title: Species delimitation of the blue-spotted spiny lizard within a multilocus, multispecies coalescent framework, results in the recognition of a new Sceloporus species.
abstract: Species delimitation is a major topic in systematics. Species delimitation methods based on molecular data have become more common since this approach provides insights about species identification via levels of gene flow, the degree of hybridization and phylogenetic relationships. Also, combining multilocus mitochondrial and nuclear DNA leads to more reliable conclusions about species limits. Coalescent-based species delimitation methods explicitly reveal separately evolving lineages using probabilistic approaches and testing the delimitation hypotheses for several species. Within a multispecies, multilocus, coalescent framework, we were able to clarify taxonomic uncertainties within S. cyanostictus, an endangered lizard that inhabits a narrow strip of the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico. We included, for the first time in a phylogenetic analysis, lizards from the three populations of S. cyanostictus recognized so far (East Coahuila, West Coahuila and Nuevo León). Phylogenetic analysis corroborates the hypothesis of two separately evolving lineages, i.e. the East and West Coahuila populations, as proposed in a previous study. We also found a distant phylogenetic relationship between the lizards from Nuevo León and those of East and West Coahuila. Finally, based on the species delimitation results, we propose and describe a new species of Sceloporus: S. gadsdeni sp. nov.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Carretera antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, C.P. 91070 Xalapa Enríquez, Veracruz, Mexico.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Díaz-Cárdenas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad de Guadalajara, Camino Ing. Ramón Padilla Sánchez 2100, Nextipac, Zapopán, Jalisco 45510, Mexico. Electronic address: ruizsanchez.eduardo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Sanchez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Guadalajara, Centro Universitario de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Camino Ing. Ramón Padilla Sánchez 2100, Nextipac, C.P. 45510 Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castro-Felix
authors.affiliation: Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Av. Universidad S/N col. Filadelfia, C.P. 35010 Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico.
authors.forename: Gamaliel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castañeda-Gaytán
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Carretera antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, C.P. 91070 Xalapa Enríquez, Veracruz, Mexico.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Santana
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Centro Regional de Bajío, Av. Lázaro Cárdenas 253, 61600 Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.
authors.forename: Héctor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gadsden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D056426:Genetic Loci; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008116:Lizards / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D009711:Nucleotides
keywords: BP&P; Chihuahuan Desert; Molecular data; Sceloporus; Systematics; Taxonomic uncertainties