Hiding deep in the trees: discovery of divergent mitochondrial lineages in Malagasy chameleons of the Calumma nasutum group Philip-Sebastian Gehring1, Krystal A. Tolley2,3, Falk Sebastian Eckhardt1,4,TedM.Townsend5, Thomas Ziegler6, Fanomezana Ratsoavina1,7,FrankGlaw8 & Miguel Vences1 1Zoological Institute, Technical University of Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany 2Applied Biodiversity Research Division, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa 3Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Matieland 7602, South Africa 4Tierarztliche¨ Hochschule Hannover, Zoological Institute, Bunteweg¨ 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany 5Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California 92182 6Cologne Zoo, Riehler Straße 173, 50735 Koln,¨ Germany 7Departement´ de Biologie Animale, Universite´ d’Antananarivo, BP 906, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar 8Zoologische Staatssammlung Munchen,¨ Munchhausenstr.¨ 21, 81247 Munchen,¨ Germany
Keywords Abstract Calumma nasutum group, Chamaeleonidae, genital morphology, Madagascar, molecular We conducted a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study for a group of diversity, snout appendage scales. chameleons from Madagascar (Chamaeleonidae: Calumma nasutum group, com- prising seven nominal species) to examine the genetic and species diversity in this Correspondence widespread genus. Based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial gene (ND2)from Miguel Vences, Zoological Institute, Technical 215 specimens, we reconstructed the phylogeny using a Bayesian approach. Our University of Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. results show deep divergences among several unnamed mitochondrial lineages that 4, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany. Tel: +49 531 391 3237; Fax: +49 531 391 8298; are difficult to identify morphologically. We evaluated lineage diversification using a E-mail: [email protected] number of statistical phylogenetic methods (general mixed Yule-coalescent model; SpeciesIdentifier; net p-distances) to objectively delimit lineages that we here con- This work was supported by Deutsche sider as operational taxonomic units (OTUs), and for which the taxonomic status Forschungsgemeinschaft (grant VE247/3-1), by remains largely unknown. In addition, we compared molecular and morphological the Volkswagen Foundation, the South African differentiation in detail for one particularly diverse clade (the C. boettgeri complex) National Biodiversity Institute, and EAZA. from northern Madagascar. To assess the species boundaries within this group we used an integrative taxonomic approach, combining evidence from two indepen- Received: 17 January 2012; Revised: 28 March 2012; Accepted: 31 March 2012 dent molecular markers (ND2 and CMOS), together with genital and other external morphological characters, and conclude that some of the newly discovered OTUs are separate species (confirmed candidate species, CCS), while others should best be considered as deep conspecific lineages (DCLs). Our analysis supports a total doi: 10.1002/ece3.269 of 33 OTUs, of which seven correspond to described species, suggesting that the taxonomy of the C. nasutum group is in need of revision.
ganisms, there are hundreds if not thousands of species yet to Introduction be described (e.g., MacKinnon, 2000; Meegaskumbura et al., Accurately inventorying and delimiting species is a fun- 2002; Fouquet et al., 2007; Vieites et al., 2009). The largest damental prerequisite for numerous fields of biological proportion of undescribed biotic diversity is suspected to research, such as evolutionary theory, biogeography, and live in the tropics, and one megadiverse area still containing conservation planning (e.g., Mayr, 1997). Despite this im- many undescribed species is Madagascar. This, the globe’s portance, biologists are still far from possessing a complete fourth largest island, harbors one of the most spectacular species inventory of our planet, which in turn seriously ham- but threatened biotas, with many components such as the pers our ability to conserve biotic resources (UNEP, 2008). amphibians and reptiles characterized by an extreme degree Even within vertebrates, one of the best-known groups of or- of endemicity. Madagascar’s herpetofauna has been more