Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae)

Sara Ruane; Edward A. Myers; Kahmun Lo; Sara Yuen; Rachel S. Welt; Maya Juman; India Futterman; Ronald A. Nussbaum; Gregory Schneider; Frank T. Burbrink; Christopher J. Raxworthy

doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1375046

Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae)

Sara Ruane, Edward A. Myers, Kahmun Lo, Sara Yuen, Rachel S. Welt, Maya Juman, India Futterman, Ronald A. Nussbaum, Gregory Schneider, Frank T. Burbrink, Christopher J. Raxworthy

Rutgers, The State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although many wide-ranging taxa occur in Madagascar, phylogeographic studies for most of these species are still lacking. This is especially the case for snakes, where of more than 100 endemic species, the population structure of only two species has so far been examined. Here, we examine genetic population structure of one of the most common snakes of Madagascar, Mimophis mahfalensis (Grandidier, 1867). This taxon is the only representative of Psammophiinae in Madagascar, where the majority of species in this subfamily is distributed throughout mainland Africa. Applying an integrative approach, where both morphological data and genetic results from coalescent species delimitation analyses are considered, we determine that Mimophis mahfalensis is composed of two distinct taxa: M. mahfalensis in the central montane and southern parts of Madagascar, and a second new species restricted to the north and north-west, which we describe here. We also examine the colour pattern polymorphism exhibited in Mimophis, which has been previously hypothesized as sexually dimorphic and/or geographically correlated. However, we find all three colour morphs in both sexes, and both species of Mimophis. Our work highlights the importance of phylogeographic studies that examine wide-ranging taxa to detect cryptic species diversity, even amongst species that are common, or have been previously considered to be well known. www.zoobank.org/lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9791DC0B-49E5-4571-884C-4AA85EAF2472.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	229-244
Number of pages	16
Journal	Systematics and Biodiversity
Volume	16
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1375046
State	Published - Apr 3 2018

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Plant Science

Keywords

African snakes
Colubroid
Lamprophiidae
Madagascar
Malagasy biodiversity
Psammophiinae
species delimitation

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https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1375046

Cite this

Ruane, S., Myers, E. A., Lo, K., Yuen, S., Welt, R. S., Juman, M., Futterman, I., Nussbaum, R. A., Schneider, G., Burbrink, F. T., & Raxworthy, C. J. (2018). Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae). Systematics and Biodiversity, 16(3), 229-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1375046

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title = "Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae)",

abstract = "Although many wide-ranging taxa occur in Madagascar, phylogeographic studies for most of these species are still lacking. This is especially the case for snakes, where of more than 100 endemic species, the population structure of only two species has so far been examined. Here, we examine genetic population structure of one of the most common snakes of Madagascar, Mimophis mahfalensis (Grandidier, 1867). This taxon is the only representative of Psammophiinae in Madagascar, where the majority of species in this subfamily is distributed throughout mainland Africa. Applying an integrative approach, where both morphological data and genetic results from coalescent species delimitation analyses are considered, we determine that Mimophis mahfalensis is composed of two distinct taxa: M. mahfalensis in the central montane and southern parts of Madagascar, and a second new species restricted to the north and north-west, which we describe here. We also examine the colour pattern polymorphism exhibited in Mimophis, which has been previously hypothesized as sexually dimorphic and/or geographically correlated. However, we find all three colour morphs in both sexes, and both species of Mimophis. Our work highlights the importance of phylogeographic studies that examine wide-ranging taxa to detect cryptic species diversity, even amongst species that are common, or have been previously considered to be well known. www.zoobank.org/lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9791DC0B-49E5-4571-884C-4AA85EAF2472.",

keywords = "African snakes, Colubroid, Lamprophiidae, Madagascar, Malagasy biodiversity, Psammophiinae, species delimitation",

author = "Sara Ruane and Myers, {Edward A.} and Kahmun Lo and Sara Yuen and Welt, {Rachel S.} and Maya Juman and India Futterman and Nussbaum, {Ronald A.} and Gregory Schneider and Burbrink, {Frank T.} and Raxworthy, {Christopher J.}",

note = "Funding Information: Funding provided by the National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology under [grant number DEB 1257610], [grant number 0641023], [grant number 0423286], [grant number 9984496 (CJR)], [grant number 9625873], [grant number 9322600 (RAN, CJR)] and [grant number 1257926 (FTB)]; the American Museum of Natural History Science Research Mentoring Program, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund, the Richard Gilder Graduate School, and the Gerstner Scholar Program. Research conducted at the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017, {\textcopyright} The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London 2017. All Rights Reserved.",

