title: Out of Africa: Phylogeny and biogeography of the widespread genus Acanthodactylus (Reptilia: Lacertidae).
abstract: Acanthodactylus lizards are among the most diverse and widespread diurnal reptiles in the arid regions spanning from North Africa across to western India. Acanthodactylus constitutes the most species-rich genus in the family Lacertidae, with over 40 recognized species inhabiting a wide variety of dry habitats. The genus has seldom undergone taxonomic revisions, and although there are a number of described species and species-groups, their boundaries, as well as their interspecific relationships, remain largely unresolved. We constructed a multilocus phylogeny, combining data from two mitochondrial (12S, cytb) and three nuclear (MC1R, ACM4, c-mos) markers for 302 individuals belonging to 36 known species, providing the first large-scale time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of the genus. We evaluated phylogenetic relationships between and within species-groups, and assessed Acanthodactylus biogeography across its known range. Acanthodactylus cladogenesis is estimated to have originated in Africa due to vicariance and dispersal events from the Oligocene onwards. Radiation started with the separation into three clades: the Western and scutellatus clades largely distributed in North Africa, and the Eastern clade occurring mostly in south-west Asia. Most Acanthodactylus species diverged during the Miocene, possibly as a result of regional geological instability and climatic changes. We support most of the current taxonomic classifications and phylogenetic relationships, and provide genetic validity for most species. We reveal a new distinct blanfordii species-group, suggest new phylogenetic positions (A. hardyi, A. masirae), and synonymize several species and subspecies (A. lineomaculatus, A. boskianus khattensis and A. b. nigeriensis) with their phylogenetically closely-related species. We recommend a thorough systematic revision of taxa, such as A. guineensis, A. grandis, A. dumerilii, A. senegalensis and the pardalis and erythrurus species-groups, which exhibit high levels of intraspecific variability, and clear evidence of phylogenetic complexity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel. Electronic address: karintmr@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tamar
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Passeig Maritím de la Barceloneta, 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carranza
authors.affiliation: Museo Civico de Storia Naturale, via San Francesco di Sales 188, I-10022 Carmagnola, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sindaco
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, National Museum, Cirkusová 1740, 19300 Prague 9, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jiří
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moravec
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de paludologie et zoologie médicale, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR MIVEGEC, B.P. 1386, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Trape
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel; The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel.
authors.forename: Shai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meiri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D003889:Desert Climate; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D008116:Lizards / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; C075526:RNA, ribosomal, 12S; D004247:DNA; D045303:Cytochromes b
keywords: Arabia; Diversification; Molecular clock; Phylogeography; Systematics; Taxonomy