A reconsideration of S<i>phaerodactylus dommeli</i>Böhme, 1984 (Squamata: Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae), a Miocene lizard in amber

Daza, Juan D.; Bauer, Aaron M.; Wagner, Philipp; Böhme, Wolfgang

doi:10.1111/jzs.12001

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 60 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Even within Squamata, for which we infer it is very likely to be ancestral (see below), the patella is seen only in certain exceptionally preserved fossil specimens (e.g. Evans et al 2007;Conrad et al 2011;Daza et al 2013). Because of the uncertainty in the patellar state of its fossil relatives within Rhynchocephalia, coding choice in Sphenodon determines the lepidosaurian ancestral state in our reconstructions (see results).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Anatomy, morphology and evolution of the patella in squamate lizards and tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The patella (kneecap) is the largest and best‐known of the sesamoid bones, postulated to confer biomechanical advantages including increasing joint leverage and reinforcing the tendon against compression. It has evolved several times independently in amniotes, but despite apparently widespread occurrence in lizards, the patella remains poorly characterised in this group and is, as yet, completely undescribed in their nearest extant relative Sphenodon (Rhynchocephalia). Through radiography, osteological and fossil studies we examined patellar presence in diverse lizard and lepidosauromorph taxa, and using computed tomography, dissection and histology we investigated in greater depth the anatomy and morphology of the patella in 16 lizard species and 19 Sphenodon specimens. We have found the first unambiguous evidence of a mineralised patella in Sphenodon, which appears similar to the patella of lizards and shares several gross and microscopic anatomical features. Although there may be a common mature morphology, the squamate patella exhibits a great deal of variability in development (whether from a cartilage anlage or not, and in the number of mineralised centres) and composition (bone, mineralised cartilage or fibrotendinous tissue). Unlike in mammals and birds, the patella in certain lizards and Sphenodon appears to be a polymorphic trait. We have also explored the evolution of the patella through ancestral state reconstruction, finding that the patella is ancestral for lizards and possibly Lepidosauria as a whole. Clear evidence of the patella in rhynchocephalian or stem lepidosaurian fossil taxa would clarify the evolutionary origin(s) of the patella, but due to the small size of this bone and the opportunity for degradation or loss we could not definitively conclude presence or absence in the fossils examined. The pattern of evolution in lepidosaurs is unclear but our data suggest that the emergence of this sesamoid may be related to the evolution of secondary ossification centres and/or changes in knee joint conformation, where enhancement of extensor muscle leverage would be more beneficial.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…; Daza et al. ). Because of the uncertainty in the patellar state of its fossil relatives within Rhynchocephalia, coding choice in Sphenodon determines the lepidosaurian ancestral state in our reconstructions (see results).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Anatomy, morphology and evolution of the patella in squamate lizards and tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…De Queiroz et al () commented that at least the holotype does not appear to be an anole. Recently Daza et al () confirmed that Böhme () correctly identified the holotype and the paratype as a member of Sphaerodactylu s and that this fossil exhibits 11 diagnostic characters of Gekkota and eight additional characters for the genus (Daza and Bauer, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Miocene material from Europe includes Gerandogekko arambourgi , G. gaillardi (Hoffstetter, ; Kluge, ; Schleich, ), several taxa of the still‐extant leaf‐toed gecko genus Euleptes , known from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia (Estes, ; Müller, ; Müller and Mödden, ; Čerňanský and Bauer, ), Palaeogekko risgovienis from Steinberg in southern Germany (Schleich, ), and many indeterminate dentaries, maxillae, and vertebrae from the Miocene at Sansan in southwestern France (Augé and Rage, ). Miocene material from outside Europe is represented by disarticulated material from Morocco (Rage, ), several miniaturized Sphaerodactylus geckos in amber inclusions from Hispaniola (Böhme, ; Schlee, ; Kluge, ; Grimaldi et al, ; Daza and Bauer, , Daza et al, ), the pygopod Pygopus hortulanus from the Early Miocene of Australia (Hutchinson, ), several disarticulated bones from New Zealand (Lee et al, ), and an isolated dentary from Florida (Estes, ). Quaternary material is generally more abundant and easily assigned to modern species and will not be reviewed here (see Estes, ; Worthy, ; Pregill, ; Albino, ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Fossil Record of the Gekkota

Daza

Bauer

Snively

2014

The Anatomical Record

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Gekkota is often interpreted as sister to all remaining squamates, exclusive of dibamids, or as sister to Autarchoglossa. It is the only diverse lineage of primarily nocturnal lizards and includes some of the smallest amniotes. The skeleton of geckos has often been interpreted as paedomorphic and/or "primitive" but these lizards also display a wide range of structural specializations of the postcranium, including modifications associated with both scansorial locomotion and limb reduction. Although the concept of "Gekkota" has been variously applied by different authors, we here apply a rigorous apomorphy based definition, recent advances in gekkotan morphology and phylogenetics, and diverse comparative material to provide a comprehensive assessment of 28 known pre-Quaternary geckos, updating the last such review, published three decades ago. Fossils evaluated include both sedimentary fossils and amber-embedded specimens. Known Cretaceous geckos are exclusively Asian and exhibit character combinations not seen in any living forms. Cenozoic gekkotans derive from sites around the world, although Europe is especially well represented. Paleogene geckos are largely known from disarticulated remains and show similarities to Sphaerodactylidae and Diplodactylidae, although resemblances may be plesiomorphic in some cases. Many Neogene gekkotans are referable to living families or even genera, but their geographic occurrences are often extralimital to those of modern groups, as is consistent with paleoclimatic conditions. The phylogenetic placement of fossil gekkotans has important repercusions for timetree calibration, but at present only a small number of fossils can be confidently assigned to even family level groupings, limiting their utility in this regard. Anat Rec,

show abstract

“…Dated amber fossils show that sphaerodactylids existed in Hispaniola during this time period (Iturralde‐Vinent and MacPhee ; Daza and Bauer ; Daza et al. ). Our phylogenetic trees present at least two Hispaniolan clades (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization of islands in the Mona Passage by endemic dwarf geckoes (genus Sphaerodactylus) reconstructed with mitochondrial phylogeny

Díaz-Lameiro

Oleksyk

Bird-Picó

et al. 2013

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Little is known about the natural history of the Sphaerodactylus species endemic to the three islands located in the Mona Passage separating the Greater Antillean islands of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. In this study, parts of two mitochondrial genes, 16S rRNA and 12S rRNA, were sequenced to determine the relationships between the sphaerodactylids that live in the Mona Passage and other Caribbean species from the same genus. While the main goal was to identify the biogeographical origin of these species, we also identified a genetically distinct type of dwarf gecko that warrants future evaluation as a possible new species. According to the reconstructed phylogenies, we propose a stepwise model of colonization wherein S. nicholsi from southwestern Puerto Rico or a very close ancestor gave rise through a founder event to Sphaerodactylus monensis on Mona Island. In a similar fashion, S. monensis or a very close ancestor on Mona Island gave rise to S. levinsi on Desecheo Island. This study also suggests that the most recent common ancestor between the species from the islands in the Mona Passage and Puerto Rico existed approximately 3 MYA.

show abstract

A reconsideration of Sphaerodactylus dommeliBöhme, 1984 (Squamata: Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae), a Miocene lizard in amber

Cited by 11 publications

References 60 publications

Anatomy, morphology and evolution of the patella in squamate lizards and tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)

Anatomy, morphology and evolution of the patella in squamate lizards and tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)

On the Fossil Record of the Gekkota

Colonization of islands in the Mona Passage by endemic dwarf geckoes (genus Sphaerodactylus) reconstructed with mitochondrial phylogeny

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About