Andaman day gecko: Difference between revisions

Phylogenetic evidence indicates that ''P. andamanensis'' is the most [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] extant member of the genus ''[[Phelsuma]]'', having diverged from the clade containing all the Western [[Indian Ocean]] ''Phelsuma'' species during the late [[Oligocene]], about 27 million years ago. In its home range, an immense genetic diversity of [[Mitochondrial DNA|mitochondrial]] [[Haplotype|haplotypes]] is seen among individuals, indicating that it had colonized the Andamans entirely naturally and not due to humans somehow transporting it from the Western Indian Ocean islands.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Mohan|first=Ashwini V.|last2=Orozco-terWengel|first2=Pablo|last3=Shanker|first3=Kartik|last4=Vences|first4=Miguel|date=2020-07-16|title=The Andaman day gecko paradox: an ancient endemic without pronounced phylogeographic structure|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-68402-7|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=10|issue=1|pages=11745|doi=10.1038/s41598-020-68402-7|issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Unlike with the Western Indian Ocean species, there has been no major [[speciation]] throughout the Andamans despite ''P. andamanensis'' having existed and diversified on the Andamans for millions of years. The species can however be divided into two major [[Clade|clades]] or population clusters: a 'North' cluster and a 'South' cluster; both clusters are thought to have diverged before the onset of the [[Last Glacial Maximum]], although what exactly caused their divergence is unknown.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2020-07-30|title=Confined without boundaries: The tale of the Andaman day geckos|url=https://researchmatters.in/news/confined-without-boundaries-tale-andaman-day-geckos|access-date=2021-05-09|website=Research Matters|language=en}}</ref>