1
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Luedtke JA, Chanson J, Neam K, Hobin L, Maciel AO, Catenazzi A, Borzée A, Hamidy A, Aowphol A, Jean A, Sosa-Bartuano Á, Fong G A, de Silva A, Fouquet A, Angulo A, Kidov AA, Muñoz Saravia A, Diesmos AC, Tominaga A, Shrestha B, Gratwicke B, Tjaturadi B, Martínez Rivera CC, Vásquez Almazán CR, Señaris C, Chandramouli SR, Strüssmann C, Cortez Fernández CF, Azat C, Hoskin CJ, Hilton-Taylor C, Whyte DL, Gower DJ, Olson DH, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Santana DJ, Nagombi E, Najafi-Majd E, Quah ESH, Bolaños F, Xie F, Brusquetti F, Álvarez FS, Andreone F, Glaw F, Castañeda FE, Kraus F, Parra-Olea G, Chaves G, Medina-Rangel GF, González-Durán G, Ortega-Andrade HM, Machado IF, Das I, Dias IR, Urbina-Cardona JN, Crnobrnja-Isailović J, Yang JH, Jianping J, Wangyal JT, Rowley JJL, Measey J, Vasudevan K, Chan KO, Gururaja KV, Ovaska K, Warr LC, Canseco-Márquez L, Toledo LF, Díaz LM, Khan MMH, Meegaskumbura M, Acevedo ME, Napoli MF, Ponce MA, Vaira M, Lampo M, Yánez-Muñoz MH, Scherz MD, Rödel MO, Matsui M, Fildor M, Kusrini MD, Ahmed MF, Rais M, Kouamé NG, García N, Gonwouo NL, Burrowes PA, Imbun PY, Wagner P, Kok PJR, Joglar RL, Auguste RJ, Brandão RA, Ibáñez R, von May R, Hedges SB, Biju SD, Ganesh SR, Wren S, Das S, Flechas SV, Ashpole SL, Robleto-Hernández SJ, Loader SP, Incháustegui SJ, Garg S, Phimmachak S, Richards SJ, Slimani T, Osborne-Naikatini T, Abreu-Jardim TPF, Condez TH, De Carvalho TR, Cutajar TP, Pierson TW, Nguyen TQ, Kaya U, Yuan Z, Long B, Langhammer P, Stuart SN. Author Correction: Ongoing declines for the world's amphibians in the face of emerging threats. Nature 2024; 625:E2. [PMID: 38040869 PMCID: PMC10764272 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06851-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Luedtke
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA.
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Janice Chanson
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kelsey Neam
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Louise Hobin
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Alessandro Catenazzi
- Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
- Centro de Ornitologia y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Lima, Peru
| | - Amaël Borzée
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Amir Hamidy
- Laboratory of Herpetology, Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong, Indonesia
| | - Anchalee Aowphol
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Anderson Jean
- Action Pour la Sauvegarde de l'Ecologie en Haïti (ACSEH), Les Cayes, Haiti
- Environmental Protection In the Caribbean (EPIC), Maho, Sint Maarten
| | | | - Ansel Fong G
- Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad (BIOECO), Museo de Historia Natural "Tomás Romay", Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
| | - Anslem de Silva
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Sri Lanka, Gampola, Sri Lanka
| | - Antoine Fouquet
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Ariadne Angulo
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Artem A Kidov
- Russian State Agrarian University-MTAA, Moscow, Russia
| | - Arturo Muñoz Saravia
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group Bolivia, La Paz, Bolivia
- Animal Nutrition Unit, Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Arvin C Diesmos
- ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
- HerpWatch Pilipinas, Manila, Philippines
| | - Atsushi Tominaga
- Faculty of Education, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
- Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Biraj Shrestha
- SAVE THE FROGS!, Laguna Beach, CA, USA
- The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Brian Gratwicke
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Burhan Tjaturadi
- Center for Environmental Studies, Sanata Dharma University (CESSDU), Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Carlos C Martínez Rivera
- Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Southampton Township, NJ, USA
- Centro de Conservación de Anfibios, Amaru Bioparque, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Carlos R Vásquez Almazán
- Museo de Historia Natural, Escuela de Biologia, Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala City, Guatemala
- FUNDAECO, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Celsa Señaris
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - S R Chandramouli
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | | | | | - Claudio Azat
- Sustainability Research Center & PhD Program in Conservation Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Conrad J Hoskin
- College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Damion L Whyte
- Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | | | - Deanna H Olson
- Pacific Northwest Research Station, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Diego F Cisneros-Heredia
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad INABIO, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Diego José Santana
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Elizah Nagombi
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Elnaz Najafi-Majd
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Evan S H Quah
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Federico Bolaños
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- CIBET (Museo de Zoología), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Feng Xie
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | | | | | | | - Frank Glaw
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM-SNSB), Munich, Germany
| | | | - Fred Kraus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gabriela Parra-Olea
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Chaves
- CIBET (Museo de Zoología), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Guido F Medina-Rangel
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | | | - H Mauricio Ortega-Andrade
- Biogeography and Spatial Ecology Research Group, Life Sciences Faculty, Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM, Tena, Ecuador
- Herpetology Division, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Iberê F Machado
- Instituto Boitatá de Etnobiologia e Conservação da Fauna, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Indraneil Das
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
| | - Iuri Ribeiro Dias
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - J Nicolas Urbina-Cardona
- Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y Rurales, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailović
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
| | - Jian-Huan Yang
- Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiang Jianping
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Jigme Tshelthrim Wangyal
- University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
- Bhutan Ecological Society, Thimphu, Bhutan
| | - Jodi J L Rowley
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John Measey
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, People's Republic of China
| | - Karthikeyan Vasudevan
- Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Kin Onn Chan
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kotambylu Vasudeva Gururaja
- Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Kristiina Ovaska
- Biolinx Environmental Research, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Luis Canseco-Márquez
- Laboratorio de Herpetología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luís Felipe Toledo
- Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luis M Díaz
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba, La Habana, Cuba
| | - M Monirul H Khan
- Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Key Laboratory in Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, People's Republic of China
| | - Manuel E Acevedo
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural "Jorge A. Ibarra", Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Marcelo Felgueiras Napoli
- Instituto de Biologia, Campus Universitário de Ondina, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | | | - Marcos Vaira
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA, UNJu-Conicet), San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina
| | - Margarita Lampo
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Miranda, Venezuela
- Fundación para el Desarrollo de las Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales (FUDECI), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Mario H Yánez-Muñoz
- Unidad de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Mark D Scherz
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Maxon Fildor
- Action Pour la Sauvegarde de l'Ecologie en Haïti (ACSEH), Les Cayes, Haiti
| | - Mirza D Kusrini
