Simon G. Scarpetta
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View article: Elevational surveys of Sulawesi herpetofauna 2: Mount Katopasa on the Eastern Peninsula of Sulawesi island, Indonesia
Elevational surveys of Sulawesi herpetofauna 2: Mount Katopasa on the Eastern Peninsula of Sulawesi island, Indonesia Open
The unique geologic and biogeographic history of the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia has produced one of the world’s most endemic biota, much of which is still unknown to science. The biogeography of the island is influenced both by its un…
View article: Cryptovaranoides is not a squamate
Cryptovaranoides is not a squamate Open
Accurate reconstruction of the timescale of organismal evolution requires knowledge of the placement of extinct representatives among living branches. The fossil record has the capacity to reframe hypotheses of organismal evolution by prod…
View article: †Cryptovaranoides is not a squamate
†Cryptovaranoides is not a squamate Open
Accurate reconstruction of the timescale of organismal evolution requires placement of extinct representatives among living branches. In this way, the fossil record has the capacity to revise hypotheses of organismal evolution by producing…
View article: † <i>Cryptovaranoides</i> is not a squamate
† <i>Cryptovaranoides</i> is not a squamate Open
Accurate reconstruction of the timescale of organismal evolution requires placement of extinct representatives among living branches. In this way, the fossil record has the capacity to revise hypotheses of organismal evolution by producing…
View article: Middle Pleistocene Cumberland Bone Cave Local Fauna, Allegany County, Maryland: A Systematic Revision and Paleoecological Interpretation of the Irvingtonian, Middle Appalachians, USA
Middle Pleistocene Cumberland Bone Cave Local Fauna, Allegany County, Maryland: A Systematic Revision and Paleoecological Interpretation of the Irvingtonian, Middle Appalachians, USA Open
The Cumberland Bone Cave Local Fauna (CBCLF) is the most significant Irvingtonian vertebrate fauna in the eastern United States north of Florida. Excavation of a railroad cut near Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland in 1912 revealed a de…
View article: Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji
Iguanas rafted more than 8,000 km from North America to Fiji Open
Founder-event speciation can occur when one or more organisms colonize a distant, unoccupied area via long-distance dispersal, leading to the evolution of a new species lineage. Species radiations established by long-distance, and especial…
View article: Identification of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil lizards from Hall’s Cave (Kerr County, Texas) and a primer on morphological variation in North American lizard skulls
Identification of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil lizards from Hall’s Cave (Kerr County, Texas) and a primer on morphological variation in North American lizard skulls Open
Fossil identification practices have a profound effect on our interpretation of the past because these identifications form the basis for downstream analyses. Therefore, well-supported fossil identifications are necessary for examining the…
View article: The skull of the Turks and Caicos rock iguana, <i>Cyclura carinata</i> (Squamata: Iguanidae)
The skull of the Turks and Caicos rock iguana, <i>Cyclura carinata</i> (Squamata: Iguanidae) Open
We provide a detailed and first description of the skull, hyoid apparatus, and trachea of the Turks and Caicos rock iguana, Cyclura carinata (Squamata: Iguanidae). Cyclura is a radiation of iguanas restricted to islands of the Caribbean Se…
View article: A new perspective on the taxonomy and systematics of Arvicolinae (Gray, 1821) and a new time-calibrated phylogeny for the clade
A new perspective on the taxonomy and systematics of Arvicolinae (Gray, 1821) and a new time-calibrated phylogeny for the clade Open
Background Arvicoline rodents are one of the most speciose and rapidly evolving mammalian lineages. Fossil arvicolines are also among the most common vertebrate fossils found in sites of Pliocene and Pleistocene age in Eurasia and North Am…
View article: A Palaeogene stem crotaphytid ( <i>Aciprion formosum</i> ) and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil pleurodontan iguanians
A Palaeogene stem crotaphytid ( <i>Aciprion formosum</i> ) and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil pleurodontan iguanians Open
Pleurodonta is an ancient, diverse clade of iguanian lizard distributed primarily in the Western Hemisphere. Although the clade is a frequent subject of systematic research, phylogenetic resolution among the major pleurodontan clades is el…
View article: The affinities of the Late Triassic <i>Cryptovaranoides</i> and the age of crown squamates
The affinities of the Late Triassic <i>Cryptovaranoides</i> and the age of crown squamates Open
Most living reptile diversity is concentrated in Squamata (lizards, including snakes), which have poorly known origins in space and time. Recently, † Cryptovaranoides microlanius from the Late Triassic of the United Kingdom was described a…
View article: Elevational surveys of Sulawesi herpetofauna 1: Gunung Galang, Gunung Dako Nature Reserve
Elevational surveys of Sulawesi herpetofauna 1: Gunung Galang, Gunung Dako Nature Reserve Open
The Indonesian island of Sulawesi has a unique geology and geography, which have produced an astoundingly diverse and endemic flora and fauna and a fascinating biogeographic history. Much biodiversity research has focused on the regional e…
View article: Identification of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil lizards from Hall’s Cave and a primer on morphological variation in North American lizard skulls
Identification of Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil lizards from Hall’s Cave and a primer on morphological variation in North American lizard skulls Open
Fossil identification practices have a profound effect on our interpretation of the past because these identifications form the basis for downstream analyses. Therefore, well-supported fossil identifications are paramount for examining the…
View article: Supplemental file 3 from A Paleogene stem crotaphytid (<i>Aciprion formosum</i>) and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil pleurodontan iguanians
Supplemental file 3 from A Paleogene stem crotaphytid (<i>Aciprion formosum</i>) and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil pleurodontan iguanians Open
Phylogenetic trees
View article: Supplemental file 2 from A Paleogene stem crotaphytid (<i>Aciprion formosum</i>) and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil pleurodontan iguanians
Supplemental file 2 from A Paleogene stem crotaphytid (<i>Aciprion formosum</i>) and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil pleurodontan iguanians Open
Phylogenetic matrix and analysis commands
View article: A strikingly ornamented fossil alligator lizard (Squamata: Abronia) from the Miocene of California
A strikingly ornamented fossil alligator lizard (Squamata: Abronia) from the Miocene of California Open
This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Scarpetta, Simon G., Ledesma, David T. (2023): A strikingly ornamented fossil alligator lizard (Squamata: Abronia) from the Miocene of California…
View article: A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae
A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae Open
View article: Variation in the skulls of <i>Elgaria</i> and <i>Gerrhonotus</i> (Anguidae, Gerrhonotinae) and implications for phylogenetics and fossil identification
Variation in the skulls of <i>Elgaria</i> and <i>Gerrhonotus</i> (Anguidae, Gerrhonotinae) and implications for phylogenetics and fossil identification Open
Background There are limited data on intra- and interspecific osteological variation for many squamate clades. Those data are relevant for phylogenetic analyses that use osteological characters and for apomorphic identifications of fossils…
View article: Additional file 2 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae
Additional file 2 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae Open
Additional file 2. Phylogenetic matrix for alligator lizards. Morphological phylogenetic matrix formatted for Bayesian analysis in MrBayes.
View article: Additional file 3 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae
Additional file 3 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae Open
Additional file 3. Phylogenetic matrix for alligator lizards. Morphological phylogenetic matrix formatted for parsimony analysis in PAUP*.
View article: Additional file 5 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae
Additional file 5 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae Open
Additional file 5. Table S1. Continuous character measurements. Measurements (in mm) for continuous characters and relevant ratios for each character. If importing for analysis delete or skip the first row.
View article: Additional file 4 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae
Additional file 4 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae Open
Additional file 4. Binning commands. Commands for binning continuous character ratios.
View article: Additional file 6 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae
Additional file 6 of A new extinct species of alligator lizard (Squamata: Elgaria) and an expanded perspective on the osteology and phylogeny of Gerrhonotinae Open
Additional file 6. Table S2. Metrics from parsimony analyses.
View article: Effects of phylogenetic uncertainty on fossil identification illustrated by a new and enigmatic Eocene iguanian
Effects of phylogenetic uncertainty on fossil identification illustrated by a new and enigmatic Eocene iguanian Open
Fossil identifications made in a phylogenetic framework are beholden to specific tree hypotheses. Without phylogenetic consensus, the systematic provenance of any given fossil can be volatile. Paleobiogeographic and divergence time hypothe…
View article: Combined-evidence analyses of ultraconserved elements and morphological data: an empirical example in iguanian lizards
Combined-evidence analyses of ultraconserved elements and morphological data: an empirical example in iguanian lizards Open
Genomic datasets generated by next-generation sequencing are increasingly prevalent in phylogenetics, but morphological data are required to phylogenetically place fossils, corroborate molecular hypotheses and date phylogenies. Combined-ev…
View article: Unusual lizard fossil from the Miocene of Nebraska and a minimum age for cnemidophorine teiids
Unusual lizard fossil from the Miocene of Nebraska and a minimum age for cnemidophorine teiids Open
Teiid lizards are well represented in the fossil record and are common components of modern ecosystems in North and South America. Many fossils were referred to the cnemidophorine teiid group (whiptails, racerunners and relatives), particu…
View article: Supplementary material from "Unusual lizard fossil from the Miocene of Nebraska and a minimum age for cnemidophorine teiids"
Supplementary material from "Unusual lizard fossil from the Miocene of Nebraska and a minimum age for cnemidophorine teiids" Open
Teiid lizards are well represented in the fossil record and are common components of modern ecosystems in North and South America. Many fossils were referred to the cnemidophorine teiid group (whiptails, racerunners and relatives), particu…
View article: Novel and Bizarre Abnormalities of the Tooth Row in Side‐Blotched Lizards (<i>Uta</i>) and Rock Lizards (<i>Petrosaurus</i>)
Novel and Bizarre Abnormalities of the Tooth Row in Side‐Blotched Lizards (<i>Uta</i>) and Rock Lizards (<i>Petrosaurus</i>) Open
Multiple tooth rows along the dentary or maxilla are present in many bony and cartilaginous fishes but occur infrequently in amniotes. Although two partially overlapping rows of teeth or a few doubled tooth positions were both previously r…
View article: The first known fossil Uma: ecological evolution and the origins of North American fringe-toed lizards
The first known fossil Uma: ecological evolution and the origins of North American fringe-toed lizards Open
The total clade and the crown clade of Uma were not restricted to arid deserts throughout their evolutionary histories. I demonstrate that an apomorphy-based diagnosis can be used to identify fossils of isolated skeletal elements for at le…
View article: Additional file 7: of The first known fossil Uma: ecological evolution and the origins of North American fringe-toed lizards
Additional file 7: of The first known fossil Uma: ecological evolution and the origins of North American fringe-toed lizards Open
BEAST xml file for relaxed-clock analysis with two clock rates and all fossil calibrations. (XML 667 kb)