Shallow phylogeographic structure in the declining Mexican Lance-headed Rattlesnake, Crotalus polystictus (Serpentes: Viperidae).

Authors

  • Jesse M. Meik
  • Jeffrey W. Streicher
  • Estrella Mociño-Deloya
  • Kirk Setser
  • David Lazcano

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v11i1p3-11

Keywords:

ATPase 6, ATPase 8, genetic bottleneck.

Abstract

We investigated matrilineal relationships among populations of the Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake (Crotalus polystictus), a pitviper inhabiting high-elevation valleys of the densely populated southern Mexican Plateau. A fragment of the mitochondrial ATPase 8 and 6 genes (589 base pairs) revealed comparatively low levels of genetic diversity, with few nucleotide polymorphisms across the portion of the geographic distribution sampled. The shallow intraspecific sequence divergence (1.0%) in C. polystictus ATPase 8 and 6 genes contrasts with deep
divergences (~1.0–14.1%) observed within other montane rattlesnake lineages from the Mexican highlands, and is more typical of intraspecific variation observed in lowland rattlesnake species with similar distributional extents (e.g., C. tigris). We posit that the low genetic diversity in C. polystictus relative to that of other highland rattlesnakes may reflect ecological differences resulting in a different evolutionary response to Pleistocene climatic events. Our finding of apparently low genetic diversity in C. polystictus highlights the importance of conservation initiatives to protect high elevation grasslands in central Mexico.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Jesse M. Meik
    Department of Biology, The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Jeffrey W. Streicher
    Department of Biology, The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Estrella Mociño-Deloya
    Departmento de Biología Animal, Universidad de Granada
  • Kirk Setser
    Departmento de Biología Animal, Universidad de Granada
  • David Lazcano
    Laboratorio de Herpetología, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, San Nicolas de los Garza

Downloads

Published

2012-06-18

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Shallow phylogeographic structure in the declining Mexican Lance-headed Rattlesnake, Crotalus polystictus (Serpentes: Viperidae). (2012). Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology, 11(1), 3-11. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v11i1p3-11