Morphobank

Project 2189: Allison Y. Hsiang, Daniel J. Field, Timothy H. Webster, Adam D. B. Behlke, Matthew B. Davis, Rachel A. Racicot, Jacques A. Gauthier. 2015. The origin of snakes: revealing the ecology, behavior, and evolutionary history of early snakes using genomics, phenomics, and the fossil record. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (87).

Specimen: Loxocemus bicolor (FMNH/104800)

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Abstract

The highly derived morphology and astounding diversity of snakes has long inspired debate regarding the ecological and evolutionary origin of both the snake total-group (Pan-Serpentes) and crown snakes (Serpentes). Although speculation abounds on the ecology, behavior, and provenance of the earliest snakes, a rigorous, clade-wide analysis of snake origins has yet to be attempted, in part due to a dearth of adequate paleontological data on early stem snakes. Here, we present the first comprehensive analytical reconstruction of the ancestor of crown snakes and the ancestor of the snake total-group, as inferred using multiple methods of ancestral state reconstruction. We use a combined-data approach that includes new information from the fossil record on extinct crown snakes, new data on the anatomy of the stem snakes Najash rionegrina, Dinilysia patagonica, and Coniophis precedens, and a deeper understanding of the distribution of phenotypic apomorphies among the major clades of fossil and Recent snakes. Additionally, we infer time-calibrated phylogenies using both new ‘tip-dating’ and traditional node-based approaches, providing new insights on temporal patterns in the early evolutionary history of snakes.

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Article DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0358-5

Project DOI: 10.7934/P2189, http://dx.doi.org/10.7934/P2189

This project contains	Matrices
2 Media 1 Matrix 74 Taxa 2 Specimens 777 Characters Total size of project's media files: 42.13k Download Project SDD File	Total scored cells: 33788 Total media associated with cells: 0 Total labels associated with cell media: 0
	Characters
	Total characters: 777 Total characters with associated media: 0 Total characters with media with labels: 0 Total character states: 1974 Total character states with associated media: 0 Total character states with media with labels:0 Total unordered/ordered characters:558/219

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MorphoBank Project 2189

Creation Date:
04 June 2015
Publication Date:
12 June 2015
Project views: 37224
Matrix downloads: 22

This research
supported by

Authors' Institutions

National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution

Yale University

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MorphoBank Curator
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Maureen Admin
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Allison Hsiang
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Taxonomic Overview for Matrix 'M23369' (73 Taxa)

taxon	unscored cells	scored cells	no cell support	NPA cells	"-" cells	cell images	labels on cell images	member access
[1] Shinisaurus crocodilurus Last Modified in 06/04/15	147	630	630	0	0	0	0	3
[2] Xenosaurus platyceps Last Modified in 06/04/15	217	560	560	0	0	0	0	3
[3] Xenosaurus grandis Last Modified in 06/04/15	149	631	628	0	0	0	0	3
[4] Pseudopus apodus Last Modified in 06/04/15	188	591	589	0	0	0	0	3
[5] † Peltosaurus granulosus Last Modified in 06/12/15	306	472	471	0	0	0	0	3
[6] † Helodermoides tuberculatus Last Modified in 06/12/15	407	371	370	0	0	0	0	3
[7] Celestus enneagrammus Last Modified in 06/04/15	156	623	621	0	0	0	0	3
[8] Elgaria multicarinata Last Modified in 06/04/15	130	649	647	0	0	0	0	3
[9] † Proplatynotia longirostrata Last Modified in 06/12/15	495	282	281	0	0	0	0	3
[10] † Gobiderma pulchrum Last Modified in 06/12/15	355	422	422	0	0	0	0	3
[11] Heloderma horridum Last Modified in 06/04/15	161	616	616	0	0	0	0	3
[12] Heloderma suspectum Last Modified in 06/04/15	165	616	612	0	0	0	0	3
[13] Lanthanotus borneensis Last Modified in 06/04/15	161	616	616	0	0	0	0	3
[14] † Saniwa Last Modified in 06/12/15	318	459	459	0	0	0	0	3
[15] Varanus salvator Last Modified in 06/04/15	164	616	613	0	0	0	0	3
[16] Varanus acanthurus Last Modified in 06/04/15	157	621	620	0	0	0	0	3
[17] Varanus exanthematicus Last Modified in 06/04/15	158	621	619	0	0	0	0	3
[18] † Coniophis precedens Last Modified in 06/12/15	683	94	94	0	0	0	0	3
[19] † Najash rionegrina Last Modified in 06/12/15	600	177	177	0	0	0	0	3
[20] † Dinilysia patagonica Last Modified in 06/12/15	369	408	408	0	0	0	0	3
[21] Rena dulcis Last Modified in 06/04/15	325	455	452	0	0	0	0	3
[22] Typhlops jamaicensis Last Modified in 06/04/15	396	383	381	0	0	0	0	3
[23] Liotyphlops albirostris Last Modified in 06/04/15	396	383	381	0	0	0	0	3
[24] Typhlophis squamosus Last Modified in 06/04/15	422	356	355	0	0	0	0	3
[25] † Sanajeh indicus Last Modified in 06/12/15	698	79	79	0	0	0	0	3
[26] † Wonambi naracoortensis Last Modified in 06/12/15	576	201	201	0	0	0	0	3
[27] † Yurlunggur camfieldensis Last Modified in 06/12/15	547	230	230	0	0	0	0	3
[28] Anilius scytale Last Modified in 06/04/15	261	518	516	0	0	0	0	3
[29] Cylindrophis ruffus Last Modified in 06/04/15	237	541	540	0	0	0	0	3
[30] Anomochilus leonardi Last Modified in 06/04/15	314	463	463	0	0	0	0	3
[31] Uropeltis melanogaster Last Modified in 06/04/15	321	457	456	0	0	0	0	3
[32] † Haasiophis terrasanctus Last Modified in 06/12/15	478	300	299	0	0	0	0	3
[33] † Eupodophis descouensis Last Modified in 06/12/15	608	170	169	0	0	0	0	3
[34] † Pachyrhachis problematicus Last Modified in 06/12/15	556	222	221	0	0	0	0	3
[35] Xenopeltis unicolor Last Modified in 06/04/15	261	517	516	0	0	0	0	3
[36] Loxocemus bicolor Last Modified in 06/04/15	232	546	545	0	0	0	0	3
[37] Casarea dussumieri Last Modified in 06/04/15	266	511	511	0	0	0	0	3
[38] Xenophidion acanthognathus Last Modified in 06/04/15	289	488	488	0	0	0	0	3
[39] Exiliboa placata Last Modified in 06/04/15	295	484	482	0	0	0	0	3
[40] Ungaliophis continentalis Last Modified in 06/04/15	293	488	484	0	0	0	0	3
[41] Lichanura trivirgata Last Modified in 06/04/15	277	502	500	0	0	0	0	3
[42] Calabaria reinhardtii Last Modified in 06/04/15	265	512	512	0	0	0	0	3
[43] Eryx colubrinus Last Modified in 06/04/15	258	521	519	0	0	0	0	3
[44] Epicrates striatus Last Modified in 06/04/15	255	526	522	0	0	0	0	3
[45] Boa constrictor Last Modified in 06/04/15	249	535	528	0	0	0	0	3
[46] Aspidites melanocephalus Last Modified in 06/04/15	268	513	509	0	0	0	0	3
[47] Python molurus Last Modified in 06/04/15	246	536	531	0	0	0	0	3
[48] Trachyboa boulengeri Last Modified in 06/04/15	275	503	502	0	0	0	0	3
[49] Tropidophis haetianus Last Modified in 06/04/15	247	534	530	0	0	0	0	3
[50] † Kataria anisodonta Last Modified in 06/12/15	592	185	185	0	0	0	0	3
[51] Xenodermus javanicus Last Modified in 06/04/15	271	508	506	0	0	0	0	3
[52] Acrochordus granulatus Last Modified in 06/04/15	294	484	483	0	0	0	0	3
[53] Pareas hamptoni Last Modified in 06/04/15	303	475	474	0	0	0	0	3
[54] Lycophidion capense Last Modified in 06/04/15	302	475	475	0	0	0	0	3
[55] Aparallactus werneri Last Modified in 06/04/15	290	489	487	0	0	0	0	3
[56] Atractaspis irregularis Last Modified in 06/04/15	359	420	418	0	0	0	0	3
[57] Azemiops feae Last Modified in 06/04/15	315	464	462	0	0	0	0	3
[58] Causus rhombeatus Last Modified in 06/04/15	329	451	448	0	0	0	0	3
[59] Daboia russelli Last Modified in 06/04/15	316	464	461	0	0	0	0	3
[60] Bothrops asper Last Modified in 06/04/15	313	467	464	0	0	0	0	3
[61] Agkistrodon contortrix Last Modified in 06/04/15	303	478	474	0	0	0	0	3
[62] Lachesis muta Last Modified in 06/04/15	314	467	463	0	0	0	0	3
[63] Micrurus fulvius Last Modified in 06/04/15	299	481	478	0	0	0	0	3
[64] Naja naja Last Modified in 06/04/15	285	495	492	0	0	0	0	3
[65] Laticauda colubrina Last Modified in 06/04/15	311	468	466	0	0	0	0	3
[66] Notechis scutatus Last Modified in 06/04/15	298	480	479	0	0	0	0	3
[67] Natrix natrix Last Modified in 06/04/15	282	497	495	0	0	0	0	3
[68] Thamnophis marcianus Last Modified in 06/04/15	277	502	500	0	0	0	0	3
[69] Amphiesma stolata Last Modified in 06/04/15	280	498	497	0	0	0	0	3
[70] Afronatrix anoscopus Last Modified in 06/04/15	299	479	478	0	0	0	0	3
[71] Xenochrophis piscator Last Modified in 06/04/15	283	495	494	0	0	0	0	3
[72] Lampropeltis getula Last Modified in 06/04/15	276	505	501	0	0	0	0	3
[73] Coluber constrictor Last Modified in 06/04/15	269	512	508	0	0	0	0	3

Project views

type	number of views	Individual items viewed (where applicable)
Total project views	37224
Project overview	4072
Matrix views	2508	Matrix landing page (2107 views); The origin of snakes: revealing the ecology, behavior, and evolutionary history of early snakes using genomics, phenomics, and the fossil record (401 views);
Media views	6898	Media search (5291 views); M378118 (820 views); M378117 (787 views);
Bibliography	1169
Specimen list	3280
Taxon list	19295
Documents list	2

Project downloads

type	number of downloads	Individual items downloaded (where applicable)
Total downloads from project	459
Matrix downloads	22	The origin of snakes: revealing the ecology, behavior, and evolutionary history of early snakes using genomics, phenomics, and the fossil record (22 downloads);
Project downloads	437