Phylogenetic relationships of the populations of Iranolacerta brandtii (de Filippi, 1863) (Squamata: Lacertidae) recently found in Eastern Anatolia,Turkey |
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| Authors: | Catarina Rato Mehmet Zülfü Yıldız Naşit İğci Kurtuluş Olgun Çetin Ilgaz Aziz Avcı |
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| Affiliation: | 1. CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Universidade do Porto, Vair?o, Vila do Conde, Portugalcatarina.rato@cibio.up.pt;3. Zoology Section, Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Science, Ad?yaman University, Ad?yaman, Turkey;4. Proteomics Department, Biotechnology Institute, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey;5. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Adnan Menderes University, Izmir, Turkey;6. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey |
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| Abstract: | The Persian Lizard, Iranolacerta brandtii, was until recently considered to be restricted to north-western Iran (Azerbaijan and Esfahan provinces). However, two recent studies have revealed the existence of populations in Eastern Anatolia, extending the range of this species for about 230?km westwards. The fragmented distribution of this species has been considered to be a consequence of the climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene and Holocene, which created events of alternating contact and isolation of populations in distinct glacial refugia. According to our obtained genealogy derived from three mitochondrial fragments (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and cytb), the Turkish specimens cluster together but form an independent clade, sister to the individuals from Tabriz in Iran. The separation of these two clades is concurrent with the cladogenesis between the Esfahan and Ardabil clades, estimated to have taken place during the late Holocene. |
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| Keywords: | Iranolacerta brandtii Lacertidae Anatolia glacial refugia mtDNA |
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