The distribution and biogeography of slow worms (Anguis, Squamata) across the Western Palearctic, with an emphasis on secondary contact zones
2021
Jablonski, Daniel | Sillero, Neftalí | Oskyrko, Oleksandra | Bellati, Adriana | Čeirāns, Andris | Cheylan, Marc | Cogălniceanu, Dan | Crnobrnja-Isailović, Jelka | Crochet, Pierre-André | Crottini, Angelica | Doronin, Igor | Džukić, Georg | Geniez, Philippe | Ilgaz, Çetin | Iosif, Ruben | Jandzik, David | Jelić, Dušan | Litvinchuk, Spartak | Ljubisavljević, Katarina | Lymberakis, Petros | Mikulíček, Peter | Mizsei, Edvárd | Moravec, Jiří | Najbar, Bartłomiej | Pabijan, Maciej | Pupins, Mihails | Sourrouille, Patricia | Strachinis, Ilias | Szabolcs, Márton | Thanou, Evanthia | Tzoras, Elias | Vergilov, Vladislav | Vörös, Judit | Gvoždík, Václav | Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE) ; Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) ; Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD [Occitanie])-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro - Montpellier SupAgro ; Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)
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Show more [+] Less [-]English. The slow-worm lizards ( Anguis ) comprise five species occurring throughout most of the Western Palearctic. Although these species are relatively uniform morphologically – with the exception of A. cephallonica , which exhibits a quite unique morphology – they are genetically deeply divergent. Here, we provide detailed distribution maps for each species and discuss their biogeography and conservation based on updated genetic data and a robust distribution database. We pay particular attention to the so called ‘grey zone’, which typically represents secondary contact zones and in some cases confirmed or presumed hybrid zones. Four of the five species live in parapatry, while only two species, A. cephallonica and A. graeca from the southern Balkans occur in partial sympatry. Further research should focus on the eco-evolutionary interactions between species in contact, including their hybridization rates, to reveal deeper details of the slow-worm evolutionary and natural history.
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