Phylogenetic relationships of three endemic and endangered lizard species of Pristidactylus from central Chile based on the cytochrome b

Abstract

Lizards of the genus Pristidactylus distribute in southern South America (Chile and Argentina). In Chile, there are four endemic species (P. alvaroi, P. torquatus, P. valeriae and P. volcanensis) that distribute in the central-south zone of the country. We performed a Bayesian analysis with the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b to assess the phylogenetic position of these four species, which shows that they comprise a high supported clade that is separated from the other species of the genus.

Keywords

• Argentina
• Chile
• leiosaurids
• polyphyly