The taxonomy and phylogeography of the Lacerta viridis complex is highly debated. Two lineages were formally described as species, i.e. the Eastern L. viridis and the Western L. bilineata. Phylogeographic analyses based on Cytb sequence comparisons revealed at least two more equally distinct lineages, without resolving their basal branching pattern. Here, we extend the existing data by including more samples and additional molecular marker (16S-rRNA and Rag1) towards a better resolution of the taxonomy, phylogeny and phylogeography within the L. viridis complex.
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