Pure-Reptiles

Hi Leute, in Kürze erscheint eine neue Arbeit über die Systematik der Gattung Corallus.

Colston et al. 2012. Molecular systematics and historical biogeography of tree boas (Corallus spp.). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.





Abstract
Inferring
the evolutionary and biogeographic history of taxa occurring in a
particular region is one way to determine the processes by which the
biodiversity of that region originated. Tree boas of the genus Corallus
are an ancient clade and occur throughout Central and South America and
the Lesser Antilles, making it an excellent group for investigating
Neotropical biogeography. Using sequenced portions of two mitochondrial
and three nuclear loci for individuals of all recognized species of Corallus, we infer phylogenetic relationships, present the first molecular analysis of the phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic C. cropanii, develop a time-calibrated phylogeny, and explore the biogeographic history of the genus. We found that Corallus
diversified within mainland South America, via over-water dispersals to
the Lesser Antilles and Central America, and via the traditionally
recognized Panamanian land bridge. Divergence time estimates reject the
South American Caribbean-Track as a general biogeographic model for Corallus
and implicate a role for events during the Oligocene and Miocene in
diversification such as marine incursions and the uplift of the Andes.
Our findings also suggest that recognition of the island endemic
species, C. grenadensis and C. cookii, is questionable as they are nested within the widely distributed species, C. hortulanus.
Our results highlight the importance of using widespread taxa when
forming and testing biogeographic hypotheses in complex regions and
further illustrate the difficulty of forming broadly applicable
hypotheses regarding patterns of diversification in the Neotropical
region.

http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.precise.p…055790312004782