First data on DNA barcoding of the Agamidae (Reptilia: Squamata) from Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

Species delimitation tests were applied to the Anatolian agamid species (Stellagama stellio, Paralaudakia caucasia, Phrynocephalus horvathi and Trapelus ruderatus) for the first time. Cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene region (564 bp) was used for DNA barcoding. Automatic Barcoding Gap Discovery (ABGD), Poisson-Tree-Processes (PTP), Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescence (GMYC) and Refined Single Linkage (RESL) analysis were used for determining the operational taxonomic units (OTU). The number of OTUs varied from 4 to 7 among these methods. The interspecific genetic distance within the Agamidae ranged from 16.60% to 20.8%. The COI sequences were also compared with the Barcode of Life (BOLD) data system. This initial attempt indicated the validity of COI barcodes for Anatolian agamids in delimiting species and contributing to the growing library of DNA barcodes of animal species of the world. Our results might be useful in tackling taxonomic problems, understanding species distribution and resolving nomenclature conflicts associated with the Anatolian agamids.