DNA phylogeny of Lacerta (Iberolacerta) and other lacertine lizards (Reptilia: Lacertidae): Did competition cause long‐term mountain restriction?

Abstract

West European Rock lizards, Lacerta (Iberolacerta) have small widely separated ranges in highland areas. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences corroborate the monophyly of the group and show it is not closely related to any of the other Rock lizards with which it was formerly placed in Archaeolacerta, an assemblage for which there is no evidence of clade status. L. (Iberolacerta) consists of four main units: L. (I.) horvathi of NW Croatia and neighbouring regions; the Pyrenees species, L. (I.) bonnali, L. (I.) aranica and L. (I.) aurelioi; L. (I.) cyreni of the Iberian Sistema Central, with distinctive populations in the Sierras de Bejar, Gredos and Guadarrama; and L. (I.) monticola of the Serra da Estrela of Central Portugal and NW Spain, this unit also contains L. (I.) cyrenimartinezricai of La Peña de Francia, W. Spain and a distinctive population in the Montañas de Sanabria. L. (Iberolacerta) has persisted in some mountain ranges for at least 4.2 ± 1.4 Ma and may have been restricted to mountains by competition from Wall lizards (Podarcis). Its clade status shows it has lost range extensively and has produced few external branches since its initial fragmentation. In contrast, Podarcis diversified about the time L. (Iberolacerta) fragmented, producing a series of widespread lineages that have persisted until the present time. The mainly European subfamily Lacertinae, to which both L. (Iberolacerta) and Podarcis belong, diversified rapidly 13–9 Ma ago, probably largely replacing other lacertid lizards of earlier origin. As another round of replacement started at approximately 9 Ma ago with the spread of Podarcis, this may be a recurrent phenomenon in the evolution of some lizard communities.