Publications

Coming Soon

Bornschein, M.R., M.R. Pie, J. Nadaline, A.E. Confetti, D.C. Blackburn, E.L. Stanley, R. de Britto Mari, G. Silveira Alves, F.F. de Andrade Lima, G. Sandretti-Silva, and L.F. Ribeiro. A new species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from Serra do Quiriri, northeastern Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, with a review of the diagnosis among species of the B. pernix group and conservation measures.
Dinesh, K.P., V.R. Torsekar, J.A. Gray, K. Shanker, and D.C. Blackburn. Phylogenetic position and osteology of a population of Mysticellus franki Garg & Biju, 2019 (Anura: Microhylidae) from south of the Palghat Gap, Western Ghats, India.
Gray, J.A., E.L. Stanley, C.M. Sheehy III, Z. Randall, G.J. Watkins-Colwell, and D.C. Blackburn. The diffusion diaries: diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography for vertebrate natural history specimens.
Kouete, M.T., A.V. Longo, A.Q. Byrne, S.N. Echalle, E.B. Rosenblum, and D.C. Blackburn. The pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Central African amphibians: host and environmental influences, lineage diversity, and earliest detection in Africa.
Sheehy, C.M., III, R.H. Robins, D.C. Blackburn, J.A. Gray, M.T. Kouete, M. Zoungrana, A. Furness, and S. Wilms. Establishment of aquatic caecilians (Gymnophiona, Typhlonectidae, Typhlonectes natans) in Florida, with notes on their relative abundance, distribution, and natural history.

Research Publications (n = 139)

2024

Blackburn, D.C., D.M. Boyer, J.A. Gray, J. Winchester, J.M. Bates, S.L. Baumgart, E. Braker, D. Coldren, K.W. Conway, A. Davis Rabosky, N. de la Sancha, C.B. Dillman, J.L. Dunnum, C.M. Early, B.W. Frable, M.W. Gage, J. Hanken, J.A. Maisano, B.D. Marks, K.P. Maslenikov, J.E. McCormack, R.S. Nagesan, G.G. Pandelis, H.L. Prestridge, D.L. Rabosky, Z.S. Randall, M.B. Robbins, L.A. Scheinberg, C.L. Spencer, A.P. Summers, L. Tapanila, C.W. Thompson, L. Tornabene, G.J. Watkins-Colwell, L.J. Welton, the oVert Project Team, and E.L. Stanley. 2024. Increasing the impact of vertebrate scientific collections through 3D-imaging: the openVertebrate (oVert) Thematic Collections Network. BioScience 74: 169–186. oVert data are on MorphoSource.
Blackburn, D.C., J.A. Gray, and E.L. Stanley. 2024. The only “lungless” frog has a glottis and lungs. Current Biology 34: R492–R493.
Magalhães Silva, F., R.A. Guerra-Fuentes, D.C. Blackburn, and A.L. Costa Prudente. 2024. Embryonic staging for a viviparous neotropical pit viper, Bothrops atrox (Squamata: Viperidae: Crotalinae). Developmental Dynamics 253: 606–623.
Toledo, L.F., L.M. Botelho, A.S. Carrasco-Medina, J.A. Gray, J.R. Ernetti, J.M. Gama, M.L. Lyra, D.C. Blackburn, I.S. Nunes, and E. Muscat. 2024. Among the world’s smallest vertebrates: a new miniaturized Flea-Toad from the Atlantic rainforest. PeerJ 12: e18265.

2023

Blackburn, D.C., J. Penner, N.L. Gonwouo, and M.-O. Rödel. 2023. Langer’s Squeaker Frog (Arthroleptis langeri) has the smallest known clutch size in the Arthroleptidae. Herpetology Notes 16: 517–521.
Ghose, S.L., T.A. Yap, A.Q. Byrne, H. Sulaeman, E.B. Rosenblum, W. Bauer, A. Chan-Alvarado, S. Chaukulkar, E. Greenbaum, M.T. Kouete, K. Lutz, D. McAloose, A. Moyer, E. Parra, D.M. Portik, H. Rockney, A.G. Zink, D.C. Blackburn, and V.T. Vredenburg. 2023. Continent-wide recent emergence of a global pathogen in African amphibians. Frontiers in Conservation Science 4: 1069490.
Griesbaum, F., G.F.M. Jongsma, J. Penner, N.G. Kouamé, J. Doumbia, N.L. Gonwouo, A. Hillers, J. Glos, D.C. Blackburn, and M.-O. Rödel. 2023. The smallest of its kind: Description of a new cryptic Amnirana species (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) from West African rainforests. Zootaxa 5254: 301–339.
Kouete, M.T., M.C. Bletz, B.C. LaBumbard, D.C. Woodhams, and D.C. Blackburn. 2023. Parental care contributes to vertical transmission of microbes in a skin-feeding and direct-developing caecilian. Animal Microbiome 5: 28.
Morales, J.A., A. Parra-Gómez, D.C. Blackburn, E.L. Stanley, and C. Correa. 2023. Discovering the ecological secrets of Alsodes cantillanensis (Anura: Alsodidae): Dietary knowledge through computerized microtomography. Gayana 87: 168–172.
Portik, D.M., J.W. Streicher, D.C. Blackburn, D.S. Moen, C.R. Hutter, and J.J. Wiens. 2023. Redefining possible: combining phylogenomic and supersparse data in frogs. Molecular Biology and Evolution 40: msad109.
Vallejo-Pareja, M.C., E.L. Stanley, J.I. Bloch, and D.C. Blackburn. 2023. Fossil frogs (Eleutherodactylus: Eleutherodactylidae) from Florida suggest overwater dispersal from the Caribbean by the late Oligocene. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 201: 431–446.

