Some Evidence of Gonocephalus Species Complex Divergence Basing on skin sense organs morphology

Natalia B. Ananjeva, Tatjana N. Matveyeva-Dujsebayeva

Abstract


Skin sense organs of arboreal agamids belonging to Acanthosaura, Gonocephalus, and Hypsilurus genera were examined using SEM and light microscopy. Two of them, Gonocephalus and Hypsilurus were considered as one genus by many authors. Our data shows the strong differences in the structure and topography of skin receptors in these agamids. Acanthosaura and Gonocephalus have hair-bearing receptors in low (Acanthosaura) or medium (Gonocephalus) density. To the contrary Hypsilurus species have lens-like sense organs in very high density. These data support Moody’s (1980) opinion about the definition of this genus and they are in accordance with kariological data (Ota et al., 1992). Our data shows also that scale organs could have a bristle or look like lacking a bristle in dependence of different stages of shedding cycle. It is important for the argumented doubts in the information about presence of two types of scale organs on the same area of integument in the same specimen.

Keywords


Sauria; Agamidae; morphology; skin receptors; Gonocephalus

Full Text:

PDF

References


Ananjeva N. B., Dilmukhamedov M. E., and Matveyeva T. N. (1991), «The skin sense organs of some iguanian lizards», J. Herpetol., 25, 2, 186 – 199.

Ananjeva N. B., Dujsebayeva T. N., Dilmukhamedov M. E., and Iohanssen L. I. (1993), «The differences of skin receptors: contribution to agamid taxonomy», in: Abstrs. of the 2nd World Congr. of Herp., Adelaide, p. 5.

Boulenger G. A. (1885), Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.). Vol. 1. Gekkonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae, Taylor and Francis, London.

Bourret R. (1943), Comment determiner un Lezard d’Indochine, Publ. de L’Instruction, Publique en Indochine.

Darlington P. J., Jr. (1957), Zoogeography: The Geographical Distribution of Animals, Wiley, New York.

Irish F. J., Williams E. E., and Seling. E. (1988), «Scanning electron microscopy of changes in epidermal structure occurring during the shedding cycle in squamate reptiles», J. Morphol., 197, 105 – 126.

Manthey U. and Schuster N. (1992), Agamen, Terrarien Bibliothek, Thiekotter Druck GmbH, Münster.

Matveyeva T. N. and Ananjeva N. B. (1995), »The distribution and number of skin sense organs of agamid, iguanid and gekkonid lizards», J. Zool. (London), 235, 253 – 268.

Moody S. (1980), Phylogenetic and Historical Biogeographic Relationships of the Genera in the family Agamidae (Reptilia, Lacertilia), Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Moody S. (1993), «Wallace’s line and the basal clades within the agamidae (Iguania, Lacertilia) or do morphologies and molecules clash», in: Abstrs. of the 2nd World Congr. of Herp., Adelaide, p. 173.

Ota H., Matsui M., Hikida Ts., and Mori A. (1992), «Extreme karyotypic divergence between species of the genus Gonocephalus (Reptilia, Squamata, Agamidae) from Borneo and Australia», Herpetologica, 48(1), 120 – 124.

Scortecci G. (1937), «Gli organi di senso della pelle degli agamidi», Mem. Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat., 10(2), 157 – 205.

Scortecci G. (1941), «Recettori degli agamidi», Mem. Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat., 10(3), 207 – 326.

Smith M. A. (1935), Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II. Sauria. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma, London.

Welch K. R. G., Cooke P. S. and Wright A. S. (1990), Lizards of the Orient: A Checklist, Krieger Publ. Co., Malabar, FL.

Wermuth H. (1967), «Agamidae», in: Das Tierreich. Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien, Lief. 86, Berlin.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-1996-3-1-82-88

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


You can subscribe to the print or electronic version of the journal on the site of EastView Company. If you have any questions, please write to the email sales@ivis.ru