- Faculty of Forestry & Environment, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | | | - Muhammad Rais
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - N'Goran G Kouamé
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Ecologie Tropicale, UFR Environnement, Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Nieves García
- IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Nono Legrand Gonwouo
- Laboratory of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - Paul Y Imbun
- Zoology Unit, Research and Education Section, Sabah Parks, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Philipp Wagner
- Allwetterzoo, Münster, Germany
- Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA
| | - Philippe J R Kok
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Rafael L Joglar
- Rio Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Proyecto Coqui, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Renoir J Auguste
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | | | - Roberto Ibáñez
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, República de Panamá
| | - Rudolf von May
- California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA, USA
| | - S Blair Hedges
- Center for Biodiversity, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | - Sally Wren
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sandeep Das
- Centre for Research in Emerging Tropical Diseases, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Kerala, India
- EDGE of Existence programme, Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | | | - Sara L Ashpole
- Environmental Studies, St Lawrence University, Canton, NY, USA
- , Prescott, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Somphouthone Phimmachak
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Laos
| | - Stephen J Richards
- Herpetology Department, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Tahar Slimani
- Faculty of Sciences Sremlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco
| | - Tamara Osborne-Naikatini
- School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
| | | | - Thais H Condez
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Timothy P Cutajar
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Todd W Pierson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Truong Q Nguyen
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
| | - Uğur Kaya
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Zhiyong Yuan
- School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | | | - Penny Langhammer
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Simon N Stuart
- IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland
- A Rocha International, London, UK
- Synchronicity Earth, London, UK
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2
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Gopika C, Garg S, Sivaperuman C, Gokulakrishnan G, Biju SD. Larval morphology and natural history in two Minervarya species from Andaman Islands, with comments on a new phytotelmonous larval morphotype for the genus. Zootaxa 2023; 5353:567-581. [PMID: 38220662 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.6.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
We studied the larval morphology and natural history of two species of Minervarya from the Andaman Islands of India. A recent assignment of Charles Darwins frog to the genus Minervarya opened up new questions on the systematic affinities and natural history of its enigmatic tadpoles. Originally described as Rana charlesdarwini Das, 1998, and long considered as Ingerana charlesdarwini, the tadpoles of this species were poorly understood and incomparable to those of other presumed close relatives based on an original brief description of its phytotelmonous tadpoles. Here we present a detailed redescription of the larval morphology of M. charlesdarwini based on genetically confirmed tadpoles. At the same time, we compared the external morphology of M. charlesdarwini tadpoles to that of its closest phylogenetic and sympatric congener, M. andamanensis, consequently reporting the first-ever larval description for M. andamanensis. For the first time also for minervaryan frogs, we record that M. charlesdarwini lays eggs on the inner walls of tree holes, and the tadpoles possess morphological adaptations for a phytotelmonous life. Their unique features, such as tail-to-body ratio >2.2, reduced labial tooth rows (LTRF 1/1), acutely pointed serrations in the jaw sheath, and the medial portion of the upper sheath broadly arched and that of the lower sheath U-shaped, justify adding a new larval morphotype to the genus Minervarya. In contrast, M. andamanensis breeds and undergoes development in ground water puddles and ponds, a common trait for other known minervaryan species. Furthermore, our study generates new knowledge on the amplexus, oviposition site, and early embryonic development in these species. The deeper understanding of the biology and habitat requirements contributes additional traits for future systematic and evolutionary studies, and helps guide conservation assessments for these two species endemic to a handful of islands in the Andaman Archipelago.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Gopika
- Systematics Lab; Department of Environmental Studies; University of Delhi; Delhi; India.
| | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab; Department of Environmental Studies; University of Delhi; Delhi; India; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology; Harvard University; Cambridge; Massachusetts; United States of America.
| | - Chandrakasan Sivaperuman
- Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre; Zoological Survey of India; Port Blair; Andaman and Nicobar Islands; India.
| | - G Gokulakrishnan
- Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre; Zoological Survey of India; Port Blair; Andaman and Nicobar Islands; India.
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab; Department of Environmental Studies; University of Delhi; Delhi; India; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology; Harvard University; Cambridge; Massachusetts; United States of America; Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study; Harvard University; Cambridge; Massachusetts; United States of America.
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3
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Luedtke JA, Chanson J, Neam K, Hobin L, Maciel AO, Catenazzi A, Borzée A, Hamidy A, Aowphol A, Jean A, Sosa-Bartuano Á, Fong G A, de Silva A, Fouquet A, Angulo A, Kidov AA, Muñoz Saravia A, Diesmos AC, Tominaga A, Shrestha B, Gratwicke B, Tjaturadi B, Martínez Rivera CC, Vásquez Almazán CR, Señaris C, Chandramouli SR, Strüssmann C, Cortez Fernández CF, Azat C, Hoskin CJ, Hilton-Taylor C, Whyte DL, Gower DJ, Olson DH, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Santana DJ, Nagombi E, Najafi-Majd E, Quah ESH, Bolaños F, Xie F, Brusquetti F, Álvarez FS, Andreone F, Glaw F, Castañeda FE, Kraus F, Parra-Olea G, Chaves G, Medina-Rangel GF, González-Durán G, Ortega-Andrade HM, Machado IF, Das I, Dias IR, Urbina-Cardona JN, Crnobrnja-Isailović J, Yang JH, Jianping J, Wangyal JT, Rowley JJL, Measey J, Vasudevan K, Chan KO, Gururaja KV, Ovaska K, Warr LC, Canseco-Márquez L, Toledo LF, Díaz LM, Khan MMH, Meegaskumbura M, Acevedo ME, Napoli MF, Ponce MA, Vaira M, Lampo M, Yánez-Muñoz MH, Scherz MD, Rödel MO, Matsui M, Fildor M, Kusrini MD, Ahmed MF, Rais M, Kouamé NG, García N, Gonwouo NL, Burrowes PA, Imbun PY, Wagner P, Kok PJR, Joglar RL, Auguste RJ, Brandão RA, Ibáñez R, von May R, Hedges SB, Biju SD, Ganesh SR, Wren S, Das S, Flechas SV, Ashpole SL, Robleto-Hernández SJ, Loader SP, Incháustegui SJ, Garg S, Phimmachak S, Richards SJ, Slimani T, Osborne-Naikatini T, Abreu-Jardim TPF, Condez TH, De Carvalho TR, Cutajar TP, Pierson TW, Nguyen TQ, Kaya U, Yuan Z, Long B, Langhammer P, Stuart SN. Ongoing declines for the world's amphibians in the face of emerging threats. Nature 2023; 622:308-314. [PMID: 37794184 PMCID: PMC10567568 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06578-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. We find that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class (40.7% of species are globally threatened). The updated Red List Index shows that the status of amphibians is deteriorating globally, particularly for salamanders and in the Neotropics. Disease and habitat loss drove 91% of status deteriorations between 1980 and 2004. Ongoing and projected climate change effects are now of increasing concern, driving 39% of status deteriorations since 2004, followed by habitat loss (37%). Although signs of species recoveries incentivize immediate conservation action, scaled-up investment is urgently needed to reverse the current trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Luedtke
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA.