2022

Blackburn, D.C., V. Dérozier, A. Djaman, E. Greenbaum, and G.F.M. Jongsma. 2022. First record of Spiny Frogs, Acanthixalus (Hyperoliidae, Kassininae), from south of the Congo River. Herpetology Notes 15: 641–647.
Blackburn, D.C., S.V. Nielsen, and T.B. Jdeidi. 2022. Atlas of the frogs of Libya. Herpetological Review 53: 211–219.
Essner, R.L., Jr., R.E. Pereira, D.C. Blackburn, A.L. Singh, E.L. Stanley, M.O. Moura, A.E. Confetti, and M.R. Pie. 2022. Semicircular canal size constrains vestibular function in miniaturized Frogs. Science Advances 8: eabn1104.
Jaynes, K.E., E.A. Myers, V. Gvoždík, D.C. Blackburn, D.M. Portik, E. Greenbaum, G.F.M. Jongsma, M.-O. Rödel, G. Badjedjea, A. Bamba-Kaya, N.L. Baptista, J.B. Akuboy, R. Ernst, M.T. Kouete, C. Kusamba, F.M. Masudi, P.J. McLaughlin, L.M. Nneji, A.B. Onadeko, Johannes Penner, P. Vaz Pinto, B.L. Stuart, E. Tobi, A.-G. Zassi-Boulou, A.D. Leaché, M. Fujita, and R.C. Bell. 2021. Giant tree frog diversification in West and Central Africa: isolation by physical barriers, climate, and reproductive traits. Molecular Ecology 31: 3979–3998.
Keeffe, R., and D.C. Blackburn. 2022. Finite element modelling the mechanical properties of fused limb bones in anurans. Journal of Anatomy 241: 1026–1038.
Keeffe, R., R.W. Blob, D.C. Blackburn, and C. Mayerl. 2022. XROMM analysis of feeding mechanics in toads: interactions of the tongue, hyoid apparatus, and pectoral girdle. Integrative Organismal Biology 4: obac045.
Lemierre, A, and D.C. Blackburn. 2022. A new genus and species of frog the Kem Kem Beds (Morocco), the second neobatrachian from the Cretaceous of Africa. PeerJ 10: e13699.
Mabry, M.E., F. Zapata, D.L. Paul, P.M. O’Connor, P.S. Soltis, D.C. Blackburn, and N.B. Simmons. 2022. Monographs as a nexus for building extended specimen networks using persistent identifiers. Bulletin of the Society of Systematic Biologists 1: 8323.
Neira-Salamea, K., J. Doumbia, A. Hillers, L. Sandberger-Loua, N.G. Kouamé, C. Brede, M. Schäfer, D.C. Blackburn, M.F. Barej, and M.-O. Rödel. 2022. A new slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Fouta Djallon highlands, west-central Guinea. Zoosystematics and Evolution 98: 23–42.
Poo, S., S.M. Whitfield, A. Shepack, G.J. Watkins-Colwell, G. Nelson, J. Goodwin, A. Bogisich, P.L.R. Brennan, J. D’Agostino, M. Koo, J.R. Mendelson III, R. Snyder, S. Wilson, G.P. Aronsen, A.C. Bentley, D.C. Blackburn, M.R. Borths, M.L. Campbell, D.A. Conde, J.A. Cook, J.D. Daza, D.P. Dembiec, J.L. Dunnum, C.M. Early, A. Ferguson, A. Greene, R. Guralnick, C. Janney, D. Johnson, F. Knightly, S. Poulin, L. Rocha, P.S. Soltis, B. Thiers, and P. Chakrabarty. 2022. Bridging the research gap between live collections in zoos and preserved collections in natural history museums. BioScience 72: 449–460.
Womack, M.C., E. Steigerwald, D.C. Blackburn, D.C. Cannatella, A. Catenazzi, J. Che, M.S. Koo, J.A. McGuire, S. Ron, C. Spencer, V.T. Vredenburg, and R.D. Tarvin. 2022. State of Amphibia 2020: five years of amphibian research and existing resources. Ichthyology & Herpetology 110: 638–661.

