physiological ecology.
... Silva et al. 2015;Oliveira et al. 2017a) have found that this species exhibits at least four defensive behaviours: jumping escape, locomotory escape, hiding amid leaf litter, and body twisting, but did not provide quantitative data about them. Coleodactylus meridionalis belongs to the clade Geckkota (geckos), a widely researched group in terms of caudal autotomy, with studies conducted on several species (Zani 1996;Vitt et al. 2005;Recoder et al. 2012;Vitt and Caldwell 2014;Domínguez-López et al. 2015). ...
... However, data on the frequency of caudal autotomy are scarce in the genus Coleodactylus (Zani 1996;Vitt et al. 2005). Here, we present data on anti-predatory behaviours of Coleodactylus meridionalis, and test whether body size and sex influence caudal autotomy. ...
... The combination of immobility and camouflage provides an effective primary anti-predatory defence, indeed 44 of the 46 lizards recorded as immobile were observed on the litter. Another C. meridionalis population showed jumping escape (Silva et al. 2015), which has also been reported in Chatogekko amazonicus and C. septentrionalis (Vitt et al. 2005), as seen in the present study. Such behaviour may be favoured by the small size of these species and their body shape, making predator-prey interactions with invertebrates and male-male interactions that may lead to tail loss (Vitt et al. 2005). ...
Lizards can display several defensive behaviours. Here, we describe defensive behaviours of Coleodactylus meridionalis (Meridian Gecko) in an Atlantic Forest fragment in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil, using pitfall traps with drift fences and time-limited diurnal and nocturnal search method. We also tested if body size and sex predict the incidence of caudal autotomy. We recorded six antipredatory behaviours in 253 individuals. Hiding was the most common behaviour, followed by immobility, locomotory escape, caudal autotomy, cloacal discharge, and jumping escape. Of the 223 individuals collected for analysis of caudal autotomy, nearly half of them had autotomised tails. About 55% of individuals with autotomised tail were found with a regenerating tail. The tail had at least two points of autotomy: a distal one and a basal one. Regardless the sex of individuals, the probability of autotomy decreased as body size increases. Our results can guide future studies on behavioural ecology of this lizard species.
... For lizards that predominantly inhabit forests, as the studied species, the buffer effect of canopy cover can regulate the thermal landscape available to them during the daytime, allowing them to perform optimally and preventing critical thermal limits (Huey et al. 2009). Even so, certain species are inactive for certain hours, which is characterised as a heat-avoidance behaviour and has been described for small leaf litter lizards from neotropical rainforests (Vitt and Zani 1996;Vitt et al. 2005). The two lizard species in this study show differences in their activity peaks throughout the day, with the activity of L. sanctaemartae being more frequent in the morning hours and more frequent for L. rugiceps in the afternoon hours; such differences in activity time may favour less overlap in other dimensions of the ecological niche of the two species when resources are scarce (Pianka 1973(Pianka , 1986. ...
... In the present study, both species showed preferences for leaf litter substrate, however, they exploited other surfaces less frequently. The presence of trees favours leaf litter availability and indirectly favours the occurrence of prey and refuge for the small lizard species like gekkonids and gymnophthalmids (Scott 1976;Vitt et al. 2005). Particularly, Isoptera and chelicerates represent common prey items for L. sanctaemartae and L. rugiceps, which explode among the leaf litter during active foraging at different times of the day (Medina-Rangel and Cárdenas-Árevalo 2015). ...
... General trends indicate that the spatial niche dimension has been particularly important for the coexistence of ecomorphologically similar lizard species from assemblages in Neotropical regions (Vitt and Zani 1996;Santos et al. 2015). However, closely related species of small leaf litter lizards have shown similar microhabitat or substrate use, even when some species occur in a greater number of habitats than others (Vitt et al. 2005). The spatial distribution of the age groups of L. sanctaemartae (Table 2) suggests that juveniles and adults present different habitat use patterns, which could be associated with the ontogenetic characteristics of the species, given that they explore or are distributed in different zones during the different stages of their development or growth (Salvador 1988). ...
In this work, the microhabitat use and activity patterns of two lizard species with sympatric distribution were evaluated in a dry forest fragment within the department of Sucre, northern Colombia. Data was collected in May, June, September and October of 2017, using the active search method limited by time (7:00 and 19:00 hours). Substrates used, spatial distribution and time of capture were recorded for individuals of the species Loxopholis rugiceps (Cope 1869) and Lepidoblepharis sanctaemartae (Ruthven 1916). Complementarily, environmental and physical parameters were recorded, which allowed us to characterise the microhabitats of the species. A total of 276 lizards were recorded, 177 belonging to the species Loxopholis rugiceps and 99 to Lepidoblepharis sanctaemartae. The results showed similar resource use by the two species for the spatial dimension, with both exploiting different terrestrial elements mainly from the interior forest, followed by the riverbed stream and forest edge. Differences were found in the daily activity patterns between species, with individuals of L. sanctaemartae more frequently recorded in the morning hours and L. rugiceps in the afternoon hours. The activity patterns did not differ by age groups: juveniles and adults. Both species were more frequently found in the litter substrate within the forest, followed by rocks and bare ground. Our results indicate that both species are tolerant to matrix conditions, however, they require internal forest conditions to exploit food resources and refuge.
