What are the closest relatives of the hot-spring snakes (Colubridae, Thermophis), the relict species endemic to the Tibetan Plateau?

• Published in: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 438 - 446
• Main Authors: Huang, Song, Liu, Shao-ying, Guo, Peng, Zhang, Ya-ping, Zhao, Er-mi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2009
• Subjects: Animals; Bayes Theorem; Bayesian inference; Cell Nucleus - genetics; China; Colubridae - classification; Colubridae - genetics; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Evolution, Molecular; Genetic Variation; Genetics, Population; Geography; Hengduan Mountains; Likelihood Functions; Maximum likelihood; Phylogeny; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity; Thermophis; Tibetan Plateau; Xenodontinae; China; Xenodontinae; Thermophis; Tibetan Plateau; Maximum likelihood; Hengduan Mountains; Bayesian inference

We conducted phylogenetic analyses to identify the closest related living relatives of the Xizang and Sichuan hot-spring snakes ( T. baileyi and T. zhaoermii) endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, using mitochondrial DNA sequences (cyt b, ND4) from eight specimens, together with sequences from 95 addition...