Phylogenetic relationships among populations of Pristurus rupestris Blanford,1874 (Sauria: Sphaerodactylidae) in southern Iran

Abstract

We examined intraspecific relationships of the subspecies Pristurus rupestris iranicus from the northern Persian Gulf area (Hormozgan, Bushehr, and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces). Phylogenetic relationships among these samples were estimated based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. We used three methods of phylogenetic tree reconstruction (maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference). The sampled populations were divided into 5 clades but exhibit little genetic divergence between populations, suggesting that these all represent a single species and subspecies. The low genetic divergences suggest that the species may have expanded its range within Iran since the last drying period of the Persian Gulf.