... Está compuesta por los anfibios y reptiles, se caracterizan por ser animales ectotérmicos, es decir, dependen de la ganancia o pérdida de calor que les proporcionen los hábitats y microhábitats donde se encuentran; así, muchos de estos organismos regulan su temperatura corporal, tomando ventaja de fuentes como el sol y superficies cálidas dispuestas en el medio ambiente para la ganancia de calor y también sombra, zonas o cuevas de protección, recursos hídricos, y superficies frías (Vitt et al., 2005). ...
El Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de los Yariguíes, ubicado en el sur occidente del departamento de Santander, es quizás el último relicto de bosque andino conservado que existe en la región. Si bien, se ha avanzado en el conocimiento de su diversidad biológica, existen limitados estudios sobre su flanco oriental, donde la agricultura y la ganadería han sido históricamente las principales actividades culturales realizadas por las comunidades locales. Debido al avance en la estrategia de conservación del área protegida mediante el saneamiento predial, múltiples áreas del Parque en el que se han abandonado las actividades de uso de la tierra (p. ej.: actividades agropecuarias), representan hoy un nuevo desafío para la conservación en procura de controlar los factores tensionantes y limitantes de estas áreas; y es aquí, donde Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia ha planteado la aplicación de la restauración ecológica como herramienta de conservación de la biodiversidad. ECOPETROL S. A. y la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC), han aunado esfuerzos para contribuir con la conservación del PNN Serranía de Los Yariguíes, a través de inversión de recursos de compensación ambiental y presenta los primeros resultados de este trabajo a través del libro: “Caminando entre huellas de Yariguíes: La gente y la ciencia en la gestión temprana de la restauración ecológica del área protegida”, que surge como una propuesta editorial del Convenio 5211740 de 2012, entre la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia y ECOPETROL S.A. El libro está conformado por seis capítulos, escritos por 28 investigadores y expertos locales en cada una de las temáticas, quienes han dedicado sus esfuerzos, tiempo y conocimiento a desarrollar esta idea, con el objetivo de avanzar en el conocimiento sobre los mecanismos y técnicas de restauración más apropiadas para el área protegida, en su flanco oriental, sobre el municipio de Hato. Por lo tanto, se espera que los datos científicos registrados y el conocimiento local valorado para la restauración, aquí expuestos, sean un primer referente en el desarrollo de nuevas iniciativas de restauración en el sector oriental del Parque Nacional y como reconocimiento a su valor intrínseco, a su belleza paisajística, a su biodiversidad, a su gente antigua y a su gente reciente.
... Está compuesta por los anfibios y reptiles, se caracterizan por ser animales ectotérmicos, es decir, dependen de la ganancia o pérdida de calor que les proporcionen los hábitats y microhábitats donde se encuentran; así, muchos de estos organismos regulan su temperatura corporal, tomando ventaja de fuentes como el sol y superficies cálidas dispuestas en el medio ambiente para la ganancia de calor y también sombra, zonas o cuevas de protección, recursos hídricos, y superficies frías (Vitt et al., 2005). ...
El Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de los Yariguíes, ubicado en el sur occidente del departamento de Santander, es quizás el último relicto de bosque andino conservado que existe en la región. Si bien, se ha avanzado en el conocimiento de su diversidad biológica, existen limitados estudios sobre su flanco oriental, donde la agricultura y la ganadería han sido históricamente las principales actividades culturales realizadas por las comunidades locales. Debido al avance en la estrategia de conservación del área protegida mediante el saneamiento predial, múltiples áreas del Parque en el que se han abandonado las actividades de uso de la tierra (p. ej.: actividades agropecuarias), representan hoy un nuevo desafío para la conservación en procura de controlar los factores tensionantes y limitantes de estas áreas; y es aquí, donde Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia ha planteado la aplicación de la restauración ecológica como herramienta de conservación de la biodiversidad. ECOPETROL S. A. y la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC), han aunado esfuerzos para contribuir con la conservación del PNN Serranía de Los Yariguíes, a través de inversión de recursos de compensación ambiental y presenta los primeros resultados de este trabajo a través del libro: “Caminando entre huellas de Yariguíes: La gente y la ciencia en la gestión temprana de la restauración ecológica del área protegida”, que surge como una propuesta editorial del Convenio 5211740 de 2012, entre la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia y ECOPETROL S.A. El libro está conformado por seis capítulos, escritos por 28 investigadores y expertos locales en cada una de las temáticas, quienes han dedicado sus esfuerzos, tiempo y conocimiento a desarrollar esta idea, con el objetivo de avanzar en el conocimiento sobre los mecanismos y técnicas de restauración más apropiadas para el área protegida, en su flanco oriental, sobre el municipio de Hato. Por lo tanto, se espera que los datos científicos registrados y el conocimiento local valorado para la restauración, aquí expuestos, sean un primer referente en el desarrollo de nuevas iniciativas de restauración en el sector oriental del Parque Nacional y como reconocimiento a su valor intrínseco, a su belleza paisajística, a su biodiversidad, a su gente antigua y a su gente reciente.
