title: Multilocus phylogeny of the Asian Lance-headed pitvipers (Squamata, Viperidae, Protobothrops).
abstract: Despite the public health significance and potential applications to medical research, the evolutionary history of the Asian Lance-headed pitvipers (genus Protobothrops) remains inadequately studied. Previous research generally focused on a few selected species with no comprehensive molecular study of Protobothrops. Here, we conduct the first study to infer the phylogenetic relationships of all currently recognized species in this genus based on four mitochondrial DNA fragments and four nuclear genes. Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood analyses show that within Protobothrops there are four strongly supported clades forming distinct subgroups. The first subgroup, which is sister to the other three, consists of three species, P. himalayanus, P. kaulbacki, and P. sieversorum. The second subgroup contains only P. mangshanensis. The final two subgroups, which are sister groups, include the other four and six Protobothrops species. Although our findings provide additional information on the phylogenetic relationships of the genus Protobothrops, the placement of P. dabieshanensis and P. elegans remains problematic. In addition, our molecular results indicate that P. trungkhanhensis, currently considered endemic to Vietnam, should be added to the species known from China. Our ancestral area estimation indicated that Protobothrops likely originated in southwestern China. This study improves our understanding of the evolutionary relationships among species of Asian Lance-headed pitvipers, providing a greater framework for future studies.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: ybguop@163.com.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Guanghui
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet St., Hanoi, Vietnam; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Nguyen Q
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Truong
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL 60625; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Jadin
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin 644007, China; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Cao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D002681:China; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D010802:Phylogeny; D014744:Vietnam; D017819:Viperidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial