Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
Division of Evolutionary Biology, Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany.
Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2021 Apr;157:107063. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107063. Epub 2020 Dec 31.
The salamander genus Salamandra is widespread across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East and is renowned for its conspicuous and polymorphic colouration and diversity of reproductive modes. The phylogenetic relationships within the genus, and especially in the highly polymorphic species S. salamandra, have been very challenging to elucidate, leaving its real evolutionary history and classification at species and subspecies levels a topic of debate and contention. However, the distribution of diversity and species delimitation within the genus are critically important for identifying evolutionarily significant units for conservation and management, especially in light of threats posed by the pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans that is causing massive declines of S. salamandra populations in central Europe. Here, we conducted a phylogenomic analysis from across the taxonomic and geographic breadth of the genus Salamandra in its entire range. Bayesian, maximum likelihood and network-based phylogenetic analyses of up to 4905 ddRADseq-loci (294,300 nucleotides of sequence) supported the distinctiveness of all currently recognised species (Salamandra algira, S. atra, S. corsica, S. infraimmaculata, S. lanzai, and S. salamandra), and all five species for which we have multiple exemplars were confirmed as monophyletic. Within S. salamandra, two main clades can be distinguished: one clade with the Apenninic subspecies S. s. gigliolii nested within the Iberian S. s. bernardezi/fastuosa; and a second clade comprising all other Iberian, Central and East European subspecies. Our analyses revealed that some of the currently recognized subspecies of S. salamandra are paraphyletic and may require taxonomic revision, with the Central- and Eastern-European subspecies all being poorly differentiated at the analysed genomic markers. Salamandra s. longirostris - sometimes considered a separate species - was nested within S. salamandra, consistent with its subspecies status. The relationships identified within and between Salamandra species provide valuable context for future systematic and biogeographic studies, and help elucidate critical evolutionary units for conservation and taxonomy.
蝾螈属 Salamandra 广泛分布于欧洲、北非和近东地区，以其显著的多态性颜色和多样化的繁殖方式而闻名。属内的系统发育关系，特别是高度多态的 S. salamandra 物种，一直非常难以阐明，其真实的进化历史和种和亚种水平的分类一直是争论和争议的主题。然而，属内多样性的分布和物种划分对于确定保护和管理具有进化意义的单位至关重要，特别是考虑到由致病真菌 Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans 引起的威胁，该真菌正在导致中欧 S. salamandra 种群的大量减少。在这里，我们对蝾螈属的整个范围内的分类和地理范围进行了系统基因组分析。贝叶斯、最大似然和基于网络的系统发育分析支持了所有目前公认的物种（Salamandra algira、S. atra、S. corsica、S. infraimmaculata、S. lanzai 和 S. salamandra）的独特性，并且我们有多个样本的所有五个物种都被确认为单系。在 S. salamandra 中，可以区分出两个主要的分支：一个分支是 Apenninic 亚种 S. s. gigliolii 嵌套在 Iberian S. s. bernardezi/fastuosa 内；另一个分支由所有其他的伊比利亚、中欧和东欧亚种组成。我们的分析表明，一些目前被认可的 S. salamandra 亚种是并系的，可能需要进行分类修订，而分析的基因组标记表明中欧和东欧亚种分化程度较低。有时被认为是一个独立物种的 S. s. longirostris 嵌套在 S. salamandra 内，与其亚种地位一致。在 Salamandra 物种内和物种之间确定的关系为未来的系统学和生物地理学研究提供了有价值的背景，并有助于阐明保护和分类的关键进化单位。
