Taking stock: a review of the known parasites of the sleepy lizard,Tiliqua rugosa(Gray, 1825), a common lizard endemic to Australia

Abstract Squamate reptiles exhibit high variation in their phenotypic traits and geographical distributions and are therefore fascinating taxa for evolutionary and ecological research. However, genomic resources are very limited for this group of species, consequently inhibiting research efforts. To address this gap, we assembled a high-quality genome of the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara (Lacertidae), using a combination of high coverage Illumina (shotgun and mate-pair) and PacBio sequencing data, coupled with RNAseq data and genetic linkage map generation. The 1.46-Gb genome assembly has a scaffold N50 of 11.52 Mb with N50 contig size of 220.4 kb and only 2.96% gaps. A BUSCO analysis indicates that 97.7% of the single-copy Tetrapoda orthologs were recovered in the assembly. In total, 19,829 gene models were annotated to the genome using a combination of ab initio and homology-based methods. To improve the chromosome-level assembly, we generated a high-density linkage map from wild-caught families and developed a novel analytical pipeline to accommodate multiple paternity and unknown father genotypes. We successfully anchored and oriented almost 90% of the genome on 19 linkage groups. This annotated and oriented chromosome-level reference genome represents a valuable resource to facilitate evolutionary studies in squamate reptiles.

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Reduced tail regeneration in the Common Lizard, Lacerta vivipara, parasitized by blood parasites

Functional Ecology ◽

10.1046/j.1365-2435.1997.00134.x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 652-655 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

A. OPPLIGER ◽

J. CLOBERT

Keyword(s):

Blood Parasites ◽

Tail Regeneration ◽

Common Lizard ◽

The Common ◽

Lacerta Vivipara

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Prevalence and intensity of the blood parasite Hemolivia mariae in a field population of the skink Tiliqua rugosa

Parasitology Research ◽

10.1007/pl00008547 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 86 (8) ◽

pp. 655-660 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

C. J. Smallridge ◽

C. M. Bull

Keyword(s):

Blood Parasite ◽

Field Population ◽

Tiliqua Rugosa

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The regenerative capacity of the tail in embryonic and post-natal lizards (Lacerta vivipara Jacquin)

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.12.4.769 ◽

1964 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 769-786

Author(s):

Lynette A. Moffat(née Holder) ◽

A. D'A. Bellairs

Keyword(s):

Experimental Techniques ◽

Regenerative Capacity ◽

Common Lizard ◽

The Common ◽

Lacerta Vivipara

Many studies have been made on autotomy and regeneration of the tail in lizards; for example those by Woodland (1920) and Hughes & New (1959) on geckos, by Slotopolsky (1922) on Lacerta, by Barber (1944) and Kamrin & Singer (1955) on Anolis, and by Simpson (1964) on Lygosoma. This work is concerned with the adult, and, so far as we are aware, no comparable studies on young and embryonic lizards have been made. Indeed, the application of experimental techniques to reptilian embryology is still in its infancy (see Holder & Bellairs, 1962, 1963). In 1956 Panigel found that embryos of the common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) would develop, sometimes until hatching, when removed from the mother and kept under sterile moist conditions in a form of culture. Their yolk is sufficient for nourishment, and the rudimentary type of allanto-placenta which he describes seems to have no significant nutritive function.

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