It has been proposed that melanism in cordylids evolved in response to a single climatic event and that melanistic populations of Karusasaurus polyzonus are relictual. This study investigates the genetic relationships of melanistic and non-melanistic populations of K. polyzonus along the west coast of South Africa. Thirty-five specimens of K. polyzonus were collected from three ‘melanistic’ and eight ‘non-melanistic’ sample localities. Partial sequence data were derived for two mitochondrial DNA loci (16S rRNA and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase component 2 (ND2)) and analysed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. In addition, a haplotype network was constructed using TCS and an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was conducted. The derived topologies were highly congruent and showed that melanistic and non-melanistic populations were interdigitated on all tree topologies and a number of haplotypes were shared between melanistic and non-melanistic specimens. These results suggest that melanistic populations of K. polyzonus are ecotypes, not relics.
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1 April 2011
Are Melanistic Populations of the Karoo Girdled Lizard, Karusasaurus polyzonus, Relics or Ecotypes? A Molecular Investigation
Hanlie M. Engelbrecht,
P. le Fras N. Mouton,
Savel R. Daniels
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African Zoology
Vol. 46 • No. 1
April 2011
Vol. 46 • No. 1
April 2011
16S rRNA
coastal climatic conditions
Karusasaurus polyzonus
melanism
Nd2