Molecular Phylogeny of the Genus Acanthosaura (Agamidae)

Abstract

A 900bp fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b was sequenced from 63 specimens of the arboreal agamid lizard genus Acanthosaura from Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and Malaysia, representing all four currently recognized species. A hypothesis of maternal relationships was generated based on a maximum parsimony analysis of 44 different haplotypes. Pseudocalotes and Calotes were used as outgroup taxa. The genealogical analyses of the cytochrome b sequences recovered four lineages represented by A. armata, A. capra, A. crucigera, and A. lepidogaster. A fifth lineage consisted of one specimen from Ngoc Linh, Vietnam that was considered to be A. lepidogaster; however, recognizing it as such would render A. lepidogaster paraphyletic. Acanthosaura crucigera consisted of two clades. One of these clades contains cysteine in a portion of its cytochrome b, and is the sister group of all other species of Acanthosaura. In turn, the second clade of A. crucigera formed the sister group of A. armata, A. capra, and A. lepidogaster. A clade containing A. armata, A. capra and the sample from Ngoc Linh, Vietnam was the sister group to A. lepidogaster.