Species delimitation and systematics of the green pythons (Morelia viridis complex) of melanesia and Australia

Daniel J D Natusch¹, Damien Esquerré², Jessica A Lyons³, Amir Hamidy⁴, Alan R Lemmon⁵, Emily Moriarty Lemmon⁶, Awal Riyanto⁴, J Scott Keogh², Stephen Donnellan⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia; Resource Evaluation and Development Limited, Frogs Hollow, NSW 2550, Australia. Electronic address: d_natusch_14@hotmail.com.
² Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia.
³ Resource Evaluation and Development Limited, Frogs Hollow, NSW 2550, Australia.
⁴ Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Gd. Widyasatwaloka, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor km 46 Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.
⁵ Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University, 400 Dirac Science Library, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4120, USA.
⁶ Department of Biology, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, P.O. Box 3064295, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4295, USA.
⁷ South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide 5000, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide 5005, Australia.

PMID:31605811
DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106640

Species delimitation and systematics of the green pythons (Morelia viridis complex) of melanesia and Australia

Daniel J D Natusch et al. Mol Phylogenet Evol.2020 Jan.

.2020 Jan:142:106640.

doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106640. Epub 2019 Oct 9.

Authors

Daniel J D Natusch¹, Damien Esquerré², Jessica A Lyons³, Amir Hamidy⁴, Alan R Lemmon⁵, Emily Moriarty Lemmon⁶, Awal Riyanto⁴, J Scott Keogh², Stephen Donnellan⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia; Resource Evaluation and Development Limited, Frogs Hollow, NSW 2550, Australia. Electronic address: d_natusch_14@hotmail.com.
² Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia.
³ Resource Evaluation and Development Limited, Frogs Hollow, NSW 2550, Australia.
⁴ Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Gd. Widyasatwaloka, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor km 46 Cibinong, Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.
⁵ Department of Scientific Computing, Florida State University, 400 Dirac Science Library, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4120, USA.
⁶ Department of Biology, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, P.O. Box 3064295, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4295, USA.
⁷ South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide 5000, Australia; School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide 5005, Australia.

PMID:31605811
DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106640

Abstract

Molecular data sets and the increasing use of integrative systematics is revealing cryptic diversity in a range of taxa - particularly in remote and poorly sampled landscapes like the island of New Guinea. Green pythons (Morelia viridis complex) are one of the most conspicuous elements of this island's fauna, with large numbers taken from the wild to supply international demand for exotic pets. We test hypotheses about species boundaries in green pythons from across New Guinea and Australia with mitochondrial genomes, 389 nuclear exons, and comprehensive assessment of morphological variation. Strong genetic structuring of green python populations and species delimitation methods confirm the presence of two species, broadly occurring north and south of New Guinea's central mountains. Our data also support three subspecies within the northern species. Subtle but consistent morphological divergence among the putative taxa is concordant with patterns of molecular divergence. Our extensive sampling identifies several zones of hitherto unknown biogeographical significance on the island of New Guinea. We revise the taxonomy of the group, discuss the relevance of our findings in the context of Papuan biogeography and the implications of our systematic changes for the conservation management of these taxa.

Keywords: Biogeography; CITES; Chondropython; Cryptic diversity; Indonesia; New Guinea; Papua.

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Species delimitation and systematics of the green pythons (Morelia viridis complex) of melanesia and Australia

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Species delimitation and systematics of the green pythons (Morelia viridis complex) of melanesia and Australia

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