Contribution to the study of Acanthodactylus (Sauria: Lacertidae) mtDNA diversity focusing on the A. boskianus species group.

Abstract The Acanthodactylus boskianus species group includes three species ( A. boskianus , A. nilsoni , and A. schreiberi ) of unclear phylogeny and phylogeographic history. By sequencing fragments of two mtDNA genes and performing phylogenetic, demographic, and chronophylogenetic analyses, we aimed at identifying their phylogenetic relationships while unravelling their biogeographic history. The analyses indicated that A. boskianus is a species complex, while A. s. schreiberi and A. s. ataturi show, both, low intraspecific genetic diversity. From a biogeographic point of view, the ancestor of A. s. schreiberi colonized Cyprus from the Middle East through overseas dispersal during the Pleistocene, whereas A. s. ataturi is considered to be a relict of a previously wider distribution.