Phylogenetic affinities of the Iraqi populations of Saw-scaled vipers of the genus Echis (Serpentes: Viperidae), revealed by sequences of mtDNA genes |
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| Authors: | Fadhil Abbas Rhadi Nasrullah Rastegar-Pouyani Rihab Ghaleb Mohammed Seyyed Saeed Hosseinian Yousefkhani |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran;2. Al-Qasim Green University, Babylon, Iraq;3. Young Researchers and Elite Club, Shirvan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shirvan, Iran |
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| Abstract: | The Saw-scaled vipers of the species Echis carinatus range from Sri Lanka and India westwards to Iraq, including the eastern Arabian Peninsula. We collected the species in southern Iraq and compared two mtDNA genes (16S and Cyt b) with other populations of this species and with other species of the genus. Analyses of both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference confirmed E. carinatus as a monophyletic species. The samples from Iraq cluster with populations of the species from Pakistan and UAE. Populations from India, however, are situated in a separate phylogenetic lineage. This can be explained by the geographic barriers between western (Iraq, Pakistan and UAE) and eastern (India) populations of the species. Soleyman Mountain in southern Pakistan is the main barrier between them and its role is reflected in the genetic distance between populations. |
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| Keywords: | 16S cytochrome b Echis carinatus Iraq monophyly mtDNA Viperidae |
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