Phylogenetic affinities of the rare and enigmatic limb-reduced Anelytropsis (Reptilia : Squamata) as inferred with mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequence data

Abstract

The phylogenetic placement of the limbless lizard genus Anelytropsis within Squamata was investigated using partial mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences (422 bp). A total of 30 species, representing most of the major currently recognized squamate clades, was included in the analysis. As in previous morphological studies, Anelytropsis was strongly supported in Bayesian (mixture and unpartitioned models) and maximum-likelihood analyses as the sister taxon of Dibamus. Thus, a monophyletic Dibamidae composed of these two genera is supported by molecular data for the first time. Furthermore, several relationships in the inferred tree, although weakly supported, were congruent with those found in previous molecular phylogenetic analyses. Among these, Gekkota and the Dibamidae were recovered as relatively basal groups within Squamata. A nonmonophyletic Scleroglossa and Lacertiformes (= Amphisbaenia + Lacertidae + Teiidae + Gymnophthalmidae) also were recovered. Although only weakly supported, a major difference from other recent molecular studies is the basal position of Serpentes.