Current Research - "Deep Scaly" Squamate Phylogeny

Previous Research - New Caledonia

The goal of my post-doctoral research is to generate a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis of the skinks of New Caledonia. This radiation has exceedingly high levels of endemism (95% of described species are endemic), and has yielded a large number of new taxa during the last 10 years. My phylogenetic hypothesis will be integrated with previous morphological and molecular (allozyme) data to identify new taxa, recover relationships between species and genera, and to develop biogeographic hypotheses. These results will be compared with current work underway on systematics of New Caledonia's geckos.

Evolution of reproductive mode in Saiphos equalis

The Australian skink Saiphos equalis is one of only three species worldwide to have oviparous and viviparous reproduction in different populations. This species is also one of three species to have reproductive mode between the norms of oviparity (fully shelled egg, developmentally early embryo) and viviparity (thinly or un-shelled egg, fully developed embryo). During my honours year at the University of Sydney, I studied the reproductive ecology of two populations of Saiphos, used allozyme electrophoresis and morphological data to recover the relationships among populations of Saiphos, and used morphological data to investigate the relationships between Saiphos and other Sphenomorphine skinks.

Further to this work I have documented a third reproductive mode in additional populations ("oviparous" populations with incubation longer than those described in the original "oviparous" populations but still significantly shorter than normal oviparity). I have also recently addressed the phylogenetic relationships between populations using mitochondrial DNA sequence data. This study revealed the intriguing possibility that viviparity in Saiphos has either arisen multiple times in conspecific lineages, or has reversed.

This work was supervised by Dr Allen Greer (Herpetology Section, Australian Museum) and Dr Rick Shine (University of Sydney). Molecular work was done in collaboration with Dr Christopher Austin (University of North Dakota).

Back to main page