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A rhapsody of colours from Madagascar: discovery of a remarkable new snake of the genus Liophidium and its phylogenetic relationships. 2010.Salamandra 46(1): 1-10.

Tropical biodiversity is underestimated worldwide with new species described every year. In this paper we describe a spectacular new snake from Madagascar of the genus Liophidium. This new species of lamprophiid snake shows an amazing bright colour pattern, being the second pseudoxyrhophiine from Madagascar with such bright and potentially aposematic colour. We dedicated this species to Jim Patton, a friend and amazing field companion during our recent expeditions to Madagascar. Find out more...

Reconstruction of the climate envelopes of salamanders and their evolution through time, 2009. PNAS 106 (suppl.2):19715-19722.

Ecological niches evolve through time, but at different rates and to different degrees. We explored an integrated approach using diverse databases, methods, and analytical tools to estimate climate envelopes for species of salamanders, to probe the evolutionary dynamics of niches studied in a phylogenetic context through time and across space. Our research strategy illuminates some of the challenges and limitations of the available data and methods and identifies potential solutions, such as the need for physiological and behavioral data that may help to better define species’ niches or the development of novel evolutionary models that account for paleoclimatic data. Find out more...

Vast underestimation of Madagascar's biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory, 2009. PNAS 106: 8267-8272.

Our assessment of the morphological, bioacoustic, and genetic variation of Madagascar’s frogs shows that the diversity of amphibians in Madagascar is vastly underestimated, projecting an almost 2-fold increase in species numbers from the currently described 244 species to a minimum of 373 and up to 465. New species are phylogenetically and spatially widespread, suggesting that the spatial pattern of amphibian richness and endemism must be revisited, and that current habitat destruction may be affecting more species than previously thought, in amphibians as well as in other animal groups. Find out more...

Aligning Conservation Priorities Across Taxa in Madagascar with High-Resolution Planning Tools, 2008. Science 320: 222-226.

We present an analysis of conservation priorities in Madagascar encompassing broad taxonomic and geographic breadth and spatial resolution, showing that multitaxonomic, high-resolution approaches are critical for identifying areas likely to promote the persistence of the majority of species. This analysis has immediate relevance in Madagascar, where the government is tripling its protected-area network, and the approach is transferable to other global priority areas. Find out more...

Rapid diversification and dispersal during global warming periods by plethodontid salamanders, 2007. PNAS 104: 19903-19907.

The disjunct and highly asymmetric Holarctic distribution of plethodontid salamanders has long been a biogeographic puzzle. Here we investigated the phylogenetic relationships, origin and diversification of these salamanders in the Holarctic, proposing new hypotheses on the historic biogeography of this group. Find out more...

Discovery of the first Asian plethodontid salamander, 2005. Nature 435:87-90.

98% of plethodontid salamanders occur in the Americas, with few representatives in the Mediterranean. The first Asian plethodontid ever discovered has important implications both in the biogeography and diversification of the most speciose family of salamanders. This new species is also a completely new clade and we placed it in a new genus: Karsenia. Find out more...

Clutch piracy in an amphibian, 2004. Nature 431: 305-8.

The biology of the european common frog, Rana temporaria, has widely been studied during the last century. I discovered a new behavioural pattern for this species and for amphibians in general. It consists in the amplexus of males with clutches as they would do with females, resulting in multiple paternity. Find out more...

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