| Lacerta ionica LEHRS, 1902 Lacerta taurica var. ionica BOULENGER, 1907 Lacerta taurica jonica WERNER, 1920 Podarcis taurica ionica BISCHOFF & BISCHOFF, 1980 Podarcis ionicus PSONIS et al., 2017 Podarcis tauricus ionicus BÖHME & KÖHLER, 2005 (by implication) |
Lehrs, P. (1902) - Zur Kenntnis der Gattung Lacerta und einer verkannten Form: Lacerta ionica. - Zoologischer Anzeiger, Leipzig, 25: 225-237.  Psonis, N. & Antoniou, A. & Kukushkin, O. & Jablonski, D. & Petrov, B. & Crnobrnja-Isailovic, J. & Sotiropoulos, K. & Gherghel, I. & Lymberakis, P. & Poulakakis, N. (2017) - Hidden diversity in the Podarcis tauricus (Sauria, Lacertidae) species subgroup in the light of multilocus phylogeny and species delimitation. - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 106: 6-17.   × The monophyletic species subgroup of Podarcis tauricus is distributed in the western and southern parts of the Balkans, and includes four species with unresolved and unstudied inter- and intra-specific phylogenetic relationships. Using sequence data from two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes and applying several phylogenetic methods and species delimitation approaches to an extensive dataset, we have reconstructed the phylogeny of the Podarcis wall lizards in the Balkans, and re-investigated the taxonomic status of the P. tauricus species subgroup. Multilocus analyses revealed that the aforementioned subgroup consists of five major clades, with P. melisellensis as its most basal taxon. Monophyly of P. tauricus sensu stricto is not supported, with one of the subspecies (P. t. ionicus) displaying great genetic diversity (hidden diversity or cryptic species). It comprises five, geographically distinct, subclades with genetic distances on the species level. Species delimitation approaches revealed nine species within the P. tauricus species subgroup (P. melisellensis, P. gaigeae, P. milensis, and six in the P. tauricus complex), underlining the necessity of taxonomic re-evaluation. We thus synonymize some previously recognized subspecies in this subgroup, elevate P. t. tauricus and P. g. gaigeae to the species level and suggest a distinct Albanian-Greek clade, provisionally named as the P. ionicus species complex. The latter clade comprises five unconfirmed candidate species that call for comprehensive studies in the future. Psonis, N. & Antoniou, A. & Karameta, E. & Leaché, A.D. & Kotsakiozi, P. & Darriba, D. & Kozlov, A. & Stamatakis, A. & Poursanidis, D. & Kukushkin, O. & Jablonski, D. & Crnobrnja–Isailović, J. & Gherghel, I. & Lymberakis, P. & Poulakakis, N. (2018) - Resolving complex phylogeographic patterns in the Balkan Peninsula using closely related wall-lizard species as a model system. - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 125: 100-115. × The Balkan Peninsula constitutes a biodiversity hotspot with high levels of species richness and endemism. The complex geological history of the Balkans in conjunction with the climate evolution are hypothesized as the main drivers generating this biodiversity. We investigated the phylogeography, historical demography, and popula- tion structure of closely related wall-lizard species from the Balkan Peninsula and southeastern Europe to better understand diversification processes of species with limited dispersal ability, from Late Miocene to the Holocene. We used several analytical methods integrating genome-wide SNPs (ddRADseq), microsatellites, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data, as well as species distribution modelling. Phylogenomic analysis resulted in a completely resolved species level phylogeny, population level analyses confirmed the existence of at least two cryptic evolutionary lineages and extensive within species genetic structuring. Divergence time estimations indicated that the Messinian Salinity Crisis played a key role in shaping patterns of species divergence, whereas in- traspecific genetic structuring was mainly driven by Pliocene tectonic events and Quaternary climatic oscillations. The present work highlights the effectiveness of utilizing multiple methods and data types coupled with extensive geographic sampling to uncover the evolutionary processes that shaped the species over space and time.
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