Moravec, J. & Baha El Din, S. & Seligmann, H. & Sivan, N. & Werner, Y.L. (1999) - Systematics and distribution of the Acanthodactylus pardalis group (Lacertidae) in Egypt and Israel. - Zoology in the Middle East, Heidelberg, 17 (1): 21-50.   × Examination of 385 specimens of the Acanthodactylus pardalis group from eastern Libya, Egypt and Israel confirmed the occurrence of two allopatric species in this area: Acan-thodactylus pardalis (Lichtenstein, 1823) distributed in Egypt and eastern Libya and a hitherto undescribed species endemic to the Negev (Israel). The species differ most markedly in body size, hemipenial structure, colouration and details of sexual dichromatism. Other significant dif-ferences involve scalation and biometrics. A simple method for artefact-free use of discriminant analysis in multivariate classification is presented. Redescription of A. pardalis (Lichtenstein, 1823), description of a new species Acanthodactylus beershebensis sp.n. and corrected geo-graphical ranges of the two species are provided. Both species, each endemic to a small area, appear to be markedly endangered by habitat destruction. Carretero, M.A. & Fonseca, M.M. & Garcia-Muñoz, E. & Brito, J.C. & Harris, D.J. (2011) - Adding Acanthodactylus beershebensis to the mtDNA phylogeny of the Acanthodactylus pardalis group. - Northwestern Journal of Zoology, 7 (1): 138-142. × The phylogenetic affinities of Acanthodactylus beershebensis, a highly endangered lacertid lizard endemic to the Neguev (Israel), were assessed using mtDNA markers. Fragments of 12S and 16S rRNA were analysed and compared with already published sequences of Acanthodactylus. Results corroborate the taxonomic placement of A. beershebensis as a member of the A. pardalis group but place it within a polytomy at the same phylogenetic level as other (unnamed) African populations. This pattern of high but poorly structured genetic diversity, previously observed for other Acanthodactylus complexes, has been suggested to derive from the climatic instability of North Africa and the Middle East during the humid and dry periods of the Pleistocene as well as dune migrations. In conservation terms, if A. beershebensis is to be prioritised, then other populations of the A. pardalis group inhabiting North Africa would deserve a similar status, making their species definition urgent. These results highlight the need for considering phylogeny when establishing conservation priorities. Tamar, K. & Carranza, S. & Sindaco, R. & Moravec, J. & Trape, J.-F. & Meiri, S. (2016) - Out of Africa: Phylogeny and biogeography of the widespread genus Acanthodactylus (Reptilia: Lacertidae). - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 103: 6-18. × Acanthodactylus lizards are among the most diverse and widespread diurnal reptiles in the arid regions spanning from North Africa across to western India. Acanthodactylus constitutes the most species-rich genus in the family Lacertidae, with over 40 recognized species inhabiting a wide variety of dry habitats. The genus has seldom undergone taxonomic revisions, and although there are a number of described species and species-groups, their boundaries as well as their interspecific relationships are largely unresolved. We constructed a multilocus phylogeny, combining data from two mitochondrial (12S, cytb) and three nuclear (MC1R, ACM4, c-mos) markers for 302 individuals belonging to 36 known species, providing the first large-scale time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of the genus. We evaluated phylogenetic relationships between and within species-groups, and assessed Acanthodactylus biogeography across its known range. Acanthodactylus cladogenesis is estimated to have originated in Africa due to vicariance and dispersal events from the Oligocene onwards. Radiation started with the separation into three clades: the Western and scutellatus clades largely distributed in North Africa, and the Eastern clade occurring mostly from Arabia to south-west Asia. Most Acanthodactylus species diverged during the Miocene, possibly as a result of regional geological instability and climatic changes. We support most of the current taxonomic classifications and phylogenetic relationships, and provide genetic validity for most species. We reveal a new distinct blanfordii species-group, suggest new phylogenetic positions (A. hardyi, A. masirae), and synonymize several species and subspecies (A. lineomaculatus, A. boskianus khattensis and A. b. nigeriensis) with their phylogenetically closely-related species. We recommend a thorough systematic revision of taxa exhibiting high levels of intraspecific variability as well as clear evidence of phylogenetic complexity such as A. guineensis, A. grandis, A. dumerilii, and A. senegalensis and the pardalis and erythrurus species-groups.
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