image for Santoyo Brito, Enrique

Santoyo Brito, Enrique

Fluid Collection Specialist
Illinois Natural History Survey

Address and Contact Information

1816 S. Oak St.
M/C 652
Champaign, IL  61820

Research Interests

My research interests focus on the life history and behavioral ecology of amphibians and reptiles. My projects involve both fieldwork and laboratory work, as well as the study of fluid-preserved specimens. I have investigated herpetofauna diversity, social behavior (including parental care and group living), predator avoidance, and the varying effects of constant incubation temperature on lizard hatchlings, particularly regarding sex ratios and sex reversal. Recently, I have concentrated on how climate change has impacted lizard communities and populations, examining aspects such as species composition, activity patterns, and body size. I have conducted research in Mexico, the USA, and Chile, maintaining collaborations in all three countries.

In addition to my research, I am passionate about curating and managing Biological or Natural History Collections. Currently, I oversee and assist in the curation of over 1.3 million specimens across five representative Biological Collections at the Illinois Natural History Survey: Fish, Crustaceans, Amphibians & Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals. I frequently utilize wet-preserved specimens and their associated data to enhance our understanding of reptile life history and ecology.


Honors and Awards

Selected Publications

  • Santoyo-Brito, E., H. Núñez, and S. Fox. 2024. Dorsal Polymorphism and Perch Height Use by Liolaemus bellii Lizards in Central Chile. Phyllomedusa 23(2):125–13 

  • Santoyo-Brito, E., S. Perea-Fox, H. Núñez, and S. F. Fox. 2021. Maternal care and secretive behavior of neonates in the highly social lizard Liolaemus leopardinus (Squamata: Liolaemidae) from the central Chilean Andes may relate to size-specific bird predation. Behaviour, 158 (2021) 195–223. 

  • Santoyo-Brito, E., H. Núñez, W. E. Cooper, Jr., and S. F. Fox. 2020. Comparison of escape behavior between solitary and grouped Liolaemus leopardinus lizards from the central Chilean Andes. Herpetologica, 76: 285–289.

  • Wiggins, J. M., Santoyo-Brito, E., Scales, J. B., and S. Fox. 2020. Gene dose indicates presence of sex chromosomes in Collared Lizards (Crotaphytus collaris), a species with Temperature-Influenced Sex Determination. Herpetologica, 76(1), 2020, 27-30.

  • Santoyo-Brito, E., H. Núñez, and S. Fox. 2018. Age estimation through skeletochronology and mark-recapture of free-living individuals in a population of a high-elevation, viviparous lizard from Chile, Liolaemus leopardinus. Phyllomedusa 17(1):101-112.

  • Santoyo-Brito, E., S. Fox, and H. Núñez. 2017. Experimental evidence for embryo retention in the high-elevation Chilean lizard Liolaemus leopardinus. Phyllomedusa 16(2): 295-298.

  • Santoyo-Brito, E., S. Fox, and M. Anderson. 2017. Sex ratio according to incubation temperatures in the Collared Lizard, Crotaphytus collaris. Journal of Herpetology, 51(2):197-201

Leadership Positions

INHS Biological Collections representative for The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC).

Links

LDAP Details for Santoyo Brito, Enrique