Data from: Phylogeography and support vector machine classification of colour variation in panther chameleons

Lizards and snakes exhibit colour variation of adaptive value for thermoregulation, camouflage, predator avoidance, sexual selection, and speciation. Furcifer pardalis, the panther chameleon, is one of the most spectacular reptilian endemic species in Madagascar with pronounced sexual dimorphism and exceptionally large intra-specific variation in male coloration. We perform here an integrative analysis of molecular phylogeography and colour variation after collecting high-resolution colour photographs and blood samples from 324 F. pardalis individuals in locations spanning the whole species distribution. First, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence analyses uncover strong genetic structure among geographically-restricted haplogroups, revealing restricted gene flow among populations. Bayesian coalescent modelling suggests that most of the mitochondrial haplogroups could be considered as separate species. Second, using a supervised multiclass support vector machine approach on five anatomical components, we identify patterns in 3D colour space that efficiently predict assignment of male individuals to mitochondrial haplogroups. We converted the results of this analysis into a simple visual classification key that can assist trade managers to avoid local population over-harvesting.

蜥蜴与蛇类展现出具有适应价值的色彩变异，此类变异可用于体温调节、伪装、躲避天敌、性选择以及物种形成。豹变色龙（Furcifer pardalis）是马达加斯加境内最为引人注目的特有爬行动物物种之一，其具有显著的性别二态性，且雄性体色存在极为显著的种内变异。本研究针对该物种全分布范围内的324个豹变色龙个体采集了高分辨率彩色照片与血液样本，随后对其分子系统地理学与色彩变异开展整合分析。其一，线粒体与细胞核DNA序列分析揭示了受地理限制的单倍群之间存在强烈的遗传结构，表明种群间基因交流受限。贝叶斯溯祖模型（Bayesian coalescent modelling）结果显示，多数线粒体单倍群可被视为独立物种。其二，基于五个解剖学特征组件，采用监督式多分类支持向量机（supervised multiclass support vector machine）方法，我们在三维色彩空间中识别出可有效将雄性个体归类至线粒体单倍群的特征模式。我们将该分析结果转化为简易的可视化分类检索表，可协助贸易管理者避免对当地种群的过度捕捞。