Cryptic, Sympatric Diversity in Tegu Lizards of the Tupinambis teguixin Group (Squamata, Sauria, Teiidae) and the Description of Three New Species. 2016

John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
Science & Education, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, 60605, United States of America.

Tegus of the genera Tupinambis and Salvator are the largest Neotropical lizards and the most exploited clade of Neotropical reptiles. For three decades more than 34 million tegu skins were in trade, about 1.02 million per year. The genus Tupinambis is distributed in South America east of the Andes, and currently contains four recognized species, three of which are found only in Brazil. However, the type species of the genus, T. teguixin, is known from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela (including the Isla de Margarita). Here we present molecular and morphological evidence that this species is genetically divergent across its range and identify four distinct clades some of which are sympatric. The occurrence of cryptic sympatric species undoubtedly exacerbated the nomenclatural problems of the past. We discuss the species supported by molecular and morphological evidence and increase the number of species in the genus Tupinambis to seven. The four members of the T. teguixin group continue to be confused with Salvator merianae, despite having a distinctly different morphology and reproductive mode. All members of the genus Tupinambis are CITES Appendix II. Yet, they continue to be heavily exploited, under studied, and confused in the minds of the public, conservationists, and scientists.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008116 Lizards Reptiles within the order Squamata that generally possess limbs, moveable EYELIDS, and EXTERNAL EAR openings, although there are some species which lack one or more of these structures. Chameleons,Geckos,Chameleon,Gecko,Lizard
D010802 Phylogeny The relationships of groups of organisms as reflected by their genetic makeup. Community Phylogenetics,Molecular Phylogenetics,Phylogenetic Analyses,Phylogenetic Analysis,Phylogenetic Clustering,Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis,Phylogenetic Comparative Methods,Phylogenetic Distance,Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares,Phylogenetic Groups,Phylogenetic Incongruence,Phylogenetic Inference,Phylogenetic Networks,Phylogenetic Reconstruction,Phylogenetic Relatedness,Phylogenetic Relationships,Phylogenetic Signal,Phylogenetic Structure,Phylogenetic Tree,Phylogenetic Trees,Phylogenomics,Analyse, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic Comparative,Clustering, Phylogenetic,Community Phylogenetic,Comparative Analysis, Phylogenetic,Comparative Method, Phylogenetic,Distance, Phylogenetic,Group, Phylogenetic,Incongruence, Phylogenetic,Inference, Phylogenetic,Method, Phylogenetic Comparative,Molecular Phylogenetic,Network, Phylogenetic,Phylogenetic Analyse,Phylogenetic Clusterings,Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses,Phylogenetic Comparative Method,Phylogenetic Distances,Phylogenetic Group,Phylogenetic Incongruences,Phylogenetic Inferences,Phylogenetic Network,Phylogenetic Reconstructions,Phylogenetic Relatednesses,Phylogenetic Relationship,Phylogenetic Signals,Phylogenetic Structures,Phylogenetic, Community,Phylogenetic, Molecular,Phylogenies,Phylogenomic,Reconstruction, Phylogenetic,Relatedness, Phylogenetic,Relationship, Phylogenetic,Signal, Phylogenetic,Structure, Phylogenetic,Tree, Phylogenetic
D004247 DNA A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine). DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013020 South America The southern continent of the Western Hemisphere, extending southward from the Colombia-Panama border.
D049810 Genetic Speciation The splitting of an ancestral species into daughter species that coexist in time (King, Dictionary of Genetics, 6th ed). Causal factors may include geographic isolation, HABITAT geometry, migration, REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION, random GENETIC DRIFT and MUTATION. Speciation, Genetics,Cladogenesis,Cladogeneses,Speciation, Genetic
D061350 Sympatry In evolutionary theory, overlapping geographic distribution of diverging species. In sympatric GENETIC SPECIATION, genetic diversion occurs without geographic separation. Sympatric Species,Species, Sympatric,Specy, Sympatric,Sympatric Specy,Sympatries
D019143 Evolution, Molecular The process of cumulative change at the level of DNA; RNA; and PROTEINS, over successive generations. Molecular Evolution,Genetic Evolution,Evolution, Genetic

Related Publications

John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
November 1988, Revista brasileira de biologia,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
January 2003, Journal of environmental biology,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
September 1989, Brain research,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
October 1972, Brain research,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
January 2011, Zeitschrift fur Naturforschung. C, Journal of biosciences,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
January 2000, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
June 2001, Cell calcium,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
January 2013, ZooKeys,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
December 2012, The Journal of parasitology,
John C Murphy, and Michael J Jowers, and Richard M Lehtinen, and Stevland P Charles, and Guarino R Colli, and Ayrton K Peres, and Catriona R Hendry, and R Alexander Pyron
November 2007, Genetica,
Copied contents to your clipboard!