Phylogenetic relationships of a new species of pseudoxyrhophiine snake (Reptilia: Lamprophiidae: Thamnosophis) suggest a biogeographical link between western and northern Madagascar

We describe a new species of the pseudoxyrhophiine snake genus Thamnosophis from a dry forest of the karstic massif Tsingy de Bemaraha in central western Madagascar. Thamnosophis mavotenda sp. n. is characterised by 19 dorsal scale rows, 188 ventrals, 110 subcaudals, and by colouration (e.g. yellow head sides). Morphological and molecular phylogenetic data indicate that the species is most closely related to the recently described Thamnosophis martae from the far north of the island which inhabits dry karstic forest and subhumid lowland rainforest. This species pair represents a well-supported example of a sister-group relationship in snakes between northern Madagascar and the Tsingy de Bemaraha plateau, and corroborates preliminary observations in other reptile species. We discuss this finding in the light of recent hypotheses on the biogeographic zonation of Madagascar.     

Chromosome evolution in pseudoxyrhophiine snakes from Madagascar: a wide range of karyotypic variability

In this first cytogenetic survey on the lamprophiid snake subfamily Pseudoxyrhophiinae, we studied the karyology of ten snake species belonging to seven genera from Madagascar (Compsophis, Leioheterodon, Liophidium, Lycodryas, Madagascarophis, Phisalixella and Thamnosophis) using standard and banding methods. Our results show a wide range of different karyotypes ranging from 2n = 34 to 2n = 46 elements (FN from 40 to 48), with nucleolus organizer regions (NORs) on one (plesiomorphic) or two (derived/apomorphic) microchromosome pairs, and W chromosome at early or advanced states of diversification from the Z chromosome. The observed W chromosome variations further support the most accepted hypothesis that W differentiation from the Z chromosome occurred by progressive steps. We also propose an evolutionary scenario for the observed high karyotype diversity in this group of snakes, suggesting that it is derived from a putative primitive pseudoxyrhophiine karyotype with 2n = 46, similar to that of Leioheterodon geayi, via a series of centric fusions and inversions among macrochromosomes and translocations of micro‐ either to micro‐ or to macrochromosomes. This primitive Pseudoxyrhophiinae karyotype might have derived from a putative Lamprophiidae ancestor with 2n = 48, by means of a translocation of a micro‐ to a macrochromosome. In turn, the karyotype of this lamprophiid common ancestor may have derived from the assumed primitive snake karyotype (2n = 36 chromosomes, with 16 biarmed macro‐ and 20 microchromosomes) by a series of centric fissions and one inversion. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 112 , 450–460.