Limb Reduction in the Lizard Genus Lerista. 1. Variation in the Number of Phalanges and Presacral Vertebrae

Greer, Allen E.

doi:10.2307/1563968

Cited by 89 publications

(121 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…RENOUS & GAsc 1979;GREER 1987GREER , 1991CHOQUENOT & GREER 1989). The genus Chalcides Laurenti 1768 is particularly interesting in this respect.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They live in the midst of open areas with mainly bushy vegetation and spend most of their lives hidden under stones, amid roots, or in crevices, a lifestyle where a proportionally longer and slimmer body is an advantage. These species are, in fact, already more elongated than the more typically lacertiform species of the family [in which the number of presacral vertebrae is 26 (GREER 1987)] and, if necessary, they can move by lateral undulation.…”

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Body elongation and limb reduction in the genusChalcidesLaurenti 1768 (Squamata Scincidae): a comparative study

1995

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The present paper analyses the postcranial skeleton and limb reduction in some species of the genus Chalcides Laurenti 1768. Three morphotypes are identified, related to as many adaptive zones.The first type includes the most primitive species, pentadactyls, which PASTEUR (1981) placed in two groups: Chalcides ocellatus and C. thierryi. The most primitive phalange formula is found in species of the C. ocellatus group (2-3-4-4-3/2-3-4-5-3): it differs from the plesiomorphic condition of the Squamata (2-3-4-5-3/2-3-4-5-4) due to the loss of a phalange in the fourth digit of the forelimb and fifth digit of the hindlimb. The mean number of presacral vertebrae (PV) varies from 34.8 in C. sexlineatus to 40.9 in C. ragazzii bottegi (37.1 in C. viridanus, 38.3 in C. colosii, 38.1 in C. polylepis, 38.0 in C. ragazzii ragazzii, 38.5 in C. ocellatus and 39.4 in C. bedriagai). In species of the C. thierryi group, which are more slender than the preceding ones, the mean number of PV is greater (40.8 in C. pulchellus, 43.7 in C. thierryi); the phalange formula is 2-3-4-4-3/2-3-4-5-3 in C. pulchellus and 2-3-4-4-3/2-3-4-4-3 in C. thierryi.Species of the first morphological type generally live in open areas with short thick vegetation, rich in stones and vegetal detritus under which they can hide. Some species are also found in sandy coastal dunes where they show semifossorial habits (such as C. bedriagai), and in pre-desert areas (such as C. ocellatus).The second morphological type includes the psammophile and semifossorial species of the C. mionecton and C. mauritanicus groups. The C. mionecton group is distinguished by a pronounced elongation and narrowing of the body ( 4 7.1 PV in C. mionecton, 50.0 in C. armitagei), a marked limb reduction from pentadactyl (2-3-4-4-3 or 2-3-4-4-2/2-3-4-5-3) to tetradactyl (2-3-4-4-0/2-3-4-5-0) in C. mionecton and to tridactyl in C. armitagei (0-2-3-3-0/0-2-3-4-0), and a generally very small ear opening. The distinctly fossorial species of C. mauritanicus group has an even longer and narrower body (50. 7 PV), greatly reduced limbs didactyl anteriorly and tridactyl posteriorly (0-0-2-3-0 or 0-0-1-3-0/0-2-3-4-0), and a completely obliterated ear opening. Species of this morphological type live mainly in sandy coastal zones.The third morphological type, affiliated with the C. chalcides group, dwells exclusively on surface grassland and is never fossorial. The species of this type show the greatest degree of body elongation and limb reduction, ranging from the western Hypothetically, the tendency toward limblessness and acquisition of a serpentiform habitus in the genus Chalcides has followed two separate paths: one favouring subsurface locomotion in sandy coastal environments (species of the C. mionecton and C. mauritanicus groups), the other favouring locomotion in thick grass vegetation (species of the C. chalcides group).

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“…RENOUS & GAsc 1979;GREER 1987GREER , 1991CHOQUENOT & GREER 1989). The genus Chalcides Laurenti 1768 is particularly interesting in this respect.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Body elongation and limb reduction in the genusChalcidesLaurenti 1768 (Squamata Scincidae): a comparative study

1995

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“…In the case of digits, loss follows the order I > V/II > III/IV (Morse, 1872;Lande, 1978;Greer, 1987;1991;Shapiro et al, 2007). This scenario could imply that losses of elements that are not essential for the development of other elements could take place more easily than loss of those elements that form the primary axis of the limb.…”

Section: Morphological Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Digit evolution in gymnophthalmid lizards

Roscito

Nunes²,

Rodrigues³

2014

Int. J. Dev. Biol.

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The tetrapod limb is a highly diverse structure, and reduction or loss of this structure accounts for many of the limb phenotypes observed within species. Squamate reptiles are one of the many tetrapod lineages in which the limbs have been greatly modified from the pentadactyl generalized pattern, including different degrees of reduction in the number of limb elements to complete limblessness. Even though limb reduction is widespread, the evolutionary and developmental mechanisms involved in the formation of reduced limb morphologies remains unclear. In this study, we present an overview of limb morphology within the microteiid lizard group Gymnophthalmidae, focusing on digit arrangement. We show that there are two major groups of limbreduced gymnophthalmids. The first group is formed by lizard-like (and frequently pentadactyl) species, in which minor reductions (such as the loss of 1-2 phalanges mainly in digits I and V) are the rule; these morphologies generally correspond to those seen in other squamates. The second group is formed by species showing more drastic losses, which can include the absence of an externally distinct limb in adults. We also present the expression patterns of Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) in the greatly reduced fore and hindlimb of a serpentiform gymnophthalmid. Our discussion focuses on identifying shared patterns of limb reduction among tetrapods, and explaining these patterns and the morphological variation within the gymnophthalmids based on current knowledge of the molecular signaling pathways that coordinate limb development.

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“…Instead, the number of somites associated with the flank in lizards may contribute to the relative proportions of the limbs to the trunk. Indeed, there is a known correlation between limb reduction and trunk elongation in several lizard lineages (e.g., Wiens and Slingluff, 2001), and small-limbed lizard species with an elongated trunk tend to have more trunk vertebrae (and, therefore, more trunk somites) than their close relatives (e.g., Presch, 1975;Greer, 1987;Caputo et al, 1995).…”

Section: Developmental Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of paraxial mesoderm in limb/flank regionalization of the trunk lateral plate

Noro

Yuguchi

Sato

et al. 2011

Developmental Dynamics

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To understand the developmental mechanism that determines limb size and the consequent limb-to-trunk proportions in the tetrapod body, we investigated the role of the paraxial mesoderm in the specification of the limb and flank fields in the chick embryo. We found that the paraxial mesoderm subjacent to the limb field can affect the size of the limb bud along the anterior-posterior and proximal-distal axes. We also found that the paraxial mesoderm subjacent to the flank plays roles in suppressing the emergence and growth of the limb bud and in promoting flank-specific apoptosis in the lateral plate mesoderm. Our results suggest that signals from the paraxial mesoderm specify the limb and flank fields in the competent lateral plate mesoderm.

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Limb Reduction in the Lizard Genus Lerista. 1. Variation in the Number of Phalanges and Presacral Vertebrae

Cited by 89 publications

References 13 publications

Body elongation and limb reduction in the genusChalcidesLaurenti 1768 (Squamata Scincidae): a comparative study

Body elongation and limb reduction in the genusChalcidesLaurenti 1768 (Squamata Scincidae): a comparative study

Digit evolution in gymnophthalmid lizards

Role of paraxial mesoderm in limb/flank regionalization of the trunk lateral plate

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