Аннотация:Here we provide the results of ancestral area reconstruction for two species
complexes of Phrynocephalus genus. Species complex Ph. helioscopus (including Ph.
persicus) inhabits takyr deserts in a wide area from Astrakhan region in Russia to Ily
river valley in China. Ph. guttatus species complex is also widespread in this territory,
but inhabits different type of deserts, from sandy dunes to solid gravel deserts.We
analysed sequences of: a) COI gene and b) a dataset of 4 concatenated mtDNA genes
(COI, cytb, ND2, ND4), all obtained during our previous projects. COI alignment
comprised 75 sequences for Ph. helioscopus s.l. and 84 sequences Ph. guttatus s.l..
The concatenated alignment included 36 sequences from different Phrynocephalus
species. To reconstruct the ancestral areas of these two species complexes, we
analysed the concatenated dataset using Lagrange. For phylogeographic
reconstructions, we used BEAST 1.7.5 for COI alignment only, using Brownian
diffusion and LRRW models of continuous phylogeography. The results were
visualised in SPREAD and Google-Earth.The Lagrange analysis results suggest two
regions of Ph. helioscopus s.l. diversification — Turan and/or the Middle East. The
more sensitive continuous phylogeographical analysis under LRRW model suggests
Iran as an ancestral region, which seems to be the most appropriate ancestral region.
According to Lagrange analysis, there are also two possible ancestral regions for Ph.
guttatus s. l.: Middle Asia and/or Central Asia. Continuous phylogeography analysis
in BEAST using Brownian diffusion model supports the Middle Asia scenario, while
LRRW model resulted in a logic error.Our results are in agreement with other studies.
Ananjeva N.B. and Tuniev B.S. (1992) suggested Iranian Plateau as the possible area
of Ph. helioscopus complex diversification. The split within the complex and the
following expansion was likely caused by the uprise of Iranian Plateau. High
diversity in the south-eastern part of the area allows us to suggest it as the second
center of diversification within Ph. helioscopus sensu stricto (Solovyeva et al., 2011).
Our analyses place this center near Navoi in Uzbekistan. According to Dunayev E.N.
(2009), Ph. guttatus and Ph. versicolor separated near the border of modern
Dzhungaria and East Kazakhstan, arid conditions existed there before
Miocene(Chkhikvadze et al., 1983). Ph. guttatus expanded into Middle Asian deserts,
with several groups dispersing farther to the West and even reaching the northern part
of Turan region (Ph. g. moltschanowi and Ph. g. salsatus). These hypotheses are also
in agreement with our results.