2021

Bardua, C., M. Bon, A.-C. Fabre, J. Clavel, K. Das, A. Herrel, E.L. Stanley, D.C. Blackburn, and A. Goswami. 2021. Size, microhabitat, and loss of larval feeding drive cranial diversification in frogs. Nature Communications 12: 2503.
Blackburn, D.C., C.A.H. Morales, D.J. Paluh, and E.L. Stanley. 2021. Predation on a gymnopthlamid lizard by the Brazilian Dumpy Frog, Stereocyclops incrassatus (Microhylidae, Gastrophryninae). Herpetology Notes 14: 847–849.
Blackburn, D.C., S.V. Nielsen, S.L. Ghose, M. Burger, L.N. Gonwouo, E. Greenbaum, V. Gvoždík, M. Hirschfeld, M.T. Kouete, C. Kusamba, D. Lawson, P.J. McLaughlin, A. Zassi-Boulou, and M.-O. Rödel. 2021. Phylogeny of African long-fingered frogs (Arthroleptidae: Cardioglossa) reveals recent allopatric divergences in coloration. Ichthyology & Herpetology 109: 728–742.
Goodman, C.M., G.F.M. Jongsma, J.E. Hill, E.L. Stanley, Q.M. Tuckett, D.C. Blackburn, and C.M. Romagosa. 2021. A case of mistaken identity: genetic evidence and anatomical evidence reveal the cryptic invasion of Xenopus tropicalis in central Florida. Journal of Herpetology 55: 62–69.
Hantak, M.M., N.A. Federico, D.C. Blackburn, and R.P. Guralnick. 2021. Rapid phenotypic change in a polymorphic salamander over 43 years. Scientific Reports 11: 22681.
Langen, T.A., C.H. Cannon, D.C. Blackburn, E. Morgan, and P.E. Mera. 2021. Discovering and applying the urban rules of life to design sustainable and healthy cities. Integrative & Comparative Biology 61: 1237–1252.
Neira-Salamea, K., C. Ofori-Boateng, N.G. Kouamé, D.C. Blackburn, G.H. Segniagbeto, A. Hillers, M.F. Barej, A.D. Leaché, and M.-O. Rödel. 2021. A new critically endangered slippery frog (Amphibia, Conrauidae, Conraua) from the Atewa Range, central Ghana. Zootaxa 4995: 71–95.
Paluh, D.J., W.A. Dillard, E.L. Stanley, G.J. Fraser, and D.C. Blackburn. 2021. Re-evaluating the morphological evidence for the re-evolution of lost mandibular teeth in frogs. Evolution 75: 3203–3213.
Paluh, D.J., K. Riddell, C.M. Early, M.M. Hantak, G.F.M. Jongsma, R.M. Keeffe, F. Magalhães Silva, S.V. Nielsen, M.C. Vallejo-Pareja, E.L. Stanley, and D.C. Blackburn. 2021. Rampant tooth loss across 200 million years of frog evolution. eLife 10: e66926.
Rivera-Correa, M., D. Baldo, F.V. Candioti, V.G. Dill Orrico, P. Gambale, D.C. Blackburn, S. Castroviejo-Fisher, K.O. Chan, D.J. Gower, E.S.H. Quah, J. Rowley, E. Twomey, and M. Vences. 2021. Amphibians in Zootaxa: 20 years documenting the planet’s diversity of frogs, salamanders, and caecilians. Zootaxa 4979: 57–69.
Roberto, I.J., M. Fedler, T. Hrbek, I.P. Farias, and D.C. Blackburn. 2021. Clarifying the taxonomic status of the caimans in Florida using a molecular approach. Journal of Herpetology 55: 279–284.
Sheehy, C.M., III, D.C. Blackburn, K. Gestring, K. Laurie, A. Prechtel, M.T. Kouete, E. Suarez, and B.L. Talley. 2021. First record of a caecilian (order Gymnophiona, Typhlonectes natans) from Florida and in the United States. Reptiles & Amphibians 28: 355–357.

2020

Bardua, C. M. Bon, A.-C. Fabre, A. Herrell, K. Das, E.L. Stanley, D.C. Blackburn, and A. Goswami. 2020. Evolutionary integration of the frog cranium. Evolution 74: 1200–1215.
Blackburn, D.C., R.M. Keeffe, M.C. Vallejo-Pareja, and J. Vélez-Juarbe. 2020. The earliest record of Caribbean frogs: a fossil coquí from Puerto Rico. Biology Letters 16: 20190947.
Blackburn, D.C., S.V. Nielsen, M.F. Barej, J. Doumbia, M. Hirschfeld, N.G. Kouamé, D. Lawson, S. Loader, C. Ofori-Boateng, E.L. Stanley, and M.-O. Rödel. 2020. Evolution of the African slippery frogs (Anura: Conraua), including the world’s largest living frog. Zoologica Scripta 49: 684–696.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., M.P. Marques, I. André, E. Afonso, D.C. Blackburn, and A.M. Bauer. 2020. The Museu do Dundo, Angola: an illustrated type catalogue of a “lost” herpetological collection. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 162: 379–440.
Fabre, A.-C., C. Bardua, M. Bon, J. Clavel, R.N. Felice, J.W. Streicher, J. Bonnel, E.L. Stanley, D.C. Blackburn, and A. Goswami. 2020. Metamorphosis shapes cranial diversity and rate of evolution in salamanders. Nature Ecology & Evolution 4: 1129–1140.
Hedrick, B.P., J.M. Heberling, E. Meineke, K.G. Turner, C.J. Grassa, D. Park, J. Kennedy, J. Clarke, J. Cook, D.C. Blackburn, S.V. Edwards, and C.C. Davis. 2020. Digitization and the future of natural history collections. BioScience 70: 243–251.
Keeffe, R., and D.C. Blackburn. 2020. Comparative morphology of the humerus in forward-burrowing frogs. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 131: 291–303.
Kouete, M.T., and D.C. Blackburn. 2020. Dietary partitioning in two co-occurring caecilian species (Geotrypetes seraphini and Herpele squalostoma) in Central Africa. Integrative and Organismal Biology 1: obz035.
Lambert, M.R., M.C. Womack, A.Q. Byrne, O. Hernández-Gómez, C.F. Noss, A.P. Rothstein, D.C. Blackburn, M.L. Crump, M.S. Koo, P. Nanjappa, L. Rollins-Smith, V.T. Vredenburg, and E.B. Rosenblum. 2020. Comment on “Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity.” Science 367: eaay1838.
Nielsen, S.V., W. Conradie, L.M.P. Ceríaco, A.M. Bauer, M.P. Heinicke, E.L. Stanley, and D.C. Blackburn. 2020. A new species of Rain Frog (Brevicipitidae: Breviceps) endemic to Angola. ZooKeys 979: 133–160.
Paluh, D.J., E.L. Stanley, and D.C. Blackburn. 2020. Evolution of hyperossification expands skull diversity in frogs. 2020. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 117: 8554–8562.
Portik, D.M., D.C. Blackburn, and J.A. McGuire. 2020. Macroevolutionary patterns of sexual size dimorphism among African tree frogs (family: Hyperoliidae). Journal of Heredity 111: 379–391.

