Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41535740›Full record

ArticleBMC genomics2026

Mitochondrial genomic variations shed light on the phylogeny and biogeography of the Phrynocephalus guttatus species group (Reptilia: Agamidae) in arid Central Asia.

Daniya Ualiyeva, Xianguang Guo, Tatjana Dujsebayeva, Marina Chirikova, Natalia B Ananjeva, Kirill Kryukov, Xiaomao Zeng

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Article in BMC genomics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Daniya UaliyevaChina-Croatia Belt and Road Joint Laboratory On Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610213, China.
Xianguang GuoChina-Croatia Belt and Road Joint Laboratory On Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610213, China. guoxg@cib.ac.cn.
Tatjana DujsebayevaLaboratory of Ornithology and Herpetology, Institute of Zoology CS MES RK, 93 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050060, Kazakhstan.
Marina ChirikovaLaboratory of Ornithology and Herpetology, Institute of Zoology CS MES RK, 93 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050060, Kazakhstan.
Natalia B AnanjevaZoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia.
Kirill KryukovCenter for Genome Informatics, Joint Support Center for Data Science Research, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Mishima, Shizuoka, 411-8540, Japan.
Xiaomao ZengChina-Croatia Belt and Road Joint Laboratory On Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610213, China. zengxm@cib.ac.cn.

Funding

Central Asia Drug Discovery and Development Centre of Chinese Academy of Sciences 180GJHZ2024036MINational Natural Science Foundation of China 32470466Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan BR21882199Zoological Institute RAS 125012800908-0
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe lizard genus Phrynocephalus is an emerging model for studying mitochondrial genome evolution. Within this genus, the P. guttatus species-group represents a taxonomically and ecologically diverse clade whose evolutionary relationships remain poorly resolved. Previous studies based on morphology and partial molecular data have been unable to fully clarify relationships within this rapidly radiated group. Complete mitochondrial genomes provide a solid basement to clarify phylogenetic relationships and assess the role of genomic structural variation in diversification.

resultsWe sequenced and assembled the complete mitochondrial genomes from multiple representatives of the P. guttatus complex across Central Asia and performed comprehensive analyses including annotation, phylogenetic reconstruction, molecular dating, and biogeography assessment. Mitogenomic data resolved phylogenetic relationships with strong support and revealed pronounced structural dynamism, including lineage-specific tRNA duplications and rearrangements. Eastern lineages (P. melanurus 1 and 2, P. kuschakewitschii) differed from western taxa (P. g. kalmykus, P. g. guttatus) in tRNA composition, control region numbers, and rearrangement patterns. Eastern species exhibited duplication of tRNA-Phe and up to three control regions. Novel rearrangement types (F-, G-, and H-types) expand existing mitogenomic classification schemes. Divergence time analyses placed the initial radiation in the Late Miocene ‒ Pliocene (~ 3.13 Mya), with a major eastern diversification between 2.72 and 0.31 Mya, correlating with intense aridification of Central Asia. Ancestral range reconstruction indicated an origin in the Dzungar Basin, followed by dispersal and vicariance events driven by climatic and orographic changes.

conclusionsOur study establishes a robust mitogenome-based phylogenetic framework for the P. guttatus complex and demonstrates that its diversification was shaped by Neogene environmental dynamics and intrinsic mitochondrial genome rearrangements. The discovery of lineage-specific structural changes highlight the evolutionary significance plasticity in desert lizards adaptation.

Indexed as

Genetic VariationGenome, MitochondrialGenomicsLizardsPhylogenyAnimalsAsia, CentralEvolution, MolecularPhylogeographyRNA, TransferRNA, TransferArid Central AsiaBiogeographyMitochondrial genomicsMolecular evolutionToad-headed lizards

Identifiers

PMID41535740
PMCPMC12892463

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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