Population genomic analyses support sympatric origins of parapatric morphs in a salamander.

In numerous clades, divergent sister species have largely non-overlapping geographic ranges. This pattern presumably arises because species diverged in allopatry or parapatry, prior to a subsequent contact. Here, we provide population-genomic evidence for the opposite scenario: previously sympatric ecotypes that have spatially separated into divergent monomorphic populations over large geographic scales (reverse sympatric scenario).

Using natural history collections to investigate changes in pangolin (Pholidota: Manidae) geographic ranges through time.

Pangolins, often considered the world's most trafficked wild mammals, have continued to experience rapid declines across Asia and Africa. All eight species are classed as either Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Alongside habitat loss, they are threatened mainly by poaching and/or legal hunting to meet the growing consumer demand for their meat and keratinous scales.