In Herpetological Highlights we will explore the recent scientific discoveries in the field of Herpetology. We'll cover everything from lizards to frogs, snakes, and toads. Every episode we'll be digging into the biology and ecology of these reptiles and amphibians in an attempt to disentangle the science. Hosted by Tom Major and Ben Marshall. Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/herphighlights
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In Herpetological Highlights we will explore the recent scientific discoveries in the field of Herpetology. We'll cover everything from lizards to frogs, snakes, and toads. Every episode we'll be digging into the biology and ecology of these reptiles and amphibians in an attempt to disentangle the science. Hosted by Tom Major and Ben Marshall. Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/herphighlights
The Asian common toad (aka Asian black-spined toad, Asian toad, black-spectacled toad) is a remarkably successful species, living alongside humans and colonising new lands. A new study suggests there might be more than meets the eye, with the toads being more than one species. We finish with a newly described tiny species of chameleon from Madagascar.
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Full reference list available here: http://www.herphighlights.podbean.com
Main Paper References:
Dufresnes C, Jablonski D, Ambu J, Prasad VK, Bala Gautam K, Kamei RG, Mahony S, Hofmann S, Masroor R, Alard B, Crottini A, Edmonds D, Ohler A, Jiang J, Khatiwada JR, Gupta SK, Borzée A, Borkin LJ, Skorinov DV, Melnikov DA, Milto KD, Konstantinov EL, Künzel S, Suchan T, Arkhipov DV, Trofimets AV, Nguyen TV, Suwannapoom C, Litvinchuk SN, Poyarkov NA. 2025. Speciation and historical invasions of the Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus). Nature Communications 16. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54933-4.
Species of the Bi-Week:
Rakotoarison A, Hasiniaina AF, Glaw F, Vences M. 2024. A new miniaturized species of leaf chameleon, genus Brookesia, from a littoral forest fragment in eastern Madagascar. Zootaxa 5506:533–547. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5506.4.3.
Other Mentioned Papers/Studies:
Vázquez Torres S, Benard Valle M, Mackessy SP, Menzies SK, Casewell NR, Ahmadi S, Burlet NJ, Muratspahić E, Sappington I, Overath MD, Rivera-de-Torre E, Ledergerber J, Laustsen AH, Boddum K, Bera AK, Kang A, Brackenbrough E, Cardoso IA, Crittenden EP, Edge RJ, Decarreau J, Ragotte RJ, Pillai AS, Abedi M, Han HL, Gerben SR, Murray A, Skotheim R, Stuart L, Stewart L, Fryer TJA, Jenkins TP, Baker D. 2025. De novo designed proteins neutralize lethal snake venom toxins. Nature:1–7. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08393-x.
Other Links/Mentions:
Callaway E. 2025. AI-designed proteins tackle century-old problem — making snake antivenoms. Nature 637:776–776. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-025-00133-z.
Editing and Music:
Intro/outro – Treehouse by Ed Nelson
Species Bi-week theme – Michael Timothy
Other Music – The Passion HiFi, https://www.thepassionhifi.com
Intro visuals – Paul Snelling
Herpetological Highlights
In Herpetological Highlights we will explore the recent scientific discoveries in the field of Herpetology. We'll cover everything from lizards to frogs, snakes, and toads. Every episode we'll be digging into the biology and ecology of these reptiles and amphibians in an attempt to disentangle the science. Hosted by Tom Major and Ben Marshall. Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/herphighlights
