The Caspian bent-toed gecko, Tenuidactylus caspius, belonging to the family Gekkonidae, is widely distributed across the northern half of Iran, especially along the southern coastal region of the Caspian Sea. It is re...The Caspian bent-toed gecko, Tenuidactylus caspius, belonging to the family Gekkonidae, is widely distributed across the northern half of Iran, especially along the southern coastal region of the Caspian Sea. It is regarded as a commensal species throughout its entire distribution. We investigated genetic variation and relationships among different populations of this species in Iran. Fragments of the mitochondrial cyt b(547 bp) and ND4(831 bp) genes were sequenced and analyzed in 64 and 28 specimens, respectively, from 21 geographically distant localities. Cyrtopodion scabrum was used as the outgroup taxon. The data showed no significant genetic variation within the populations of T. caspius in Iran. Nevertheless, populations of Khorasan and Semnan(especially Shahrood) in northeastern Iran showed greater divergence(p-distance = 2.1%) from other Iranian populations. The low genetic variation and homogeneous structure among populations of T. caspius on either side of the Elburz Mountains suggests that this species most likely has achieved its current distribution recently and as a result of anthropogenic activities.展开更多
基金supported by the Iran National Scientific Foundation(INSF) under proposal number of 89001493
文摘The Caspian bent-toed gecko, Tenuidactylus caspius, belonging to the family Gekkonidae, is widely distributed across the northern half of Iran, especially along the southern coastal region of the Caspian Sea. It is regarded as a commensal species throughout its entire distribution. We investigated genetic variation and relationships among different populations of this species in Iran. Fragments of the mitochondrial cyt b(547 bp) and ND4(831 bp) genes were sequenced and analyzed in 64 and 28 specimens, respectively, from 21 geographically distant localities. Cyrtopodion scabrum was used as the outgroup taxon. The data showed no significant genetic variation within the populations of T. caspius in Iran. Nevertheless, populations of Khorasan and Semnan(especially Shahrood) in northeastern Iran showed greater divergence(p-distance = 2.1%) from other Iranian populations. The low genetic variation and homogeneous structure among populations of T. caspius on either side of the Elburz Mountains suggests that this species most likely has achieved its current distribution recently and as a result of anthropogenic activities.