Detection of cryptic diversity in lizards (Squamata) from two Biosphere Reserves in Mesoamerica Author Castiglia, Riccardo Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie ' Charles Darwin', Universita di Roma ' La Sapienza', via A. Borelli 50, CAP 00151, Rome, Italy castiglia@uniroma1.it Author Flores-Villela, Oscar Alberto Museo de Zoologia Fac. de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, A. P. 70 - 399, Mexico D. F. 04510, Mexico Author Bezerra, Alexandra M. R. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7972-5535 Mastozoologia / COZOO, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Campus de Pesquisa, Av. Perimetral 1901, CEP 66077 - 830, Belem, PA, Brazil Author Gornung, Ekaterina Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie ' Charles Darwin', Universita di Roma ' La Sapienza', via A. Borelli 50, CAP 00151, Rome, Italy Author Annesi, Flavia Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie ' Charles Darwin', Universita di Roma ' La Sapienza', via A. Borelli 50, CAP 00151, Rome, Italy Author Munoz-Alonso, Luis Antonio El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. Conservacion de las Biodiversidad. Carretera Panamericana y Periferico Sur s / n. C. P. 29290, San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico Author Solano, Emanuela Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie ' Charles Darwin', Universita di Roma ' La Sapienza', via A. Borelli 50, CAP 00151, Rome, Italy text Comparative Cytogenetics 2020 2020-12-22 14 4 613 638 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v14i4.57765 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v14i4.57765 1993-078X-4-613 04B277A57E704E0682C5174C5016B74B 01E70616F49857EF8DF1A970E5672D08 Scincella cherriei (Cope, 1893) Distribution. This species inhabits Mexico, from central Veracruz to extreme southeastern Puebla, northern Oaxaca state, southwards to Central America on the Atlantic coast, including the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico , reaching the eastern Panama. Samples. RCMX219 (male) and RCMX235 (male*) from Estacion Chajul, Selva Lacandona, Montes Azules, Chiapas state, Mexico. DNA taxonomy. The BI phylogenetic tree has been performed on 448-bp alignment of the 16S gene for four individuals of Scincella cherriei [RCMX219 and RCMX235 from the Montes Azules, one from Costa Rica (JF498076) and one from Nicaragua (AB057392)] and three individuals of Scincella assata [RCMX92 from La Sepultura, and two from El Salvador (JF498074 and JF498075)]. Scincella lateralis (Say, 1822) (AB057402 and JF498077) and S. reevesii (Gray, 1838) (JF498078) were used as outgroups. The tree (Fig. 3 ) shows S. assata as a monophyletic and well supported group (p.p.: 1.0), including the individual from La Sepultura. The two individuals of S. cherriei from the Montes Azules, southern Mexico, form a well-supported group separated from the other two individuals from Costa Rica and Nicaragua that fall in a well distinct clade (p.p.: 1.0). The genetic divergence between the two specimens of S. cherriei from the Montes Azules and S. cherriei from other localities is high (5.2%), comparable to the divergence between S. assata and S. cherriei (6.6%-6.2%). The nominal subspecies S. c. cherriei (Cope, 1893), was described from Palmar, Costa Rica, which is far from from the Montes Azules. The lineage of S. cherriei from the Montes Azules may represent a different taxon worthy of additional detailed morphological and genetic studies. Chromosomes. The karyotype, described in Castiglia et al. (2013a) , shows a diploid number of 2n = 30 and in this case the presence of heteromorphic (XY) sex chromosomes. The diploid complement of S. cherriei differs from its sister species S. assata by the presence of an additional pair of microchromosomes. Figure 3. Bayesian phylogenetic tree (16S) of 16S haplotypes from Mexican Scincella species. In bold, the new individuals from this study; the geographic provenience of each individual is reported in brackets.