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Janice Chanson
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kelsey Neam
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Louise Hobin
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Alessandro Catenazzi
- Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
- Centro de Ornitologia y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Lima, Peru
| | - Amaël Borzée
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Laboratory of Animal Behaviour and Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Amir Hamidy
- Laboratory of Herpetology, Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong, Indonesia
| | - Anchalee Aowphol
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Anderson Jean
- Action Pour la Sauvegarde de l'Ecologie en Haïti (ACSEH), Les Cayes, Haiti
- Environmental Protection In the Caribbean (EPIC), Maho, Sint Maarten
| | | | - Ansel Fong G
- Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad (BIOECO), Museo de Historia Natural "Tomás Romay", Santiago de Cuba, Cuba
| | - Anslem de Silva
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Sri Lanka, Gampola, Sri Lanka
| | - Antoine Fouquet
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Ariadne Angulo
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Artem A Kidov
- Russian State Agrarian University-MTAA, Moscow, Russia
| | - Arturo Muñoz Saravia
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group Bolivia, La Paz, Bolivia
- Animal Nutrition Unit, Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Arvin C Diesmos
- ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
- HerpWatch Pilipinas, Manila, Philippines
| | - Atsushi Tominaga
- Faculty of Education, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
- Graduate School of Engineering and Science, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Biraj Shrestha
- SAVE THE FROGS!, Laguna Beach, CA, USA
- The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Brian Gratwicke
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Burhan Tjaturadi
- Center for Environmental Studies, Sanata Dharma University (CESSDU), Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Carlos C Martínez Rivera
- Pinelands Preservation Alliance, Southampton Township, NJ, USA
- Centro de Conservación de Anfibios, Amaru Bioparque, Cuenca, Ecuador
| | - Carlos R Vásquez Almazán
- Museo de Historia Natural, Escuela de Biologia, Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala City, Guatemala
- FUNDAECO, Guatemala City, Guatemala
| | - Celsa Señaris
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - S R Chandramouli
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry, India
| | | | | | - Claudio Azat
- Sustainability Research Center & PhD Program in Conservation Medicine, Faculty of Life Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Conrad J Hoskin
- College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Damion L Whyte
- Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | | | - Deanna H Olson
- Pacific Northwest Research Station, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Diego F Cisneros-Heredia
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Quito, Ecuador
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad INABIO, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Diego José Santana
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil
| | - Elizah Nagombi
- The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Elnaz Najafi-Majd
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Evan S H Quah
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Federico Bolaños
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
- CIBET (Museo de Zoología), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Feng Xie
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | | | | | | | - Frank Glaw
- Zoologische Staatssammlung München (ZSM-SNSB), Munich, Germany
| | | | - Fred Kraus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gabriela Parra-Olea
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gerardo Chaves
- CIBET (Museo de Zoología), Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Guido F Medina-Rangel
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | | | - H Mauricio Ortega-Andrade
- Biogeography and Spatial Ecology Research Group, Life Sciences Faculty, Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM, Tena, Ecuador
- Herpetology Division, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Iberê F Machado
- Instituto Boitatá de Etnobiologia e Conservação da Fauna, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Indraneil Das
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
| | - Iuri Ribeiro Dias
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, Brazil
| | - J Nicolas Urbina-Cardona
- Departamento de Ecología y Territorio, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y Rurales, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jelka Crnobrnja-Isailović
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia
| | - Jian-Huan Yang
- Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiang Jianping
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Jigme Tshelthrim Wangyal
- University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
- Bhutan Ecological Society, Thimphu, Bhutan
| | - Jodi J L Rowley
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John Measey
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Institute of Biodiversity, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, People's Republic of China
| | - Karthikeyan Vasudevan
- Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Kin Onn Chan
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kotambylu Vasudeva Gururaja
- Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Kristiina Ovaska
- Biolinx Environmental Research, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Luis Canseco-Márquez
- Laboratorio de Herpetología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luís Felipe Toledo
- Laboratório de História Natural de Anfíbios Brasileiros (LaHNAB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luis M Díaz
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Cuba, La Habana, Cuba
| | - M Monirul H Khan
- Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Key Laboratory in Forest Ecology and Conservation, College of Forestry, Guangxi University, Nanning, People's Republic of China
| | - Manuel E Acevedo
- Museo Nacional de Historia Natural "Jorge A. Ibarra", Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
| | - Marcelo Felgueiras Napoli
- Instituto de Biologia, Campus Universitário de Ondina, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil
| | | | - Marcos Vaira
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA, UNJu-Conicet), San Salvador de Jujuy, Argentina
| | - Margarita Lampo
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Miranda, Venezuela
- Fundación para el Desarrollo de las Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales (FUDECI), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Mario H Yánez-Muñoz
- Unidad de Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Mark D Scherz
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mark-Oliver Rödel
- Museum für Naturkunde-Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Maxon Fildor
- Action Pour la Sauvegarde de l'Ecologie en Haïti (ACSEH), Les Cayes, Haiti
| | - Mirza D Kusrini
- Faculty of Forestry & Environment, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | | | - Muhammad Rais
- Herpetology Lab, Department of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - N'Goran G Kouamé
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Ecologie Tropicale, UFR Environnement, Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé, Daloa, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Nieves García
- IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland
| | - Nono Legrand Gonwouo
- Laboratory of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - Paul Y Imbun
- Zoology Unit, Research and Education Section, Sabah Parks, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Philipp Wagner
- Allwetterzoo, Münster, Germany
- Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA
| | - Philippe J R Kok
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Rafael L Joglar
- Rio Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Proyecto Coqui, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Renoir J Auguste
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | | | - Roberto Ibáñez
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, República de Panamá
| | - Rudolf von May
- California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA, USA
| | - S Blair Hedges
- Center for Biodiversity, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | - Sally Wren
- IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sandeep Das
- Centre for Research in Emerging Tropical Diseases, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Kerala, India
- EDGE of Existence programme, Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | | | - Sara L Ashpole
- Environmental Studies, St Lawrence University, Canton, NY, USA
- , Prescott, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Somphouthone Phimmachak
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Laos
| | - Stephen J Richards
- Herpetology Department, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Tahar Slimani
- Faculty of Sciences Sremlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco
| | - Tamara Osborne-Naikatini
- School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences, The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
| | | | - Thais H Condez
- Department of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Timothy P Cutajar
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Todd W Pierson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA, USA
| | - Truong Q Nguyen
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
| | - Uğur Kaya
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, İzmir, Turkey
| | - Zhiyong Yuan
- School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | | | - Penny Langhammer
- Re:wild, Austin, TX, USA
- Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Simon N Stuart
- IUCN Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland
- A Rocha International, London, UK
- Synchronicity Earth, London, UK
