Sorry, this blog is now outmoded !
Please, visit my new hompage at :
http://amiralles.com/
Thanks for your understanding...
RESEARCH INTEREST
My main research interests are Systematics, Phylogeny, Taxonomy, and Biogeography of Reptiles. Until now, my studies essentially focused on the phylotaxonomy biogeography of Neotropical skink lizards (Scincidae) of the genus Mabuya.
As my approach of biological science is integrative, I attach great value to synthesizing studies which don't separate classical taxonomic approaches from molecular approaches.
For these reasons, my investigation tools are multiple and complementary:
- Molecular systematics (DNA extractions, PCR, DNA sequencing, phylogenetical reconstructions using ML, MP, Bayesian inferences).
- Comparative anatomy, morphometrics, external morphology, zoological nomenclature, scientific drawing.
Until now, my studies essentially focused on the phylotaxonomy biogeography of Neotropical skink lizards (Scincidae) of the genus (topic of my PhD thesis). I have described three new species in this genus, and different phylogenetic papers are currently in press.
FIELD TRIPS & PHOTOS
I had the opportunity to discover the wonderfull latino-american nature & cultures of Southern Mexico (Yucatan, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Campeche states), NorthernVenezuela (Falcon state, Cordillera de la Costa and Turumiquire massif), and French Guyana. See below some of my prefered pictures !MEXICO: (August 2004)
Mountain forest, Chiapas state
Market of Tzotzil poeple, San Cristobal de las Casas,Chiapas state
Maya city in the dry forest, Uxmal, Yucatan state
Mangroves, Quintana Roo state
Ctenosaura similis, Yucatan state
Ctenosaura similis, Quintana Roo state (baby)
FRENCH GUYANA: (Nov. 2004; April 2006)
Top of the Pic Coudreau inselberg
J.-C. de Massary (right) & me in the helicopter
Drop zone, upper Wanapi region
Forest camp with hamaca
Rock-savanah in the upper Wanapi region 
Arthrosaura kockii, Pic Coudreau 
Osteocephalus taurinus, Pic Coudreau 
Atelopus spumarius hoogmoedi (yellow subspecies) Upper Wanapi region
Dermochelys coriacea, beach of CayenneVENEZUELA: (May & June 2005)
Cloud forest of the Cordillera de la Costa 
Golofa porteri, Dynastidae, Cordillera de la Costa
Cerro Santa Ana, Falcon state
Blue tarentula, Chromatopelma cyanopubescens, Falcon state
Cesar Barrio-Amoros & Gilson Rivas sampling blood on a Kinosternon turttle 
Ameiva, Paraguana peninsula, Falcon state 
Anolis onca, Falcon state
Baby Geochelone carbonaria, Antzoategui state
BIBLIOGRAPHY
All these articles are available in PDF, so don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested by some of them!
MIRALLES, A., RIVAS, G., BARROS, T., SCHARGEL, W.E., GARCÍA-PÉREZ, J.E., BARRIO-AMOROS, C. L. & BONILLO, C. (in press) Molecular systematics of Caribbean skinks of the genus Mabuya (Reptilia, Scincidae), with descriptions of two new species from Venezuela. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
MIRALLES A. (in press). Phylogénie et Alpha-taxinomie : Deux disciplines interdépendantes en mal de synergie ? Biosystema.
ZIEGLER T., DAVID P., MIRALLES A., KIEN D. V. & TRUONG N. Q. 2008. A new species of the snake genus Fimbrios from Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Truong Son, central Vietnam (Squamata: Xenodermatidae). Zootaxa, 1729 : 37-48.
MIRALLES A., BARRIO-AMORÓS C. L., RIVAS G. & CHAPARRO-AUZA J. C. 2006. Speciation in the “Varzéa” flooded forest: a new Mabuya (Squamata: Scincidae) from Western Amazonia. Zootaxa, 1188 : 1-22.
MIRALLES A. & INEICH I. 2006. Presence of gular and parietal pits by Atretium schistosum (Serpentes, Colubridae). A characteristic not only associated to psammophine snakes. Comptes Rendus Biologies 329 : 180-184.
MIRALLES A. 2006. A New Species of Mabuya (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) from the Isolated Caribbean Island of San Andrés, with a new interpretation of nuchal scales, character of systematic importance. The Herpetological Journal 16 (1) : 1-7.
RIVAS FUENMAYOR G.; UGUETO G.; RIVERO R. & MIRALLES A. 2005. The Herpetofauna of Isla de Margarita, Venezuela: New Records and Comments. Carribean Journal of Science 41 (2) : 346-351.
MIRALLES A.; RIVAS G. & BARRIO-AMOROS C. L. 2005. Taxonomy of the genus Mabuya (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) in Venezuela. Zoosystema 27 (4) : 825-837.
MIRALLES, A.; RIVAS, G. & SHARGEL. W. S. 2005. A new species of Mabuya (Squamata, Scincidae) from the Venezuelan Andes. Zootaxa 895: 1–11.
MIRALLES, A. 2005. Description of a neotype for Lacertus mabouya Lacepède, 1788 (Squamata: Scincidae), with comment on the validity of this binomen. Herpetologica 61 : 46–53.
MIRALLES, A. 2004. Lepidophyma flavimaculatum (yellow-spotted night lizard). Placentophagia. Herpetological Review 35(2): 170.
Software :
MAIOCCO Ô., MIRALLES A. & VIGNES-LEBBE R. (2007). Varan-ID : online determination for monitor lizards (genus Varanus). see the website on
!! coming soon !!
Scientific popularization :
MIRALLES A. 2007. Comment fonctionne la "métamorphose" d'un Caméléon? 30 millions d'amis 243: 62-63.
MIRALLES A. 2006. Adaptation. Comment un Caméléon fait-il pour changer de couleur? (Rubrique Questions de Lecteur). La Recherche 402: 79.
MIRALLES A. 2004. Biologie, ecologie en verzorging van de krokodilskink van Nieuw-Guinea, Tribolonotus gracilis. Lacerta 62(4): 166-174.
Peer-reviewed articles :
MIRALLES, A. CHAPARRO, J.C & HARVEY, M. B. (submitted). On two rare and enigmatic Skinks from Peruvian Amazonia (Squamata, Scincidae, genus Mabuya) : Rediscovery of Mabuya nigropalmata, and the status of Trachylepis (Xystrolepis) punctata Tschuddi 1845.MIRALLES, A., RIVAS, G., BARROS, T., SCHARGEL, W.E., GARCÍA-PÉREZ, J.E., BARRIO-AMOROS, C. L. & BONILLO, C. (in press) Molecular systematics of Caribbean skinks of the genus Mabuya (Reptilia, Scincidae), with descriptions of two new species from Venezuela. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
MIRALLES A. (in press). Phylogénie et Alpha-taxinomie : Deux disciplines interdépendantes en mal de synergie ? Biosystema.
ZIEGLER T., DAVID P., MIRALLES A., KIEN D. V. & TRUONG N. Q. 2008. A new species of the snake genus Fimbrios from Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Truong Son, central Vietnam (Squamata: Xenodermatidae). Zootaxa, 1729 : 37-48.
MIRALLES A., BARRIO-AMORÓS C. L., RIVAS G. & CHAPARRO-AUZA J. C. 2006. Speciation in the “Varzéa” flooded forest: a new Mabuya (Squamata: Scincidae) from Western Amazonia. Zootaxa, 1188 : 1-22.
MIRALLES A. & INEICH I. 2006. Presence of gular and parietal pits by Atretium schistosum (Serpentes, Colubridae). A characteristic not only associated to psammophine snakes. Comptes Rendus Biologies 329 : 180-184.
MIRALLES A. 2006. A New Species of Mabuya (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) from the Isolated Caribbean Island of San Andrés, with a new interpretation of nuchal scales, character of systematic importance. The Herpetological Journal 16 (1) : 1-7.
RIVAS FUENMAYOR G.; UGUETO G.; RIVERO R. & MIRALLES A. 2005. The Herpetofauna of Isla de Margarita, Venezuela: New Records and Comments. Carribean Journal of Science 41 (2) : 346-351.
MIRALLES A.; RIVAS G. & BARRIO-AMOROS C. L. 2005. Taxonomy of the genus Mabuya (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae) in Venezuela. Zoosystema 27 (4) : 825-837.
MIRALLES, A.; RIVAS, G. & SHARGEL. W. S. 2005. A new species of Mabuya (Squamata, Scincidae) from the Venezuelan Andes. Zootaxa 895: 1–11.
MIRALLES, A. 2005. Description of a neotype for Lacertus mabouya Lacepède, 1788 (Squamata: Scincidae), with comment on the validity of this binomen. Herpetologica 61 : 46–53.
MIRALLES, A. 2004. Lepidophyma flavimaculatum (yellow-spotted night lizard). Placentophagia. Herpetological Review 35(2): 170.
Software :
MAIOCCO Ô., MIRALLES A. & VIGNES-LEBBE R. (2007). Varan-ID : online determination for monitor lizards (genus Varanus). see the website on
!! coming soon !!
Scientific popularization :
MIRALLES A. 2007. Comment fonctionne la "métamorphose" d'un Caméléon? 30 millions d'amis 243: 62-63.
MIRALLES A. 2006. Adaptation. Comment un Caméléon fait-il pour changer de couleur? (Rubrique Questions de Lecteur). La Recherche 402: 79.
MIRALLES A. 2004. Biologie, ecologie en verzorging van de krokodilskink van Nieuw-Guinea, Tribolonotus gracilis. Lacerta 62(4): 166-174.
CONGRESS & POSTERS
14-15 October 2002, Paris, France: “Les plaques supracéphaliques des Serpents Colubroïdes”. VIIIème Congress of the student-searcher of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.
17-19 November 2003, Paris, France: “Travaux préliminaires sur la Systématique du genre Mabuya Fitzinger 1826, au sein du Nouveau Monde: à la recherche d’un Néotype pour Mabuya mabouya”. IXème Congress of the student-searcher of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.
11-13 October 2004, Paris, France: “Endémisme sur l’Archipel de San Andrés (Colombie): cas d’une nouvelle espèce de Lézards du genre Mabuya”. Xème Congress of the student-searcher of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle.
6-11 July 2005, Tampa, USA: “The genus Mabuya (Reptilia, Scincidae) in Venezuela: A taxonomic overview”. (Poster) Rivas, G., A. Miralles, W. Schargel, T. Barros et C. L. Barrio-Amorós. ASIH/AES/SSAR/HL Annual meeting.
2-4 November 2005, Paris, France: “Presentation de la diversité écosystémique de la zone caraïbe de nord de l’ Amérique du sud, illustré par le cas de la spéciation chez les Mabuya (Reptilia, Scincidae) Vénézuéliens”. XIème Congress of the student-searcher of the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle,
6-9 November 2006, Monterrey, Mexico: “On the poorly known and Isolated island of San Andrés, and its new endemic species of Mabuya” (Poster) Miralles A. & García Vásquez U. O. IX Reunión Nacional de Herpetología - Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Sociedad Herpetológica Mexicana.
22-23 October 2007, Paris, France: "Le besoin d’une synergie Taxinomie-Phylogénie". Journées annuelles de la Societé Francaise de Systématique (SFS).
7 February 2008, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: EDIT workshop : workpackage 5 « Internet Platform for Cybertaxonomy », 5.6 Descriptive and identification platform components.
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