Evolution and biogeography of the genus Tarentola (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in the Canary Islands, inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

Abstract

Sequences from fragments of the 12S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome b mitochondrial genes were used to analyze phylogenetic relationships among geckos of genus Tarentola from the Canary Islands. A surprisingly high level of within island differentiation was found in T. delalandii in Tenerife and T. boettgeri in Gran Canaria. Molecular differentiation between populations of T. angustimentalis on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and between Moroccan and Iberian Peninsula T. mauritanica, also indicate that at least two subspecies should be recognized within each of them. Phylogenetic relationships among these species reveals a higher level of differentiation and a more complex colonization pattern than those found for the endemic genus Gallotia. Lack of evidence for the presence of T. boettgeri bischoffi on the island of Madeira does not seem to support the origin of T. delalandii, T. gomerensis and the canarian subspecies of T. boettgeri from this island, whereas molecular data confirms that T. angustimentalis is a sister species of the continental T. mauritanica. Several independent colonization events from the continent and the extinction of some species are probably responsible for the current distribution of Tarentola in the Canary Islands.

Molecular phylogeography reveals island colonization history and diversification of western Indian Ocean sunbirds (Nectarinia: Nectariniidae)

“…Radiations which are contemporary with island formation commonly show a stepwise Ôisland colonized as it emergesÕ pattern from older to younger islands in the group. This has been observed among Hawaiian island birds (Fleischer et al, 1998) and crickets (Shaw, 1996), as well as Canary island lizards (Gonza alez et al, 1996;Thorpe et al, 1994), skinks (Brown and Pestano, 1998), geckos (Nogales et al, 1998), and beetles Juan et al, 1997Juan et al, , 1998. By contrast, several studies of radiation which post-date island formation have shown relatively rapid expansion and speciation, with a relatively short coalescence time within an archipelago.…”

Evolution on oceanic islands: molecular phylogenetic approaches to understanding pattern and process

“…1999), the yellow warbler ( Dendroica petechia ) to the West Indies archipelago (Klein & Brown 1994), warblers to Madagascar (Cibois et al . 1999), Tarentola geckos to Macaronesia (Nogales et al . 1998; Carranza et al .…”

Long-distance colonization and radiation in gekkonid lizards,Tarentola(Reptilia: Gekkonidae), revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequences

“…An ML a The 32 specimens used by Nogales et al (1998) for which sequences were downloaded from GenBank and incorporated into the present study. b Representatives of the reduced data set used for the molecular clock analysis.…”