year = "2018",

month = apr,

day = "3",

doi = "https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1375046",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "16",

pages = "229--244",

journal = "Systematics and Biodiversity",

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Ruane, S, Myers, EA, Lo, K, Yuen, S, Welt, RS, Juman, M, Futterman, I, Nussbaum, RA, Schneider, G, Burbrink, FT & Raxworthy, CJ 2018, 'Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae)', Systematics and Biodiversity, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 229-244. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2017.1375046

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T1 - Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes

T2 - Lamprophiidae)

AU - Ruane, Sara

AU - Myers, Edward A.

AU - Lo, Kahmun

AU - Yuen, Sara

AU - Welt, Rachel S.

AU - Juman, Maya

AU - Futterman, India

AU - Nussbaum, Ronald A.

AU - Schneider, Gregory

AU - Burbrink, Frank T.

AU - Raxworthy, Christopher J.

N1 - Funding Information: Funding provided by the National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology under [grant number DEB 1257610], [grant number 0641023], [grant number 0423286], [grant number 9984496 (CJR)], [grant number 9625873], [grant number 9322600 (RAN, CJR)] and [grant number 1257926 (FTB)]; the American Museum of Natural History Science Research Mentoring Program, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund, the Richard Gilder Graduate School, and the Gerstner Scholar Program. Research conducted at the American Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan. Publisher Copyright: © 2017, © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London 2017. All Rights Reserved.

PY - 2018/4/3

Y1 - 2018/4/3

N2 - Although many wide-ranging taxa occur in Madagascar, phylogeographic studies for most of these species are still lacking. This is especially the case for snakes, where of more than 100 endemic species, the population structure of only two species has so far been examined. Here, we examine genetic population structure of one of the most common snakes of Madagascar, Mimophis mahfalensis (Grandidier, 1867). This taxon is the only representative of Psammophiinae in Madagascar, where the majority of species in this subfamily is distributed throughout mainland Africa. Applying an integrative approach, where both morphological data and genetic results from coalescent species delimitation analyses are considered, we determine that Mimophis mahfalensis is composed of two distinct taxa: M. mahfalensis in the central montane and southern parts of Madagascar, and a second new species restricted to the north and north-west, which we describe here. We also examine the colour pattern polymorphism exhibited in Mimophis, which has been previously hypothesized as sexually dimorphic and/or geographically correlated. However, we find all three colour morphs in both sexes, and both species of Mimophis. Our work highlights the importance of phylogeographic studies that examine wide-ranging taxa to detect cryptic species diversity, even amongst species that are common, or have been previously considered to be well known. www.zoobank.org/lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9791DC0B-49E5-4571-884C-4AA85EAF2472.

AB - Although many wide-ranging taxa occur in Madagascar, phylogeographic studies for most of these species are still lacking. This is especially the case for snakes, where of more than 100 endemic species, the population structure of only two species has so far been examined. Here, we examine genetic population structure of one of the most common snakes of Madagascar, Mimophis mahfalensis (Grandidier, 1867). This taxon is the only representative of Psammophiinae in Madagascar, where the majority of species in this subfamily is distributed throughout mainland Africa. Applying an integrative approach, where both morphological data and genetic results from coalescent species delimitation analyses are considered, we determine that Mimophis mahfalensis is composed of two distinct taxa: M. mahfalensis in the central montane and southern parts of Madagascar, and a second new species restricted to the north and north-west, which we describe here. We also examine the colour pattern polymorphism exhibited in Mimophis, which has been previously hypothesized as sexually dimorphic and/or geographically correlated. However, we find all three colour morphs in both sexes, and both species of Mimophis. Our work highlights the importance of phylogeographic studies that examine wide-ranging taxa to detect cryptic species diversity, even amongst species that are common, or have been previously considered to be well known. www.zoobank.org/lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9791DC0B-49E5-4571-884C-4AA85EAF2472.

KW - African snakes

KW - Colubroid

KW - Lamprophiidae

KW - Madagascar

KW - Malagasy biodiversity

KW - Psammophiinae

KW - species delimitation

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JO - Systematics and Biodiversity

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Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae)

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

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