The Herpetological Journal is the Society's prestigious quarterly scientific journal. Articles are listed in Biological Abstracts, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences,Current Contents, Science Citation Index, and Zoological Record.
ISSN 0268-0130
2021 Impact Factor from Clarivate for the Herpetological Journal is 1.194, an increase of 0.332 from 2020.
2008 downloads
pp. 91-98
Authors: Brammah, Martin; Hoffman, Joseph I. & Amos, William
Abstract: The study of genetic differentiation between allopatric island populations should ideally account for regional palaeogeography, as this can often help to explain current distribution patterns. Here we present a study of two subspecies of the lizard Laudakia stellio in the Greek Cyclades, an excellent model for studying vicariant speciation over a relatively short geological timescale: L. s. stellio on the islands of Mykonos and Delos; and L. s. daani on Paros and Naxos. Using AFLP techniques, we demonstrate a high degree of genetic differentiation both between and within the two subspecies, and relate this to the known palaeogeography of this region. Our results suggest that the genetic differences between the populations of the two subspecies can be explained by a more recent colonization of Paros and Naxos by L. s. daani, with L. s. stellio having been established in the Cyclades for a longer period of time.
Keywords: LIZARD, AMPLIFIED FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM (AFLP), ALLOPATRIC SPECIATION, POPULATION STRUCTURE