Molecular phylogenetic relationships within the Phrynocephalus maculatus-arabicus species complex (Sauria: Agamidae) in Iran

Abstract

The genus Phrynocephalus Kaup, 1825, includes various species complexes. The Arabian species group (Ph. arabicus, Ph. ahvazicus, Ph. longicaudatus, and Ph. maculatus) is one of these which is distributed in southwest Asia. Phrynocephalus maculatus Anderson, 1872 is a member of the Ph. arabicus group that occurs only on the Iranian Plateau. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the taxonomic relationships of Ph. maculatus, comparing it to other species in the Arabian group and conducting a genetic analysis of its various populations on the Iranian Plateau. For this, two mitochondrial gene fragments (16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) were sequenced in different populations across its entire distributional range on the Iranian Plateau. The results indicated that a population of P. maculatus in Abarkouh is clearly genetically differentiated from other populations in Iran, whereas other populations show low levels of variability. In addition, a population from southern Pakistan showed a close relationship with Ph. lutensis Kamali & Anderson, 2015 and is not clustered with Ph. maculatus populations. The taxonomic position of Ph. ahvazicus Melnikov, Melnikova, Nazarov, Rajabizadeh, Al-Johani, Amr & Ananjeva, 2014 has not been confirmed, and we here consider it as a synonym of Ph. arabicus Anderson, 1894. Populations from southern Iraq (Basrah and Babylon provinces) belong to Ph. longicaudatus.