On the systematic status of the desert plated lizard (Angolosaurus skoogi): phylogenetic inference from DNA sequence analysis of the African Gerrhosauridae |
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Authors: | TRIP LAMB AMY M MEEKER AARON M BAUER WILLIAM R BRANCH |
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Institution: | Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA; Department of Biology, Villanova University, Villanova, PA 19085, USA; Port Elizabeth Museum, PO Box 13147, Humewood 6013, South Africa |
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Abstract: | The desert plated lizard ( Angolosaurus skoogi ), a 'sand sea' endemic of the northern Namib Desert, exhibits remarkable morphological convergence with other dune-dwelling lizards worldwide. This distinct ecomorphic condition sets Angolosaurus apart from the remaining genera in the family Gerrhosauridae. Indeed, a morphological phylogeny addressing generic relationships within the Cordyliformes (Cordylidae + Gerrhosauridae) identified Angolosaurus as the earliest diverging taxon among African gerrhosaurids. We re-evaluated the basal status of Angolosaurus , conducting a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the African and Madagascan gerrhosaurid genera. Our survey involved a comprehensive species-level comparison among the four nominal genera of mainland Africa ( Angolosaurus , Cordylosaurus , Tetradactylus and Gerrhosaurus ). Mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the cytochrome b , ND2, 12S and 16S rRNA genes were combined for analysis using both parsimony and maximum likelihood procedures. In contrast to the morphological hypothesis, our results do not depict Angolosaurus as the sister taxon to other African gerrhosaurids. Rather, the molecular analyses consistently place Angolosaurus within Gerrhosaurus , rendering the latter genus paraphyletic. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 78 , 253–261. |
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Keywords: | convergent evolution Gerrhosaurus mitochondrial DNA Namib Desert ultrapsammophile |
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