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in Natusch, Esquerré, Lyons, et al., 2019.
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Highlights:
• Heavily wild-harvested green pythons have long thought to comprise a single taxon.
• A geographically comprehensive molecular sampling reveals four cryptic taxa.
• Zones of contact between taxa occur at hithero unknown locations across New Guinea.
Abstract
Molecular data sets and the increasing use of integrative systematics is revealing cryptic diversity in a range of taxa – particularly in remote and poorly sampled landscapes like the island of New Guinea. Green pythons (Morelia viridis complex) are one of the most conspicuous elements of this island’s fauna, with large numbers taken from the wild to supply international demand for exotic pets. We test hypotheses about species boundaries in green pythons from across New Guinea and Australia with mitochondrial genomes, 389 nuclear exons, and comprehensive assessment of morphological variation. Strong genetic structuring of green python populations and species delimitation methods confirm the presence of two species, broadly occurring north and south of New Guinea’s central mountains. Our data also support three subspecies within the northern species. Subtle but consistent morphological divergence among the putative taxa is concordant with patterns of molecular divergence. Our extensive sampling identifies several zones of hitherto unknown biogeographical significance on the island of New Guinea. We revise the taxonomy of the group, discuss the relevance of our findings in the context of Papuan biogeography and the implications of our systematic changes for the conservation management of these taxa.
Graphical abstract
Keywords: CITES, New Guinea, Chondropython, biogeography, cryptic diversity, Papua, Indonesia
Morelia viridis
Python viridis Schlegel 1872: 54
Chondropython azureus Meyer 1874: 134
Chondropython pulcher Sauvage 1878: 37
Chondropython viridis Boulenger 1893: 90
Morelia viridis Kluge 1993
Morelia azurea azurea
Python viridis Schlegel 1872
Chondropython azureus Meyer 1874
Chondropython pulcher Sauvage 1878
Chondropython viridis Boulenger 1893
Morelia azurea Schleip & O’Shea 2010
Morelia azurea pulcher
Python viridis Schlegel 1872
Chondropython azureus Meyer 1874
Chondropython pulcher Sauvage 1878
Chondropython viridis Boulenger 1893
Morelia azurea Schleip & O’Shea 2010
Morelia azurea utaraensis subsp. nov.
Python viridis Schlegel 1872
Chondropython azureus Meyer 1874
Chondropython pulcher Sauvage 1878
Chondropython viridis Boulenger 1893
Morelia azurea Schleip & O’Shea 2010
Etymology: The name utaraensis is derived from the Indonesian language word for “north”. Morelia azurea utaraensis occurs in northern New Guinea, with its name meaning “from the north”.
Daniel J.D. Natusch, Damien Esquerré, Jessica A. Lyons, Amir Hamidy, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, Awal Riyanto J. Scott Keogh and Stephen Donnellan. 2019. Species Delimitation and Systematics of the Green Pythons (Morelia viridis complex) of Melanesia and Australia. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press, 106640. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106640
