Mustafa presents research on population structure and mitochondrial genome evolution in New Caledonian geckos, particularly Bavayia geitaina and Bavayia septuiclavis. Nuclear markers indicated continuing gene flow within B. septuiclavis, whereas B. geitaina contained two largely isolated populations that meet at Mount Koghi, where introgression with B. sauvagii may also occur. A second study resolved persistent long-range PCR failures by replacing column-based DNA extraction with salt extraction, substantially improving amplification success. Complete mitochondrial genomes revealed extensive control-region repeats, fragmentation, duplication and tRNA rearrangements, demonstrating limitations of short-read sequencing and identifying potentially useful evolutionary characters for future phylogenetic research across diplodactylid geckos.

This research investigates whether a population of southern African skinks represents a distinct species using genetic and geographic data. Findings suggest river barriers and environmental gradients may drive speciation. By combining phylogenetics and ecological modeling, the study explores how landscape and climate shape biodiversity and species divergence in lizard populations.

This research investigates how Amazonian butterflies evolve their visual systems to match the light conditions of different rainforest niches. By comparing eye and brain structures across many species, it reveals that evolution repeatedly finds the same sensory solutions, showing that adaptation can be surprisingly predictable and may drive the formation of new species.