MOTT, TAMI; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Molecular Systematics of Brazilian amphisbaenids (Reptilia, Squamata, Amphisbaenidae)

Amphisbaenians, or worm lizards, are a monophyletic lineage of fossorial squamate reptiles that comprises ca.165 species distributed in Africa and South America primarily. The family Amphisbaenidae includes nearly 90% of all extant amphisbaenians: 17 genera and ca.150 species. Seven of these genera are endemic to South America; six occur in Brazil. The present study reports a comprehensive examination of the relationships of all six Brazilian genera of amphisbaenids using genetic data. In total, 25 species in six genera and four outgroups were sequenced. Nuclear and mitochondrial data were obtained; genes included were RAG-1, C-MOS, BDNF, 16S, and ND2, respectively. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian analyses. Results suggest that South American amphisbaenids represent a monophyletic lineage. However, within this lineage, Leposternon is the only genus recovered as a monophyletic entity using any of the genetic markers; the other genera display either paraphyletic or polyphyletic patterns, suggesting that Brazilian amphisbaenid taxonomy does not reflect phylogeny. I recommend 1) continuing to recognize Leposternon, and 2) adopting a metataxon designation for Amphisbaena*, indicating this status with an asterisk. A better taxonomic accommodation awaits further study.