Phelsuma klemmeri

Rocha, Sara, Rösler, Herbert, Gehring, Philip-Sebastian, Glaw, Frank, Posada, David, Harris, James & Vences, Miguel, 2010, Phylogenetic systematics of day geckos, genus Phelsuma, based on molecular and morphological data (Squamata: Gekkonidae), Zootaxa 2429, pp. 1-28 : 23

Phelsuma klemmeri group

(contains P. klemmeri )

Affinities of this species to the P. lineata and P. laticauda groups are apparent and well-supported from our analysis ( Fig. 7 ), but mitochondrial as well as nuclear markers place P. klemmeri at a basal position within the clade containing these two species groups. Because its colouration is very characteristic and strongly differs from all other Phelsuma , the isolated position of this species is best reflected by placing it in a separate species group. Phenotypically, several characters of P. klemmeri are in agreement with its affinities: non-gluing behaviour and absence of nostril-rostral contact are shared with the P. lineata and P. laticauda groups, and presence of smooth ventral and subcaudal scales, number of nasalia (3) as well as of size-reduced vertebral scales are similar to the P. laticauda group ( Tables 1–2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Molecular phylogeny of the Phelsuma lineata group (clade J), the P. laticauda group (clade K) and P. klemmeri as calculated from the multi-gene dataset of Rocha et al. (2009). Shown are the respective clades from the Bayesian 50 % majority-rule consensus trees based on (a) the combined dataset of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, (b) the mitochondrial genes only, and (c) the nuclear genes only. See caption to Fig. 2 for further explanations.