Makhubo Buyisile G, Tolley Krystal A, Bates Michael F
Applied Biodiversity Research Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont 7735, South Africa; Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa; Herpetology Department, National Museum, P.O. Box 266, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa.
Applied Biodiversity Research Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont 7735, South Africa; Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2015 Jan;82 Pt A:31-42. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.09.025. Epub 2014 Oct 13.
The Afroedura nivaria species complex (A. nivaria, A. karroica, A. amatolica, A. tembulica and A. halli) is a morphologically conservative group of medium-sized flat geckos endemic to South Africa and Lesotho. Species are allopatric, as are some populations within species that are separated by large expanses of unsuitable habitat. Because of this isolation of populations we hypothesised that several cryptic species may be present. To investigate this hypothesis we constructed a molecular phylogeny using multiple markers, and included representatives of other Afroedura species. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses (439bp 16S, 593bp ND4, 948bp RAG1) strongly supported the genetic distinctiveness of the five described species. However, the A. nivaria species complex as currently described is not monophyletic, as A. karroica was positioned outside a clade containing all other Afroedura species, and A. pondolia (which was presumed to belong to a different species complex) was recovered within the A. nivaria complex. Several distinct clades within A. halli and A. nivaria were also recovered, and the narrowly-distributed A. amatolica consisted of two highly divergent clades. We also conducted a multivariate analysis using 19 morphological characters to investigate whether the clades recovered by the phylogeny were distinct in terms of head, body and limb shape. The analysis showed some variation between clades in terms of locomotor apparatus (forelimbs and feet), head and body dimensions, but overall the morphological differences were minor. This morphological conservatism in the A. nivaria complex may be a result of adaptation to similar microhabitats. Exclusive of A. karroica, the results suggest that there are at least nine species in this complex, of which four are cryptic and undescribed.
纳氏非洲睑虎物种复合体（纳氏非洲睑虎、卡鲁非洲睑虎、阿马托拉非洲睑虎、滕布利卡非洲睑虎和哈利非洲睑虎）是一类形态保守的中型扁尾壁虎，为南非和莱索托所特有。该复合体中的物种分布区不重叠，物种内的一些种群也是如此，它们被大片不适宜的栖息地隔开。由于种群的这种隔离，我们推测可能存在几个隐存种。为了验证这一假设，我们使用多个标记构建了分子系统发育树，并纳入了其他非洲睑虎物种的代表。贝叶斯推断和最大似然分析（439bp的16S、593bp的ND4、948bp的RAG1）有力地支持了已描述的五个物种在遗传上的独特性。然而，目前所描述的纳氏非洲睑虎物种复合体并非单系类群，因为卡鲁非洲睑虎位于包含所有其他非洲睑虎物种的一个分支之外，而庞多利亚非洲睑虎（之前被认为属于不同的物种复合体）却在纳氏非洲睑虎复合体中被发现。在哈利非洲睑虎和纳氏非洲睑虎中还发现了几个不同的分支，分布狭窄的阿马托拉非洲睑虎由两个高度分化的分支组成。我们还使用19个形态特征进行了多变量分析，以研究系统发育树中恢复的分支在头部、身体和肢体形状方面是否有明显差异。分析表明，各分支在运动器官（前肢和足部）、头部和身体尺寸方面存在一些差异，但总体而言形态差异较小。纳氏非洲睑虎复合体中的这种形态保守性可能是对相似微生境适应的结果。除卡鲁非洲睑虎外，结果表明该复合体中至少有九个物种，其中四个是隐存且未被描述的。
