Bangor University, School of Biological Sciences, Environment Centre Wales, Brambell Building, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2009 Dec;53(3):792-807. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2009.08.002. Epub 2009 Aug 8.
We analyze the phylogeny of the medically important and taxonomically unresolved viper genus Echis using four mitochondrial gene fragments. The results show that the populations of the genus fall into four main clades: the Echis carinatus, E. coloratus, E. ocellatus and E. pyramidum groups. The E. pyramidum and E. coloratus groups are sister taxa but the interrelationships of this clade and the E. ocellatus and E. carinatus groups are unresolved. The initial divergence of the genus appears to coincide with the collision between Afro-Arabia and Eurasia, and that between the E. coloratus and E. pyramidum clades appears to be associated with the opening of the Red Sea. Later land connections between Africa and Arabia may have contributed to shaping the distribution of the E. pyramidum complex. The present distribution of E. carinatus may be the result of range expansion from southern India. Taxonomically, our results provide molecular evidence for the validity of Echis omanensis, E. khosatzkii, E. borkini and E. jogeri, for the presence of unsuspected genetic diversity within the E. pyramidum complex in eastern Africa, and for the conspecificity of E. carinatus and E. multisquamatus. The status of E. leucogaster remains to be confirmed.
我们使用四个线粒体基因片段分析了医学上重要且分类学上尚未解决的毒蛇属 Echis 的系统发育。结果表明，该属的种群分为四个主要分支：Echis carinatus、E. coloratus、E. ocellatus 和 E. pyramidum 组。E. pyramidum 和 E. coloratus 组是姐妹群，但该分支与 E. ocellatus 和 E. carinatus 组之间的相互关系尚未解决。该属的最初分化似乎与非洲-阿拉伯和欧亚大陆的碰撞同时发生，而 E. coloratus 和 E. pyramidum 分支的分化似乎与红海的张开有关。后来非洲和阿拉伯之间的陆地连接可能有助于塑造 E. pyramidum 复合体的分布。E. carinatus 的目前分布可能是其从印度南部扩张的结果。从分类学上看，我们的结果为 Echis omanensis、E. khosatzkii、E. borkini 和 E. jogeri 的有效性提供了分子证据，为东非 E. pyramidum 复合体中存在意想不到的遗传多样性提供了证据，还为 E. carinatus 和 E. multisquamatus 的同物异性提供了证据。E. leucogaster 的地位仍有待确认。
