Mitochondrial DNA sequence data suggests two independent colonizations of the Comoros archipelago-by Chameleons of the genus Furcifer

We used ND4 mtDNA sequences (815bp) to examine the relationships between Furcifer chameleons (Chamaeleonidae; Reptilia) from the Comoro Islands. High genetic divergence between F. cephalolepis from Grand Comoro and F. polleni from Mayotte is hardly compatible with the hypothesis of them being sister-taxa given the young geological age of both islands. Thus, each island was independently colonized, presumably from Madagascar. Genetic diversity within both islands is similar, despite their very different geological ages. The degree of divergence found within a recent island like Grand Comoro may indicate that the molecular clock calibration typically applied to reptiles is not appropriate for this species.