A tale about vipers’ tails: phylogeography of black-tailed rattlesnakes

By

Muñoz-Mora, Víctor Hugo
Suárez-Atilano, Marco
Maltagliati, Ferruccio
Ramírez-Corona, Fabiola
Carbajal-Saucedo, Alejandro
Percino-Daniel, Ruth
Langeneck, Joachim
D’addario, Maristella
Sunny, Armando

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-7-15

Original Publication

Herpetozoa

Volume

35

Pages

141--153

Subjects

ancestral area reconstruction , Crotalus molossus , divergence time estimation , Mexico , molecular biogeography , North America , phylogenetics , phylogeography , Viperidae

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.35.e84297

 

Abstract

The phylogenetic relationships among black-tailed rattlesnakes remain poorly understood and some authors indicated that the diversity of this group has been underestimated and additional analyses are required to clarify the biogeographic patterns throughout its distribution in Mexico. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among black-tailed rattlesnakes across their range, identifying relative divergence times among the main clades and reconstructing the biogeographical history of the group. Three partial mitochondrial genes (ND4, cytb and ATPase6) and one nuclear gene (RAG1) were sequenced to infer the phylogenetic relationships, through the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference-based methods; demographic history reconstruction was investigated through Bayesian Skyline plot analysis and the ancestral area reconstruction was carried out considering a Bayesian framework. We found strong evidence that the black-tailed rattlesnakes’ group is composed of six clades, which is in agreement with subspecies previously reported. Divergence time estimation indicated that the origin of the C. molossus group could be traced to the middle of the Miocene (~7.71 Mya). Ancestral area reconstruction indicated that early divergence events occurred in Central Mexico, probably related to the geological dynamics of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The lineage C. m. oaxacus is the basal member of the C. molossus group. Furthermore, the combination of geological events and changes in Quaternary vegetation may have contributed to the divergence of C. molossus clades. Our results suggest several clades within C. molossus complex could be potentially recognized as separate species.