Latest research
Newly published papers on reptiles and amphibians from the HerpAtlas research library, updated automatically. Browse by animal on the species pages.
- Sequential Gating of Ryanodine Receptors Underlies the Development of Calcium Sparks in Frog Skeletal Muscle.
Cserne Szappanos H, Szabó LZ, Balatoni I et al. · Biomolecules · 2026-06 · open access
Calcium sparks can arise as both voltage-dependent and voltage-independent ligand-activated release events in amphibian skeletal muscle. To assess their gating behavior, calcium sparks were recorded from intact frog skeletal muscle fibers using high-temporal-resolution confocal microscopy (line…
- First report of free-ranging maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) coinfected with Dioctophyma renale and Pearsonema sp. in Brazil.
Costa AC, Mureb EN, Stocco NV et al. · Veterinary research communications · 2026-06 · open access
The manned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) has a highly diversified diet, that includes fish and amphibians, which may harbor infective forms of parasites, such as Dioctophyma renale and Pearsonema (syn. Capillaria) spp. Both parasites affect the urinary tract of their hosts, with D. renale being…
- Monitoring infestation levels using an AI-based Chironomid quantification tool (CQT) in a laboratory Xenopus laevis facility.
Schwarzbach M, Popper B · BMC research notes · 2026-06 · open access
Objective Insect infestations in laboratory animal facilities represent a potential risk to animal welfare, staff hygiene, and experimental integrity. In this study, we developed and applied a custom AI-assisted image analysis workflow, the Chironomid Quantification Tool (CQT-AI), to detect and…
- Thermal and immunological stress modulate the locomotor performance of female Xenopus laevis frogs.
Oliveira TG, Araspin L, Cabanzo-Olarte LC et al. · Conservation physiology · 2026-06 · open access
Temperature strongly influences physiological performance and immune function in ectotherms, making ectotherms like amphibians particularly vulnerable to the combined effects of climate change and infectious diseases. Since immune activation is energetically expensive, infected individuals may face…
- Naïve Garter Snake Chemosensory Preferences Corroborate Diet of Wild Individuals and Reveal Behavioral Convergence for Foraging in Deep Water.
Carrillo E, Berry M, Rojas DS et al. · Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2026-06 · open access
Garter snakes are semi-aquatic obligate carnivores with diverse diets and behavioral adaptations for foraging at the water's edge. In this study, we tested the persistence of innate chemosensory prey preference and aquatic prey capture ability in two garter snake species, the Lake Chapala garter…
- Myelin development in the peripheral nervous system of Trachemys scripta .
Lara-Ramírez R, Yousefi N, van der Plas M et al. · Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026-06 · open access
Introduction Myelin is one of the most important features of the vertebrate nervous system, formed by glial cells. In the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells produce myelin. While much is known about the molecules and processes involved in mammalian myelination, little is known about it in…
- Underestimated microplastics in sea turtles: Implications of a 200 μm detection limit for ingestion monitoring.
Jaume-Comas A, Sánchez-Guerrero-Hernández MJ, Fernández-Maldonado C et al. · Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2026-06 · open access
- Assessing circuit function in the developing Xenopus tadpole: a survey of the behavioral toolkit and underlying neural substrates.
Hayes M, Liu A, Todorovic N et al. · Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2026-06 · open access
Xenopus laevis has long served as an important model for studies of embryonic development and is a cornerstone to our current understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopment, including the formation and refinement of neural circuits. In recent years, considerable…
- The microbiome in reptile health, disease, and ecology.
Hoffbeck C, Taylor MW · Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2026-06
- Long-Term Conservation Management of the Endangered Canarian Lizards Gallotia simonyi and G. bravoana (Fam. Lacertidae) (2006-2024).
Rodríguez-Domínguez MA, Plasencia-Rodríguez S, Suárez-Rancel MM et al. · Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026-06 · open access
Gallotia simonyi and G. bravoana are large lacertids inhabiting the islands of El Hierro and La Gomera, respectively, in the Canary Archipelago. Both species are critically endangered, but over the last several decades, they have been bred in outdoor terraria ( G. simonyi since the 1990s and G.…
- Epidemiological Survey of DNA Viruses in Non-Native Pond Sliders ( Trachemys scripta ) in Northeastern Italy.
Tucciarone CM, Franzo G, Pasotto D et al. · Viruses · 2026-06 · open access
The spread of non-native freshwater turtles in urban, peri-urban, and natural environments poses increasing ecological and sanitary concerns, particularly due to their potential role as reservoirs of infectious agents. Among these, DNA viruses remain largely unexplored in both invasive and native…
- Ovariectomy and ovariosalpingectomy have reasonable outcomes in stable and critical client-owned bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).
