Historical biogeography, mitochondrial DNA, and allozymes of Psammodromus algirus (Lacertidae):: a preliminary hypothesis

Pairwise sequence polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA and levels of differentiation among presumptive gene loci (expressed as Nei's (D) over cap) tend to be greater between populations separated by the Strait of Gibraltar than between populations inhabiting either Morocco or Spain. Ancestral Psammodromus algirus inhabiting Iberia and North Africa while the Strait of Gibraltar was being formed and stabilized (Miocene-Pliocene) evolved in association with physiogeographic change brought about by this barrier to gene exchange. Considered in units of genetic change per kilometer, mtDNA differentiation is, greater in Morocco than in Spain, and allozyme differentiation is slightly greater than, or equal to, that in Spain, suggesting that P. algirus has a longer and more complex history in Morocco than in Spain.