Molecular systematics of the African snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 (Serpentes: Elapoidea), with particular focus on the genera Lamprophis Fitzinger 1843 and Mehelya Csiki 1903

• Published in: Molecular phylogenetics and evolution Vol. 58; no. 3; pp. 415 - 426
• Main Authors: Kelly, Christopher M.R., Branch, William R., Broadley, Donald G., Barker, Nigel P., Villet, Martin H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.2011
• Subjects: Africa; Animals; Auroras; Bayes Theorem; Bayesian analysis; Bayesian theory; Boaedon; Cell Nucleus - genetics; Cladding; Colubridae - classification; Colubridae - genetics; Congeners; cytochrome b; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; family structure; Genes; Gonionotophis; indigenous species; Inyoka swazicus; Lamprophiidae; Lamprophis; Likelihood Functions; Lycodonomorphus; Mehelya; Models, Genetic; molecular systematics; Names; nuclear genome; nucleotide sequences; paraphyly; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; polyphyly; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Serpentes; Snakes; transfer RNA; Western Africa; Africa; Inyoka swazicus; Lamprophiidae; Africa; Phylogenetics; Lamprophis; Boaedon; Mehelya; Gonionotophis; Lycodonomorphus
• ISSN: 1055-7903; 1095-9513
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.11.010

The family Lamprophiidae is a putatively Late Eocene radiation of nocturnal, non-venomous African snakes. We use DNA sequence data to investigate phylogenetic structure within the family, and to inform taxonomy at the generic level. A new genus (Inyoka) is erected for the Swazi Rock Snake ’Lamprophis’ swazicus, the generic name Boaedon is resurrected for the ’Lamprophis’ fuliginosus species complex, ’Lamprophis’ inornatus is transferred to the genus Lycodonomorphus, and the genus Mehelya is placed in the synonymy of Gonionotophis. [Display omitted] ► A new genus (Inyoka) erected for the Swazi Rock Snake ‘Lamprophis’swazicus. ► The generic name Boaedon resurrected for the ‘Lamprophis’fuliginosus species complex. ► ‘Lamprophis’inornatus transferred to the genus Lycodonomorphus. ► The genus Mehelya placed in the synonymy of Gonionotophis. The snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger (Serpentes: Elapoidea) is a putatively Late Eocene radiation of nocturnal snakes endemic to the African continent. It incorporates many of the most characteristic and prolific of Africa’s non-venomous snake species, including the widespread type genus Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (house snakes). We used approximately 2500 bases of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data from 28 (41%) of the approximately 68 recognised lamprophiid species in nine of the eleven genera to investigate phylogenetic structure in the family and to inform taxonomy at the generic level. Cytochrome b, ND4 and tRNA gene sequences (mitochondrial) and c-mos sequences (nuclear) were analysed using Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony methods. The genus Mehelya Csiki, 1903 was paraphyletic with respect to Gonionotophis Boulenger, 1893. To address this, the concept of Gonionotophis is expanded to include all current Mehelya species. The genus Lamprophis emerged polyphyletic: the enigmatic Lamprophis swazicus was sister to Hormonotus modestus from West Africa, and not closely related to its nominal congeners. It is moved to a new monotypic genus (Inyoka gen. nov.). The remaining Lamprophis species occur in three early-diverging lineages. (1) Lamprophis virgatus and the widely distributed Lamprophis fuliginosus species complex (which also includes Lamprophis lineatus and Lamprophis olivaceus) formed a clade for which the generic name Boaedon Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 is resurrected. (2) The water snakes (Lycodonomorphus) were nested within Lamprophis (sensu lato), sister to Lamprophis inornatus. We transfer this species to the genus Lycodonomorphus Fitzinger, 1843. (3) We restrict Lamprophis (sensu strictissimo) to a small clade of four species endemic to southern Africa: the type species of Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Lamprophis aurora) plus Lamprophis fiskii, Lamprophis fuscus and Lamprophis guttatus.