Provenance and genetic diversity of the non-native geckos Phelsuma grandis Gray 1870 and Gekko gecko (Linnaeus 1758) in southern Florida, USA

Accurately characterizing the provenance and genetic diversity of non-native populations aids the management of biotic invasions because population-level genetic diversity is potentially correlated with invasive success. We sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of non-native Phelsuma grandis Gray 1870 (Cyt- b , 610 bp) and Gekko gecko (Linnaeus 1758) (ND2, 751 bp) specimens collected from southern Florida, and compared these sequences to those of georeferenced native-range conspecifics. Multiple mtDNA clades were identified in southern Florida populations of both species. In the case of G . gecko these were traceable to geographically distinct native-range locales, confirming that southern Florida’s population ultimately derives from multiple native-range regions. The majority of the P . grandis sequenced were closely allied with a specimen from the far north of Madagascar, while a minority clustered in a well-supported clade with P . grandis derived from northeastern Madagascar. Sympatry of individuals belonging to multiple mtDNA clades was confirmed for both species, and uncorrected pairwise distances as high as 11.41% were detected in sympatric G . gecko , highlighting the potential for interpopulation—and perhaps even interspecific—diversity to be transformed into intrapopulation diversity during invasion events. Our findings provide further evidence that introduced squamate populations are frequently highly heterogeneous and derived from multiple, distinct native-range lineages.