Distribution and hybridization of Anguis fragilis and A. colchica in Hungary

Abstract

Slow worms (Anguis spp.) are widely distributed in Europe. Based on pronounced divergences in molecular markers the subspecies of the slow worm, Anguis fragilis, have been recently elevated to species level. In Hungary both A. fragilis and A. colchica are present in the mountainous areas with their range being separated by the Danube River with potential contact zones in the Danube valley. Based on morphology, hybridization of the two taxa has been described earlier from the Budai and Pilis Mountains. In order to reveal the exact distribution and confirm hybridization of Anguis taxa in Hungary we analyzed fragments of mitochondrial (ND2) and nuclear (Ragl) genes in 36 specimens from eight regions of Hungary and adjacent countries. The results confirmed the previously known distribution pattem with an east-west split along the Danube River and supported the morphological findings about hybridization in the Budai and Pilis Mountains.

Increased genetic structuring of isolatedSalamandra salamandrapopulations (Caudata: Salamandridae) at the margins of the Carpathian Mountains

“…), but similar differentiation has been described for the eastern slow worm ( Anguis colchica (Nordmann 1840)) with genetically distinct populations in the Apuseni Mountains (Gvoždík et al. ; Szabó and Vörös ).…”

Contrasting evolutionary histories of the legless lizards slow worms (Anguis) shaped by the topography of the Balkan Peninsula

“…In earlier studies, haplotypes belonging to the latter haplogroup were also found outside the Balkans, i.e. in northeastern Italy (haplotype f8 – [ 15 ]) and the Pannonian Plain (haplotypes AF04, AF05 – [ 16 ]). Another haplogroup from the basal radiation (haplotypes f14, f15 – [ 15 ]; and AF07 – [ 16 ]) and a single haplotype (f7 [ 14 ]) conform to populations from Western Europe (Spain, France).…”

“…in northeastern Italy (haplotype f8 – [ 15 ]) and the Pannonian Plain (haplotypes AF04, AF05 – [ 16 ]). Another haplogroup from the basal radiation (haplotypes f14, f15 – [ 15 ]; and AF07 – [ 16 ]) and a single haplotype (f7 [ 14 ]) conform to populations from Western Europe (Spain, France). All other A. fragilis haplotypes cluster into one large unit that might be divided into two geographically separated haplogroups: the northern we hereafter name the Illyrian-Central European haplogroup (ICE), and the southern one (the South Balkan haplogroup, SB).…”

“…All other A. fragilis haplotypes cluster into one large unit that might be divided into two geographically separated haplogroups: the northern we hereafter name the Illyrian-Central European haplogroup (ICE), and the southern one (the South Balkan haplogroup, SB). Haplotypes from the ICE haplogroup were also detected in Central Europe and southern Great Britain (haplotypes f1–f3, f12, f13 – [ 14 , 15 ]; AF01–AF03 – [ 16 ]). The ICE haplogroup is paraphyletic in respect to the SB haplogroup.…”

“…1 ; Additional file 1 : Table S1). To put our Balkan data into a complex phylogeographical context, we compiled an additional dataset supplemented by all known haplotypes, including those from outside the Balkans, previously published by [ 14 , 15 ]: A. fragilis (f1–f15), A. colchica (c1–c12), A. graeca (g1–g16), A. cephallonica (ce1, ce2), A. veronensis (v1–15); and [ 16 ]: A. fragilis (AF01–AF07), A. colchica (AC01, AC02). The resulting dataset contained 271 sequences, excluding outgroup.…”