engleski

Non-concordant phylogeographical patterns of three widely codistributed endemic Western Balkans lacertid lizards (Reptilia, Lacertidae) shaped by specific habitat requirements and different responses to Pleistocene climatic oscillations

The Balkan Peninsula is a hot-spot for European herpetofaunal biodiversity and endemism. The rock climbing lizards Dalmatolacerta oxycephala and Dinarolacerta mosorensis, and the ground-dwelling Dalmatian Wall lizard Podarcis melisellensis are endemic to the western Balkans, and their ranges largely overlap. Here we present a comparative phylogeographic study of these three species in the area of their co-distribution in order to determine the level of concordance in their evolutionary patterns. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and 16S rRNA), and a molecular clock approach was used to date the most important events in their evolutionary histories. We also tested for correlations regarding genetic differentiation among populations and their geographical distances. For all three species, a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances was found. Within D. oxycephala two deeply separated clades ("island" and "mainland clade"), with further subdivision of the "mainland clade" into two subclades ("southeastern" and "northwestern"), were found. High sequence divergences were observed between these groups. From our data, the time of separation of the two main clades of D. oxycephala can be estimated at about 5 mya, and at about 0.8 mya for the two subclades of the mainland clade. Within D. mosorensis, coalescense time may be dated at about 1 mya, while D. mosorensis and D. montenegrina separated around 5 mya. The results imply the existence of complex paleo-biogeographical and geological factors that probably influenced the observed phylogeographic patterns in these lacertid species, and point to the presence of numerous glacial / interglacial refugia. Furthermore, the observed cryptic genetic diversity within the presently monotypic species D. oxycephala prompts for a revision of its taxonomic and conservation status.

Podarcis melisellensis; Dalmatolacerta oxycephala; Dinarolacerta mosorensis; mitochondrial

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