... Está compuesta por los anfibios y reptiles, se caracterizan por ser animales ectotérmicos, es decir, dependen de la ganancia o pérdida de calor que les proporcionen los hábitats y microhábitats donde se encuentran; así, muchos de estos organismos regulan su temperatura corporal, tomando ventaja de fuentes como el sol y superficies cálidas dispuestas en el medio ambiente para la ganancia de calor y también sombra, zonas o cuevas de protección, recursos hídricos, y superficies frías (Vitt et al., 2005). ...
El Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de los Yariguíes, ubicado en el sur occidente del departamento de Santander, es quizás el último relicto de bosque andino conservado que existe en la región. Si bien, se ha avanzado en el conocimiento de su diversidad biológica, existen limitados estudios sobre su flanco oriental, donde la agricultura y la ganadería han sido históricamente las principales actividades culturales realizadas por las comunidades locales. Debido al avance en la estrategia de conservación del área protegida mediante el saneamiento predial, múltiples áreas del Parque en el que se han abandonado las actividades de uso de la tierra (p. ej.: actividades agropecuarias), representan hoy un nuevo desafío para la conservación en procura de controlar los factores tensionantes y limitantes de estas áreas; y es aquí, donde Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia ha planteado la aplicación de la restauración ecológica como herramienta de conservación de la biodiversidad. ECOPETROL S. A. y la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia (UPTC), han aunado esfuerzos para contribuir con la conservación del PNN Serranía de Los Yariguíes, a través de inversión de recursos de compensación ambiental y presenta los primeros resultados de este trabajo a través del libro: “Caminando entre huellas de Yariguíes: La gente y la ciencia en la gestión temprana de la restauración ecológica del área protegida”, que surge como una propuesta editorial del Convenio 5211740 de 2012, entre la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia y ECOPETROL S.A. El libro está conformado por seis capítulos, escritos por 28 investigadores y expertos locales en cada una de las temáticas, quienes han dedicado sus esfuerzos, tiempo y conocimiento a desarrollar esta idea, con el objetivo de avanzar en el conocimiento sobre los mecanismos y técnicas de restauración más apropiadas para el área protegida, en su flanco oriental, sobre el municipio de Hato. Por lo tanto, se espera que los datos científicos registrados y el conocimiento local valorado para la restauración, aquí expuestos, sean un primer referente en el desarrollo de nuevas iniciativas de restauración en el sector oriental del Parque Nacional y como reconocimiento a su valor intrínseco, a su belleza paisajística, a su biodiversidad, a su gente antigua y a su gente reciente.
... These lizard groups occupy a variety of habitats, from terrestrial to semifossorial, and it is possible that Barlochersaurus might have lived in leaf litter or a loose soil substrate, a microenvironment compatible with the specimen's entrapment in amber. Squamates dwelling in these microhabitats typically move by ''swimming'' through the substrate instead of using their limbs to dig or pull themselves forward; these species may use lateral undulation to move at high speeds on the surface, but use typical tetrapod locomotion when moving more slowly and deliberately (Vitt et al., 2005;Siler et al., 2010). ...
We report the discovery of a new genus and species of amber-preserved lizard from the mid-Cretaceous of Myanmar. The fossil is one of the smallest and most complete Cretaceous lizards ever found, preserving both the articulated skeleton and remains of the muscular system and other soft tissues. Despite its completeness, its state of preservation obscures important diagnostic features. We determined its taxonomic allocation using two approaches: we used previously identified autapomorphies of squamates that were observable in the fossil; and we included the fossil in a large squamate morphological data set. The apomorphy-based identification of this specimen, including comparative data on trunk elongation in squamates, suggests its allocation to the stem-group Anguimorpha. Results from the phylogenetic analysis places the fossil in one of four positions: as sister taxon of either Shinisaurus crocodilurus or Parasaniwa wyomingensis, at the root of Varanoidea, or in a polytomy with Varanoidea and a fossorial group retrieved in a previous assessment of squamate relationships. It is clear that this fossil has many similarities with anguimorph squamates and, if this taxonomic allocation is correct, this fossil would represent the first amber-preserved member of stem Anguimorpha ever recorded, and the smallest known member of that group. It further emphasizes the role of amber inclusions in expanding our understanding of the diversity of Cretaceous lizard communities.
... The presence and abundance of small geckos is mainly determined by habitat conditions since many of their species have very precise habitat requirements (Vitt et al. 2005). Vegetation structure determines environmental variables such as light penetration, leaf-litter depth and humidity, these factors could be required for the presence of Lepidoblepharis (Angarita-M. ...
... observ.). Small geckos usually prefer shady places (Lisboa and Freire 2012), probably because corporal temperature of these lizards strongly depends on substrate temperature due to their small size (Vitt et al. 2005). The rocky matrix without leaf-litter of the low coastal mountains where xerophytic scrub grows greatly reduces the probability of establishment of L. miyatai. ...
... For certain gecko species such as Chatogekko amazonicus (Andersson, 1918) and some Coleodactylus Parker, 1926, it has been shown that although they may use a wide range of microhabitats, they have a marked preference for leaf-litter (Vitt et al. 2005, Werneck et al. 2009, Lisboa and Freire 2012. Although most of the specimens of L. miyatai detected in the field use available leaf litter, it is not possible to determine if the species prefers this substrate, since there is no information on the availability of microhabitat and its relation to use by this lizard. ...
We present some ecological and biogeographic data on Lepidoblepharis miyatai, a small and endangered gecko endemic to the northwestern foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM), 31 years after its description. Based on museum specimens and feld observations, we recorded four new localities with confrmed presence of L. miyatai. We calculated the extent of occurrence and altitudinal distribution of this species reaching 21.3 km2 and from sea level to 360 m respectively. Lepidoblepharis miyatai inhabits plant formations of scrub thorn and tropical deciduous forest. Based on microhabitat data obtained from 88 individuals observed in “Las Tinajas Village” we can state a differential use of three substrates with predominant use of leaf-litter. We consider L. miyatai an endemic species of the northwestern sector of the SNSM with a distribution range limited to the south-west by the occurrence of L. sanctaemartae, and towards the east by a thus far undetermined Lepidoblepharis species (here called Lepidoblepharis cf. sanctaemartae). We do not register sympatry of L. miyatai with any other congener. Accordingly, we consider that the recent records of this species in the southeast sector of SNSM are erroneous, given that the specimens cited as L. miyatai of this zone correspond to Lepidoblepharis cf. sanctaemartae. Finally, a reevaluation of the conservation status of L. miyatai is needed, including precise information of its distribution.
... R eptiles play distinct ecological roles in tropical rainforests. Whilst the ecology of skinks and geckos is known for some rainforest species Vitt et al., 2005;Akani et al., 2002;Teixeira et al., 2003;Huang, 2011), many species remain relatively understudied, particularly those associated with the high canopy. Understanding the ecology of these animals is becoming increasingly important in the face of climate change and habitat disturbance (Huang & Pike, 2011;Wanger at al., 2010). ...
Understanding the relationship between the biodiversity and functioning of an ecosystem is a key component of ecological studies. Given the importance of soil as the basis for life on earth, understanding this relationship across the multiple trophic levels of the brown food web is vital. The thesis begins by trialling methods of soil analysis at the Eden Project, determining the relationship between microbial communities, their contribution to decomposition and the physical conditions of the soil which they inhabit. The thesis goes on to use the bird’s nest fern as a natural microcosm to explore patterns in soil biodiversity and functioning. Using a canopy simulation tool at the Eden Project, microbial community functioning was characterised using a method tracing the isotopic enrichment of microorganisms during decomposition. At Eden, the role of the physical conditions experienced by suspended soils in determining microbial community composition was demonstrated, before this finding was confirmed with suspended soil samples collected from the Nouragues reserve in French Guiana. In order to explore the multi-trophic relationship between microbial functioning and invertebrate biodiversity, a largescale experiment was performed at Danum Valley in Malaysian Borneo. Bird’s nest fern microcosms were prepared to manipulate levels of invertebrate diversity and access to isotopically enriched organic matter. Tracing the enrichment of organic matter over time demonstrated that increasing invertebrate diversity resulted in increased rates of decomposition within the soil body. Subsequent analysis of microbial enrichment demonstrated the interacting effect of invertebrate biodiversity on microbial functioning. Increases in invertebrate species stimulated microorganisms to decompose organic matter and assimilate released carbon into their cell walls at higher rates. By characterising microbial community composition, and quantifying their contributions to the decomposition under simulated reductions in invertebrate diversity, this thesis supports the view that the loss of biodiversity will have negative effects on the functioning of ecosystems.
