CDU Researcher Profile

School of Environmental and Life Sciences

Faculty of Education, Health and Science
Charles Darwin University
Darwin, NT, 0909

• Research interests
• Publications
• Current projects
• Recent completions supervised

Research Interests

I am interested in understanding patterns of evolution and diversity, my work is focused on scincid lizards and parastacid crayfish in Australia, New Caledonia and New Guinea.

Recent Publications

Smith, S.A., S. Arif, A. Nieto Montes de Oca, and J.J. Wiens (2007). A phylogenetic hotspot for evolutionary novelty in Middle American treefrogs. Evolution, 61: 2075-2085.

Schultz, M.B., S.A. Smith, A.M. Richardson, P. Horwitz, K.A. Crandall and C.M. Austin. (2007). Cryptic diversity in Engaeus Erichson 1846, Geocharax Clark 1936 and Gramastacus Riek 1972 (Decapoda: Parastacidae) revealed by mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences. Invertebrate Systematics. 21:569-587.

Smith S.A., R.A. Sadlier, A.M. Bauer, T. Jackman. 2007. Molecular phylogeny of the scincid lizards of New Caledonia and adjacent areas: evidence for a single origin of the endemic skinks of Tasmantis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 43: 1151-1166. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.007

Smith S.A., A. Nieto Montes de Oca, T.W. Reeder, and J.J. Wiens. 2007. A phylogenetic perspective on elevational species richness patterns in Middle American treefrogs: why so few species in lowland tropical rainforests? Evolution, 61:1188-1207. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2007.00085.x

Wiens, J.J., C.H. Graham, D.S. Moen, S.A. Smith, and T.W. Reeder. 2006. Evolutionary and ecological causes of the latitudinal diversity gradient in hylid frogs: treefrog trees unearth the roots of high tropical diversity. American Naturalist, 168: 579-596.

Sadlier, R.A., S.A. Smith, and A. M. Bauer. 2006. A new genus for the New Caledonian scincid lizard Lygosoma euryotis Werner 1909, and the description of a new species. Records of the Australian Museum. 58:19-28.

Sadlier, R.A., A.M. Bauer, and S.A. Smith. 2006. A new species of Nannoscincus Günther (Squamata: Scincidae) from high elevation forest in southern New Caledonia. Records of the Australian Museum. 58:29-36.

Smith, S.A., P.R. Stephens, and J.J. Wiens. 2005. Replicate patterns of species richness, historical biogeography, and phylogeny in Holarctic treefrogs. Evolution, 59(11): 2433-2450.

Bauer, A.M., T. Jackman, S.A. Smith, R.A. Sadlier, and C.C. Austin. 2004. Nannoscincus gracilis (New Caledonian gracile Dwarf Skink). Vocalization. Herpetological Review (natural history notes). 35(3):268-269.

Sadlier, R.A, S.A. Smith, A.M. Bauer, and A.H. Whitaker. 2004. A new genus and species of live-bearing scincid lizard (Reptilia: Scincidae) from New Caledonia. Journal of Herpetology. 38(3):320-330.

Sadlier, R.A., A.M. Bauer, A.H. Whitaker, and S.A. Smith. 2004. Two new species of scincid lizards (Squamata) from the Massif de Kopéto, New Caledonia. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 55:208-221.

Smith, S.A., C.C. Austin, and R. Shine. 2001. A phylogenetic analysis of variation in variation in reproductive mode within an Australian lizard (Saiphos equalis, Scincidae) Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 74: 131-139.

Greer, A.E. and S.A. Smith. 2000. Aspects of the morphology and reproductive biology of the Australian earless dragon lizard Tympanocryptis tetraporophora. Australian Zoologist, 31: 55-70.

Smith, S.A., and R. Shine. 1997. Intraspecific variation in reproductive mode within the scincid lizard Saiphos equalis. Australian Journal of Zoology, 45: 435-445.

Keogh, J.S. and S.A. Smith. 1996. Taxonomy and natural history of Australian bandy-bandy snakes (Elapidae: Vermicella) with a description of two new species. Journal of Zoology, London 240: 677-701.

Current Projects

A taxonomic and phylogenetic study of the Egernia striolata (Scincidae) species group.

Phylogeny of a newly discovered New Guinean radiation of lizards.

Recent Completions Supervised