2019

Bamba-Kaya, A., A.-G. Zassi-Boulou, E. Tobi, T.D. Hayes, D.M. Portik, D.C. Blackburn, G.F.M. Jongsma. 2019. Notes on a little known Central African reed frog, Hyperolius schoutedeni Laurent, 1943. Herpetology Notes 12: 873–876.
Bell, R.C., P.J. McLaughlin, G.F.M. Jongsma, D.C. Blackburn, and B.L. Stuart. 2019. Morphological and genetic variation of Leptopelis brevirostris encompasses the little-known treefrogs Leptopelis crystallinoron from Gabon and Leptopelis brevipes from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. African Journal of Herpetology 68: 91–117.
Blackburn, D.C., G. Giribet, D.E. Soltis, and E.L. Stanley. 2019. Predicting the impact of describing new species on phylogenetic patterns. Integrative Organismal Biology 1: obz028.
Blackburn, D.C., D.J. Paluh, I. Krone, E.M. Roberts, E.L. Stanley, and N.J. Stevens. 2019. The earliest fossil of the African Clawed Frog (genus Xenopus) from sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Herpetology 53: 125–130.
Blackburn, D.C., L. Roberts, M.C. Vallejo-Pareja, and E.L. Stanley. 2019. First record of the anuran family Rhinophrynidae from the Oligocene of eastern North America. Journal of Herpetology 53: 316–323.
Byrne, A.Q., V.T. Vredenburg, A. Martel, F. Pasmans, R.C. Bell, D.C. Blackburn, C.J. Briggs, R.M. Brown, M.C. Bletz, J. Bosch, R. Figueroa-Valenzuela, S.L. Ghose, J.R. Jaeger, A.J. Jani, M. Jirku, R.A. Knapp, D.M. Portik, C.L. Richards-Zawacki, H. Rockney, T. Stark, H. Sulaeman, N.T. Tao, J. Voyles, A.W. Waddle, Z. Yuan, and E.R. Rosenblum. 2019. Cryptic diversity of a widespread global pathogen reveals new threats for amphibian conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116: 20382–20387.
Evans, B.J., M.-T. Gansauge, E.L. Stanley, B.L.S. Furman, C.M. Cauret, C. Ofori-Boateng, V. Gvoždík, J.W. Streicher, E. Greenbaum, R.C. Tinsley, M. Meyer, and D.C. Blackburn. 2019. Xenopus fraseri: Mr. Fraser, where did your frog come from? PLoS One 14: e0220892.
Matthews, T., R. Keeffe, and D.C. Blackburn. 2019. Identification guide to fossil frog assemblages of southern Africa based on ilia of extant taxa. Zoologischer Anzeiger 283: 46–57.
Paluh, D.J., E.L. Stanley, and D.C. Blackburn. 2019. First dietary record of Gastrotheca guentheri (Hemiphractidae), the lone anuran with true mandibular teeth. Herpetology Notes 12: 699–700.
Portik, D.M., R.C. Bell, D.C. Blackburn, A.M. Bauer, C.D. Barratt, W.R. Branch, M. Burger, A. Channing, T.J. Colston, W. Conradie, J.M. Dehling, R.C. Drewes, R. Ernst, E. Greenbaum, V. Gvoždík, J. Harvey, A. Hillers, M. Hirschfeld, G.F.M. Jongsma, J. Kielgast, M.T. Kouete, L.P. Lawson, A.D. Leaché, S.P. Loader, S. Lötters, A. van der Meijden, M. Menegon, S. Müleer, Z.T Nagy, C. Ofori-Boateng, A. Ohler, T.J. Papenfuss, D. Rößler, U. Sinsch, M.-O. Rödel, M. Veith, J. Vindum, A.-G. Zassi-Boulou, and J.A. McGuire. 2019. Sexual dichromatism drives diversification within a major radiation of African amphibians. Systematic Biology 68: 859–875.
Stocker, M.R., S.J. Nesbitt, B. Klingman, D.J. Paluh, A.D. Marsh, D.C. Blackburn, and W.G. Parker. 2019. The earliest equatorial record of anurans from the Late Triassic of Arizona. Biology Letters 15: 20180922.
Vijayakumar, S.P., R.A. Pyron, K.P. Dinesh, V. Torsekar, A.V. Srikanthan, P. Swamy, E.L. Stanley, D.C. Blackburn, and K. Shanker. 2019. A new ancient lineage of frog (Anura: Nyctibatrachidae: Astrobatrachinae subfam. nov.) endemic to the Western Ghats of peninsular India. PeerJ 7: e6457.

