Deepak, VMaddock, Simon TWilliams, RhiannonNagy, Zoltán TConradie, WernerRocha, SaraJames Harris, DPerera, AnaGvoždík, VáclavDoherty-Bone, Thomas MKamei, Rachunliu GMenegon, MicheleLabisko, JimMorel, CharlesCooper, NatalieDay, Julia JGower, David J2021-04-082021-04-082021-03-17Deepak, V., Maddock, S.T., Williams, R. et al. (2021) Molecular phylogenetics of sub-Saharan African natricine snakes, and the biogeographic origins of the Seychelles endemic Lycognathophis seychellensis. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 161, Article Number 107152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2021.1071521055-790310.1016/j.ympev.2021.107152http://hdl.handle.net/2436/624015This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Elsevier in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, available online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107152 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Phylogenetic relationships of sub-Saharan African natricine snakes are understudied and poorly understood, which in turn has precluded analyses of the historical biogeography of the Seychelles endemic Lycognathophis seychellensis. We inferred the phylogenetic relationships of Seychelles and mainland sub-Saharan natricines by analysing a multilocus DNA sequence dataset for three mitochondrial (mt) and four nuclear (nu) genes. The mainland sub-Saharan natricines and L. seychellensis comprise a well-supported clade. Two maximally supported sets of relationships within this clade are (Limnophis,Natriciteres) and (Afronatrix,(Hydraethiops,Helophis)). The relationships of L. seychellensis with respect to these two lineages are not clearly resolved by analysing concatenated mt and nu data. Analysed separately, nu data best support a sister relationship of L. seychellensis with (Afronatrix,(Hydraethiops,Helophis)) and mt data best support a sister relationship with all mainland sub-Saharan natricines. Methods designed to cope with incomplete lineage sorting strongly favour the former hypothesis. Genetic variation among up to 33 L. seychellensis from five Seychelles islands is low. Fossil calibrated divergence time estimates support an overseas dispersal of the L. seychellensis lineage to the Seychelles from mainland Africa ca. 43–25 Ma, rather than this taxon being a Gondwanan relic.application/pdfenbiogeographyGondwanaNatricinaeNatricidaeoverseas dispersalsystematicsJournal articleMolecular Phylogenetics and Evolution2021-04-07107152