Peters, W.C.H. & Doria, G. (1882) - Note erpetologiche e descrizione di una nuova specie di Lacerta delle Isole Canarie. - Annali del Museo Civico de Storia Naturale di Genova, (1) 18: 431-434.  Gonzáles, P. & Pinto, F. & Nogales, M. & Jiménez-Asensio, J. & Hernández, M. & Cabrera, V.M. (1996) - Phylogenetic relationships of the Canary islands endemic lizard genus Gallotia (Sauria: Lacertidae), inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 6 (1): 63-71.   × Phylogenetic relationships among species and subspecies of the Canary Island endemic lizard genus Gallotia are inferred base on nucleotide sequence of fragments of 12S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome b mitochondrial genes. The four morphologically established species have also been recognized at the molecular level. Relative affinities among species follow an eatsern-western geographic transect. The nearly extinct species Galloti simonyi from the most western island of El Hierro is closely related to the common western species Gallotia galloti. The nearest branch to this pair is Gallotia stehlini from the central island of Gran Canaria, and finally, Gallotia atlantica from the two eastern and geologically oldest islands appears as the most distantly related species of the group. At the statistical level, four subspecies can be recognized in G. galloti, but only two in G. atlantica. Bischoff, W. (1998) - Gallotia atlantica (Peters & Doria, 1882) - Atlantische Eidechse, Purpurarien-Eidechse. - In: Bischoff, W. (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Reptilien und Amphibien Europas. Die Reptilien der Kanarischen Inseln, der Selvagens-Inseln und des Madeira Archipels. Wiesbaden (Aula). 236-264.  Molina Borja, M. & Rodriguez-Dominguez, M.A. (2004) - Evolution of biometric and life history traits in lizards (Gallotia) from the Canary islands. - Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Berlin, 42 (1): 44-53. × The aim was to study as to how biometric and life-history traits of endemic lacertids in the Canary Islands (genus Gallotia) may have evolved, and possible factors affecting the diversification process of this taxon on successively appearing islands have been deduced. To that end, comparative analyses of sexual dimorphism and scaling of different body, head and life-history traits to body size in 10 species/subspecies of Gallotia have been carried out. Both Felsenstein`s independent contrasts and Huey and Bennett`s `minimum evolution` analyses show that male and female snout-vent length (SVL) changed proportionally (sexual size dimorphism not changing with body size) throughout the evolution of these lizards and all within-sex biometric traits have changed proportionally to SVL. Life-history traits (size at sexual maturity, clutch size, hatchling SVL and mass, and life span) are highly correlated with adult female body size, the first two being the only traits with a positive allometry to female SVL. These results, together with the finding that the slope of hatchling SVL to female SVL regression was lower than that of SVL at maturity to female SVL, indicates that larger females reach maturity at a larger size, have larger clutches and, at the same time, have relatively smaller hatchlings than smaller females. There was no significant correlation between any pair of life-history traits after statistically removing the effect of body size. As most traits changed proportionally to SVL, the major evolutionary change has been that of body size (a ca. threefold change between the largest and the smallest species), that is suggested to be the effect of variable ecological conditions faced by founder lizards in each island. Bloor, P. & Kemp, S.J. & Brown, R.P. (2008) - Recent volcanism and mitochondrial DNA structuring in the lizard Gallotia atlantica from the island of Lanzarote. - Molecular Ecology, 17: 854-866. × The phylogeography of the lacertid lizard Gallotia atlantica from the small volcanic island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) was analysed based on 1075 bp of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence (partial cytochrome b and ND2) for 157 individuals from 27 sites (including three sites from neighbouring islets). Levels of sequence divergence were generally low, with the most distant haplotypes separated by only 14 mutational steps. MtDNA divergence appears to coincide with formation of the middle Pleistocene lowland that united formerly separate ancient islands to form the current island of Lanzarote, allowing rejection of a two-island model of phylogeographical structure. There was evidence of large-scale population expansion after island unification, consistent with the colonization of new areas. A nested clade phylogeographical analysis (NCPA) revealed significant phylogeographical structuring. Two-step and higher-level clades each had disjunct distributions, being found to the east and west of a common area with a north-south orientation that extends between coasts in the centre-east of the island (El Jable). Other clades were almost entirely restricted to the El Jable region alone. Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analyses were used to separate ongoing gene flow from historical associations. These supported the NCPA by indicating recent (75 000-150 000 years ago) east-west vicariance across the El Jable region. Lava flows covered El Jable and other parts of the central lowland at this time and likely led to population extinctions and temporary dispersal barriers, although present-day evidence suggests some populations would have survived in small refugia. Expansion of the latter appears to explain the presence of a clade located between the eastern and western components of the disjunct clades. Direct relationships between mtDNA lineages and morphology were not found, although one of two morphological forms on the island has a disjunct distribution that is broadly concordant with east-west components of the phylogeographical pattern. This work demonstrates how recent volcanic activity can cause population fragmentation and thus shape genetic diversity on microgeographical scales.
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