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Garg S, Sivaperuman C, Gokulakrishnan G, Chandramouli SR, Biju SD. Hiding in Plain Sight: Rain Water Puddles in Nicobar Islands of India Reveal Abundance of a New Frog Species of the Genus Microhyla Tschudi, 1838 (Anura: Microhylidae). Zool Stud 2022; 60:e2. [PMID: 35774264 PMCID: PMC9168734 DOI: 10.6620/zs.2022.61-02] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies on frogs of the Microhyla heymonsi species complex have demonstrated that high genetic variation exists among its various known populations from regions across Asia. We assessed the taxonomic identity of the Nicobar population of Microhyla cf. heymonsi and compared it to the typical Microhyla heymonsi from Taiwan and the two recently described species in this complex from Vietnam. Our study demonstrates that the Nicobar population is both genetically and morphologically divergent and warrants recognition as a new species, which we formally describe here as Microhyla nakkavaram sp. nov. The new species is closely related to M. daklakensis, M. heymonsi, and M. ninhthuanensis, but diagnosable from all three species by a suite of morphological characters, such as the presence of two small tubercles at mid-dorsum along with ( )-shaped markings, length of finger I longer than half the length of finger II, presence of three distinct metacarpal tubercles on hand, rudimentary foot webbing, as well as its slender body shape, granular dorsal skin texture, and other colour characters and body markings. Statistical analyses based on multiple morphometric characters also clearly separate our new taxon from M. heymonsi, with which it was previously confused. Our phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial 16S rRNA locus find Microhyla nakkavaram sp. nov. to be nested in the Microhyla achatina species group, where it is delimited as a distinct species. This lineage shows genetic distances of ≥ 3.5% from all the other known congeners. Currently, the known distribution of the new taxon is restricted to the southernmost group of Nicobar Islands-Great Nicobar, Kondul, and Little Nicobar-where it is found in abundance across a wide range of habitats during the monsoon season. Our study underlines the need to reassess the identity of all the known populations of M. 'heymonsi' from other regions in Southeast and East Asia. To facilitate future taxonomic work in the light of our and other recent findings, we also provide a detailed redescription and revised diagnosis for M. heymonsi based on morphological examination of its century-old type material originating from Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India. E-mail: , (Biju); (Garg)
| | - Chandrakasan Sivaperuman
- Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Port Blair 744102, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. E-mail: (Sivaperuman); (Gokulakrishnan)
| | - G Gokulakrishnan
- Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Port Blair 744102, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. E-mail: (Sivaperuman); (Gokulakrishnan)
| | - S R Chandramouli
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India. E-mail: (Chandramouli)
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India. E-mail: , (Biju); (Garg)
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Blotto BL, Biju SD, Pereyra MO, Araujo-Vieira K, Faivovich J, Grant T. Hand and foot musculature of Sooglossoidea: synapomorphies, convergences and hind limb digging behaviour in anurans. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We describe the hand and foot musculature of the fossorial Indian purple frog, Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, and compare it to other members of Sooglossoidea: the Seychellean sooglossid genera Sechellophryne and Sooglossus. Due to the key phylogenetic position of Sooglossoidea, we compare its members with the diversity of Anura and define 52 characters from the hand and foot musculature, among which 26 are novel hypotheses of homology. We found several synapomorphies for Sooglossus, Sooglossidae, Nasikabatrachidae and Sooglossoidea. Additionally, we (1) propose synapomorphies for diverse anuran clades at different taxonomic levels, (2) re-evaluate the identity of some conflicting plantar and palmar muscles in the context of Batrachia and (3) discuss putative adaptations to hind limb digging behaviour resulting from morphological convergences. The lack of a clear pattern of convergences among hind limb digging species suggests the occurrence of a phenomenon of many-to-one mapping from form to function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris L Blotto
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’–CONICET, Av. Angel Gallardo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Martín O Pereyra
- Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva ‘Claudio J. Bidau’, Instituto de Biología Subtropical–CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, N3300LQF Posadas, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Katyuscia Araujo-Vieira
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’–CONICET, Av. Angel Gallardo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Biodiversidade and Centro de Aquicultura, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Julián Faivovich
- División Herpetología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’–CONICET, Av. Angel Gallardo, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Taran Grant
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Coleção de Anfíbios, Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Biju SD, Garg S, Kamei RG, Maheswaran G. Erratum: S. D. BIJU, SONALI GARG, RACHUNLIU G. KAMEI amp; GOPINATHAN MAHESWARAN (2019) A new Microhyla species (Anura: Microhylidae) from riparian evergreen forest in the eastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Zootaxa 4674: 100116. Zootaxa 2021; 5082:600. [PMID: 35390942 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5082.6.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Bisht K, Garg S, Sarmah ANDA, Sengupta S, Biju SD. Lost, forgotten, and overlooked: systematic reassessment of two lesser-known toad species (Anura, Bufonidae) from Peninsular India and another wide-ranging northern species. ZOOSYST EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/zse.97.61770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We rediscovered two species of toads, Bufo stomaticus peninsularis and Bufo brevirostris, which were described from Peninsular India 84 and 101 years ago, respectively, but have not been reported since. Because the name-bearing types of both species are either damaged or lost, we provide detailed redescriptions, morphological comparisons, and insights into phylogenetic relationships with closely related members of the genus Duttaphrynus sensu lato, based on new material from the type locality of each species. We clarify and validate the identity of D. brevirostris, which was rediscovered from multiple localities in the Malenadu and adjoining coastal regions of Karnataka. We also demonstrate that Bufo stomaticus peninsularis, which was considered a synonym of Duttaphrynus scaber, is a distinct species. Bufo stomaticus peninsularis differs from Duttaphrynus scaber morphologically and genetically, and is more closely related to members of the Duttaphrynus stomaticus group. We also clarify the identity of the namesake species of the Duttaphrynus stomaticus group, which is reported widely in India and neighbouring countries, but lacks sufficient taxonomic information due to its brief original description and reportedly untraceable type material. We located and studied the complete syntype series of D. stomaticus, probably for the first time in over a century, and we report on the status of available specimens, provide detailed description of a potential type, compare it to related species, and clarify the species’ geographical range. Our molecular analyses suggest that D. stomaticus is minimally divergent from, and possibly conspecific with, D. olivaceus. Our analyses also clarify its relationship to the closely-related D. peninsulariscomb. nov., with which it was previously confused. Finally, our study provides other insights into the phylogenetic relationships and genetic differentiation among various species of Duttaphrynus toads.
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Eprilurahman R, Garg S, Atmaja VY, Alhadi F, Munir M, Ubaidillah R, Arisuryanti T, Biju SD, Smith EN, Hamidy A. A tiny new species of Microhyla Tschudi, 1838 (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae) from Belitung Island and Southeastern Sumatra, Indonesia. Zootaxa 2021; 5027:451-488. [PMID: 34811158 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5027.4.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
A tiny new species of narrow-mouthed frog of the genus Microhyla is described from the island of Belitung and southeastern Sumatra, Indonesia. The most distinctive feature of the new frog is its diminutive adult size, snout-vent length ranging only from 12.3 to 15.8 mm in adult males. Phylogenetic analyses based a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, along with detailed morphological and acoustic comparison differentiate the new taxon from all known congeners. The new species, formally described as Microhyla sriwijaya sp. nov., is a member of the M. achatina species group and the sister taxon to M. orientalis. It is diagnosable from other congeners by a combination of characters: (1) smaller male snout-vent size 16 mm; (2) snout obtusely rounded in dorsal view; (3) absence of mid-dorsal line and skin fold; (4) first finger reduced (finger I length less than half of finger II length); (5) dorsum with a prominent dark median mark extending posteriorly, narrow anteriorly near the level of the shoulder and expanding dorsolaterally up to the vent; margins of the dorsal marking concave with broad reddish-brown or orange colouration on either side; (6) foot webbing rudimentary, reaching just up to the first subarticular tubercle on all toes; (7) dorsal skin with prominent tubercles, especially in life; (8) tibiotarsal articulation of adpressed limb reaching beyond the snout tip; and (9) males produce a single type of call with pulsatile temporal structure, calls of relatively short duration ranging between 31.862.8 s, with two to three pulses delivered at a rate ranging between 32.236.0 pulses per second, and the mean overall dominant frequency of 4.3 kHz. The uncorrected pairwise genetic distances between Microhyla sriwijaya sp. nov. and all other known congeners are > 3.8% for the studied 16S gene fragment. The new species was discovered from wayside rural areas with oil palm plantations at four localities in the small island of Belitung (type locality), and from coffee plantation and secondary forest at Lampung in southeastern Sumatra. It is not known from any protected area and appears to be threatened due to tin mining activity, intensive logging, oil palm, and other commonly practiced agriculture activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rury Eprilurahman
- Department of Tropical Biology, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia.
| | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India .
| | - Vestidhia Y Atmaja
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Bengkulu, Bengkulu 38371, Indonesia .
| | - Farits Alhadi
- Belitung Biodiversity Observer Foundation, Jl. Murai Perum Guru No. A/144 Desa Aik Raya, Tanjungpandan, Belitung, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, 33413, Indonesia.
| | - Misbahul Munir
- Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan .
| | - Rosichon Ubaidillah
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Centre for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Gd. Widyasatwaloka, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor km 46, Cibinong, West Java, Indonesia.
| | - Tuty Arisuryanti
- Department of Tropical Biology, Faculty of Biology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, 55281, Indonesia.
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India .
| | - Eric N Smith
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA .
| | - Amir Hamidy
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Centre for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Gd. Widyasatwaloka, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor km 46, Cibinong, West Java, Indonesia.
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Garg S, Suyesh R, Das S, Bee MA, Biju SD. An integrative approach to infer systematic relationships and define species groups in the shrub frog genus Raorchestes, with description of five new species from the Western Ghats, India. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10791. [PMID: 33717674 PMCID: PMC7936570 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Raorchestes is a large radiation of Old World tree frogs for which the Western Ghats in Peninsular India is the major center for origin and diversification. Extensive studies on this group during the past two decades have resolved long-standing taxonomic confusions and uncovered several new species, resulting in a four-fold increase in the number of known Raorchestes frogs from this region. Our ongoing research has revealed another five new species in the genus, formally described as Raorchestes drutaahu sp. nov., Raorchestes kakkayamensis sp. nov., Raorchestes keirasabinae sp. nov., Raorchestes sanjappai sp. nov., and Raorchestes vellikkannan sp. nov., all from the State of Kerala in southern Western Ghats. Based on new collections, we also provide insights on the taxonomic identity of three previously known taxa. Furthermore, since attempts for an up-to-date comprehensive study of this taxonomically challenging genus using multiple integrative taxonomic approaches have been lacking, here we review the systematic affinities of all known Raorchestes species and define 16 species groups based on evidence from multi-gene (2,327 bp) phylogenetic analyses, several morphological characters (including eye colouration and pattern), and acoustic parameters (temporal and spectral properties, as well as calling height). The results of our study present novel insights to facilitate a better working taxonomy for this rather speciose and morphologically conserved radiation of shrub frogs. This will further enable proper field identification, provide momentum for multi-disciplinary studies, as well as assist conservation of one of the most colourful and acoustically diverse frog groups of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Robin Suyesh
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.,Department of Environmental Studies, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Sandeep Das
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Division, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala, India.,EDGE of Existence programme, Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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Biju SD, Garg S, Gokulakrishnan G, Chandrakasan S, Thammachoti P, Ren J, Gopika C, Bisht K, Hamidy A, Shouche Y. New insights on the systematics and reproductive behaviour in tree frogs of the genus Feihyla, with description of a new related genus from Asia (Anura, Rhacophoridae). Zootaxa 2020; 4878:zootaxa.4878.1.1. [PMID: 33311165 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4878.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The taxonomy of the Asian tree frog genus Feihyla has been in a state of flux ever since its proposal in 2006. Allocation of species to Feihyla remains confusing, particularly with respect to the closely related genus Chirixalus (formerly Chiromantis sensu lato). At the same time, several Chirixalus species are known only from cursory descriptions and remain poorly studied. In this study, we review the systematics of the genus Feihyla and clarify the generic placement of its members along with all other species currently assigned to Chirixalus. Based on integrative evidence gathered from new collections, examination of types and original descriptions, morphological comparisons, phylogenetic relationships inferred from a multi-gene (three mitochondrial + two nuclear) 1,937 bp dataset, as well as reproductive modes including egg-laying, nesting behaviour, and clutch morphology, our results show that the six species formerly attributed to Feihyla represent three morphologically and phylogenetically distinct groups: (1) the type species of the genus, F. palpebralis, along with F. fuhua constitute the Feihyla palpebralis group or Feihyla sensu stricto; (2) F. inexpectata and F. kajau represent the Feihyla vittiger group and are closely related to the Feihyla palpebralis group; (3) 'F. hansenae' and 'F. vittata' constitute another distinct and reciprocally monophyletic lineage, more closely related to Chirixalus + Chiromantis. In light of long-standing taxonomic confusions and unresolved phylogenetic relationships, we propose recognition of a new genus to accommodate 'F. hansenae' and 'F. vittata' in order to stabilise the classification of several Asian rhacophorid species that have been frequently confused and transferred within the Chirixalus-Chiromantis-Feihyla complex. Based on integrative evidence, eight species previously attributed to the genus Chirixalus or Feihyla are formally transferred to Rohanixalus gen. nov., two Chirixalus members are allocated to Feihyla, and one synonymised with Rhacophorus bipunctatus. In addition, we report the first member of the tree frog family Rhacophoridae from the Andaman Islands of India-Rohanixalus vittatus, along with description of its male advertisement call, reproductive behaviour including parental care by the female, and larval morphology. Extended distributions are also provided for Rohanixalus species across Northeast India. The study further reveals the presence of potentially undescribed diversity in the new genus. Altogether, the revised classification and novel insights presented herein will facilitate a better working taxonomy for four phylogenetically distinct but morphologically related groups of Old World tree frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
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Mahony S, Kamei RG, Teeling EC, Biju SD. Taxonomic review of the Asian Horned Frogs (Amphibia: Megophrys Kuhl & Van Hasselt) of Northeast India and Bangladesh previously misidentified as M. parva (Boulenger), with descriptions of three new species. J NAT HIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1736679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Mahony
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Rachunliu G. Kamei
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Emma C. Teeling
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland
| | - S. D. Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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Bossuyt F, Schulte LM, Maex M, Janssenswillen S, Novikova PY, Biju SD, Van de Peer Y, Matthijs S, Roelants K, Martel A, Van Bocxlaer I. Multiple Independent Recruitment of Sodefrin Precursor-Like Factors in Anuran Sexually Dimorphic Glands. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:1921-1930. [PMID: 31238339 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical signaling in animals often plays a central role in eliciting a variety of responses during reproductive interactions between males and females. One of the best-known vertebrate courtship pheromone systems is sodefrin precursor-like factors (SPFs), a family of two-domain three-finger proteins with a female-receptivity enhancing function, currently only known from salamanders. The oldest divergence between active components in a single salamander species dates back to the Late Paleozoic, indicating that these proteins potentially gained a pheromone function earlier in amphibian evolution. Here, we combined whole transcriptome sequencing, proteomics, histology, and molecular phylogenetics in a comparative approach to investigate SPF occurrence in male breeding glands across the evolutionary tree of anurans (frogs and toads). Our study shows that multiple families of both terrestrially and aquatically reproducing frogs have substantially increased expression levels of SPFs in male breeding glands. This suggests that multiple anuran lineages make use of SPFs to complement acoustic and visual sexual signaling during courtship. Comparative analyses show that anurans independently recruited these proteins each time the gland location on the male's body allowed efficient transmission of the secretion to the female's nares.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franky Bossuyt
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lisa M Schulte
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Wildlife-/Zoo-Animal-Biology and Systematics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Margo Maex
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sunita Janssenswillen
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Polina Yu Novikova
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Yves Van de Peer
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Center for Plant Systems Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Severine Matthijs
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kim Roelants
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - An Martel
- Wildlife Health Ghent, Department of Pathology, Bacteriology, and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Biju SD, Garg S, Kamei RG, Maheswaran G. A new Microhyla species (Anura: Microhylidae) from riparian evergreen forest in the eastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Zootaxa 2019; 4674:zootaxa.4674.1.5. [PMID: 31716022 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4674.1.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
