Nested clade analysis and the genetic evidence for population expansion in the phylogeography of the golden-striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica (Amphibia: Urodela)

The golden-striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica, is a streamside species distributed in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. We gathered cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequence data from samples across the species range and used nested clade distance analysis to assess evolutionary processes explaining the geographical distribution of mtDNA diversity in Chioglossa lusitanica. A significant association was observed between genetic structure and geography. The geographical patterns were explained by past fragmentation and restricted gene flow. Inferences were concordant with previous hypotheses (from allozyme data) involving an old fragmentation event and secondary contact near the Mondego River in central Portugal. A range expansion to the north from a southern refuge was supported by descriptive interpretations of mtDNA data and by complementary analyses suggesting population expansions, but not by formal nested clade analysis. The power of nested clade analysis to detect the genetic signature of range expansion deserves further testing.