Phylogenetic relationships of African green snakes (genera Philothamnus and Hapsidophrys) from São Tomé, Príncipe and Annobon islands based on mtDNA sequences, and comments on their colonization and taxonomy

• Author(s): Jesus, José ; Nágy, Zoltan T. ; Branch, William R. ; Wink, Michael ; Brehm, António ; Harris, D. James
• Date: 2009
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.13/4480
• Origin: DigitUMa - Repositório da Universidade da Madeira
• Subject(s): 16S rRNA; Cytochrome b; Gulf of Guinea islands; Hapsidophrys principis; Philothamnus girardi; Philothamnus thomensis; .; Faculdade de Ciências da Vida
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English
• Contributor(s): DigitUMa

Description

Mitochondrial sequences (16S rRNA and cytochrome b) of the colubrine snake genera Philothamnus and Hapsidophrys were analysed. Samples were obtained from three volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea. The main objective was to infer phylogenetic relationships between the taxa and to trace back the colonization patterns of the group. Both insular species, Philothamnus girardi and Philothamnus thomensis, form a monophyletic unit indicating a single colonization event of one island (probably São Tomé) followed by dispersal to Annobon. Genetic divergence was found to be relatively low when compared with other Philothamnus species from the African mainland, but sufficient to consider the two taxa as distinct sister species. Here we also present evidence on the distinct phylogenetic position of Hapsidophrys sp. from the island of Príncipe, which should be considered as a distinct species, Hapsidophrys principis, a sister taxon of H. smaragdina.