Taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny the Cnemidophorus lemniscatus group (Squamata: Teiidae), based on morphological and molecular caracters

• Grant number: 12/02212-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Grantee: Federico José Arias
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/50146-6 - Comparative phylogeography, phylogeny, paleoclimate modeling, and taxonomy of neotropical reptiles and amphibians, AP.BTA.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/19352-7 - Taxonomía, sistemática y filogenia de Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae), basado en caracteres morfológicos y moleculares, BE.EP.PD 13/12653-9 - Taxonomy, systematics and phylogeny of Cnemidophorus (Squamata: Teiidae), BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The genus Cnemidophorus meets a set of species with wide distribution, from Central America, including the Antilles, to Argentina. These lizards occur in open areas the Amazonia, the Caatinga, the Cerrado, "campos rupestres", restingas, and many other areas of transition between Biomes. In these areas the species richness and the relative abundance of individuals by species are very high, is why it is one the more conspicuous components of the open landscapes of South America cisandina. The species of the genus are currently separated in four morphological groups: 1) the group of C. lacertoides, formed by species that occurring in southern Brazil to Argentina; 2) the group of C. longicauda includes two species endemic of the Monte region in Argentina; 3) the group of C. ocellifer formed by 11 species, which are a set a well successful and widely distributed in all domains morphoclimatic to the south of the Amazonia-Caatinga, Cerrado, the restinga, and paraguayan and argentinian Chaco. Finally 4) the group of C. lemniscatus is composed by species distributed from Amazonia to the north, including the Caribbean island. The same way as in the group of C. ocellifer, there is much morphological variation (with ontogenetic change), mainly in the color pattern, suggesting that many species under the name of C. lemniscatus.The phylogenetics analyzes the genus made by me in my Ph.D. indicated that the group is paraphyletic, with their species more closely related to other genera (Aspidoscelis, Ameiva or Kentropyx) that their co-generic. Although in neither of these analyzes I included samples that adequately represent the taxonomic diversity and geographic the group of C. lemniscatus. The group was always related with the genus Kentropyx, while the monophyly of the other groups always recovers.Given sequence to work on the systematic of the group of Cnemidophorus ocellifer, the goal of this study is research the taxonomic status of the lizards currently under the name of C. lemniscatus. In addition, the new characters obtained, whether morphology (lepidosis, skeleton, hemipenis, coloration and morphometry) and molecular (mitochondrial and nuclear DNA) for the species of the group of C. lemniscatus, adding to those obtained in my Ph.D., in order to more robust phylogenetic analyze of the entire genus. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

OLIVEIRA, ELIANA F.; GEHARA, MARCELO; SAO-PEDRO, VINICIUS A.; CHEN, XIN; MYERS, EDWARD A.; BURBRINK, FRANK T.; MESQUITA, DANIEL O.; GARDA, ADRIAN A.; COLLI, GUARINO R.; RODRIGUES, MIGUEL T.; et al. Speciation with gene flow in whiptail lizards from a Neotropical xeric biome. Molecular Ecology, v. 24, n. 23, p. 5957-5975, DEC 2015. (11/50146-6, 12/02212-2)

ARIAS, FEDERICO JOSE; RECODER, RENATO; BEATRIZ ALVAREZ, BLANCA; ETHCEPARE, EDUARDO; QUIPILDOR, MATIAS; LOBO, FERNANDO; RODRIGUES, MIGUEL TREFAUT. Diversity of teiid lizards from Gran Chaco and Western Cerrado (Squamata: Teiidae). ZOOLOGICA SCRIPTA, v. 47, n. 2, p. 144-158, MAR 2018. (11/50146-6, 03/10335-8, 12/02212-2)