Through the Sands of Time: Evolutionary History and Systematics of the Awl‐Headed Snakes (Colubridae: <i>Lytorhynchus</i> ) in the Saharo‐Sindian Region

ABSTRACT The psammophilous colubrid genus Lytorhynchus is widely distributed in the deserts of the Saharo‐Sindian region and adjacent areas. The taxonomy of the genus and the number of recognised species have remained unstable since the last taxonomic revision in 1970, with differing views on the taxonomic status of L. gaddi and L. kennedyi . As no comprehensive study has included all species in a phylogenetic context, we present here the first phylogenetic and biogeographical hypothesis for all but one recognised species ( L. gasperetti ) based on three mitochondrial and four nuclear genetic markers. Our time‐calibrated phylogeny revealed that the genus originated in the late Oligocene–early Miocene, with an ancestral geographic range within the present‐day Irano‐Turanian region. Most diversification events occurred during the Miocene and were likely driven by tectonic movements, mountain uplifts, and increasing aridification across the region. Our results are largely congruent with the traditional taxonomic concept of the genus and its recognised species. Phylogenetic analyses recovered L. gaddi and L. kennedyi as distinct lineages separate from L. diadema , with which they were previously treated as synonyms, subspecies or colour variants. However, this distinction is not fully reflected in all the nuclear loci or in species delimitation analyses, possibly due to limited sampling and incomplete lineage sorting. Accordingly, species‐level status for both taxa is provisionally proposed pending further investigation.