The higher-level phylogeny of Archosauria (Tetrapoda: Diapsida)

Crown group Archosauria, which includes birds, dinosaurs, crocodylomorphs, and several extinct Mesozoic groups, is a primary division of the vertebrate tree of life. However, the higher-level phylogenetic relationships within Archosauria are poorly resolved and controversial, despite years of study. The phylogeny of crocodile-line archosaurs (Crurotarsi) is particularly contentious, and has been plagued by problematic taxon and character sampling. Recent discoveries and renewed focus on archosaur anatomy enable the compilation of a new dataset, which assimilates and standardizes character data pertinent to higher-level archosaur phylogeny, and is scored across the largest group of taxa yet analysed. This dataset includes 47 new characters (25% of total) and eight taxa that have yet to be included in an analysis, and total taxonomic sampling is more than twice that of any previous study. This analysis produces a well-resolved phylogeny, which recovers mostly traditional relationships within Avemetatarsalia, places Phytosauria as a basal crurotarsan clade, finds a close relationship between Aetosauria and Crocodylomorpha, and recovers a monophyletic Rauisuchia comprised of two major subclades. Support values are low, suggesting rampant homoplasy and missing data within Archosauria, but the phylogeny is highly congruent with stratigraphy. Comparison with alternative analyses identifies numerous scoring differences, but indicates that character sampling is the main source of incongruence. The phylogeny implies major missing lineages in the Early Triassic and may support a Carnian-Norian extinction event.

Descriptions of the mature spermatozoa of the lizards Crotaphytus bicinctores, Gambelia wislizenii (Crotaphytidae), and Anolis carolinensis (Polychrotidae) (Reptilia, Squamata, Iguania)

The spermatozoa of Crotaphytus bicinctores and Gambelia wislizenii (Crotaphytidae), and Anolis carolinensis (Polychrotidae) exhibit the squamate autapomorphies of a single perforatorium extending anteriorly from the apical tip of the paracrystalline subacrosomal cone, the presence of an epinuclear electron-lucent region, and extension of the fibrous sheath into the midpiece. Crotaphytid sperm differ from those of polychrotids in several respects, including: the structure of the perforatorium, the size of the epinuclear electron-lucent region, aspects of the acrosome complex, the arrangement and structure of intermitochondrial dense bodies, and in the distance the fibrous sheath extends into the midpiece. The sperm of C. bicinctores, G. wislizenii, and A. carolinensis are most similar to those of the agamids and phrynosomatids examined to date. No spermatozoal autapomorphies for Crotaphytidae or Polychrotidae were found. The condition of having the intermitochondrial dense bodies arranged in regular incomplete rings is tentatively defined as a synapomorphy of Iguania (although modified in Chamaeleonidae). Spermatozoal ultrastructure offers no characters that justify the separation of Iguanidae (sensu late) into several separate families. (C) 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A comparative ultrastructural study of spermatozoa of the teiid lizards Cnemidophorus gularis gularis, Cnemidophorus ocellifer, and Kentropyx altamazonica (Reptilia, Squamata, Teiidae)

The ultrastructure of the spermatozoa of Cnemidophorus gularis gularis, Cnemidophorus ocellifer, and Kentropyx altamazonica is described for the first time. Mature spermatozoa of Cnemidophorus spp. and K. altamazonica differ in the occurrence of a perforatorial base plate, the enlargement of axonemal fibers 3 and 8, and shape of mitochondria. The comparisons of the ultrastructure sperm of Cnemidophorus spp. and K. altamazonica with Ameiva ameiva [J. Morphol. (2002) in press] suggest that Ameiva and Cnemidophorus are more similar to each other than either is to Kentropyx. Statistical analyses reveal that sperm of all three species studied are significantly different in the following dimensions: head, acrosome, distal centriole length, and nuclear shoulders width. There was no variable statistically different between the Cnemidophorus spp. only. The length of the tail, midpiece, entire sperm, and nuclear rostrum are significantly different between K. altamazonica and Cnemidophorus spp. Our results indicate that sperm ultrastructure presents intra and intergeneric variability. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Was there a second adaptive radiation of giant tortoises in the Indian Ocean? Using mitochondrial DNA to investigate speciation and biogeography of Aldabrachelys (Reptilia, Testudinidae)

A radiation of five species of giant tortoises (Cylindraspis ) existed in the southwest Indian Ocean, on the Mascarene islands, and another (of Aldabrachelys ) has been postulated on small islands north of Madagascar, from where at least eight nominal species have been named and up to five have been recently recognized. Of 37 specimens of Madagascan and small-island Aldabrachelys investigated by us, 23 yielded significant portions of a 428-base-pair (bp) fragment of mitochondrial (cytochrome b and tRNA-Glu), including type material of seven nominal species (A. arnoldi, A. dussumieri, A. hololissa, A. daudinii, A. sumierei, A. ponderosa and A. gouffei ). These and nearly all the remaining specimens, including 15 additional captive individuals sequenced previously, show little variation. Thirty-three exhibit no differences and the remainder diverge by only 1-4 bp (0.23-0.93%). This contrasts with more widely accepted tortoise species which show much greater inter- and intraspecific differences. The non-Madagascan material examined may therefore only represent a single species and all specimens may come from Aldabra where the common haplotype is known to occur. The present study provides no evidence against the Madagascan origin for Aldabra tortoises suggested by a previous molecular phylogenetic analysis, the direction of marine currents and phylogeography of other reptiles in the area. Ancient mitochondrial DNA from the extinct subfossil A. grandidieri of Madagascar differs at 25 sites (5.8%) from all other Aldabrachelys samples examined here.

Anoplotherium (mammalia, artiodactyla) et geochelone (reptilia, testudines) à côja: les vertebras fossils et l’éocène supérieur au Portugal

A mammal (Anoplotherium cf. commune) and a land tortoise (Geochelone is. gen.] sp.) from the Ludian (Uppermost Eocene) locality of Côja have been identified. Age can be more accurately established now, from level 3 to level 5 in the Ludian stage, probably 4. Relationships between Côja's feldspathic sands, a correlative unit «Arenitos de Vale Furado», and the paroxysmal phase of pyrenean orogeny are confirmed.

The snakes (Reptilia, Serpentes) of the Miocene of Portugal

The ophidian fauna coming from the Miocene of Amor (MN 5), Quinta das Pedreiras and Quinta do Pombeiro (both MN4) (Portugal) consists of the following taxa: cf. Bavarioboa sp. (Boidae); cf. Coluber sp. (Coluhridae); two unidentified Colubridae; Vipera sp. ("Oriental vipers" complex) (Viperidae). The assemblage is characteristic for the lower/middle Miocene transition and it resembles snake faunas known from other European localities of similar age.

Reptilia and Batrachia / by George A. Boulenger.

Reptilia and Batrachia

A revision of the genus Nothosaurus (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Germanic Triassic, with comments on the status of Conchiosaurus clavatus / Olivier Rieppel --, Rupert Wild --.

n.s. no.34(1996)

A new limbless skink (Reptilia: Scincidae) from Thailand with comments on the generic status of the limbless skinks of Southeast Asia [by] W. Ronald Heyer.

v.58:no.10(1971)

The dermal armor of the cyamodontoid placodonts (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) : morphology and systematic value / Olivier Rieppel --.

n.s. no.46(2002)

A catalogue of type specimens of fossil vertebrates in the Field Museum of Natural History : classes Amphibia, Reptilia, Aves, and Ichnites / John Clay Bruner --.

n.s. no.22(1991)

Status of the pachypleurosauroid Psilotrachelosaurus toeplitschi Nopcsa (Reptilia, Sauropterygia), from the Middle Triassic of Austria / Olivier Rieppel --.

n.s. no.27(1993)

The cranial anatomy of Placochelys placodonta Jaekel, 1902, and a review of the Cyamodontoidea (Reptilia, Placodonta) / Olivier Rieppel --.

n.s. no.45(2001)

Pachypleurosaurs (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the lower Muschelkalk, and a review of the Pachypleurosauroidea / Olivier Rieppel --, Lin Kebang --.

n.s. no.32(1995)

Amphibia and reptilia from the Campanian of New Mexico / Judy Gail Armstrong-Ziegler.

n.s. no.4(1980)