An evaluation of the systematic value of skull morphology in the Trimeresurus radiation (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) of Asian pitvipers

Authors: Guo, P.¹; Malhotra, A.²; Creer, S.²; Pook, C. E.²

Source: Journal of Zoological Systematics & Evolutionary Research, Volume 47, Number 4, November 2009 , pp. 378-384(7)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Trimeresurus (in its widest sense) is a very diverse and widespread radiation of Asian pitvipers, which has been subject to numerous taxonomic revisions, some of which have been based on characteristics of the skull. In order to evaluate the taxonomic utility of such characters, we conducted a comparison of the skulls of 57 specimens representing nine genera, and two currently unassigned species that are very closely related to each other. A canonical variate analysis reveals three distinct phenetic groups: the Protobothrops group, a group containing Ovophis monticola, `Ovophis'okinavensis, and `Trimeresurus'gracilis, and finally a group comprising the remaining species and characterized by considerable overlap between most genera with the exception of the monotypic Peltopelor and Himalayophis. Agreement between phenetic similarity based on skull characteristics and phylogenetic relationships based on molecular evidence varies between different groups: the morphological similarity of the skull of Protobothrops sieversorum to the other Protobothrops species is congruent with their recent synonymization while the phenetic similarity among the species within the second group does not reflect current molecular phylogenetic relationships and indicates that convergent or parallel evolution may be responsible for at least some of the phenetic similarity detected among skulls of the Asian pit vipers examined. A test of phylogenetic independence, however, indicates that there is still a significant phylogenetic signal that can be recovered from several skull characteristics. Thus, we conclude that skull morphology can contribute to an overall understanding of pitviper taxonomy, but that it would be unwise to rely on skull characteristics alone.

Keywords: Taxonomy; convergence; snakes; pitviper; multivariate morphometrics; phylogenetic correlation

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0469.2009.00525.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Life Sciences and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, Sichuan, China 2: School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, UK

Publication date: 2009-11-01

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