Phylogenetic Relationships of the Family Agamidae (Reptilia: Iguania) Inferred from Mitochondrial DNA Sequences

Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships of the family Agamidae were inferred from 860 base positions of a mitochondrial DNA sequence of 12S and 16S rRNA genes. Results confirmed the monophyly of this family including Leiolepis and Uromastyx (Leiolepidinae), and indicated the sister relationship between Agamidae and Chamaeleonidae. Our results also indicated the presence of two major clades in Agamidae. In one of these major clades, "Leiolepidinae" was first diverged, followed by the Lophognathus and Hypsilurus in order, leaving Physignathus, Chlamydosaurus and Pogona as monophyletic. This result contradicts the currently prevailing hypothesis for the agamid phylogeny, which, on the basis of morphological data, assumes the primary dichotomy between Leiolepidinae and the remainder (Agaminae). The phylogenetic diversity of agamid lizards in the Australian region is supposed to have increased through an in situ continental radiation rather than through multiple colonizations from Southeast Asia. Distributions of some species in Asia and Melanesia are attributed to the secondary dispersals subsequent to this radiation.

Molecular Evaluation of Phylogenetic Significances in the Highly Divergent Karyotypes of the Genus Gonocephalus (Reptilia: Agamidae) from Tropical Asia

“…We incorporated published data representing the six major agamid groups of Moody (1980) (Groups I-VI), the Chamaeleonidae ( Bradypodion fischeri ), the Polychridae ( Anolis carolinensis ), and the Iguanidae ( Iguana iguana ) (see Appendix for accession numbers). Of these, the last three species were regarded as outgroups, because these families are considered to be basal to the Agamidae (Frost and Etheridge, 1989;Macey et al , 1997;Honda et al , 2000) Extraction, amplification and sequencing of DNA are described in detail elsewhere (Honda et al , 1999a, b). A part of mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA genes consisting of approximately 860 base pairs (bp) were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers L1091, H1478, L2606, and H3056 (Kocher et al , 1989;Hedges et al , 1993).…”

“…A part of mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA genes consisting of approximately 860 base pairs (bp) were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers L1091, H1478, L2606, and H3056 (Kocher et al , 1989;Hedges et al , 1993). Alignments for DNA sequences were unambiguously determined based on maximum nucleotide similarity following Honda et al (2000).…”

A Biogeographic Synthesis of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Indochina

“…The nested phylogenetic position of mainland lizard species Physignathus cocincinus among Australian agamids is also explained by an ancestral dispersal from Southeast Asia into Australia via Sundaic land bridges, and subsequent recolonization of Southeast Asia (Honda et al, 2000b). Similarly, within the Asian grass lizard genus Takydromus, nested phylogenetic positions of mainland species among island species have been explained by dispersal from Southeast Asia and southern China to east Asian islands with a subsequent recolonization of the continent , or by a bifurcated dispersal from southeast China, west to Mainland Southeast Asia, and east to east Asian islands (after Lin et al, 2002).…”

Molecular phylogenetic evidence for ancient divergence of lizard taxa on either side of Wallace's Line

“…The two prevailing hypotheses for the origin of a major faunal change across Wallace's Line invoke either Late Tertiary (less than 25 Myr ago) dispersal events (Tyler 1979;Baverstock & Donnellan 1990;Honda et al 2000) or ancient fragmentation of Gondwanan plates (Moody 1980;Estes 1983;Macey et al 2000). The first hypothesis claims that climatic changes and the close proximity of the Australia-New Guinea plate to Laurasia during the Miocene would have allowed Laurasian groups to disperse to Australia or New Guinea and to occupy open niches not available in South East Asia (Cogger & Heatwole 1981).…”