Approximately 2.4？kbp of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from 9 individuals of Uromastyx ornata philbyi originating from Taif, Namas, Al-Baha, and Jazan in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The sequenced regions cover eight tRNA genes ( , , , , , , , and ) and two protein-coding genes (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 and cytochrome b). U. ornata philbyi had an insertion of 170？bp length between and genes. The first 128？bp of this insertion was similar to the one identified earlier in U. ornata ornata and can be folded into a stem-and-loop structure, which was less stable in U. ornata philbyi than in U. ornata ornata, or the second gene. The next 42？bp of the insertion was unique in U. ornata philbyi and additionally retained a stable stem-and-loop structure. Most base substitutions found in the sequenced genes were synonymous transitions rather than transversions. Tree analyses supported the sister group relationship between the two U. ornata subspecies and divided U. ornata philbyi into two groups: Taif+Namas group in the east of Sarawat and Al-Baha+Jazan group in the west of Sarawat. These molecular data are in agreement with current classification of U. ornata. 1. Introduction Two subspecies of Uromastyx ornata have been recognized: Uromastyx ornata ornata (Heyden 1827) and Uromastyx ornata philbyi Parker, 1938 [1]. The distribution of U. ornata is confined to the eastern vicinity of the Red Sea. The range includes the Sinai Peninsula in the north and extends to the south east to Aqaba and southward through western Saudi Arabia to the northern border of Yemen. The presumed distribution of Uromastyx ornata philbyi extends along the mountainous region of the western Arabian Peninsula from Aqaba in the north down to Yemen. This area extends for about 1700？km through the arid and semiarid mountain range close to the coast of the Red Sea. The known geographical distribution includes the Median Mountains extending to the north, the Hijaz Mountains extending to the west of Makkah, and the Sarawat Mountains extending from west of Makkah down to the Yemen borders. Uromastyx o. ornata occurs on the Sinai Peninsula and northwestern Saudi Arabia as well as at the extreme southern tip of Palestine. Wilms and B？hme [2] discussed the overlapping distribution of the two subspecies. The authors found that occurrence of both phenotypes broadly overlaps in the mountains of western Saudi Arabia, based on specimens of U. o. ornata from inside the range of U. o. philbyi at the vicinity of Jeddah. These localities are 800–1300？km further south from the type locality of U. o. ornata.
References
[1]
T. Wilms, et al., “On the phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus Uromastyx Merrem, 1820 (Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae: Uromastycinae)—resurrection of the genus Saara Gray, 1845,” Bonner Zoologische Beitr？ge, vol. 56, pp. 55–99, 2009.
[2]
T. Wilms and W. B？hme, “The taxonomy and distribution of Uromastyx ocellata group (Sauria: Agamidae),” Zoology in the Middle East, vol. 21, pp. 55–76, 2000.
[3]
E. N. Arnold, “A key and annotated check list to the lizards and amphisbaenians of Arabia,” Fauna of Saudi Arabia, vol. 8, pp. 385–435, 1986.
[4]
Y. Kumazawa and H. Endo, “Mitochondrial genome of the Komodo dragon: efficient sequencing method with reptile-oriented primers and novel gene rearrangements,” DNA Research, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 115–125, 2004.
[5]
M. D. Sorenson, J. C. Ast, D. E. Dimcheff, T. Yuri, and D. P. Mindell, “Primers for a PCR-based approach to mitochondrial genome sequencing in birds and other vertebrates,” Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 105–114, 1999.
[6]
T. D. Kocher, W. K. Thomas, A. Meyer et al., “Dynamics of mitochondrial DNA evolution in animals: amplification and sequencing with conserved primers,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 86, no. 16, pp. 6196–6200, 1989.
[7]
T. Wilms and W. B？hme, “Review of the taxonomy of the spiny-tailed lizards of Arabia (Reptilia: Agamidae: Leiolepidinae: Uromastyx),” Fauna Arabia, vol. 23, pp. 435–468, 2007.
[8]
D. L. Swofford, PAUP？. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (？and Other Methods), vol. 4, Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Mass, USA, 2003.
[9]
J. P. Huelsenbeck and F. Ronquist, “MRBAYES: Bayesian inference of phylogenetic trees,” Bioinformatics, vol. 17, no. 8, pp. 754–755, 2001.
[10]
S. A. M. Amer and Y. Kumazawa, “The mitochondrial genome of the lizard Calotes versicolor and a novel gene inversion in South Asian draconine agamids,” Molecular Biology and Evolution, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 1330–1339, 2007.
[11]
Y. Kumazawa, “Mitochondrial genomes from major lizard families suggest their phylogenetic relationships and ancient radiations,” Gene, vol. 388, no. 1-2, pp. 19–26, 2007.
[12]
S. A. M. Amer and Y. Kumazawa, “Mitochondrial DNA sequences of the Afro-Arabian spiny-tailed lizards (genus Uromastyx; family Agamidae): phylogenetic analyses and evolution of gene arrangements,” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. 85, no. 2, pp. 247–260, 2005.
[13]
S. A. M. Amer, “Biochemical genetics of Uromastyx ornata philbyi inhabiting South Western Saudi Arabia,” Egyptian Journal of Experimental Biology. Zoology, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 331–336, 2010.
[14]
S. A. Chaudhary, Ed., Flora of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, vol. 1, National Agriculture and Water Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Saudi Arabia, 1997.
[15]
NCWCD and JICA, “The Management Plan for Conservation of Juniper Woodlands,” The final report of the jointed study between National Commission for Wildlife, Conservation and Development (NCWCD) and Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), 2006.
[16]
L. I. El-Juhany, “Forestland degradation and potential rehabilitation in southwest Saudi Arabia,” Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 2677–2696, 2009.
[17]
A. M.H. Al-Johany, “Distribution and conservation of the Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus nimr in Saudi Arabia,” Journal of Arid Environments, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 20–30, 2007.
