Search results for "reptile"
showing 10 items of 42 documents
The proliferative ventricular zone in adult vertebrates: a comparative study using reptiles, birds, and mammals
2002
Although evidence accumulated during the last decades has advanced our understanding of adult neurogenesis in the vertebrate brain, many aspects of this intriguing phenomenon remain controversial. Here we review the organization and cellular composition of the ventricular wall of reptiles, birds, and mammals in an effort to identify differences and commonalities among these vertebrate classes. Three major cell types have been identified in the ventricular zone of reptiles and birds: migrating (Type A) cells, radial glial (Type B) cells, and ependymal (Type E) cells. Cells similar anatomically and functionally to Types A, B, and E have also been described in the ventricular wall of mammals, …
Two interconnected functional systems in the amygdala of amniote vertebrates.
2008
The amygdala shows ventropallial and lateropallial derivatives that can be compared among vertebrates according to their topological position, either superficial (cortical amygdala) or deep (basolateral amygdala and amygdalo-hippocampal area), connections and histochemical features. On the other hand, the subpallial amygdala, also called extended amygdala, is composed of medial and central divisions. In mammals, both divisions consist of an intra-amygdaloid portion and a part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. In non-mammals, the intratelencephalic trajectory of the stria terminalis is short and both poles of the extended amygdala are close together. Like its mammalian counterpart,…
The pallial amygdala of amniote vertebrates: evolution of the concept, evolution of the structure
2002
Embryological studies indicate that the amygdala includes pallial structures, namely the cortical amygdala (olfactory and vomeronasal) and the basolateral complex deep to it. In squamate reptiles, the cortical amygdala includes secondary olfactory (the ventral anterior amygdala) and vomeronasal centres (the nucleus sphericus). In birds, the situation is far less clear, due to the relative underdevelopment of the chemosensory systems. The basolateral amygdala of squamate reptiles includes two ventropallial structures: the posterior dorsal ventricular ridge and the lateral amygdala. Like their mammalian counterparts, these centres give rise to glutamatergic projections to the striatal (centro…
The marine diapsid reptile Endennasaurus from the Upper Triassic of Italy
2005
The marine reptile Endennasaurus from the Upper Triassic Zorzino Limestone of northern Italy is rede- scribed and reassessed. New details of the skull and postcra- nial skeleton are revealed, confirming the attribution of this genus to the diapsid reptile clade Thalattosauriformes. Phylo- genetic analysis suggests that Endennasaurus was related to the European genus Askeptosaurus and the Chinese Anshun- saurus. Despite a rather conservative postcranial morphology, Endennasaurus clearly occupied a highly specialized dietary niche as it combined a slender tapering premaxillary rostrum with a complete absence of either marginal or palatal teeth.
La ecología de los reptiles en un parque natural antropizado: factores que afectan a su distribución, gestión y conservación
2019
El desarrollo de la actividad humana ha llevado a una pérdida importante de la biodiversidad a nivel global. Muchos ecosistemas son alterados a distintos niveles, entrando en un desequilibrio que en algunas ocasiones lleva a un colapso prácticamente total. Además, el bienestar de la población humana está muchas veces ligado al buen funcionamiento de los ecosistemas. Por ello, la sociedad es cada vez más consciente de la importancia de la conservación de los ecosistemas y de reducir su impacto ambiental. Una de las zonas que ha pasado por todas estas etapas es la Albufera de Valencia. Después de un uso tradicional durante siglos, el desarrollo industrial a principios del siglo XX ha llevado …
La fauna del pleistoceno inferior de la Sierra de Quibas (Abanilla, Murcia)
1999
El yacimiento kárstico cuaternario de la Sierra de Quibas (Abanilla, Murcia) ha proporcionado una amplia lista faunística constituida por 53 especies repartidas entre gasterópodos, miriápodos, anfibios, reptiles, aves y mamíferos. En el conjunto de los gasterópodos destaca Palaeoglandina, un género que se extingue en el resto de Europa durante el Plioceno y que se mantiene como relicto en el Pleistoceno de la Península Ibérica. Dos de las especies de aves determinadas, Gypaetus barbatus y Gerontieus eremita, y una de las serpientes, Elaphe cf. E. sealaris, apenas se hallan representadas en el registro fósil. Hay además varias especies de aves cuya aparición en Quibas supone la primera cita …
A catalogue of the vertebrate fossil record from the Guadix-Baza Basin (SE Spain)
2020
In this paper, a catalogue of the vertebrate content of the Guadix-Baza Basin is presented. A total of 93 localities have been reviewed, providing more than 300 vertebrate species. These localities have been included in 11 biochronological units, ranging in age from the late Miocene (MN 13) to the Middle Pleistocene (MmQ 4), including also two MN 10 localities. The best-represented epoch in the Guadix-Baza Basin is the Pliocene (MN 14 to MN 16), with 41 sites. This is followed by the Early Pleistocene (MN17 and MmQ1 to MmQ3) with 30 sites. The vertebrate classes represented in the basin are Actinopterygii, Amphibia, Aves, Reptilia and Mammalia, this last one being the best represented. Amon…
A reappraisal of the purported gastric pellet with Pterosaurian bones from the Upper Triassic of Italy
2015
A small accumulation of bones from the Norian (Upper Triassic) of the Seazza Brook Valley (Carnic Prealps, Northern Italy) was originally (1989) identified as a gastric pellet made of pterosaur skeletal elements. The specimen has been reported in literature as one of the very few cases of gastric ejecta containing pterosaur bones since then. However, the detailed analysis of the bones preserved in the pellet, their study by X-ray microCT, and the comparison with those of basal pterosaurs do not support a referral to the Pterosauria. Comparison with the osteology of a large sample of Middle-Late Triassic reptiles shows some affinity with the protorosaurians, mainly with Langobardisaurus pand…
Data from: The evolution of colour pattern complexity: selection for conspicuousness favours contrasting within-body colour combinations in lizards
2016
Many animals display complex colour patterns that comprise several adjacent, often contrasting colour patches. Combining patches of complementary colours increases the overall conspicuousness of the complex pattern, enhancing signal detection. Therefore, selection for conspicuousness may act not only on the design of single colour patches, but also on their combination. Contrasting long- and short-wavelength colour patches are located on the ventral and lateral surfaces of many lacertid lizards. As the combination of long- and short-wavelength-based colours generates local chromatic contrast, we hypothesized that selection may favour the co-occurrence of lateral and ventral contrasting patc…
Data from: Evaluating the potential for evolutionary mismatch in Batesian mimics: a case study in the endangered Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca).
2018
Many harmless organisms gain a survival advantage by mimicking venomous species. This is the case of the endangered smooth snake (Coronella austriaca), which mimics venomous vipers. Although this may protect the smooth snake against most of its natural predators, it may render them at greater risk of mortality from humans, who are more inclined to kill species, such as vipers, that they consider dangerous. This may cause an evolutionary mismatch, whereby humans may counteract the natural advantage of mimicry. We explore this possibility evaluating the willingness of humans to kill smooth snakes versus the adder (Vipera berus), as well as their ability to discern them in the Åland Islands. O…