Molecular phylogeny and systematics of the pseudoxyrhophiine snake genus Liopholidophis (Reptilia, Colubridae): evolution of its exceptional sexual dimorphism and descriptions of new taxa

Abstract

The pseudoxyrhophiine snake genus Liopholidophis Mocquard, 1904 is endemic to Madagascar and consists of two distinct species groups. We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses using nucleotide sequences of c. 2200 bp from two mitochondrial genes (16S rRNA, cyt b) and one nuclear gene (c‐mos) to test the monophyly of the genus Liopholidophis and to investigate the relationships of the known species and an unidentified Liopholidophis population. Our phylogeny strongly supports the polyphyly of the genus Liopholidophis, confirms the monophyly of both species groups, and reveals that the unidentified population belongs to a new species. We therefore transfer the species of the former L. stumpffi group (L. epistibes, L. infrasignatus, L. lateralis, L. martae, and L. stumpffi) to a new genus Bibilava gen. n. and describe Liopholidophis dimorphus sp. n. from the rainforests of Montagne d’Ambre National Park in northern Madagascar. Finally, we compare our phylogeny with previous hypotheses and discuss the evolution of the extreme sexual dimorphism in tail length of Liopholidophis s. str.