Molecular phylogeny reveals strong biogeographic signal and two new species in a Cape Biodiversity Hotspot endemic mini-radiation, the pygmy geckos (Gekkonidae: Goggia)

Abstract

The gekkonid genus Goggia includes eight described species of mostly small-bodied rock dwelling gecko endemic to the southwestern portion of southern Africa, in South Africa and extreme southern Namibia. Previous studies focused on Goggia have employed external morphology and allozyme electrophoresis, but no sequence-based molecular phylogeny of the group has been produced. We have generated a molecular phylogeny of Goggia including all named species and multiple individuals within each species, using sequences of the mitochondrial gene ND2 and nuclear genes RAG1 and PDC. The phylogeny depicts a basal divergence between eastern and western species of small-bodied Goggia, with additional divergences also showing structure strongly correlated with geography. Goggia lineata and G. rupicola are shown to be non-monophyletic, and examination of external morphology supports the distinctiveness of these lineages. We describe two new species to accommodate the southern lineages of “G. lineata” and “G. rupicola”: Goggia incognita sp. nov. and Goggia matzikamaensis sp. nov. Both new species are separated from their northern relatives by geographic barriers: the Knersvlakte plain for G. incognita sp. nov. and G. lineata, and the high Kamiesberg mountains for G. matzikamaensis sp. nov. and G. rupicola. The possible roles of geography, ecology, and climate in promoting diversification within Goggia are discussed.

Climatic and topographic changes since the Miocene influenced the diversification and biogeography of the tent tortoise (Psammobates tentorius) species complex in Southern Africa

“…Despite being on a more recent time scale, divergence within a Little Karoo endemic plant species, Berkheya cuneata, shows two distinct lineages associated with the western and eastern Little Karoo, respectively [75], similar to Ptt-A and Ptt-D of P. t. tentorius. Pygmy geckos (Goggia) also show a similar differentiation pattern in the southern Cape [26]. On a broader scale, Cowling et al [20] proposed that increased topographic heterogeneity in response to moderate uplift in the Miocene played a major role, together with climatic deterioration, in the rapid diversification of the Cape plant clades.…”

“…Reptile diversity is comparatively high in Southern Africa [22][23][24] and genetic diversification in several taxa has been linked to climatic change, particularly during the Pliocene-Pleistocene period, although some cladogenic events date back to the Miocene [5]. In addition, landscape features have been postulated as having demarcated phylogeographic clades in some reptile taxa [25][26][27].…”

A global catalog of primary reptile type specimens

“…Given that specimens in collections may be misidentified and species names may change due to taxonomic revision, this is a welcome improvement that will help map sequences to specimens. For example, accession MF154856 in GenBank contains the RAG1 sequence from the holotype of the gecko Goggia matzikamaensis (Heinicke et al 2017), with specimen voucher and the type material qualifiers: specimen_voucher="MCZ: R-192186" and type_material="holotype of Goggia matzikamaensis".…”

A new Nucras Gray, 1838 (Squamata: Lacertidae) from the Strandveld of the Western Cape, South Africa

“…nov. is the ninth species of southern African sandveld lizard and the 23 rd reptile species endemic to the Western Cape Province (Turner 2017). The coast of the Western Cape continues to yield interesting new reptile discoveries (Bauer et al 2003;Heinicke et al 2017;Heinicke & Bauer 2018). Despite being a herpetofaunally rich area (Meyer et al 2010; and the site for a series of studies on the ecology, behavior and physiology of cordylid lizards (Bauwens et al 1999;Mouton et al 2000;Nieuwoudt et al 2003a, b, c;Costandius et al 2006;Broeckhoeven & Mouton 2015) and psammophine snakes (Cottone & Bauer 2008a, b, 2013, few studies (e.g., Burrage 1978;Cordes & Mouton 1996) have specifically reported on herpetofaunal diversity in the region.…”