Criscione MJ, Thielen L, Berg K et al. · Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association · 2026-06
- No evidence of body size awareness in the Hermann's tortoise ( Testudo hermanni )
Angelo Bisazza, Elia Gatto, Tobia De Pizzol et al. · Current Zoology · 2026-06 · open access
Abstract Navigating structurally complex environments often requires assessing whether an opening affords safe passage, a task that presupposes relying on an internal representation of body size. Evidence for such awareness has been reported in mammals and birds and may also occur in other…
- Ontogenetic variation in Milos viper (Macrovipera schweizeri) venom composition and biochemical activity.
Avella I, Damm M, Schulte L et al. · Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP · 2026-06 · open access
Ontogenetic shifts in diet are common in venomous snakes, with juveniles and adults often feeding on different prey types. These dietary changes are frequently paralleled by age-related variation in venom composition, likely reflecting adaptive optimisation for prey with different physiologies,…
- Landscape forest cover is associated with reduced agrochemical exposure and improved amphibian tadpole health in agricultural drainage ditches.
Marchand J, Pick FR, Alavi N et al. · Journal of environmental management · 2026-06 · open access
Amphibians in agricultural drainage ditches may be exposed to contaminants through runoff and subsurface drainage, which can result in toxicity. Understanding the agroecosystem management activities that can sustain healthy amphibian populations will support biodiversity and ecosystem services…
- Spatial and temporal variation in climate and conflict explains 35 years of developmental plasticity in a polyphenism
Mark A. Kirk, Alycia C. R. Lackey, Kelsey E. Reider et al. · Oikos · 2026-06
- Saving Water to Survive: Alternative Water Loss Strategies Could Explain Color Polymorphism Maintenance in a Lacertid Lizard.
Sacchi R, Scali S, Dadda T et al. · Integrative zoology · 2026-06
- Limited Effects of Temperature on Captive Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) Growth.
Soniak KS, Williams RN, Single L et al. · Zoo biology · 2026-06 · open access
Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrates, with 41% of species at risk of extinction due to factors such as habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. One such species, the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis), has experienced significant population declines,…
- Recovery trajectories of amphibian skin microbiota following ash exposure across translocation and natural recovery scenarios.
Tong Q, Fan QR, Jiang HX et al. · Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) · 2026-06
- Playing it safe at early life stages: Balancing energy allocations to maximize fitness under seasonal pathogen dynamics.
Colón-Piñeiro Z, Martin NW, Klee TJ et al. · The Journal of animal ecology · 2026-06
- Infestation by Ornithodoros rietcorreai on captive Boa constrictor with reports of human parasitism and environmental colonization.
Santos JR, Farias IF, Oliveira GMB et al. · Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria · 2026-06 · open access
Reptiles of the order Squamata are commonly parasitized by ticks in the family Ixodidae. However, they can also host argasid ticks of the genus Ornithodoros. In this study, we reported Ornithodoros rietcorreai parasitizing a Boa constrictor and a human in Caatinga Zoobotanical Park, within the 72nd…
- Microplastic Contamination in Amphibians and Reptiles: An Ecotoxicological Synthesis of Exposure, Mechanisms, and Risk Implications.
Berber AA, Akbulut C, Demir ŞN et al. · Toxics · 2026-06 · open access
1. Introduction Plastic has become the defining synthetic material of the modern era. Annual global plastic production now exceeds 400 million tons, and recent estimates place riverine and coastal discharges of plastic waste to the oceans at between 4.8 and 12.7 million tons per year. Through…
- Blood parasite infection is associated with lower thermoregulatory precision in the lizard Podarcis lusitanicus.
Faria JF, Megía-Palma R, Whiting MJ et al. · Journal of thermal biology · 2026-06 · open access
Parasites have the potential to disrupt and induce changes in thermoregulation and behaviour in ectotherm hosts, possibly with deleterious effects. In a previous study, the lizard Podarcis lusitanicus (Lacertidae), when infected with blood parasites of the genus Karyolysus (suborder Adeleorina),…
- Ecological Trap and Phenological Mismatch: Total Reproductive Failure of Rana temporaria via Macroinvertebrate Co-Predation in an Artificial Alpine Fountain (spring 2026)
Andrea Fino · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026-06 · open access
Abstract: In small, artificial freshwater ecosystems, climate-driven shifts in amphibian breeding phenology can trigger catastrophic recruitment failures by altering predator-prey temporal dynamics. We document a case of 100% larval mortality in a Rana temporaria cohort within an artificial stone…
- Temperature-Dependent Modulation of Cardiac Metabolism, Post-Injury Survival and Regenerative Rate in Axolotls.
Dittrich A, Andersson SA, Alstrup AKO et al. · Metabolites · 2026-06 · open access
Background/Objectives : Cardiac regenerative ability varies in vertebrates. Adult mammals cannot mount a regenerative response, while fetal mammals and some salamanders and teleosts fully regenerate the heart after a cryoinjury mimicking a myocardial infarction. This contrast is suggested to be…
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