A new frog species of the genus Microhyla (Anura, Microhylidae) is described from riparian mid-elevation (860 m asl) evergreen forest in Namdapha National Park, located in the eastern Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The new species can be morphologically distinguished from other congeners by a suite of characters such as adult size, dorsal and lateral colouration and markings, snout shape, foot webbing, and digit tip morphology. Phylogenetically, the new species is more closely related to some of the smallest known members of the genus. It forms a deeply divergent sister lineage to the clade containing members of the Microhyla zeylanica species group that are restricted to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka, and shows sequential relationship with Southeast Asian species M. superciliaris, followed by clade containing M. aurantiventris + M. butleri. The discovery indicates that novel taxa representing distinct evolutionary lineages still remain to be formally described in the genus Microhyla, especially from less explored regions such as the eastern Himalayan forests in Northeast India.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
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Das A, Garg S, Hamidy A, Smith EN, Biju SD. A new species of Micryletta frog (Microhylidae) from Northeast India. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7012. [PMID: 31223526 PMCID: PMC6568283 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a new species of frog in the microhylid genus Micryletta Dubois, 1987 from Northeast India based on molecular and morphological evidence. The new species, formally described as Micryletta aishani sp. nov., is phenotypically distinct from other congeners by a suite of morphological characters such as brown to reddish-brown dorsum; dorsal skin shagreened with minute spinules; snout shape nearly truncate in dorsal and ventral view; a prominent dark streak extending from tip of the snout up to the lower abdomen; ash-grey mottling along the margins of upper and lower lip extending up to the flanks, limb margins and dorsal surfaces of hand and foot; tibiotarsal articulation reaching up to the level of armpits; absence of outer metatarsal tubercles; and absence of webbing between toes. Phylogenetic relationships within the genus are inferred based on mitochondrial data and the new taxon is found to differ from all the recognised Micryletta species by 3.5-5.9% divergence in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA. The new species was found in the states of Assam, Manipur, and Tripura, from low to moderate elevation (30-800 m asl) regions lying south of River Brahmaputra and encompassing the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. The discovery validates the presence of genus Micryletta in Northeast India based on genetic evidence, consequently confirming the extension of its geographical range, westwards from Southeast Asia up to Northeast India. Further, for nomenclatural stability of two previously known species, Microhyla inornata (= Micryletta inornata) and Microhyla steinegeri (= Micryletta steinegeri), lectotypes are designated along with detailed descriptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhijit Das
- Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Amir Hamidy
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Cibinong, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Eric N. Smith
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center and Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - S. D. Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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Alhadi F, Hamidy A, Farajallah A, Munir MI, Atmaja VY, Garg S, Biju SD, Smith EN. Rediscovery of Micryletta inornata (Boulenger, 1890) from Sumatra: redescription, molecular identity, and taxonomic implications. Zootaxa 2019; 4613:zootaxa.4613.1.5. [PMID: 31716427 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4613.1.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Micryletta inornata (Boulenger 1890), the type species of the genus Micryletta, was originally described from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Subsequently, this species has been widely reported from Sundaland (Sumatra and Malay Peninsula), Indo-China, Northeast India and South Andaman, up to southern China and Taiwan. However, since the original description there has been no further report of this species from the type locality or the island. During a herpetofaunal survey in Sumatra, several specimens that are morphologically concordant with the original description and the syntypes of M. inornata were found, and thus the species was rediscovered after 125 years. Here, we provide a redescription of the species based on the freshly collected specimens, along with a detailed morphological and molecular comparison with known congeners. Further, using molecular data from the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, our study recovered the Sumatran M. inornata as a phylogenetically distinct lineage from all other populations previously referred to this species. This confirms that all known Micryletta 'inornata' populations from regions outside Sumatra constitute several other lineages representing either new species or previously available names currently considered as synonyms, consequently requiring taxonomic validation in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farits Alhadi
- Animal Biology Science, Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bogor Agricultural University, Dramaga Campus, Bogor 16680, Indonesia.
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Garg S, Biju SD. New microhylid frog genus from Peninsular India with Southeast Asian affinity suggests multiple Cenozoic biotic exchanges between India and Eurasia. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1906. [PMID: 30760773 PMCID: PMC6374391 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-38133-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Anurans in Peninsular India exhibit close biogeographical links with Gondwana as well as Laurasia, often explainable by the geological history of the Indian subcontinent; its breakup from Gondwanan landmasses followed by long isolation that resulted in diversification of endemic lineages, and subsequent land connections with Asia that enabled dispersal of widespread groups. Although widely distributed, the frog subfamily Microhylinae mostly comprises of geographically restricted genera found either in Southeast and East Asia or Peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Here we report a previously unknown microhylid from the Western Ghats in Peninsular India with closest relatives found over 2,000 km away in Southeast Asia. Based on integrated evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, adult and tadpole morphology, hand musculature, male advertisement call, and geographical distance, we recognize this enigmatic frog as a distinct new species and genus endemic to the Western Ghats. The discovery of Mysticellus franki gen. et sp. nov. and its close evolutionary relationship with the Southeast Asian genus Micryletta also provide insights on the biogeography of Microhylinae. Genus-level divergences within the subfamily suggest multiple Cenozoic biotic exchange events between India and Eurasia, particularly through postulated Eocene land bridges via Southeast Asia prior to accretion of the two landmasses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India.
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Mahony S, Kamei RG, Teeling EC, Biju SD. Cryptic diversity within the Megophrys major species group (Amphibia: Megophryidae) of the Asian Horned Frogs: Phylogenetic perspectives and a taxonomic revision of South Asian taxa, with descriptions of four new species. Zootaxa 2018; 4523:1-96. [PMID: 30486138 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4523.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The Megophrys major species group (MMSG) is composed of typically medium to large sized frogs. Within the genus, it is the most geographically widespread clade ranging from the western Himalayas to southern Indochina. In this study, we examined in detail the extent of cryptic diversity within the MMSG-Indian populations based on molecular data (up to ten genes) using multigene concatenation and coalescent-based phylogenetic techniques, species delimitation analyses and extensive morphological data.Molecular evidence suggests a high level of hidden cryptic diversity within the MMSG, particularly within the M. major species complex (MMC), highlighting overlapping distributions, a case of potential mitochondrial transfer between two species, and tree topology discordance between phylogenetic methods and mitochondrial and nuclear data sets. Most analyses indicated distinct eastern and western clades in the MMC, and that the western clade may further divide into a northern and a southern subclade.A detailed taxonomic review of Indian members of the Megophrys major species group is provided. Previously undocumented complex nomenclatural issues involving known species are highlighted and resolved. Megophrys monticola is taxonomically redefined for the first time as a valid species since its synonymy with M. parva in 1893. The taxonomic status of two recently described species, Xenophrys katabhako and X. sanu are discussed in light of increased molecular and morphological sampling, and are synonymised with M. monticola. Megophrys monticola and M. robusta are redescribed based on their original type specimens and recently collected material. Megophrys major is neotypified and M. robusta lectotypified to remove prevailing nomenclatural instability. Four new large sized Indian MMC species are formally described from the Northeast Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland, and Myanmar. All South Asian MMSG species are morphologically diagnosed from known congeners in the group. The geographic distributions of all taxa discussed are significantly redefined based on the revised taxonomy and extensive literature review. Morphological and molecular evidence suggests that Megophrys major sensu stricto might be endemic to Northeast India; M. glandulosa is formally removed from the Indian and Bhutan species checklists. Numerous misidentifications in literature are highlighted and corrected. In order to reduce future misidentifications of species reported from surrounding regions, high definition images of the holotypes of three Chinese species, M. glandulosa, M. medogensis and M. zhangi are provided for the first time, and a detailed description of Myanmar specimens of M. glandulosa is also given. This study provides the principle foundation for further research into the taxonomic status of the remaining, currently undescribed MMC taxa from Southeast Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Mahony
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.
