The mitochondrial phylogeography of the Crimean endemic lizard Darevskia lindholmi (Sauria, Lacertidae): Hidden diversity in an isolated mountain system
Journal: Vertebrate Zoology
Year: 2021

Abstract The Lindholm rock lizard, Darevskia lindholmi , is the only member of the genus Darevskia whose range is restricted solely to Europe, representing a local endemism found only in the Crimean Mountains. In our study, we investigated the cytochrome b gene (mtDNA) of 101 D. lindholmi sequences from 65 Crimean localities, representing its entire range. We found that D. lindholmi is highly genetically structured, and its range is divided into populations belonging to three mitochondrial linea