Visual Opsin Genes of Australian Skink Lizards for Evolutionary Analysis

58 species of Australian scincid lizards from the genera Lerista and Ctenotus were sequenced for five opsin genes. The dataset includes genetic sequences for RH1, SWS1, SWS2, RH2, and LWS opsins, which mediate scotopic and photopic vision. It was authored by Matthew Ford and last updated in May 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing selection pressures on opsin genes based on comparisons between limb-reduced and fully-limbed species.
• Studying the retention of photopic vision capabilities based on the presence of intact cone opsin genes in fossorial species.
• Investigating evolutionary adaptation based on signals of differential selection identified in all five opsin genes.
• Comparing visual system genetics based on ecological divisions between surface-active and fossorial lizard species.

Strengths

• Includes genetic data for 58 distinct lizard species.
• Covers five complete opsin genes (RH1, SWS1, SWS2, RH2, LWS) per species.
• Dataset size is 20.0 GB, indicating substantial genetic sequence data.
• Released under a permissive CC-BY-4.0 license.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the study's focus on Australian skinks.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Gene sequencing of lizard specimens.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-15 06:56:28; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia