A phylogeny of the only ground-dwelling radiation of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata, Gekkonidae): diversification of Geckoella across peninsular India and Sri Lanka

Agarwal, Ishan and Karanth, Praveen K (2015) A phylogeny of the only ground-dwelling radiation of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata, Gekkonidae): diversification of Geckoella across peninsular India and Sri Lanka. In: MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION, 82 (A). pp. 193-199.

PDF mol_phy_evo_82_193_2015.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (949kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

The subgenus Geckoella, the only ground-dwelling radiation within Cyrtodactylus, closely overlaps in distribution with brookii group Hemidactylus in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Both groups have Oligocene origins, the latter with over thrice as many described species. The striking difference in species richness led us to believe that Geckoella diversity is underestimated, and we sampled for Geckoella across peninsular India. A multi-locus phylogeny reveals Geckoella diversity is hugely underestimated, with at least seven undescribed species, doubling previously known richness. Strikingly, the new species correspond to cryptic lineages within described Indian species (complexes); a number of these endemic lineages from the hills of peninsular India outside the Western Ghats, highlighting the undocumented diversity of the Indian dry zone. The Geckoella phylogeny demonstrates deep splits between the Indian species and Sri Lankan G. triedrus, and between Indian dry and wet zone clades, dating back to the late Oligocene. Geckoella and brookii group Hemidactylus show contrasting diversification patterns. Geckoella shows signals of niche conservatism and appears to have retained its ancestral forest habitat. The late Miocene burst in speciation in Geckoella may be linked to the expansion of rain forests during the mid-Miocene climatic optimum and subsequent fragmentation with increasing late Miocene aridification. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
Publisher:	ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to the ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE, 525 B ST, STE 1900, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101-4495 USA
Keywords:	Mid-Miocene climatic optimum; Aridification; Cryptic species; Historical biogeography
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	21 Jan 2015 04:41
Last Modified:	21 Jan 2015 04:41
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/50709

Actions (login required)

View Item