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Genomic adaptations for tail-length evolution in arboreal snakes.

Zeng Wang1,2,3,4, Wei Wu1,3, Fuyuan Shen5

  • 1Mountain Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China.

Molecular Biology and Evolution
|February 2, 2026
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Summary

Snake tail elongation for arboreal life evolved multiple times. Genomic analysis reveals accelerated evolution in genes controlling axial growth and conserved changes in regulatory elements, providing a framework for understanding this key adaptation.

Keywords:
arborealitycomparative genomicssnakessomitogenesistail development

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Arboreal adaptation in snakes involves morphological innovations like elongated tails for improved branch gripping.
  • The genetic basis for recurrent tail elongation in snakes adapting to arboreal environments is largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genomic underpinnings of recurrent tail elongation in arboreal snakes.
  • To identify genes and regulatory elements associated with axial elongation and tail development.

Main Methods:

  • Ancestral state reconstruction to identify independent evolution of arboreality and tail elongation.
  • Genome assembly of the green cat snake (Boiga cyanea) and comparative genomics with the Asian vine snake (Ahaetulla prasina).
  • Analysis of gene evolution, including accelerated evolution and positive selection in somitogenesis genes, and examination of conserved nonexonic elements (CNEs).

Main Results:

  • Arboreality and tail elongation evolved independently in multiple snake lineages.
  • Accelerated evolution was found in genes related to somite specification, with positive selection in HES7 and TBX18.
  • Conserved amino acid substitution in LOXL3 and convergent divergence in CNEs regulating the GDF11-LIN28-HOX13 pathway were observed in arboreal snakes.
  • Functional assays confirmed altered regulatory activity of divergent CNEs.

Conclusions:

  • Genomic changes in somitogenesis genes and regulatory elements contribute to snake axial elongation and tail length evolution.
  • Convergent evolution at the genomic level underlies the recurrent adaptation of tail elongation in arboreal snakes.
  • This study provides a genomic framework for understanding how arboreal specialization drives tail length evolution in snakes.