Evolutionary Relationships of the Anolis bimaculatus Group from the Northern Lesser Antilles

Abstract

Lizards in the Anolis bimaculatus group from the northern Lesser Antilles have played an important role in theoretical and empirical developments in ecology, behavior, and evolution over the last four decades. Despite intense interest, the lack of a formal phylogenetic analysis for the bimaculatus group has limited comparative and historical evolutionary analyses. Here we present a phylogenetic analysis of species relationships within the bimaculatus group based on separate and combined analyses of mitochon- drial DNA and previously published allozyme data. These analyses indicate that (1) the wattsi group of small anoles is a basal, well-supported monophyletic group; (2) the large anoles A. bimaculatus and A. leachi are not sister species-rather, there is a well-supported sister relationship between A. bimaculatus and A. gingivinus; (3) the A. marmoratus complex from the Guadeloupean archipelago is deeply differentiated and paraphyletic, with A. sabanus, A. lividus, and possibly A. oculatus nested within it; (4) the phylogenetic position of A. leachi is not well resolved, but a combined analysis of mtDNA and allozyme data favor placing A. leachi as the sister taxon to the (A. marmoratus, A. lividus, A. sabanus, A. oculatus) group; and (5) the phylogenetic position of A. nubilus remains uncertain pending additional data. The proposed phylogeny elucidates the evolutionary history and biogeography of the bimaculatus group and allows a reassessment of the character displacement and taxon cycle/loop hypotheses.