2018

Arroyo-Lambaer, D., H. Chapman, M. Hale, and D.C. Blackburn. 2018. Conservation genetics of threatened frogs in the mountains of Nigeria. PLoS ONE 13: e0202010.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., S. Bandeira, M.P. Marques, I. Agarwal, E.L. Stanley, A.M. Bauer, M.P. Heinicke, and D.C. Blackburn. 2018. A new earless species of Poyntonophrynus (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Serra da Neve Inselberg, Namibe Province, Angola. ZooKeys 780: 109–136.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., M.P. Marques, S. Bandeira, D.C. Blackburn, A.M. Bauer. 2018. Herpetological survey of Cangandala National Park, with a synoptic list of the amphibians and reptiles of Malanje Province, Central Angola. Herpetological Review 49: 408–431.
Charles, K.L., R.C. Bell, D.C. Blackburn, M. Burger, M.K. Fujita, V. Gvoždík, G.F.M. Jongsma, M.T. Kouete, A.D. Leaché, and D.M. Portik. 2018. Sky, sea, and forest Islands: diversification in the African leaf-folding frog Afrixalus paradorsalis (Anura: Hyperoliidae) of the Lower Guineo-Congolian rainforest. Journal of Biogeography 45: 1781–1794. See here for data from this publication.
Jongsma, G.F.M., M.F. Barej, C.D. Barratt, M. Burger, W. Conradie, R. Ernst, E. Greenbaum, M. Hirschfeld, A.D. Leaché, J. Penner, D.M. Portik, A.-G. Zassi-Boulou, M.-O. Rödel, and D.C. Blackburn. 2018. Diversity and biogeography of frogs in the genus Amnirana (Anura: Ranidae) across sub-Saharan Africa. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 120: 274–285.
Kerney, R.R., J. Hanken, and D.C. Blackburn. 2018. Early limb patterning in the direct-developing salamander Plethodon cinereus revealed by sox9 and col2a1. Evolution & Development 20: 100–107.
Marques, M.P., L.M.P. Ceríaco, D.C. Blackburn, and A.M. Bauer. 2018. Diversity and distribution of the amphibians and reptiles of Angola: an atlas of historical and bibliographical records (1840–2017). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4, 65 (Supplement II): 1–501.
Portik, D.M., G.F.M. Jongsma, M.T. Kouete, L.A. Scheinberg, B. Freiermuth, W.P. Tapondjou, and D.C. Blackburn. 2018. Ecological, morphological, and reproductive aspects of a diverse assemblage of hyperoliid frogs (family: Hyperoliidae) surrounding Mt. Kupe, Cameroon. Herpetological Review 48: 397–408.
Santos, J.C., R.D. Tarvin, L.A. O’Connell, D.C. Blackburn, and L.A. Coloma. 2018. Diversity within diversity: parasite species richness in poison frogs assessed by transcriptomics. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 125: 40–50.
Tolley, K.A., W. Conradie, J. Harvey, J. Measey, and D.C. Blackburn. 2018. Molecular phylogenetics reveals a complex history underlying cryptic diversity in the Bush Squeaker Frog (Arthroleptis wahlbergii) in southern Africa. African Zoology 53: 83–97.
Xing, L., E.L. Stanley, M. Bai, and D.C. Blackburn. 2018. The earliest direct evidence of frogs in wet tropical forests from Cretaceous Burmese amber. Scientific Reports 8: 8770.

2017

Bell, R.C., J.L. Parra, G. Badjedjea, M.F. Barej, D.C. Blackburn, M. Burger, A. Channing, J.M. Dehling, E. Greenbaum, V. Gvoždik, J. Kielgast, C. Kusamba, S. Lötters, P.J. McLaughlin, Z. Nagy, M.-O. Rödel, D.M. Portik, B.L. Stuart, J. VanDerWal, and K.R. Zamudio. 2017. Comparative phylogeography of Central African reed frogs demonstrates idiosyncratic responses to climate-driven forest fragmentation and marine incursions. Molecular Ecology 26: 5223–5244.
Blackburn, D.C., J. Brecko, E.L. Stanley, and D. Meirte. 2017. Observations on the reproductive biology of Laurentophryne parkeri (Laurent, 1950) based on the holotype. Herpetology Notes 10: 681–683.
Feng, Y.-J., D.C. Blackburn, D. Liang, D.M. Hillis, D.B. Wake, D.C. Cannatella, and P. Zhang. 2017. Phylogenomics reveals rapid, simultaneous diversification of three major clades of Gondwanan frogs at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 114: E5864–E5870.
Heinicke, M.P., L.M.P. Ceríaco, I.M. Moore, A.M. Bauer, and D.C. Blackburn. 2017. Tomopterna damarensis (Anura: Pyxicephalidae) is broadly distributed in Namibia and Angola. Salamandra 53: 461–465.
Jongsma, G.F.M., E. Tobi, G.P. Dixon-MacCallum, A. Bamba, J.-A. Yoga, J.-D. Mbega, J.-H. Mve Beh, A.M. Emrich, and D.C. Blackburn. 2017. Amphibians of Haut Ogooué Province, southeastern Gabon. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 11: 1–23.
Portik, D.M, A.D. Leaché, D. Rivera, M. Hirschfeld, M. Burger, M.-O. Rödel, D.C. Blackburn, and M.K. Fujita. 2017. Evaluating mechanisms of diversification in a Guineo-Congolian forest frog using demographic model selection. Molecular Ecology 26: 5245–5263.
Ribeiro, L.F., D.C. Blackburn, E.L. Stanley, M.R. Pie, and M.R. Bornschein. 2017. Two new species of the Brachycephalus pernix group (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. PeerJ 5:e3603.

2016

Blackburn, D.C., E. Greenbaum, M. Fabrezi, D. Meirte, A.J. Plumptre, and E.L. Stanley. 2016. The distribution of the Bururi Long-fingered Frog (Cardioglossa cyaneospila, family Arthroleptidae), a poorly known Albertine Rift endemic. Zootaxa 4170: 355–364.
Bornschein, M.R., L.F. Ribeiro, D.C. Blackburn, E.L. Stanley, and M.R. Pie. A new species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. PeerJ 4: e2629.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., S.A.C. de Sá, S. Bandeira, H. Valério, E.L. Stanley, A.L. Kuhn, M.P.Marques, J.V. Vindum, D.C. Blackburn, and A.M. Bauer. 2016. Herpetological survey of Iona National Park and Namibe Regional Natural Park, with a synoptic list of the amphibians and reptiles of Namibe Province, southwestern Angola. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 63: 15–61.
Dececchi, T.A., P.M. Mabee, and D.C. Blackburn. 2016. Data sources for trait databases: comparing the phenomic content of monographs and evolutionary matrices. PLoS One 11: e0155680.
Hirschfeld, M., D.C. Blackburn, T.M. Doherty-Bone, L.N. Gonwouo, S. Ghose, and M.-O. Rödel. 2016. Dramatic declines of montane frogs in a Central African biodiversity hotspot. PLoS One 11: e0155129.
Jongsma, G.F.M., A.B. Kaya, J.-A. Yoga, J.-D. Mbega, J.-H. Mve Beh, E. Tobi, A.M. Emrich, G.P. Dixon-MacCallum, D. Davis, J. Kerby, and D.C. Blackburn. 2016. Widespread presence and high prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Gabon. Herpetological Review 47: 227–230. Data available on amphibiandisease.org.
Menke, M., P. Peram, I. Starnberger, W. Hödl, G.F.M. Jongsma, D.C. Blackburn, M.-O. Rödel, M. Vences, and S. Schulz. Identification, synthesis, and mass spectrometry of a macrolide from the African Reed Frog Hyperolius cinnamomeoventris. Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry 12: 2731–2738.
Portik, D.M., and D.C. Blackburn. 2016. The evolution of reproductive diversity in Afrobatrachia: a phylogenetic comparative analysis of an extensive radiation of African frogs. Evolution 70: 2017–2032.
Portik, D.M., G.F.M. Jongsma, M.T. Kouete, LA. Scheinberg, B. Freiermuth, W.P. Tapondjou, and D.C. Blackburn. 2016. A survey of amphibians and reptiles in the foothills of Mount Kupe, Cameroon. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 10: 37–67.

2015

Blackburn, D.C., E.M. Roberts, and N.J. Stevens. 2015. The earliest record of the endemic African frog family Ptychadenidae from the Oligocene Nsungwe Formation of Tanzania. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35: e907174.
Brown, R.M., Y.-C. Su, B. Barger, C.D. Siler, A.C. Diesmos, and D.C. Blackburn. 2015. Phylogeny of the island archipelago frog genus Sanguirana: another endemic Philippine radiation that diversified ‘Out-of-Palawan.’ Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 94: 531–536.
Deans, A.R. et al. 2015. Finding our way through phenotypes. PLoS Biology 13: e1002033.
Evans, B.J., T.F. Carter, E. Greenbaum, V. Gvoždík, D.B. Kelley, P.J. McLaughlin, O.S.G. Pauwels, D.M.Portik, E.L. Stanley, R.C. Tinsley, M.L. Tobias, and D.C. Blackburn. 2015. Genetics, morphology, advertisement calls, and historical records distinguish six new polyploid species of African clawed frog (Xenopus, Pipidae) from West and Central Africa. PLoS ONE 10: e0142823.
Hirschfeld, M., D.C. Blackburn, M. Burger, E. Greenbaum, A.-G. Zassi-Boulou, and M.-O. Rödel. 2015. Two new species of long-fingered frogs of the genus Cardioglossa (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Central African rainforests. African Journal of Herpetology 64: 81–102.
Portik, D.M., L. Scheinberg, D.C. Blackburn, and R.A. Saporito. 2015. Lack of defensive alkaloids in the integumentary tissue of four brilliantly colored African reed frog species (Hyperoliidae: Hyperolius). Herpetological Conservation and Biology 10: 833–838.
Wake, D.B., D.C. Blackburn, and R.E. Lombard. 2015. Transitions to feeding on land by salamanders feature repetitive convergent evolution. Pp. 395–405 in N. Shubin, K. Dial, and E.L. Brainerd (eds.), Great Transformations: Major Events in the History of Vertebrate Life. University of Chicago Press.

2014

Blackburn, D.C., and S. Scali. 2014. An annotated catalog of the type specimens of amphibians in the collection of the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milan, Italy. Herpetological Monographs 28: 24–45.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., A.M. Bauer, D.C. Blackburn, and A. Lavres. 2014. The herpetofauna of the Capanda Dam Region, Malanje, Angola. Herpetological Review 45: 667–674.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., D.C. Blackburn, M.P. Marques, and F.M. Calado. 2014. Catalogue of the amphibian and reptile type specimens of the Museo de História Natural da Universidade do Porto in Portugal, with some comments on problematic taxa. Alytes 31: 13–36.
Haendel, M.A., J.P. Balhoff, F.B. Bastian, D.C. Blackburn, J.A. Blake, Y. Bradford, A. Comte, W.M. Dahdul, T.A. Dececchi, R.E. Druzinsky, T.F. Hayamizu, N. Ibrahim, S.E. Lewis, P.M. Mabee, A. Niknejad, M. Robinson-Rechavi, P.C. Sereno, and C.J. Mungall. 2014. Unification of multi-species vertebrate anatomy ontologies for comparative biology in Uberon. Journal of Biomedical Semantics 5: 21.
Rocha, L.A., et al. 2014. Specimen collection: an essential tool. Science 344: 814–815.

2013

Blackburn, D.C., C.A. Siler, A.C. Diesmos, J.A. McGuire, D.C. Cannatella, and R.M. Brown. 2013. An adaptive radiation of frogs in a Southeast Asian island archipelago. Evolution 67: 2631–2646.
Blackburn, D.C., and W.E. Duellman. 2013. Brazilian marsupial frogs are diphyletic (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68: 709–714.
Brown, R.M., C.D. Siler, C.H. Oliveros, J.A. Esselstyn, A.C. Diesmos, P.A. Hosner, C.W. Linkem, A.J. Barley, J.R. Oaks, M.B. Sanguila, L.J. Welton, D.C. Blackburn, R.G. Moyle, A.T. Peterson, and A.C. Alcala. 2013. Evolutionary processes of diversification in a model island archipelago. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 44: 411–435.
Chan, K.O., D.C. Blackburn, R.W. Murphy, B.L. Stuart, D.A. Emmett, and R.M. Brown. 2013. New species of narrow-mouthed frog of the genus Kaloula Gray, 1831 from eastern Indochina. Herpetologica 69: 329–341.
Cruz, D., A.L. Dawson, and D.C. Blackburn. 2013. Description of the tadpoles of two Cameroonian frogs, Leptodactylodon axillaris and L. perreti (Anura: Arthroleptidae). African Journal of Herpetology 62: 28–39.
Midford, P.E., T.A. Dececchi, J.P. Balhoff, W.M. Dahdul, N. Ibrahim, H. Lapp, J.G. Lundberg, P.M. Mabee, M. Westerfield, T.J. Vision, and D.C. Blackburn. 2013. The Vertebrate Taxonomy Ontology: a framework for reasoning across model organism and species phenotypes. Journal of Biomedical Semantics 4: 34.

