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Jablonski D, Ribeiro-Júnior MA, Simonov E, Šoltys K, Meiri S. A new, rare, small-ranged, and endangered mountain snake of the genus Elaphe from the Southern Levant. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4839. [PMID: 36964263 PMCID: PMC10038995 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30878-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The genus Elaphe Fitzinger, 1833 includes 17 species of charismatic, large-sized, non-venomous, Eurasian snakes. In the Western Palearctic, the genus is represented by three species from the Elaphe quatuorlineata group ranging from the Apennine peninsula to Central Asia. The southernmost population of this group is distributed in the mountains of the Southern Levant, with more than 400 km gap to other Elaphe populations. This population has been known to science for only 50 years and is virtually unstudied due to its extreme rarity. We studied these snakes' morphological and genetic variation from the three countries where they are known to occur, i.e., Israel (Hermon, the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights), Lebanon, and Syria. We used nine mitochondrial and nuclear genes, complete mitogenome sequences, and a comprehensive morphological examination including published data, our own field observations, and museum specimens, to study its relationship to other species in the group. The three currently recognized species of the group (E. quatuorlineata, E. sauromates, E. urartica), and the Levant population, form four deeply divergent, strongly supported clades. Three of these clades correspond to the abovementioned species while the Southern Levant clade, which is genetically and morphologically distinct from all named congeners, is described here as a new species, Elaphe druzei sp. nov. The basal divergence of this group is estimated to be the Late Miocene with subsequent radiation from 5.1 to 3.9 Mya. The revealed biogeography of the E. quatuorlineata group supports the importance of the Levant as a major center of endemism and diversity of biota in Eurasia. The new species is large-sized and is one of the rarest snakes in the Western Palearctic. Because of its small mountain distribution range, in an area affected by land use and climate change, the new Elaphe urgently needs strict protection. Despite political issues, we hope this will be based on the cooperation of all countries where the new species occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Jablonski
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | | | - Evgeniy Simonov
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Katarína Šoltys
- Department of Microbiology and Virology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Comenius University Science Park, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Shai Meiri
- The School of Zoology and The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Stratakis M, Koutmanis I, Ilgaz Ç, Jablonski D, Kukushkin OV, Crnobrnja‐Isailovic J, Carretero MA, Liuzzi C, Kumlutaş Y, Lymberakis P, Poulakakis N. Evolutionary divergence of the smooth snake (Serpentes, Colubridae): The role of the Balkans and Anatolia. ZOOL SCR 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Manos Stratakis
- Department of Biology School of Sciences and Engineering University of Crete Irakleio Greece
- Natural History Museum of Crete School of Sciences and Engineering University of Crete Irakleio Greece
| | - Iraklis Koutmanis
- Department of Biology School of Sciences and Engineering University of Crete Irakleio Greece
- Natural History Museum of Crete School of Sciences and Engineering University of Crete Irakleio Greece
| | - Çetin Ilgaz
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Dokuz Eylül University Buca‐İzmir Turkey
- Research and Application Center for Fauna and Flora Dokuz Eylul University Buca‐İzmir Turkey
| | - Daniel Jablonski
- Department of Zoology Comenius University in Bratislava Bratislava Slovakia
| | - Oleg V. Kukushkin
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and Ecological Monitoring T.I. Vyazemski Karadag Research Station – Nature Reserve of Russian Academy of Sciences Theodosia Crimea
- Department of Herpetology Institute of Zoology of Russian Academy of Sciences Saint Petersburg Russia
| | - Jelka Crnobrnja‐Isailovic
- Department of Biology and Ecology Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics University of Niš Niš Serbia
- Department of Evolutionary Biology Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” ‐ National Institute of Republic of Serbia University of Belgrade Beograd Serbia
| | - Miguel A. Carretero
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources InBIO Universidade do Porto Vila do Conde Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto Porto Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics Biodiversity and Land Planning CIBIO Vairão Portugal
| | | | - Yusuf Kumlutaş
- Department of Biology Faculty of Science Dokuz Eylül University Buca‐İzmir Turkey
- Research and Application Center for Fauna and Flora Dokuz Eylul University Buca‐İzmir Turkey
| | - Petros Lymberakis
- Natural History Museum of Crete School of Sciences and Engineering University of Crete Irakleio Greece
| | - Nikos Poulakakis
- Department of Biology School of Sciences and Engineering University of Crete Irakleio Greece
- Natural History Museum of Crete School of Sciences and Engineering University of Crete Irakleio Greece
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) Foundation for Research and Technology ‐ Hellas (FORTH) Irakleio Greece
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Machado L, Harris DJ, Salvi D. Biogeographic and demographic history of the Mediterranean snakes Malpolon monspessulanus and Hemorrhois hippocrepis across the Strait of Gibraltar. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:210. [PMID: 34809580 PMCID: PMC8609814 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01941-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The contribution of North Africa to the assembly of biodiversity within the Western Palaearctic is still poorly documented. Since the Miocene, multiple biotic exchanges occurred across the Strait of Gibraltar, underlying the high biogeographic affinity between the western European and African sides of the Mediterranean basin. We investigated the biogeographic and demographic dynamics of two large Mediterranean-adapted snakes across the Strait and assess their relevance to the origin and diversity patterns of current European and North African populations. RESULTS We inferred phylogeographic patterns and demographic history of M. monspessulanus and H. hippocrepis, based on range-wide multilocus data, combined with fossil data and species distribution modelling, under present and past bioclimatic envelopes. For both species we identified endemic lineages in the High Atlas Mountains (Morocco) and in eastern Iberia, suggesting their persistence in Europe during the Pleistocene. One lineage is shared between North Africa and southern Iberia and likely spread from the former to the latter during the sea-level low stand