are subspecies equivalent systematic units?
Subspecies in the limbless, endemic African fossorial skink genus Acontias constitute ill-defined operational taxonomic units, consequently considerable systematic debate has lingered on the systematic diversity within Acontias. In the present study, the systematic affinities among acontine taxa are explored with the utility of partial sequence data from two mitochondrial gene loci (16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI)) for all taxa, while two additional loci (12S rRNA, cytochrome b) were used to investigate relationships within the Acontias meleagris complex. Phylogenetic results, derived from the combined analysis, revealed two monophyletic clades. Clade 1 is comprised of small-bodied skinks while clade 2 comprised the medium bodied skinks. Within clade 2 none of the traditionally recognized subspecies formed reciprocally monophyletic groups. Furthermore, constraining the topology and enforcing sister taxa relationships between the assumed subspecies, consistently recovere
