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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Examination of evolutionary relationships in the Cape fossorial skink species complex (Acontinae: Acontias meleagris meleagris) reveals the presence of five cryptic lineages
Zoologica Scripta, Volume 38, No. 5, Year 2009
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Description
Variable morphological characters have obscured genealogical relationships in the Cape fossorial skink Acontias meleagris meleagris species complex. Currently the species complex contains four dubious operational taxonomic units (A. meleagris meleagris, A. m. orientalis, A. percivali tasmani and the morph lineicauda) with poorly defined species boundaries. In the present study we examine the evolutionary relationships within the species complex by sampling 24 skink populations from the known geographical distribution in the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, representing a total of 119 specimens. We used partial sequence data derived from two mitochondrial DNA genes, 16S rRNA and COI, and one nuclear DNA gene, intron β-fibrinogen (β-fibint 7), to examine evolutionary relationships. Phylogenetic relationships were determined using both Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) from the combined mtDNA, nDNA and the total evidence data. Additionally we employed Maximum likelihood (ML) analyses on the total evidence data that comprised ∼1.5 kb. Topologies derived from the combined mtDNA analyses were congruent with the total evidence analyses (mtDNA + nDNA) and retrieved five major clades with strong statistical support inferred from bootstrapping and posterior probabilities. The five clades were genealogically and geographically exclusive, diagnostic at both the mtDNA and nDNA level and characterized by pronounced sequence divergence, with no shared haplotypes between clades. Collectively these results suggest the presence of five putative cryptic operational taxonomic units within the A. meleagris meleagris species complex. Constraining the traditionally recognized taxa always retrieved a statistically worse topology suggesting that considerable taxonomic revision is required. Our results indicate that traditional morphological characters need to be reassessed to define the five novel lineages in the A. meleagris meleagris species complex. The phylogeographic pattern for the fossorial skinks we retrieved was novel compared to phylogeographic studies for codistributed above ground living taxa. These results suggest that the abiotic and biotic factors that impact subterranean taxa may differ from supraterranean taxa. © 2009 The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Authors & Co-Authors
Daniels, Savel Regan
South Africa, Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch University
Heideman, Neil J.L.
South Africa, Bloemfontein
University of the Free State
Hendricks, Martin G.J.
South Africa, Bellville
University of the Western Cape
Statistics
Citations: 26
Authors: 3
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1463-6409.2009.00387.x
ISSN:
03003256
e-ISSN:
14636409
Research Areas
Cancer
Genetics And Genomics
Study Locations
South Africa