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Genetic diversity and taxonomy: a reassessment of species designation in tuatara (Sphenodon: Reptilia)

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Abstract

The identification of species boundaries for allopatric populations is important for setting conservation priorities and can affect conservation management decisions. Tuatara (Sphenodon) are the only living members of the reptile order Sphenodontia and are restricted to islands around New Zealand that are free of introduced mammals. We present new data of microsatellite DNA diversity and substantially increased mtDNA sequence for all 26 sampled tuatara populations. We also re-evaluate existing allozyme data for those populations, and together use them to examine the taxonomic status of those populations. Although one could interpret the data to indicate different taxonomic designations, we conclude that, contrary to current taxonomy, Sphenodon is best described as a single species that contains distinctive and important geographic variants. We also examine amounts of genetic variation within populations and discuss the implications of these findings for the conservation management of this iconic taxon.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Niccy Aitken and members of the Sarre and Lambert labs for technical and analytical assistance and reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript. JMH and this research were funded by a New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology Postdoctoral Fellowship, and subsequently a Marsden Fund grant to DML and the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Institute of Molecular BioSciences, Massey University, PB 102904, NSMC, Auckland, New Zealand

    Jennifer M. Hay

  2. Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Stephen D. Sarre

  3. Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan Campus, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia

    David M. Lambert

  4. Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA

    Fred W. Allendorf

  5. School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand

    Charles H. Daugherty

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  1. Jennifer M. Hay
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  2. Stephen D. Sarre
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  3. David M. Lambert
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  4. Fred W. Allendorf
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  5. Charles H. Daugherty
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Correspondence to Jennifer M. Hay.

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Hay, J.M., Sarre, S.D., Lambert, D.M. et al. Genetic diversity and taxonomy: a reassessment of species designation in tuatara (Sphenodon: Reptilia). Conserv Genet 11, 1063–1081 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-009-9952-7

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