Hiding deep in the trees: discovery of divergent mitochondrial lineages in Malagasy chameleons of the Calumma nasutum group.

ABSTRACT: WE CONDUCTED A COMPREHENSIVE MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETIC STUDY FOR A GROUP OF CHAMELEONS FROM MADAGASCAR (CHAMAELEONIDAE: Calumma nasutum group, comprising seven nominal species) to examine the genetic and species diversity in this widespread genus. Based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial gene (ND2) from 215 specimens, we reconstructed the phylogeny using a Bayesian approach. Our results show deep divergences among several unnamed mitochondrial lineages that are difficult to identify morphologically. We evaluated lineage diversification using a number of statistical phylogenetic methods (general mixed Yule-coalescent model; SpeciesIdentifier; net p-distances) to objectively delimit lineages that we here consider as operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and for which the taxonomic status remai

SUBMITTER: Gehring PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3434913 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature