Nice and thorough update on European species, well done!

Surprised there still isn't too much being said about Timon lepidus nevadensis, I'm still expecting to see 'Timon nevadensis' as a new species at some point. As you know I'm no scientist but to me they are so different, the males especially are unlike anything I have seen in Europe.

Matt 

+1 ;) 

This is the official fieldherping species list. Anyone caught using different names will have seven years of bad luck! :)

In all seriousness now, thank you Jeroen for all the time and effort you put into this great article.

Much appriecieted!

Vlad

 

Interesting stuff, in my opinion it's a good thing that quite some species haven't been granted the species rank in your list. All that splitting species in two (or three) different species, just based on molecular research... 

@ Bobby:

In part, we went already into this more or less at the time when Matt expressed his reluctance to accept the Malpolon split. Please allow me to re-issue my thoughts.

At least theoretically, it's not because the human eye cannot detect any morphological difference between taxa that they cannot be reproductively isolated. Thus, sometimes molecular evidence can be sufficiently convincing for that isolation (and the "rule" for species delimitation within the biological species concept). However, usually it's "in between" and not that easy...

An interesting concept is the so-called "Volkswagen syndrome". The idea: the engine has changed, but the car's outer appearance hasn't. Applied to animal evolution, this becomes: a lot can change within a species, population, ... (more specifically: its physiology, its DNA, ...) without any change becoming apparent on the "outside" or in any human-observable feature. A classic example is the horseshoe crab (Limulus): has been around for ages and adapted to a changing global environment, but still looks the same.
This could also act in speciation. Morphology will change if there's a driving force for local adaption which selects (i.e. that force) for that change. Thus, the change has to be beneficial. However, a certain change (mutation) can also persist if it does not have any downsides and can thus be retained within the population. In some cases, however, morphological changes do not happen, while reproductive isolation does.
Additionally, evolution is continuously going on. So, we have to deal with "incipient species", eventhough this is a concept that is not really in line with our human mind, wanting to draw strict lines between this and that.

@ Matt:
It seems the Paulo group is quite cautious on the matter, which is good imho. I dare to guess this one's likely to be added to the list within the next decade or so. One of my photo desiderata, any way ;-). 

Let me just add that the opposite of the VW syndrome also occurs. The morphology of a species or population can change a lot, while genetically and in terms of reproductive isolation not much has happens, because only few genes contain the information for that morphology. To a certain degree, the molecular similarity between humans and primates, exemplifies this.

With these contrasting phenomena acting at once, we cannot draw easy conclusions based on morphology alone. Populations can look very different but be closely related, while others might look alike but be more distant from each other. 

Of course I agree with what you are saying Jeroen, and if the evolution of a species has developped to such an extent without clear changes in its morphology it should still be regarded as a distinct species.

Getting back to Timon lepidus nevadensis, I'm not sure that too many members on here will have seen a photo of this subspecies so you can see what I am going on about. Its clear that this subspecies has evolved to tolerate the driest areas of Spain (Alicante, Murcia, Almeria) but I really wonder how different they are internally, i.e the engine you mention Jeroen. So perhaps T.l.nevadensis is the opposite of the VW syndrome...

Here are some nice photos recently uploaded on the Murcia herp blog to give those who don't know about them an idea of their very differing appearance:

Female and a male (Senor Pyramid head)

And a rather crappy picture of my own:

Large male


 

http://www.deschandol-sabine.com/pages-aperture/lezards/nevadensis/index.html
 

Man, what beautiful lizards... Surely, I agree, Matt, that they're quite something else. They even look more different than the N African Timon pater. 

I regret not having spent more days out photographing them, since there was a great spot only 20 minutes walk from where I lived in the city centre.. 

It seems to be a 'difficult' animal, very shy... What's you experience Matt ? (sorry, not the subject of this post !) 

Yes very shy indeed, I only ever remember catching 2-3, and one of those was stuck in a well. Actually a very common species in Murcia, but a nightmare to photograph and even harder to catch. Sadly the ones I caught were all females as well.

Sorry Jeroen for drifting away from your excellent article! 

Who cares ;-)?

We only spent little time in the nevadensis area, but it was our final day when I focused on trying to photograph one. Terribly shy. We were at a spot with a lot of them sitting on the road edges, like trilineata etc. also often do. It was not until sunset, that they became more approachable, but by that time, we unfortunately had to get to the airport. 

@Jeroen, thanks for the elaborate description, I know what you mean. Like Matt I'm not much of a molecular scientist but I'm still happy with the new list ;-) 

Ok, that's what I thought... I caught a big male last year but I was lucky and it's because I'm not afraid to plunge into a thorny bush :o)
I saw only 3 specimens sneakily. 

My experience with nevadensis was at Lanjaron, approx. 20 km beeline north of Motril.
Nevadensis has an inverted color pattern - green markings on dark ground color, while in nominate race and the north africans it is opposite.
See male and female from Lanjaron, May 1994.

male

female

Mario