We analyse phylogeny, systematics and biogeography of slider turtles (Trachemys spp.) using sequence data of four mitochondrial genes (3242 bp) and five nuclear loci (3396 bp) of most South American and southern Central American taxa and representatives of northern Central American, West Indian and North American slider species (16 species and subspecies) and allied North American species (genera Chrysemys, Deirochelys, Graptemys, Malaclemys, Pseudemys). By applying maximum likelihood, relaxed molecular clock and ancestral range analyses, we provide evidence for two successive colonizations of South America by slider turtles. In addition, we show that the current species delineation of Central and South American slider turtles is incorrect. Our data suggest that Trachemys grayi is a distinct polytypic species that embraces, besides the nominotypical subspecies, T. g. emolli and T. g. panamensis. Trachemys ornata is also polytypic with the subspecies T. o. ornata, T. o. callirostris, T. o. cataspila, T. o. chichiriviche and T. o. venusta. Moreover, T. adiutrix should be regarded as a subspecies of T. dorbigni. All studied Trachemys species are inferred to have originated in the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene. The ancestor of the two subspecies of T. dorbigni colonized South America most probably prior to the establishment of the land bridge connecting Central and South America, whereas the two South American subspecies of T. ornata represent a younger independent immigration wave from Central America.

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rfer, A. K. (2010). Molecular phylogeny of African hinged and helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: Pelusios and Pelomedusa). -Zoologica Scripta, 40, 115-125.With 18 currently recognised species, Pelusios is one of the most speciose chelonian genera worldwide, even though the taxonomy of some species is contentious. Recent investigations suggested that the closely related, but morphologically distinct genus Pelomedusa is paraphyletic with respect to Pelusios, and that Pelomedusa consists of nine deeply divergent lineages. Using three mitochondrial and three nuclear DNA fragments (2054 bp mtDNA, 2025 bp nDNA), we examined for the first time the phylogeny of Pelusios by molecular means. Our analyses included all Pelusios species, except the probably extinct P. seychellensis, as well as the nine Pelomedusa lineages. The results showed that Pelusios and Pelomedusa are reciprocally monophyletic. Limited sampling of Pelusios species and homoplasy introduced by remote outgroups most likely explain the paraphyly of Pelomedusa in previous studies. The distinctiveness of most Pelusios species was confirmed, but none of the currently recognised species groups within Pelusios was monophyletic. In Pelusios rhodesianus and P. sinuatus distinct genetic lineages were discovered, suggestive of cryptic taxa. In contrast, the recognition of the weakly differentiated P. castaneus and P. chapini as full species is doubtful, as is the validity of the Malagasy and Seychellois subspecies of P. castanoides. GenBank sequences of P. williamsi were nested within P. castaneus, but the morphological distinctiveness of the two species makes it likely that the GenBank sequences (derived from a turtle from the pet trade) are misidentified. Divergence among the distinct genetic lineages of Pelomedusa equals or exceeds the differences among Pelusios species, supporting the view that Pelomedusa is a species complex.

We examine the phylogeography, phylogeny and taxonomy of hinge‐back tortoises using a comprehensive sampling of all currently recognized Kinixys species and subspecies and sequence data of three mitochondrial DNA fragments (2273 bp: 12S rRNA, ND4 + adjacent DNA coding for tRNAs, cytb) and three nuclear loci (2569 bp: C‐mos, ODC, R35). Combined and individual analyses of the two data sets using Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods suggest that the savannah species of Kinixys are paraphyletic with respect to the rainforest species K. homeana and K. erosa, and that the rainforest species may be derived from a savannah‐living ancestor. The previously recognized savannah species K. belliana was a conglomerate of three deeply divergent clades that we treat here as distinct species. We restrict the name K. belliana (Gray, 1830) to hinge‐back tortoises ranging from Angola to Burundi, while five‐clawed hinge‐back tortoises from the northernmost part of the formerly recognized range of K. belliana, together with four‐clawed tortoises from West Africa, are assigned to the species K. nogueyi (Lataste, 1886). These two species are allied to K. spekii, whereas Southeast African and Malagasy hinge‐back tortoises formerly lumped together with K. belliana represent the distinct species K. zombensis Hewitt, 1931, which is sister to K. lobatsiana. The latter two species together constitute the sister group of the rainforest species K. homeana and K. erosa. Mitochondrial data suggest that K. natalensis has a basal phylogenetic position in a clade embracing K. belliana sensu stricto, K. nogueyi and K. spekii, while nuclear data and the two data sets combined favour a sister group relationship of K. natalensis to all other hinge‐back tortoises. Phylogeographic structure is present in all wide‐ranging species and correlates in K. homeana and K. erosa with the Dahomey Gap and former rainforest refugia. The Malagasy population of K. zombensis is weakly differentiated from its South African conspecifics and further sampling is needed to determine whether there is support for the subspecific distinctness of Malagasy tortoises.

Using sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, we investigated phylogeographic differentiation of the Amazonian tortoise species Chelonoidis carbonaria and C. denticulata. While C. carbonaria is generally restricted to savannah habitats and adjacent forests, C. denticulata is associated with wet tropical and subtropical forests. Our study suggests a correlation between distinct habitat preferences and phylogeography of the two species. In Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses, haplotypes of C. carbonaria cluster in several distinct clades reflecting the species' patchy distribution in savannah habitats. By contrast, haplotypes of C. denticulata are only weakly differentiated; a finding also confirmed by parsimony network analysis. This suggests that the contiguous Amazonian rainforest allows gene flow between populations of the forest-dwelling C. denticulata throughout the range, but significantly impedes gene flow in C. carbonaria. The phylogeographic structure and extant distribution pattern of C. carbonaria is supportive of former Amazonian rainforest fragmentation, enabling the dispersal of savannah species. Based on fossil calibration, we dated divergence times for the C. carbonaria clades using a relaxed molecular clock, resulting in average estimates ranging from 4.0-2.2 mya. This implies that the onset of rainforest fragmentation could predate the Pleistocene considerably. Furthermore, our findings call for further research on geographic and taxonomic variation in C. carbonaria and for a reassessment of the conservation status of the distinct genetic units.