Paper published on evolutionary history and species separation of the Seychelles bronze geckos |19 January 2017

An SIF co-authored paper was published recently in the peer-reviewed Biological Journal of the Linnean Society in collaboration with researchers from the University of Vigo, Spain and CIBIO, Portugal.

The paper reports findings from a genetic study of the three bronze gecko species of Seychelles (the giant bronze gecko Ailuronyx trachygaster, the bronze-eyed gecko A. seychellensis and the dwarf bronze gecko A. tachyscopaeus).

The researchers found that the giant bronze gecko has the most ancient evolutionary lineage, having split off from the smaller two species around 10 million years ago.

The two smaller bronze gecko species then split from each other more recently and, as with all other reptile genera studied so far in the Seychelles, there is a clear genetic divide between populations in the northern and southern granitic islands.

The researchers also found useful morphological differences between the species. Identification can be difficult between the two smaller species, with even seasoned observers sometimes mistaking them. This analysis will therefore provide useful information to identify the different species in the field.

One important finding for conservation is that the giant bronze gecko has relatively low genetic diversity and small effective population size. This is not surprising, as it has the most restricted distribution of the three species, but it is important information for conservation management of this species.

The full paper details are: Rocha s, Perera A, Bunbury N, Kaiser-Bunbury CN & Harris DJ. (In press) ‘Speciation history and species-delimitation within the Seychelles Bronze geckos, Ailuronyx spp.: molecular and morphological evidence’. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.

Contributed by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF)