Evolutionary relationships, species delimitation and biogeography of Eastern Afromontane horned chameleons (Chamaeleonidae: Trioceros)

Evolutionary relationships, species delimitation and biogeography of Eastern Afromontane horned chameleons (Chamaeleonidae: Trioceros)

[Display omitted] •Species delimitation revealed hidden diversity in the chameleon genus Trioceros.•Potential new species awaiting description show geographical structuring.•Species from the Eastern Arc Mountains are generally restricted to one mountain block. The Eastern Afromontane Region (EAR) co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular phylogenetics and evolution Vol. 80; pp. 125 - 136
Main Authors: Ceccarelli, F. Sara, Menegon, Michele, Tolley, Krystal A., Tilbury, Colin R., Gower, David J., Laserna, Maiti H., Kasahun, Roman, Rodriguez-Prieto, Ana, Hagmann, Reto, Loader, Simon P.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-11-2014
Subjects:
Africa
Africa South of the Sahara
Ancestral areas
Animals
Bayes Theorem
Biodiversity
Biological Evolution
Climate
Ethiopia
Likelihood Functions
Lizards - classification
Lizards - genetics
Models, Genetic
Phylogeny
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Squamata
Tanzania
Africa South of the Sahara
Ancestral areas
Squamata
Biodiversity
Ethiopia
Africa
Tanzania
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Species delimitation revealed hidden diversity in the chameleon genus Trioceros.•Potential new species awaiting description show geographical structuring.•Species from the Eastern Arc Mountains are generally restricted to one mountain block. The Eastern Afromontane Region (EAR) contains numerous endemic species, yet its reptile diversity remains relatively poorly understood. We used molecular data to examine species diversity of the Sub-Saharan chameleon genus Trioceros. In particular, we focus on establishing species boundaries for taxa with disjunct distributions across the fragmented mountains of the EAR, including T. affinis, T. balebicornutus, T. deremensis, T. harennae, T. tempeli and T. werneri. We applied three species-delimiting approaches, General Mixed Yule-Coalescent (GMYC), a Bayesian implementation of the GMYC, and Bayes Factor Delimitation to estimate species diversity. Using a dated phylogeny, we also examined spatial and temporal diversification patterns in Trioceros. We found strong congruence between different species delimitation approaches, with all methods suggesting that species diversity is currently underestimated. In particular, T. werneri consists of at least four candidate species (i.e. species awaiting description) with some mountain ranges (Uluguru and Udzungwa) having potentially more than one species. Most interspecific divergences between extant Trioceros lineages are estimated to be >5Mya, consistent with a Pliocene origin of the endemic montane fauna, as exhibited in other taxonomic groups. Multiple, overlapping geographic events (climate and/or geomorphological changes) might account for speciation patterns in Trioceros given the dating results.
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ISSN:1055-7903
1095-9513
DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2014.07.023