The Journal of the South African Veterinary Association (JSAVA), is a contemporary multi-disciplinary scientific mouthpiece for Veterinary Science in South African and abroad. It provides veterinarians in South Africa and elsewhere in the world with current scientific information across the full spectrum of veterinary science, diseases or other conditions that are endemic in, or particularly relevant to sub-Saharan Africa.

Patterns of morphological and genetic diversity within the fringe-toed lizards of the genus Acanthodactylus have puzzled systematists since the first assessments, and none more so than the Acanthodactylus erythrurus complex. A recent study combining multi-locus sequence data and morphological characters partially resolved the situation, identifying two new species in the southern part of the range in Morocco, but leaving an unresolved “Ibero-Moroccan” clade containing much of the genetic and morphological diversity. Here we sequenced a mitochondrial marker for new samples from across much of the distribution. Our data notably increase the known ranges of various species and lineages found in Morocco, and indicate a divergent genetic lineage within one of the newly described species. While far greater numbers of genetic markers will be needed to resolve taxonomic questions, greater geographic sampling is also still needed both to delimit the species, and to identify regions where potential genetic admixture may occur.

The genetic structure and dispersal dynamics of reptile populations are profoundly influenced by natural processes and human activities. While natural dispersal is shaped by species’ characteristics and paleogeographical features, human-mediated translocations have become increasingly prevalent, posing ecological challenges. Mitochondrial genetic markers have been pivotal in untangling invasion pathways for various species. Our study focuses on the Dalmatian Algyroides, Algyroides nigropunctatus (Duméril & Bibron, 1839), a lizard species endemic to the Balkan Peninsula, where recent observations in the Apulian region of Italy suggest an introduced population. Genetic analyses employing two mtDNA markers (16S and ND4 genes) elucidate the phylogenetic relationships of the Dalmatian Algyroides and trace the geographic origin of the introduced population. Our findings reveal areas in western Greece and southwestern Albania as the most probable areas of the source population, while we identify two previously undetected geographical lineages in the native range, highlighting the complex evolutionary history of the species in the region. Additionally, indications of potential glacial refugia and post-glacial dispersal patterns shed more light on the species’ demographic dynamics.