The Phylogeny of Xantusiid Lizards: The Concern for Analysis in the Search for a Best Estimate of Phylogeny

In the onrush of molecular-based phylogenetic hypotheses, previous morphological-based phylogenies are being ignored, discarded, or even treated with disdain. Coupled with this implicit superiority of molecular data is the sometimes tendency to construct a phylogeny from the molecular data with less than analytical rigor. This paper examines the phylogenetic relationships within the lizard family Xantusiidae employing both molecular and morphological data. The analysis focuses on four analytical points of the molecular data and on the phylogenetics synthesis of the two data sets. We conclude that the phylogeny of xantusiid lizards is not yet a robust hypothesis. (C) 1292 Academic Press, Inc.