Digest: Drivers of diversification in Indo-Australian monitor lizards.

ABSTRACT

What factors drive diversification in species groups with wide distributions and high morphological disparity? Pavón-Vázquez et al. used an extensive morphological and phylogenetic dataset to investigate patterns of diversification in monitor lizards (Varanidae). They found contrasting drivers of speciation and morphological diversity across clades and regions, highlighting the importance of considering clade-specific biogeographic histories in broadly distributed taxa.