I recently gave a virtual talk on St. Patrick’s Day at the California Academy of Sciences in celebration of snake biology and diversity. I discussed a bit about how I got involved in science, the fascinating snakes of Vietnam (with a focus on Achalinus zugorum), and why it’s crucial we preserve karst forests and the […]
Read More Seminar at the California Academy of SciencesI was quoted in a recent article detailing the development of karst areas in Vietnam, and what that means for biodiversity and biodiversity researchers. Research has shown that these karsts host an array of endemic species (species found no where else on Earth) that is at risk of extinction or extirpation if karst stripping and […]
Read More THE PLIGHT OF VIETNAM’S KARST-DWELLING SPECIESDuring the summer of 2019, I conducted an expedition to remote, biologically unexplored areas of Vietnam with colleagues from the University of North Carolina Asheville, University of Washington, and the Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) as part of a Global Genome Initiative award to assess amphibian and reptile […]
Read More Discovery of a New Species of Odd-Scaled Snake from VietnamI’ve always had a special affinity for scincid lizards. Riopa skinks are one of the many poorly known skink genera of SE Asia, especially in Myanmar. In this study, led by Dr. Elyse Freitas, we generate novel morphological (meristic and mensural) and multi-locus genetic data from specimens collected throughout central and northern Myanmar to better […]
Read More Characterizing a cryptic radiation of Asian gracile skinks in Myanmar (Freitas et al., 2020).We have discovered the first members of the lizard genus Cnemaspis on the mainland of Myanmar. Published in the journal Zootaxa, we report the discovery of three Cnemaspis species in the country’s southernmost subdivision called the Tanintharyi Region. Out of the three species, two are new to science— the Tanintharyi Rock Gecko (Cnemaspis tanintharyi) and […]
Read More The discovery of two new gecko species from southern MyanmarI have recently concluded some field work in Vietnam with colleagues Dr. R. Graham Reynolds, Dr. Truong Quang Nguyen, Dr. Cuong The Pham, and Hayden R. Davis. One of the most notable finds was this remarkable endemic tiger gecko (Goniurosaurus catbaensis). The specimens collected during our surveys will join a growing repository of life on […]
Read More Field work in northern VietnamIn a collaboration with researchers from UNC Asheville, Mississippi State University, the University of Amsterdam, and the Shedd Aquarium, we have recently characterized the first mitochondrial genome of the critically endangered Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima). We deployed a combination of off-target sequence capture and targeted Sanger reads to assemble the complete mitogenome. The paper […]
Read More Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of the Lesser Antillean IguanaOur manuscript in Check List documenting the first record of Dryocalamus subannulatus in Myanmar has been published. This is the first of many forthcoming range extensions into the Tanintharyi for a diversity of taxa from the Isthmus of Kra region. In this note, we provide comparative morphological and molecular data of the Tanintharyi specimen. Link: https://checklist.pensoft.net/articles.php?journal_name=checklist&id=23034
Read More First record of the Malaysian Bridle Snake in MyanmarOur manuscript redescribing Xenochrophis bellulus (Stoliczka, 1871) and detailing its taxonomic status has now been published in the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. A lost holotype and cluttered taxonomic history has led us to designate a neotype and provide detailed morphological redescriptions based on a small series of museum specimens. We additionally delve into the […]
Read More New paper out in PBSW!
