Sex Chromosome Turnovers and Stability in Snakes.

For a long time, snakes were presented as a textbook example of a group with gradual differentiation of homologous ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes. However, recent advances revealed that the ZZ/ZW sex chromosomes characterize only caenophidian snakes and certain species of boas and pythons have nonhomologous XX/XY sex chromosomes. We used genome coverage analysis in four non-caenophidian species to identify their sex chromosomes, and we examined the homology of sex chromosomes across phylogenetically informative snake lineages.

Revising the taxonomy of Darevskia valentini (Boettger, 1892) and Darevskia rudis (Bedriaga, 1886) (Squamata, Lacertidae): a Morpho-Phylogenetic integrated study in a complex Anatolian scenario.

Revealing biodiversity allows the accurate determination of the underlying causes of many biological processes such as speciation and hybridization. These processes contain many complex patterns, especially in areas with high species diversity. As two of the prominent zoogeographic areas, Anatolia and Caucasus are also home to the genus Darevskia, which has a complex morphological structure and parthenogenetic speciation.

Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms reveal recurrent waves of speciation in niche-pockets, in Europe's most venomous snake.

Within the Balkan Peninsula, topographic and climatic agents have promoted biodiversity and shaped the speciation history of many ectotherms. Here, we targeted an iconic European reptile, the nose-horned viper species-complex (Vipera ammodytes), and explored its spatial and temporal evolution. We (i) utilized genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms to infer genetic structure and build a time-calibrated species-tree, and (ii) applied species distribution modelling with niche-divergence tests among major phylogenomic clades.

The demise of a wonder: Evolutionary history and conservation assessments of the Wonder Gecko Teratoscincus keyserlingii (Gekkota, Sphaerodactylidae) in Arabia.

Effective biodiversity conservation planning starts with genetic characterization within and among focal populations, in order to understand the likely impact of threats for ensuring the long-term viability of a species. The Wonder Gecko, Teratoscincus keyserlingii, is one of nine members of the genus. This species is distributed in Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, with a small isolated population in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where it is classified nationally as Critically Endangered.

Phylogeography of Aegean green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup): continental hybrid swarm vs. insular diversification with discovery of a new island endemic.

Background: Debated aspects in speciation research concern the amount of gene flow between incipient species under secondary contact and the modes by which post-zygotic isolation accumulates. Secondary contact zones of allopatric lineages, involving varying levels of divergence, provide natural settings for comparative studies, for which the Aegean (Eastern Mediterranean) geography offers unique scenarios. In Palearctic green toads (Bufo viridis subgroup or Bufotes), Plio-Pleistocene (~ 2.

Taxonomic reassessment of Blanus strauchi (Bedriaga, 1884) (Squamata: Amphisbaenia: Blanidae), with the description of a new species from southeast Anatolia (Turkey).

The study of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences reveals that the polytypic Blanus strauchi is a species complex including three well-defined allopatric clades, one of which consists of two sub-clades. Only the two sub-clades of the Western clade are morphologically diagnosable in the field, whereas obvious characters to distinguish the Central and the Eastern clades are lacking. However, all four clades show significant statistical differentiation on meristic traits, as well as in morphometric characters of the head when compared by means of the geometric morphometrics.