of the last glacial stage. During this period M. monspessulanus shows a sudden demographic expansion, associated with increased habitat suitability in North Africa. Lower habitat suitability is predicted for both species during interglacial stages, with suitable areas restricted to coastal and mountain ranges of Iberia and Morocco. Compiled fossil data for M. monspessulanus show a continuous fossil record in Iberia at least since the Pliocene and throughout the Pleistocene. CONCLUSIONS The previously proposed hypothesis of Pleistocene glacial extinction of both species in Europe is not supported based on genetic data, bioclimatic envelopes models, and the available fossil record. A model of range retraction to mountain refugia during arid periods and of glacial expansion (demographic and spatial) associated to an increase of Mediterranean habitats during glacial epochs emerges as a general pattern for mesic vertebrates in North Africa. Moreover, the phylogeographic pattern of H. hippocrepis conforms to a well-established biogeographic partition between western and eastern Maghreb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Machado
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | - D James Harris
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Daniele Salvi
- Department of Health, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
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Mahtani-Williams S, Fulton W, Desvars-Larrive A, Lado S, Elbers JP, Halpern B, Herczeg D, Babocsay G, Lauš B, Nagy ZT, Jablonski D, Kukushkin O, Orozco-terWengel P, Vörös J, Burger PA. Landscape Genomics of a Widely Distributed Snake, Dolichophis caspius (Gmelin, 1789) across Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11101218. [PMID: 33080926 PMCID: PMC7603136 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Across the distribution of the Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), populations have become increasingly disconnected due to habitat alteration. To understand population dynamics and this widespread but locally endangered snake’s adaptive potential, we investigated population structure, admixture, and effective migration patterns. We took a landscape-genomic approach to identify selected genotypes associated with environmental variables relevant to D. caspius. With double-digest restriction-site associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing of 53 samples resulting in 17,518 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we identified 8 clusters within D. caspius reflecting complex evolutionary patterns of the species. Estimated Effective Migration Surfaces (EEMS) revealed higher-than-average gene flow in most of the Balkan Peninsula and lower-than-average gene flow along the middle section of the Danube River. Landscape genomic analysis identified 751 selected genotypes correlated with 7 climatic variables. Isothermality correlated with the highest number of selected genotypes (478) located in 41 genes, followed by annual range (127) and annual mean temperature (87). We conclude that environmental variables, especially the day-to-night temperature oscillation in comparison to the summer-to-winter oscillation, may have an important role in the distribution and adaptation of D. caspius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarita Mahtani-Williams
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; (S.M.-W.); (W.F.); (A.D.-L.); (S.L.); (J.P.E.)
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff CF103AX, UK;
- Fundación Charles Darwin, Avenida Charles Darwin s/n, Casilla 200144, Puerto Ayora EC-200350, Ecuador
| | - William Fulton
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; (S.M.-W.); (W.F.); (A.D.-L.); (S.L.); (J.P.E.)
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff CF103AX, UK;
| | - Amelie Desvars-Larrive
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; (S.M.-W.); (W.F.); (A.D.-L.); (S.L.); (J.P.E.)
- Institute of Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, Vetmeduni Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Josefstädter Straße 39, A-1080 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sara Lado
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; (S.M.-W.); (W.F.); (A.D.-L.); (S.L.); (J.P.E.)
| | - Jean Pierre Elbers
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; (S.M.-W.); (W.F.); (A.D.-L.); (S.L.); (J.P.E.)
| | - Bálint Halpern
- MME Birdlife Hungary, Költő utca 21., H-1121 Budapest, Hungary; (B.H.); (G.B.)
| | - Dávid Herczeg
- Lendület Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Centre for Agricultural Research, Plant Protection Institute, Herman Ottó út 15., H-1022 Budapest, Hungary;
| | - Gergely Babocsay
- MME Birdlife Hungary, Költő utca 21., H-1121 Budapest, Hungary; (B.H.); (G.B.)
- Mátra Museum of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Kossuth Lajos utca 40., H-3200 Gyöngyös, Hungary
| | - Boris Lauš
- Association HYLA, Lipocac I., No. 7, C-10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Zoltán Tamás Nagy
- Independent Researcher, Hielscherstraße 25, D-13158 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Daniel Jablonski
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, Mlynská Dolina, S-84215 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Oleg Kukushkin
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and Ecological Monitoring, T. I. Vyazemsky Karadag Scientific Station–Nature Reserve–Branch of Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nauki Street 24, R-298188 Theodosia, Crimea;
- Department of Herpetology, Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya Embankment 1, R-199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Pablo Orozco-terWengel
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Ave, Cardiff CF103AX, UK;
| | - Judit Vörös
- Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Baross u. 13., H-1088 Budapest, Hungary
- Molecular Taxonomy Laboratory, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Ludovika tér 2-6., H-1083 Budapest, Hungary
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (P.A.B.)
| | - Pamela Anna Burger
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria; (S.M.-W.); (W.F.); (A.D.-L.); (S.L.); (J.P.E.)
- Correspondence: (J.V.); (P.A.B.)
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Murphy JC, Salvi D, Braswell AL, Jowers MJ. Phylogenetic Position and Biogeography of Three-Lined Snakes (Atractus trilineatus: Squamata, Dipsadidae) in the Eastern Caribbean. HERPETOLOGICA 2019. [DOI: 10.1655/d-18-00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John C. Murphy
- Science and Education, Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Daniele Salvi
- Department of Health, Life, and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio snc, 67100 Coppito, Italy
| | - Alvin L. Braswell
- North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27601-1029, USA
| | - Michael J. Jowers
- CIBIO/InBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos), Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrario De Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
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