Hidden in the sand: Phylogenomics unravel an unexpected evolutionary history for the desert-adapted vipers of the genus Cerastes

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107979
• Publication Date: 2023-11-29T12:59:34Z
• Authors: Gabriel Mochales-...; Bernat Burriel-Ca...; Margarida Isabel ...; Guillermo Velo-Antón; Adrián Talavera; Loukia Spilani; Héctor Tejero-Cic...; Pierre-André Crochet; Alberto Piris; Luis García-Carde...; Salem Busais; Johannes Els; Mohammed Shobrak; José Carlos Brito; Jiří Šmíd; Salvador Carranza; Fernando Martínez...
• Keywords: VIPeR; Sister group

The desert vipers of the genus Cerastes are a small clade medically important venomous snakes within family Viperidae. According to published morphological and molecular studies, group is comprised by four species: two morphologically similar phylogenetically sister taxa, African horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) Arabian gasperettii); more distantly related species, Saharan sand vipera), enigmatic Böhme's boehmei), only known from single specimen in captivity allegedly captured Central Tunisia. In this study, we sequenced one mitochondrial marker (COI) as well genome-wide data (ddRAD sequencing) 28 41 samples, respectively, covering entire distribution range explore population genomics, phylogenomic relationships introgression patterns Cerastes. Additionally, provide insights into mode diversification group, carried out niche overlap analyses considering climatic habitat variables. Both nuclear reconstructions structure have unveiled an unexpected evolutionary history for Cerastes, which sharply contradicts similarities previously approaches. cerastes C. vipera recovered taxa whilst gasperettii taxon formed these species. We found relatively high (OI > 0.7) both variables between vipera, contradicting potential scenario sympatric speciation. These results line with northwestern populations vipera. Finally, our genomic confirms existence lineage Arabia. All highlight importance over few genetic markers study