Unexpectedly High Levels of Cryptic Diversity Uncovered by a Complete DNA Barcoding of Reptiles of the Socotra Archipelago

A comprehensive DNA barcoding study of Socotra Archipelago's reptiles reveals unexpectedly high levels of cryptic diversity, suggesting species richness may be underestimated by up to 54.4%. The research, the most extensive of its kind on an island group, successfully barcoded all 31 recognized reptile species (94% endemics) and found moderate to high specimen identification success rates with clear local barcoding gaps. The study highlights the utility of the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) gene in detecting intra-specific diversity and supports conservation planning by indicating potential misclassifications in species ranges and statuses. These findings align with other phylogenetic studies using mitochondrial and nuclear markers, reinforcing the need for integrative taxonomic approaches to flag species discovery efficiently.

Vasconcelos, R., Montero-Mendieta, S., Simó-Riudalbas, M., Sindaco, R., Santos, X., Fasola, M., Llorente, G., Razzetti, E., & Carranza, S. (2016). Unexpectedly High Levels of Cryptic Diversity Uncovered by a Complete DNA Barcoding of Reptiles of the Socotra Archipelago. Plos One, 11(3), e0149985. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149985