Projects
I am involved in various projects on phylogeography, conservation genomics and taxonomy of salamanders, newts, toads, frogs and snakes.
Conservation genomics of the Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis)
The Hungarian meadow viper is one of the most threatened snakes of Europe. It is known only from a few populations in Hungary and Romania (Transylvania) therefore knowledge on the genetic diversity is essential for conserving the species. I have a long-time collaboration with the Hungarian meadow viper conservation project on monitoring the genetic diversity of free-living populations. After analyzing the genetic diversity of V. ursinii in a multilocus study we dived into the genomic research of the species. First in a collaboration with the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) we generated a reference genome of V. ursinii rakosiensis, which was very helpful in analyzing whole-genome sequences of several other individuals from Hungary and participating in a really nice study led by Adrián Talavera. We continue discovering the genomic diversity of the Hungarian meadow viper populations and we also aim to apply museomics and involve old specimens to map the historical genetic diversity of the species.
Conservation genetics of the Caspian Whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius)
The Caspian whipsnake, Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789), is a large-bodied colubrid species with a distribution covering large parts of eastern Europe including the Balkans, Turkey, and regions around the Caspian and the Black Sea. The species reaches the north-western edge of its distribution range in Hungary, where it occurs in isolated populations located mainly along the Danube River and southern Hungary. In collaboration with Pamela Burger and her research group in the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology at Vetmeduni Vienna (funded by the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, – TÉT-17-AT funding scheme – Phylogeography and adaptive evolution of the Caspian Whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius) – 2018-2019) we conducted a landscape genomics study across Eastern Europe and Western Asia. As a continuation of the project, in collaboration with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Group of the MME Birdlife Hungary and the Molecular Ecology Research Group of the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest we are developing variable microsatellite markers to identify relationships between individuals in a small Caspian whipsnake population in North Budapest.
Conservation genomics of the olm (Proteus anguinus) in Croatia and Herzegovina
The olm is one of the most peculiar vertebrate species of Europe. We joined the Proteus research in 2013 when in collaboration with Dusan Jelic from Hyla Croatian Herpetological Society we developed an eDNA-based detection method in order to help conservation in Croatia to locate the species. This was followed by developing 10 species-specific microsatellite markers to describe the genetic variability of Croatian olm populations. To join our experiences from the lab and the field, in collaboration with the researchers of the Eötvös Loránd University we developed a non-invasive in situ underwater DNA sampling method and estimated the genetic diversity of the olm in Herzegovina. At the moment, in collaboration with Prof. Chris Nice from Texas State University we look deeper into the genetic diversity of the Croatian and Herzegovinan populations using next generation sequencing.
Taxonomy of Phyllodytes frogs in southern Bahia (Brazil)
The Atlantic Rainforest is one of the regions with the highest biodiversity. In the last 500 years 88% of the forest have been lost, still, half of the amphibian fauna of Brazil can be found here. Species of the hylid frog genus Phyllodytes are endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest of eastern Brazil. They have a strong affinity to bromelids as environment for living. The genus is represented by 14 known species of which eight are known to be found in souther Bahia. One of the 14 species is Phyllodytes amadoi with the smallest body size within the genus, that we described in 2017 from the municipality of Una. Later we found and described the tadpole of P. amadoi. In collaboration with Mirco Solé from Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Bahia, Brazil we continue to discover Phyllodytes diversity in southern Bahia.
Integrative taxonomy of the frog family Strabomantidae in southern Ecuador
Strabomantidae is one of the most speciose Amphibian families with more than 600 knows species. Being direct developers, they occupy very divers habitats and are widely distributed in Central and South America. To date 235 species are known from Ecuador but many more species may be undescribed. In this project I am helping Paul Székely and Diana Székely from Universidad Tecnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador, using an integrative taxonomical approach (micromorphology, bioacoustics, multilocus sequencing) to discover cryptic diversity of Strabomantidae in southern Ecuador. The first result of our collaborative work is the description of Pristimantis lojanus from the city of Loja and three more species (P. sagedunnae, P. paladines, P. numbala) from the subpáramos of southern Ecuadorian Andes.
