Lineage delimitation of Dekay's Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi) using ecological niche modeling

Dekay's Brownsnake, Storeria dekayi, has a widespread distribution ranging from Quebec south to eastern Mexico with a disjunct population in Guatemala and Honduras in North America. Currently, seven subspecies are recognized in the literature. The subspecies category is problematic philosophically and operationally, and within S. dekayi subspecies delineations are challenging. The use of the Ecological Species Concept to recognize unique niches as an operational proxy for the Evolutionary Species Concept is proposed. A unique niche should support a unique lineage that has its own independent, evolutionary trajectory. This study used Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) to test if unique lineages associated with unique niches were discoverable within S. dekayi. By combining presence data and ecological parameters, ENMs were created to test for unique niches. MaxEnt and Environmental Niche Modeling Tools (ENMTools) delineated the niches. The resulting models support deviation amongst the populations' niches. Unique lineages are hypothesized for each subspecies.