Lineage Diversification and Population Dynamics of the Qinghai Toad-Headed Agama (<i>Phrynocephalus vlangalii</i>) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with Particular Attention to the Northern Slope of the Kunlun-Arjin Mountains.

ABSTRACT: The Kunlun, Arjin, and Qilian mountain ranges mark the northern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), where rapid uplift and Quaternary glacial cycles have shaped a unique cold desert ecosystem and species distribution. Despite sampling challenges, phylogeographic studies are crucial for understanding reptile populations such as the Qinghai toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus vlangalii), a viviparous lizard with limited dispersal and multiple subspecies in the northeastern QTP. Our fieldwork identified populations of P. vlangalii on the northern slope of the Kunlun-Arjin Mountains, similar to the controversial subspecies P. v. lidskii. We analyzed 130 individuals from the northern slope of the Kunlun-Arjin-Qilian Mountains and 253 individuals from GenBank, using three

SUBMITTER: Xu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11815740 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature