Cryptic species in Iphisa elegans Gray, 1851 (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) revealed by hemipenial morphology and molecular data

Author(s)

Sales Nunes, Pedro M. ^[1] ; Fouquet, Antoine ^[1] ; Curcio, Felipe F. ^[1] ; Kok, Philippe J. R. ^{[2, 3]} ; Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-05422970 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Vrije Univ Brussel, Unit Ecol & Systemat, Dept Biol, B-1050 Brussels - Belgium

^[3] Royal Belgian Inst Nat Sci, Dept Vertebrates, B-1000 Brussels - Belgium

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY; v. 166, n. 2, p. 361-376, OCT 2012.
• Web of Science Citations: 48

Abstract

Iphisa elegans Gray, 1851 is a ground-dwelling lizard widespread over Amazonia that displays a broadly conserved external morphology over its range. This wide geographical distribution and conservation of body form contrasts with the expected poor dispersal ability of the species, the tumultuous past of Amazonia, and the previously documented prevalence of cryptic species in widespread terrestrial organisms in this region. Here we investigate this homogeneity by examining hemipenial morphology and conducting phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial (CYTB) and nuclear (C-MOS) DNA sequence data from 49 individuals sampled across Amazonia. We detected remarkable variation in hemipenial morphology within this species, with multiple cases of sympatric occurrence of distinct hemipenial morphotypes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed highly divergent lineages corroborating the patterns suggested by the hemipenial morphotypes, including co-occurrence of different lineages. The degrees of genetic and morphological distinctness, as well as instances of sympatry among mtDNA lineages/morphotypes without nuDNA allele sharing, suggest that I. elegans is a complex of cryptic species. An extensive and integrative taxonomic revision of the I. elegans complex throughout its wide geographical range is needed. (c) 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 166, 361376. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 07/00811-8 - Hemipenial morphology of microteiid lizards and their implications on phylogenetic relationships of the Gymnophtalmidae family
• Grantee: Pedro Murilo Sales Nunes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 03/10335-8 - Systematics and evolution of the herpetological fauna from Neotropical areas
• Grantee: Miguel Trefaut Urbano Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants