Relationships of Tarentola (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from the Cape Verde Islands estimated from DNA sequence data

Abstract

Abstract. Thirteen specimens of Taren/ala from the Cape Verde islands were sequenced for 695 base pairs of l2S rRNA and cytochrome b mitochondrial genes, and analysed with published sequences. Our results support many of the relationships previously proposed. We report the presence of Taren/ala gigas Bocage, 1875 on Sao Nicolau and Taren/ala cabaverdiana nicalauensis Schleich, 1984 on Sao Vicente. This increases the number of genetically distinct forms on these islands; hence community structure appears to be more complex than previously understood. We also sequenced seven individuals for 375 base pairs of the nuclear gene. C-mos. Two sites were variable, much less than expected given the high levels of differentiation based on mitochondrial DNA sequences.

Saving collections: taxonomic revision of the herpetological collection of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisbon (Portugal) with a protocol to rescue abandoned collections

“…Part of the material assigned to the genus Chioninia was studied and published by Margarida Pinheiro on two different occasions (Pinheiro 1986(Pinheiro , 1990, while a few geckos of the genera Hemidactylus and Tarentola were used by José Jesus for sequencing and phylogenetic analysis (Jesus et al 2001(Jesus et al , 2002. More recently the collection has been consulted by Raquel Vasconcelos (1980-to date) for several ecological and dietary studies of species of the genus Tarentola.…”