Biogeography and evolution of the Smooth snake Coronella austriaca (Serpentes: Colubridae) in the Iberian Peninsula: evidence for Messinian refuges and Pleistocenic range expansions

Abstract

The European Smooth snake, Coronella austriaca Laurenti, 1768, presents a continuous distribution range across central and northern Europe, with isolated fragmented populations in the southern European peninsulas. Up to 814 bp of mitochondrial DNA from 34 specimens were used to determine the phylogeny and biogeography of this species within the Iberian Peninsula. The results indicate that Coronella austriaca presents at least three mtDNA lineages in Iberia that may have originated during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, 5.3-5.9 Ma. Posterior range shifts within the independent clades were facilitated by climatic fluctuations that occurred during the Pleistocene Ice Ages and, in the Iberian Peninsula, created a complex scenario of refugia-within-refugia. The formation of old allopatric lineages during the Messinian followed by shifts in the distribution range during the Pleistocene coincide with what has been reported for other Iberian reptiles and amphibians and highlights the importance of the Southern European Peninsulas as "old" hotspots of biodiversity. Our results also support the more recent view that the accentuated environmental instability occurred during the Pleistocene did not lead to speciation in many animal groups. The subspecific status of C. a. acutirostris is confirmed by the mtDNA analyses.

Evolutionary history of the genus Tarentola (Gekkota: Phyllodactylidae) from the Mediterranean Basin, estimated using multilocus sequence data

“…Another extremely influential event occurred during the Pleistocene when sea level and climate oscillations led to repeated isolation and connection of taxa [6,7], and consequent population differentiation [e.g. [8,9]]. At a more local scale, the Atlas Mountains originated during the mid- to late Miocene as a consequence of the impact between the Eurasian and African plates [10], and seem to have been an important barrier for allopatric speciation [e.g.…”

First helminthological data on the Iberian adder, Vipera seoanei

“…These discrepancies between the Iberian and other European viper hosts suggest an influence of the paleo-tectonic and climatic history of the Iberian Peninsula in shaping (and limiting) the infracommunities of Iberian vipers, as has been already indicated for the biogeographic history of these viper hosts (Martínez-Freiría et al 2015 , 2020 ), as well as other snake hosts (e.g. Santos et al 2008 ).…”