MtDNA differentiation and taxonomy of Central Asian racerunners of Eremias multiocellata-E. przewalskii species complex (Squamata, Lacertidae)

Abstract

We provide an integrative analysis of the diversity of the E. multiocellata—E. przewalskii species complex in Central and Middle Asia using morphological and molecular (COI DNA-barcoding) data. We report preliminary data on mtDNA variation within this group and clarify the taxonomic status and distribution of the members of the species complex. We also provide a description of a new Eremias species from Eastern Kazakhstan and western Mongolia, where it occurs in sympatry with E. multiocellata sensu stricto, from which it can be clearly differentiated using both morphological and molecular characters. The new species, described as Eremias dzungarica sp. nov., is assigned to the subgenus Pareremias on the basis of the following features: subocular not reaching mouth edge; one frontonasal; two supraoculars; the row of small granular scales between supraoculars and frontal with frontoparietals absent; distance between the femoral pore rows being wide; femoral pore rows not reaching knee-joint; coloration pattern with light colored ocelli with black edging. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners on the basis of the following morphological attributes: a medium-sized lacertid lizard, maximum snout-vent length (SVL) = 64.5 mm, tail being ca. 1.5 times longer than body length (SVL), hindlimbs relatively long (hindlimb length to SVL ratio 0.46); subocular scale not reaching mouth edge, in touch with 6–8 supralabials; males with bright coloration consisting of 2–3 dorsolateral rows of light-colored ocelli with thick black edging; the ventral row of ocelli in life is greenish to bluish; dorsal pattern consisting of black irregular blotches along the middorsal line. We also report on the high genetic and morphological diversity of E. multiocellata in Mongolia and China, synonymize E. m. bannikowi with the nominative form E. m. multiocellata, discuss variation within E. przewalskii, synonymize E. p. tuvensis with the nominative form E. przewalskii, provide new data on E. cf. reticulata and E. m. tsaganbogdensis, confirm validity and clarify distribution ranges of E. stummeri, E. szczerbaki and E. yarkandensis and discuss further progress on taxonomic studies of the E. multiocellata—E. przewalskii species complex.

Amphibians and reptiles from Zoltan Kaszab’s expeditions to Mongolia held at the Hungarian Natural History Museum

“…Fifteen of the 26 native Mongolian amphibian and reptile species (Terbish et al 2006, Orlova et al 2014, 2017 The material tentatively identified by us as Eremias przewalski (Appendix) correspond to at least two different lineages based on the molecular results of Orlova et al (2017). The ID165 likely correspond to the lineage considered as E. cf.…”

“…przewalski, while ID 168 would correspond to the clade named as "E. cf. reticulata" by Orlova et al (2017). The specific affinities of the other revisited populations remain uncertain; however, ID 167 is geographically close to populations of E. przewalski sensu stricto.…”

“…6 and Appendix). The diversity of Mongolian Eremias is underestimated (Orlova et al 2017). Currently, this genus is represented in Mongolia by six described species: Eremias argus Peters, 1869, widely distributed in most of the eastern half of the country with a few isolated populations in western-central areas (Munkhbayar 1981, Reading et al 1999, Terbish et al 2006 and represented by two subspecies: E. a. argus along the eastern areas, and E. a. barbouri Schmidt, 1925, for the western populations (Ananjeva et al 1997); Eremias arguta (Pallas, 1773), represented in Mongolia by E. a. potanini Bedriaga, 1912, highly localized in the Dzungarian Govi Desert (Ananjeva et al 1997, Terbish et al 2006; Eremias multiocellata Günther, 1872, widely distributed in Mongolia, was formerly represented by E. m. multiocellata Günther, 1872, E. m. bannikowi Szczerbak, 1973, E. m. kozlowi Bedriaga, 1907and E. m. tsaganbogdensis Munkhabayar & Borkin, 2010, however, its taxonomic status is complex: (1) Eremias m. tsaganbogdensis, that inhabits the Tsagan Bogde Uul Mountains in southern Mongolia (Munkhbayar & Borkin 2010), is more closely related to E. przewalskii than to E. multiocellata s.…”

“…Currently, this genus is represented in Mongolia by six described species: Eremias argus Peters, 1869, widely distributed in most of the eastern half of the country with a few isolated populations in western-central areas (Munkhbayar 1981, Reading et al 1999, Terbish et al 2006 and represented by two subspecies: E. a. argus along the eastern areas, and E. a. barbouri Schmidt, 1925, for the western populations (Ananjeva et al 1997); Eremias arguta (Pallas, 1773), represented in Mongolia by E. a. potanini Bedriaga, 1912, highly localized in the Dzungarian Govi Desert (Ananjeva et al 1997, Terbish et al 2006; Eremias multiocellata Günther, 1872, widely distributed in Mongolia, was formerly represented by E. m. multiocellata Günther, 1872, E. m. bannikowi Szczerbak, 1973, E. m. kozlowi Bedriaga, 1907and E. m. tsaganbogdensis Munkhabayar & Borkin, 2010, however, its taxonomic status is complex: (1) Eremias m. tsaganbogdensis, that inhabits the Tsagan Bogde Uul Mountains in southern Mongolia (Munkhbayar & Borkin 2010), is more closely related to E. przewalskii than to E. multiocellata s. str., but further studies are needed to solve its taxonomic status (Orlova et al 2017), (2) E. m. bannikowi is a junior synomym of E. m. multiocellata (Orlova et al 2017), (3) the validity of the taxonomic status of E. E. przewalski m. kozlowi remains unknown as no specimen from the type locality has been studied within a molecular phylogenetic framework (Orlova et al 2017), and finally (4) the nominotypic subspecies comprises two mitochondrial clades in Mongolia: one corresponding to E. m. multiocellata , distributed over southern and north-western regions, and the other clade (named as "sand form B" by Orlova et al 2017) distributed over the eastern region (Szcerbak 1973, 1974, Orlova et al 2017; Eremias przewalskii (Strauch, 1878), is represented in Mongolia by two non-reciprocally monophyletic clades: one including the most widespread lineage across central and north-western region, corresponding to the nominal subspecies and its junior synonym E. p. tuvensis Szcerbak, 1974, and the other clade, closely related to two undescribed lineages, corresponding to another taxonomic unit distributed over southern Mongolia (Ananjeva et al 1997, Rogovin et al 2001, Terbish et al 2006…”

“…Eremias vermiculata Blandford, 1875, in Mongolia is restricted to southern regions (the Trans Altai Govi and Alashan Govi) with two locations in the Northern Govi (Ananjeva et al 1997, Terbish et al 2006. Finally, the recently described E. dzungarica Orlova, Poyarkov, Chirikova, Nazarov, Munkhbaatar, Munkhbayar & Terbish, 2017, inhabits the rocky areas of the Mongolian Dzungaria (Orlova et al 2017). The species represented in HNHM's materials are: E. argus (49), E. multiocellata (123), E. dzungarica (4), E. przewalskii (45) and E. arguta (1) (see Fig.…”