Evolutionary history of Andean Pholidobolus and Macropholidus (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) lizards

•We infer the phylogeny of Pholidobolus and Macropholidus lizards.•Pholidobolus and Macropholidus are not monophyletic.•Diversification occurred earlier in the south than in the north of the Andes.

Andean Pholidobolus and Macropholidus lizards contain seven and two species, respectively, as currently recognized. We analyze three mitochondrial loci (12S, 16S, ND4) using Bayesian methods to clarify the phylogenetic relationships between these genera based on a well-supported phylogenetic hypothesis. The phylogenetic tree obtained in this paper includes two main clades and shows that both Pholidobolus and Macropholidus are not monophyletic. A chronophylogenetic analysis indicates that the southernmost clade, occurring in the Huancabamba Depression, diversified earlier than the northern-Andes clade. Bayesian hypothesis tests reject previous phylogenetic hypotheses. We propose phylogenetic definitions for the main clades inferred herein.

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