The Evolutionary and Phylogeographic History of Woolly Mammoths: A Comprehensive Mitogenomic Analysis

Near the end of the Pleistocene epoch, populations of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) were distributed across parts of three continents, from western Europe and northern Asia through Beringia to the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Nonetheless, questions about the connectivity and temporal continuity of mammoth populations and species remain unanswered. We use a combination of targeted enrichment and high-throughput sequencing to assemble and interpret a data set of 143 mammoth mitochondrial genomes, sampled from fossils recovered from across their Holarctic range. Our dataset includes 54 previously unpublished mitochondrial genomes and significantly increases the coverage of the Eurasian range of the species. The resulting global phylogeny confirms that the Late Pleistocene mammoth population comprised three distinct mitochondrial lineages that began to diverge ∼1.0-2.0 million years ago (Ma). We also find that mammoth mitochondrial lineages were strongly geographically partitioned throughout the Pleistocene. In combination, our genetic results and the pattern of morphological variation in time and space suggest that male-mediated gene flow, rather than large-scale dispersals, was important in the Pleistocene evolutionary history of mammoths

Recent advances in phylogeny and taxonomy of Near and Middle Eastern Vipers – an update

The number of recognized viper species in the Near and Middle East has been raised significantly in the last 25 years (Table 1). While some smaller genera remained more or less stable, the genus Vipera has been subdivided into four genera on the basis of molecular genetic data. Of these genera, Daboia contains the former Vipera palaestinae and D. russelii, Macrovipera the species M. lebetina, M. schweizeri and an undescribed, basal species from Iran, and Montivipera the former Vipera xanthina and V. raddei complexes. While the genetic diversity in the M. raddei complex is fairly low, it is high in the M. xanthina complex. This may give reason to synonymize several taxa in the M. raddei complex, while new taxa can be described in the Turkish M. xanthina complex. The number of known species in the Middle Eastern Saw-scaled vipers (genus Echis) must be raised from 2 to 6. These species belong to 3 different species complexes (an Asian, an African and an Arabian complex). A particularly high diversity of Echis is found in southern Arabia. Antivenom producers should pay particular attention to new species in the medically important genera Echis and Macrovipera

MOUNTAIN VIPERS IN CENTRAL-EASTERN TURKEY: HUGE RANGE EXTENSIONS FOR FOUR TAXA RESHAPE DECADES OF MISLEADING PERSPECTIVES

WOS: 000530918200016Turkey harbors a high diversity of viperid snakes, many with a high threat level on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, yet perception about even basic topics, such as distributions and conservation statuses, remain poor. We initiated a multi-year project 7 y ago to compensate these shortcomings and present herein dramatically improved information on the status of mountain vipers of central-eastern Anatolia (Asian Turkey): Bolkar Viper (Montivipera b. bulgardaghica), Albizona Viper (M. b. albizona), Wagner's Viper (M. leagued), and partly Ottoman Viper (M. xanthina). the data originate from our fieldwork and a comprehensive search of all records available, including information from literature, online resources, locals, and herpetological experts. This resulted in 51 new localities, complemented by 36 published records, which were refined with new information, including four corrected/removed records and two records that were combined with new records due to their proximity. We summarized all records with precise information in a supplemented list of 85 localities, which is compared to current literature and the range maps available on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the global standard reference for consultation on range maps and conservation status of species. Consequently, we report on large range extension of > 100 km in all four mountain viper taxa, increase the extent of occurrence for each viper taxon 4-8 times, reduce the distribution gaps between all pairs of parapatric, related, and ecologically similar mountain vipers, and discuss taxa delimitation, putative contact zones and conservation aspects.Wilhelm Peters Fund 2013; Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde (DGHT); DGHT-Zurich, Switzerland; JCE private fund; Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund [13057971, 150510677, 160513040, 170516395]We dedicate this article to our beloved and esteemed co-author, contributor and collaborator, Dr. Bayram Gocmen, who passed away during the final steps of this study. Field work permits focusing on vipers (permission numbers 20210, 183897 and 101792) were issued by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks. This work was partly supported by the Wilhelm Peters Fund 2013 administered by the main body of the German Herpetological Society, respectively, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde (DGHT), and also DGHT-Zurich, Switzerland, the JCE private funding, and in particular the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, project nos. 13057971 (2014), 150510677 (2015), 160513040 (2016), 170516395 (2017/18). the authors thank Sevket Gultekin, Adem Adakul, Mucahit Cakmak, Cagatay Altin, Mehmet Akif Bozkurt, Burhan Sarikaya, Thomas Ott, Murat Ozel, Mert Elverici, Mahmut Aydogdu, Ozer Camci, and Osman Ozkan for their assistance during our field surveys. We also thank all the persons providing valuable material, such as photos and locality information, which are explicitly named for their respective provisions in the locality list and figures

Mountain Vipers in Central-Eastern Turkey: Huge Range Extensions for Four Taxa Reshape Decades of Misleading Perspectives

Turkey harbors a high diversity of viperid snakes, many with a high threat level on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, yet perception about even basic topics, such as distributions and conservation statuses, remain poor. We initiated a multi-year project 7 y ago to compensate these shortcomings and present herein dramatically improved information on the status of mountain vipers of central-eastern Anatolia (Asian Turkey): Bolkar Viper (Montivipera b. bulgardaghica), Albizona Viper (M. b. albizona), Wagner's Viper (M. leagued), and partly Ottoman Viper (M. xanthina). The data originate from our fieldwork and a comprehensive search of all records available, including information from literature, online resources, locals, and herpetological experts. This resulted in 51 new localities, complemented by 36 published records, which were refined with new information, including four corrected/removed records and two records that were combined with new records due to their proximity. We summarized all records with precise information in a supplemented list of 85 localities, which is compared to current literature and the range maps available on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the global standard reference for consultation on range maps and conservation status of species. Consequently, we report on large range extension of > 100 km in all four mountain viper taxa, increase the extent of occurrence for each viper taxon 4-8 times, reduce the distribution gaps between all pairs of parapatric, related, and ecologically similar mountain vipers, and discuss taxa delimitation, putative contact zones and conservation aspects

The evolutionary and phylogeographic history of woolly mammoths: a comprehensive mitogenomic analysis.

Near the end of the Pleistocene epoch, populations of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) were distributed across parts of three continents, from western Europe and northern Asia through Beringia to the Atlantic seaboard of North America. Nonetheless, questions about the connectivity and temporal continuity of mammoth populations and species remain unanswered. We use a combination of targeted enrichment and high-throughput sequencing to assemble and interpret a data set of 143 mammoth mitochondrial genomes, sampled from fossils recovered from across their Holarctic range. Our dataset includes 54 previously unpublished mitochondrial genomes and significantly increases the coverage of the Eurasian range of the species. The resulting global phylogeny confirms that the Late Pleistocene mammoth population comprised three distinct mitochondrial lineages that began to diverge ~1.0-2.0 million years ago (Ma). We also find that mammoth mitochondrial lineages were strongly geographically partitioned throughout the Pleistocene. In combination, our genetic results and the pattern of morphological variation in time and space suggest that male-mediated gene flow, rather than large-scale dispersals, was important in the Pleistocene evolutionary history of mammoths