Saberi-Pirooz Reihaneh, Shahriari Afarin, Ahmadzadeh Faraham, Javidkar Mohammad, Oladi Mahshid, Asadi Aghbolaghi Marzieh
Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 1983963113, Iran.
Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Evin, Tehran 1983963113, Iran.
Zoology (Jena). 2019 Jun;134:8-15. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2019.04.001. Epub 2019 Apr 4.
Pristurus rupestris is a member of Semaphore geckos with a wide distribution range. Recently, 14 candidate species of P. rupestris rupestris have been identified in the Hajar Mountains (Arabia), yet the knowledge on the Iranian counterparts is limited. The present study elucidates the phylogenetic position of the Iranian P. rupestris and investigates the hypothesis on its historical colonization from Oman to Iran and the associated islands. Therefore, 20 Iranian specimens along with 115 individuals from Oman were examined using two mitochondrial genes including the Cytochrome b and the 12S ribosomal RNA. The molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the individuals collected from Iran are well nested within the candidate Species 3 of P. r. rupestris, demonstrating a single population with high gene flow. Additionally, the molecular analyses showed that the genetic diversity within the Iranian Blanford's Semaphore geckos is low and that the candidate Species 3 experienced a recent expansion approximately 17 thousand years ago (Kya). The historical demographic analyses (BSP) showed a mild increase in the effective population size between 15-20 Kya. These time estimations coincide with the Last Glacial Maximum, when the Persian Gulf was almost dry, reinforcing the hypothesis that the species might have colonized southern Iran from Oman through the Persian Gulf. In addition, we propose P. r. iranicus to be synonymized with P. r. rupestris.
岩栖锯尾蜥虎是分布广泛的旗语壁虎属的一员。最近，在哈杰尔山脉（阿拉伯半岛）已鉴定出14个岩栖锯尾蜥虎指名亚种的候选物种，但对伊朗的同类物种了解有限。本研究阐明了伊朗岩栖锯尾蜥虎的系统发育位置，并研究了其从阿曼到伊朗及相关岛屿的历史殖民假说。因此，利用细胞色素b和12S核糖体RNA这两个线粒体基因，对20个伊朗标本以及来自阿曼的115个个体进行了检测。分子系统发育分析表明，从伊朗采集的个体很好地嵌套在岩栖锯尾蜥虎指名亚种的候选物种3中，表明是一个具有高基因流的单一群体。此外，分子分析表明，伊朗布氏旗语壁虎的遗传多样性较低，且候选物种3在大约1.7万年前经历了一次近期扩张。历史种群动态分析（贝叶斯天际线图）显示，在1.5 - 2万年前有效种群大小略有增加。这些时间估计与末次盛冰期相吻合，当时波斯湾几乎干涸，这强化了该物种可能从阿曼通过波斯湾殖民伊朗南部的假说。此外，我们提议将伊朗岩栖锯尾蜥虎同义于岩栖锯尾蜥虎指名亚种。