2012

Blackburn, D.C. 2012. A new species of Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from Ngozi Crater in the Poroto Mountains of southwestern Tanzania. Journal of Herpetology 46: 129–135.
Dahdul, W.M., J.P. Balhoff, D.C. Blackburn, A.D. Diehl, M.A. Haendel, B.K. Hall, H. Lapp, J.G. Lundberg, C.J. Mungall, M. Ringwald, E. Segerdell, C.E. Van Slyke, M.K. Vickaryous, M. Westerfield, and P.M. Mabee. 2012. A unified anatomy ontology of the vertebrate skeletal system. PLoS ONE 7: e51070.
Kerney, R.R., D.C. Blackburn, H. Müller, and J. Hanken. 2012. Do larval traits re-evolve? Evidence from the embryogenesis of a direct-developing salamander, Plethodon cinereus. Evolution 66: 252–262.

2011

Blackburn, D.C., and M. Beier. 2011. “Xenopus paratropicalis” is not a valid name. Zootaxa 3035: 57–58.
Blackburn, D.C., and M.-O. Rödel. 2011. A new puddle frog (Phrynobatrachidae: Phrynobatrachus) from the Obudu Plateau in eastern Nigeria. Herpetologica 67: 271–287.
Blackburn, D.C., and D.B. Wake. 2011. Class Amphibia Gray, 1825. [Invited Review]. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.), Animal biodiversity: an outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa 3148: 39–55.
See also: Blackburn, D.C., and D.B. Wake. 2012. Additions and Corrections. Zootaxa 3381: 45–46.
Duellman, W.E., A. Catenazzi, and D.C. Blackburn. 2011. A new species of marsupial frog (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca) from the Andes of southern Peru. Zootaxa 3095: 1–14.
Duellman, W.E., K.-H. Jungfer, and D.C. Blackburn. 2011. The phylogenetic relationship of geographically separated “Flectonotus” (Anura: Hemiphractidae), as revealed by molecular, behavioral, and morphological data. Phyllomedusa 10: 15–29.
Loader, S.P., J.C. Poynton, L.P. Lawson, D.C. Blackburn, and M. Menegon. 2011. Amphibian diversity in the northwestern Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania, with the description of a new species of Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae). Fieldiana (Life and Earth Sciences) 2011 (4): 90–102.
Reeder, N.M.M., T. Cheng, V.T. Vredenburg, and D.C. Blackburn. 2011. Survey of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis from montane and lowland frogs in eastern Nigeria. Herpetology Notes 4: 83–86.
Trueb, L., R. Diaz, and D.C. Blackburn. 2011. Osteology and chondrocranial morphology of Gastrophryne carolinensis (Anura: Microhylidae), with a review of the osteological diversity of New World microhylids. Phyllomedusa 10: 99–135.

2010

Blackburn, D.C. 2010. A new puddle frog (Phrynobatrachidae: Phrynobatrachus) from the Mambilla Plateau in Eastern Nigeria. African Journal of Herpetology 59: 33–52.
Blackburn, D.C. 2010. A new squeaker frog (Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis) from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Herpetologica 66: 320–334.
Blackburn, D.C., D.P. Bickford, A.C. Diesmos, D.T. Iskandar, and R.M. Brown. 2010. An ancient origin for the enigmatic Flat-Headed Frogs (Bombinatoridae: Barbourula) from the islands of Southeast Asia. PLoS ONE 5: e12090.
Blackburn, D.C., B.J. Evans, A.P. Pessier, and V.T. Vredenburg. 2010. An enigmatic mortality event in the only population of the Critically Endangered Cameroonian frog Xenopus longipes. African Journal of Herpetology 59: 111–122.
Blackburn, D.C., V. Gvoždik, and A.D. Leaché. 2010. A new squeaker frog (Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis) from the mountains of Cameroon and Nigeria. Herpetologica 66: 335–348.
Jackson, K., and D.C. Blackburn. 2010. Results of a survey of amphibians and reptiles at degraded sites near Pointe Noire, Kouilou Region, Republic of Congo. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 5: 414–429.
Martin, J.L., D.C. Blackburn, and E.O. Wiley. 2010. Are node-based and stem-based clades equivalent? Insights from graph theory. PLoS Currents: Tree of Life.

2009

Blackburn, D.C. 2009. Diversity and evolution of male secondary sexual characters in African squeakers and long-fingered frogs. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 96: 553–573.
Blackburn, D.C. 2009. Description and phylogenetic relationships of two new species of miniature Arthroleptis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Breviora (Museum of Comparative Zoology) 517: 1–17.
Blackburn, D.C., L.N. Gonwouo, R. Ernst, and M.-O. Rödel. 2009. A new squeaker frog (Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis) from the Cameroon Volcanic Line with redescriptions of Arthroleptis adolfifriederici Nieden, 1911 “1910” and A. variabilis Matschie, 1893. Breviora (Museum of Comparative Zoology) 515: 1–22.
Blackburn, D.C., and G.J. Measey. 2009. Dispersal to or from an African biodiversity hotspot? Molecular Ecology 18: 1904–1915.
Riesenberg, A.N., T.T. Le, M.I. Willardsen, D.C. Blackburn, M.L. Vetter, and N.L. Brown. 2009. Pax6 regulation of Math5 during mouse retinal neurogenesis. genesis 47: 175–187.

