#GeckoEvoDevo
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aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
New paper in @devdynamics.bsky.social detailing eye development in a diurnal, foveate gecko!

Project led by A Wegerski, featuring me, C Murr, @tonygamble.eurosky.social, B Brooks, R Hufnagel, and A Rasys

#GeckoEvoDevo #GoldDustDayGecko #foveae

anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Lateral view of the head of a near-hatching stage Phelsuma laticauda embryo.
November 3, 2026 at 12:55 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Autumn appropriate colors on an embryonic gecko hand
#GeckoEvoDevo
confocal microscopy of collagen in an embryonic gecko hand (in orange) with a black background
October 7, 2026 at 10:17 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Reptile eggs come in all shapes and sizes. Here are two bird extremes in the @griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social right now: bobwhite quail and ostrich eggs. Most gecko species also make hard-shelled eggs and are tiny by comparison, like these Hemidactylus and Sphaerodactylus eggs. #BirdEvoDevo#GeckoEvoDevo
Holding a small white quail egg on the left and an enormous ostrich egg on the right A large Hemidactylus egg next to a Sphaerodactylus egg, which is about a quarter of the former’s size. Both are sitting in a palm
April 27, 2026 at 11:55 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
New paper in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social with PAD Wise and AP Russell! We show that using morphological criteria to assign developmental stage provides more ossification sequence resolution than embryo size or developmental time (days).

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

#GeckoEvoDevo
Cranial ossification in leopard geckos examined using Alizarin Red staining. A chart illustrating ossification sequence in leopard gecko crania
March 19, 2026 at 11:05 AM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
I’m so excited to announce our new paper in @journal-evo.bsky.social showing how embryology can help us determine ancestral character states in temporal niche

academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Collab w/ A Bauer, A Wegerski, @tonygamble.bsky.social, & A Rasys

#GeckoEvoDevo #Aristelliger
1/x
Lateral view of a preserved croaking gecko (Aristelliger) embryo
March 11, 2026 at 2:11 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Collaboration with @tonygamble.bsky.social @shylonatasha.bsky.social @aussiebiologist.bsky.social @celestemnelson.bsky.social

#AnoleEvoDevo #GeckoEvoDevo #ChameleonEvoDevo
September 5, 2025 at 6:13 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Pretty cool seeing both my developmental staging series at the @devdynamics.bsky.social table and #Lepidodactylus itself in San Juan for SDB! #2025SDB #2025ICDB #devbio #GeckoEvoDevo #mourninggecko
Some of the developmental staging series Developmental Dynamics has published, including Lepidodactylus lugubris A parthenogenetic lizard, the mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris), sitting on my thumb.
June 21, 2025 at 1:47 AM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Excited to share a new #OA paper in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social detailing evolution and development of hemibacula: bizarre mineralized elements in hemipenes of croaking geckos.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#GeckoEvoDevo #Aristelliger
graphical abstract for our paper showing µCT images, histology, and illustrations of croaking gecko hemipenes hemibaculahttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joa.70009
June 19, 2025 at 3:15 AM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
So cool! That cleared and stained dolphin is incredible.
Plenty more gecko embryos where this came from!
#GeckoEvoDevo
Part of an embryonic series of the mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris). Earlier stage embryos are in the top left corner with later stages descending to the bottom right corner.
February 4, 2025 at 1:11 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Eventually, we studied development of sticky toes! We found similar derived developmental patterns of convergently evolved #toepads, despite approximately 200 million years of independent evolution!
@tonygamble.bsky.social @thomsanger.bsky.social
#GeckoEvoDevo
academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...
December 6, 2024 at 2:32 AM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Very stoked to get the most recent cover of @sicbjournals.bsky.social! Here's a glorious, pad-reduced viper #gecko (Hemidactylus imbricatus). Check out our the article below and the rest of this awesome issue!

doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

#GeckoEvoDevo
The cover of Integrative & Comparative Biology, volume 64, number 5, 2024. The cover features a view from above of a viper gecko (Hemidactylus imbricatus), a brown gecko with large scales and tan speckles. A scanning electron micrograph (greyscale image) of an embryonic viper gecko hand, with a view of the palm. The toe pads and other scales are well-developed.
November 21, 2024 at 3:37 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Hey new folks on Bluesky! I'm Aaron (he/him). I'm a biologist studying morphological evolution, development, & genomics of lizards (mostly geckos). Primarily studying integument, bones, & lungs. I post about weird/convergent morphology, developmental patterns, & amazing critters!
#GeckoEvoDevo
A phylogeny with gecko embryos at the tips, encompassing 11 different gecko species. Each embryo is approximately the same developmental stage and has an arrow pointing towards a near-hatchling representative of each species. Aaron holding a turnip tail gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda) found during field work in the Virgin Islands.
November 15, 2024 at 2:21 AM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Excited to share our new paper in press at @sicbjournals.bsky.social describing #toepad development in #Hemidactylus #geckos!

#GeckoEvoDevo #Embryology #SEM

Collab w: @tonygamble.bsky.social Lab, Higham Lab, & @thomsanger.bsky.social Lab

academic.oup.com/icb/advance-...
April 11, 2024 at 11:23 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Excited to announce our new #openaccess paper in press at @anatrecord.bsky.social reporting preovipositional embryonic development in the legless #gecko #Lialis! #GeckoEvoDevo #diceCT

Collab w: @drscanley.bsky.social and Dan Paluh

anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
March 25, 2024 at 4:49 PM
aaronhgriffing.bsky.social
Stage 35 mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris) embryo from our paper detailing their development a few years ago.

https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/dvdy.72

#GeckoEvoDevo
July 15, 2023 at 4:07 PM