2008

Blackburn, D.C. 2008. Biogeography and evolution of body size and life history of African frogs: phylogeny of squeakers (Arthroleptis) and long-fingered frogs (Cardioglossa) estimated from mitochondrial data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49: 806–826.
Blackburn, D.C. 2008. A new species of Cardioglossa (Amphibia: Anura: Arthroleptidae) endemic to Mount Manengouba in the Republic of Cameroon, with an analysis of morphological diversity in the genus. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 154: 611–630.
Blackburn, D.C., K.W. Conley, D.C. Plachetzki, K. Kempler, B.-A. Battelle, and N.L. Brown. 2008. Isolation and expression of Pax6 and atonal homologues in the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus. Developmental Dynamics 237: 2209–2219.
Blackburn, D.C., J. Kosuch, A. Schmitz, M. Burger, P. Wagner, L.N. Gonwouo, A. Hillers, and M.-O. Rödel. 2008. A new species of Cardioglossa (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Upper Guinean Forests of West Africa. Copeia 2008: 603–612.
Zimkus, B.M. and D.C. Blackburn. 2008. Distinguishing features of the sub-Saharan frog genera Arthroleptis and Phrynobatrachus: a short guide for field and museum-based researchers. Breviora (Museum of Comparative Zoology) 513: 1–12.
Zimmerman, J., M. Hajibabaei, D.C. Blackburn, J. Hanken, E. Cantin, J. Posfai, and T.C. Evans, Jr. 2008. DNA damage in preserved specimens and tissue samples: a molecular assessment. Frontiers in Zoology 5: 18.

2003–2007

Jackson, K. and D.C. Blackburn. 2007. The amphibians and reptiles of Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). Salamandra 43: 149–164.
Blackburn, D.C. and C.S. Moreau. 2006. Ontogenetic diet change in the arthroleptid frog Schoutedenella xenodactyloides. Journal of Herpetology 40: 388–394.
Harzsch, S., K. Vilpoux, D.C. Blackburn, D. Platchetzki, N. Brown, R. Melzer, K. Kempler, and B. Battelle. 2006. Evolution of arthropod visual systems: development of the eyes and central visual pathways in the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus Linnaeus, 1758 (Chelicerata, Xiphosura). Developmental Dynamics 235: 2641–2655.
Blackburn, D.C. 2005. Cardioglossa liberiensis Barbour & Loveridge 1927 is a junior synonym of Phrynobatrachus fraterculus (Chabanaud 1921). African Journal of Herpetology 54: 171–179.
Sidor, C.A., D.C. Blackburn, and B. Gado. 2003. The vertebrate fauna of the Upper Permian of Niger—II. Preliminary description of a new pareiasaur. Palaeontologia Africana 39: 45–52.
Stock, S.R., D.C. Blackburn, M. Gradassi, and H.-G. Simon. 2003. Bone formation during forelimb regeneration: A microtomography (microCT) analysis. Developmental Dynamics 226: 410–417.

Book Reviews

Blackburn, D.C. 2021. The Science of Middle-Earth: A New Understanding of Tolkien and His World. Quarterly Review of Biology 96: 303–304.
Blackburn, D.C. 2021. Amphibians of North Africa. Herpetological Review 52: 438–439.
Blackburn, D.C. 2014. Amphibians of Malawi. An Analysis of their Richness and Community Diversity in a Changing Landscape. Copeia 2014: 402–403
Blackburn, D.C. 2011. Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Quarterly Review of Biology 86: 150.
Blackburn, D.C. 2011. Field Guide to Frogs of Western Australia, Fourth Edition. Herpetological Review 42: 123–124.
Blackburn, D.C. 2010. Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, Third Edition. Quarterly Review of Biology 85: 375–376.
Blackburn, D.C. 2009. Ecological and Environmental Physiology of Amphibians. Herpetological Review 40: 374–376.
Blackburn, D.C. 2007. A Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Egypt. Herpetological Review 38: 251-252.
Blackburn, D.C. 2006. The Amphibians of East Africa. Herpetological Review 37: 503-504.

Geographic Distribution and Natural History Notes

Weinell, J.L., D.J. Paluh, A.J. Singh, D.C. Blackburn, and R.M. Brown. 2019. Myersophis alpestris: reproduction. Herpetological Review 50: 164–165.
Blackburn, D.C., D.J. Paluh, and E.L. Stanley. 2017. Phrynobatrachus krefftii: anurophagy. Herpetological Review 48: 413–414.
Ceríaco, L.M.P., A.M. Bauer, M.P. Heinicke, and D.C. Blackburn. 2016. Ptychadenidae: Ptychadena mapacha: geographic distribution (Namibia). African Herp News 63: 19–20.
Bauer, A.M., L.M.P. Ceríaco, M.P. Heinicke, and D.C. Blackburn. 2015. Gekkonidae: Pachdactylus barnardi FitzSimons, 1941: geographic distribution (Namibia). African Herp Notes 62: 35–37.
Blackburn, D.C. 2008. Pyxicephalus sp.: geographic distribution (Niger). Herpetological Review 39: 363–364.
Blackburn, D.C. and V. Droissart. 2008. Nectophryne batesii: juvenile coloration. Herpetological Review 39: 208-209.
Blackburn, D.C. 2006. Cardioglossa schioetzi: geographic distribution (Cameroon). Herpetological Review 37: 486.
Blackburn, D.C. and K. Jackson. 2006. Cryptothylax greshoffii: geographic distribution (Republic of Congo). Herpetological Review 37: 358.

Publications

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Research Publications (n = 139)

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