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Garg S, Das A, Kamei RG, Biju SD. Delineating Microhyla ornata (Anura, Microhylidae): mitochondrial DNA barcodes resolve century-old taxonomic misidentification. Mitochondrial DNA B Resour 2018; 3:856-861. [PMID: 33474344 PMCID: PMC7800528 DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2018.1501286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Microhyla ornata, a species originally described from the southwest coast of India in 1841, was long reported to be wide-ranging throughout South, Southeast, and East Asia. Although the name M. ornata is restricted to populations from South Asia, the species is still considered to occur widely in India and its neighboring regions. To clarify the identity and geographical distribution of M. ‘ornata’, we performed DNA barcoding using a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene from 62 newly obtained samples. Our results show that this taxon is restricted to Peninsular India and Sri Lanka, whereas, populations from the other parts represent three different species – M. mukhlesuri, M. mymensinghensis, and M. nilphamariensis, creating new country records for India. Our work reemphasizes the benefits of DNA barcoding for rapidly identifying populations of widespread species and provides insights into the patterns of genetic differentiation in the M. ‘ornata’ species complex of South Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Abhijit Das
- Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India
| | - Rachunliu G Kamei
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
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Mahony S, Foley NM, Biju SD, Teeling EC. Evolutionary History of the Asian Horned Frogs (Megophryinae): Integrative Approaches to Timetree Dating in the Absence of a Fossil Record. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 34:744-771. [PMID: 28100792 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msw267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular dating studies typically need fossils to calibrate the analyses. Unfortunately, the fossil record is extremely poor or presently nonexistent for many species groups, rendering such dating analysis difficult. One such group is the Asian horned frogs (Megophryinae). Sampling all generic nomina, we combined a novel ∼5 kb dataset composed of four nuclear and three mitochondrial gene fragments to produce a robust phylogeny, with an extensive external morphological study to produce a working taxonomy for the group. Expanding the molecular dataset to include out-groups of fossil-represented ancestral anuran families, we compared the priorless RelTime dating method with the widely used prior-based Bayesian timetree method, MCMCtree, utilizing a novel combination of fossil priors for anuran phylogenetic dating. The phylogeny was then subjected to ancestral phylogeographic analyses, and dating estimates were compared with likely biogeographic vicariant events. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that previously proposed systematic hypotheses were incorrect due to the paraphyly of genera. Molecular phylogenetic, morphological, and timetree results support the recognition of Megophryinae as a single genus, Megophrys, with a subgenus level classification. Timetree results using RelTime better corresponded with the known fossil record for the out-group anuran tree. For the priorless in-group, it also outperformed MCMCtree when node date estimates were compared with likely influential historical biogeographic events, providing novel insights into the evolutionary history of this pan-Asian anuran group. Given a relatively small molecular dataset, and limited prior knowledge, this study demonstrates that the computationally rapid RelTime dating tool may outperform more popular and complex prior reliant timetree methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Mahony
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.,Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Nicole M Foley
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Emma C Teeling
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
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Garg S, Biju SD. Description of four new species of Burrowing Frogs in the Fejervarya rufescens complex (Dicroglossidae) with notes on morphological affinities of Fejervarya species in the Western Ghats. Zootaxa 2017; 4277:451-490. [PMID: 30308626 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4277.4.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The Rufescent Burrowing Frog, Fejervarya rufescens, is thought to have a wide distribution across the Western Ghats in Peninsular India. This locally abundant but secretive species has a short breeding period, making it a challenging subject for field studies. We sampled 16 populations of frogs morphologically similar to F. rufescens in order to understand the variation among populations found across the Western Ghats. Our study shows significant morphological and genetic differences among the sampled populations, suggesting that F. 'rufescens' is a complex of several undescribed species. Using evidence from morphology and genetics, we confirm the presence of five distinct species in this group and formally describe four as new. The new species were delineated using a phylogeny based on three mitochondrial genes (16S, COI and Cytb) and a haplotype network of a nuclear gene (Rag1). Hereafter, the distribution of F. rufescens is restricted to the state of Karnataka and adjoining regions of northern Kerala. Three new species (Fejervarya kadar sp. nov., Fejervarya manoharani sp. nov. and Fejervarya neilcoxi sp. nov.) are from regions south of Palghat gap in the state of Kerala, and one (Fejervarya cepfi sp. nov.) from the northern Western Ghats state of Maharashtra. These findings indicate that Fejervarya frogs of the Western Ghats are more diverse than currently known. Our results will also have implications on the conservation status of F. rufescens, which was previously categorized as Least Concern based on its presumed wide geographical distribution. Furthermore, in order to facilitate a better taxonomic understanding of this region's fejervaryan frogs, we divide all the known Fejarvarya species of the Western Ghats into four major groups-Fejervarya nilagirica group, Fejervarya rufescens group, Fejervarya sahyadris group and Fejervarya syhadrensis group, based on their morphological affinities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
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Garg S, Suyesh R, Sukesan S, Biju SD. Seven new species of Night Frogs (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae) from the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot of India, with remarkably high diversity of diminutive forms. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3007. [PMID: 28243532 PMCID: PMC5322763 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2016] [Accepted: 01/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Night Frog genus Nyctibatrachus (Family Nyctibatrachidae) represents an endemic anuran lineage of the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, India. Until now, it included 28 recognised species, of which more than half were described recently over the last five years. Our amphibian explorations have further revealed the presence of undescribed species of Nights Frogs in the southern Western Ghats. Based on integrated molecular, morphological and bioacoustic evidence, seven new species are formally described here as Nyctibatrachus athirappillyensis sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus manalari sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus pulivijayani sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus radcliffei sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus robinmoorei sp. nov., Nyctibatrachus sabarimalai sp. nov. and Nyctibatrachus webilla sp. nov., thereby bringing the total number of valid Nyctibatrachus species to 35 and increasing the former diversity estimates by a quarter. Detailed morphological descriptions, comparisons with other members of the genus, natural history notes, and genetic relationships inferred from phylogenetic analyses of a mitochondrial dataset are presented for all the new species. Additionally, characteristics of male advertisement calls are described for four new and three previously known species. Among the new species, six are currently known to be geographically restricted to low and mid elevation regions south of Palghat gap in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and one is probably endemic to high-elevation mountain streams slightly northward of the gap in Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, four new species are also among the smallest known Indian frogs. Hence, our discovery of several new species, particularly of easily overlooked miniaturized forms, reiterates that the known amphibian diversity of the Western Ghats of India still remains underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | - Robin Suyesh
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | - Sandeep Sukesan
- Kerala Forest Department, Periyar Tiger Reserve , Kerala , India
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi , Delhi , India
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Garg S, Biju SD. Molecular and Morphological Study of Leaping Frogs (Anura, Ranixalidae) with Description of Two New Species. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166326. [PMID: 27851823 PMCID: PMC5112961 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The monotypic anuran family Ranixalidae is endemic to India, with a predominant distribution in the Western Ghats, a region that is home to several unique amphibian lineages. It is also one of the three ancient anuran families that diversified on the Indian landmass long before several larger radiations of extant frogs in this region. In recent years, ranixalids have been subjected to DNA barcoding and systematic studies. Nearly half of the presently recognized species in this family have been described over the last three years, along with recognition of a new genus to accommodate three previously known members. Our surveys in the Western Ghats further suggest the presence of undescribed diversity in this group, thereby increasing former diversity estimates. Based on rapid genetic identification using a mitochondrial gene, followed by phylogenetic analyses with an additional nuclear gene and detailed morphological studies including examination of museum specimens, new collections, and available literature, here we describe two new species belonging to the genus Indirana from the Western Ghats states of Karnataka and Kerala. We also provide new genetic and morphological data along with confirmed distribution records for all the species known prior to this study. This updated systematic revision of family Ranixalidae will facilitate future studies and provide vital information for conservation assessment of these relic frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India
| | - S. D. Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India
- * E-mail:
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Willaert B, Suyesh R, Garg S, Giri VB, Bee MA, Biju SD. A unique mating strategy without physical contact during fertilization in Bombay Night Frogs (Nyctibatrachus humayuni) with the description of a new form of amplexus and female call. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2117. [PMID: 27326376 PMCID: PMC4911947 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anurans show the highest diversity in reproductive modes of all vertebrate taxa, with a variety of associated breeding behaviours. One striking feature of anuran reproduction is amplexus. During this process, in which the male clasps the female, both individuals' cloacae are juxtaposed to ensure successful external fertilization. Several types of amplexus have evolved with the diversification of anurans, and secondary loss of amplexus has been reported in a few distantly related taxa. Within Nyctibatrachus, a genus endemic to the Western Ghats of India, normal axillary amplexus, a complete loss of amplexus, and intermediate forms of amplexus have all been suggested to occur, but many species remain unstudied. Here, we describe the reproductive behaviour of N. humayuni, including a new type of amplexus. The dorsal straddle, here defined as a loose form of contact in which the male sits on the dorsum of the female prior to oviposition but without clasping her, is previously unreported for anurans. When compared to known amplexus types, it most closely resembles the form of amplexus observed in Mantellinae. Furthermore, we prove that, opposed to the situation in most anurans, male semen release happens before egg deposition. We hypothesize that the male ejaculates on the female's dorsum and that sperm subsequently runs from her back and hind legs before fertilizing the eggs. A second feature characterizing anuran breeding is the advertisement call, mostly produced solely by males. Despite recent descriptions of several new Nyctibatrachus species, few studies have explored their vocal repertoire. We describe both the male advertisement call and a female call for N. humayuni. The presence of a female call has not been reported within Nyctibatrachidae, and has been reported in less than 0.5% of anuran species. Altogether, our results highlight a striking diversity and several unique aspects of Nyctibatrachus breeding behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robin Suyesh
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | - Varad B Giri
- Research Collections, National Centre for Biological Sciences , Bangalore, Karnataka , India
| | - Mark A Bee
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Campus , St. Paul, Minnesota , USA
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi , Delhi , India
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Senevirathne G, Garg S, Kerney R, Meegaskumbura M, Biju SD. Unearthing the Fossorial Tadpoles of the Indian Dancing Frog Family Micrixalidae. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151781. [PMID: 27027870 PMCID: PMC4814069 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tadpoles of the monotypic Indian dancing frog family Micrixalidae have remained obscure for over 125 years. Here we report the discovery of the elusive tadpoles of Micrixalus herrei from the sand beds of a forested stream in southern Western Ghats, and confirm their identity through DNA barcoding. These actively burrowing tadpoles lead an entirely fossorial life from eggs to late metamorphic stages. We describe their internal and external morphological characters while highlighting the following features: eel-like appearance, extensively muscularized body and tail, reduced tail fins, skin-covered eyes, delayed development of eye pigmentation in early pre-metamorphic stages (Gosner stages 25-29), prominent tubular sinistral spiracle, large transverse processes on vertebrae II and III, ankylosed ribs on transverse processes of vertebra II, notochord terminating before the atlantal cotyle-occipital condyle junction, absence of keratodonts, serrated well-formed jaw sheaths, and extensive calcified endolymphatic sacs reaching sacrum posteriorly. The tadpole gut contains mostly fine sediments and sand. We discuss the eel-like morphology and feeding habits of M. herrei in the context of convergence with other well-known fossorial tadpoles. This discovery builds the knowledge base for further comparative analyses and conservation of Micrixalus, an ancient and endemic lineage of Indian frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayani Senevirathne
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ryan Kerney
- Department of Biology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
- * E-mail: (SDB); (MM)
| | - S. D. Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- * E-mail: (SDB); (MM)
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Senevirathne G, Thomas A, Kerney R, Hanken J, Biju SD, Meegaskumbura M. From Clinging to Digging: The Postembryonic Skeletal Ontogeny of the Indian Purple Frog, Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis (Anura: Nasikabatrachidae). PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151114. [PMID: 27028113 PMCID: PMC4814056 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Indian Purple frog, Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis, occupies a basal phylogenetic position among neobatrachian anurans and has a very unusual life history. Tadpoles have a large ventral oral sucker, which they use to cling to rocks in torrents, whereas metamorphs possess adaptations for life underground. The developmental changes that underlie these shifts in habits and habitats, and especially the internal remodeling of the cranial and postcranial skeleton, are unknown. Using a nearly complete metamorphic series from free-living larva to metamorph, we describe the postembryonic skeletal ontogeny of this ancient and unique monotypic lineage. The torrent-dwelling larva possesses a dorsoventrally flattened body and a head with tiny dorsal eyes, robust lower and upper jaw cartilages, well-developed trabecular horns, and a definable gap between the trabecular horns and the tip of the snout. Unlike tadpoles of many other frogs, those of Nasikabatrachus retain larval mouthparts into late metamorphic stages. This unusual feature enables the larvae to maintain their clinging habit until near the end of metamorphosis. The subsequent ontogenetic shift from clinging to digging is correlated with rapid morphological changes and behavioral modifications. Metamorphs are equipped with a shortened tibiafibula and ossified prehallical elements, which likely facilitate initial digging using the hind limbs. Subsequently, the frogs may shift to headfirst burrowing by using the wedge-shaped skull, anteriorly positioned pectoral girdle, well-developed humeral crests and spatula-shaped forelimbs. The transition from an aquatic life in torrents to a terrestrial life underground entails dramatic changes in skeletal morphology and function that represent an extreme in metamorphic remodeling. Our analysis enhances the scope for detailed comparative studies across anurans, a group renowned for the diversity of its life history strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayani Senevirathne
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Ashish Thomas
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ryan Kerney
- Department of Biology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - James Hanken
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - S. D. Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
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Kamei RG, Biju SD. On the taxonomic status of Ichthyophis husaini Pillai & Ravichandran, 1999 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae). Zootaxa 2016; 4079:140-50. [PMID: 27395997 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4079.1.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Extensive surveys at and around the type locality of Ichthyophis husaini Pillai & Ravichandran, 1999 (an 'unstriped' Ichthyophis) in North East India between 2008 and 2014 yielded tens of striped but no unstriped specimens of Ichthyophis. Contrary to the original description, we observed a lateral stripe on the holotype of I. husaini. The holotype of I. husaini is very similar to the holotype of the striped species I. garoensis Pillai & Ravichandran, 1999, which was collected from a locality only 20 km away from the type locality of I. husaini. The holotypes of these two species are also very similar to 12 newly collected specimens of striped Ichthyophis from this area. We conclude that the holotypes of I. husaini and I. garoensis represent but a single species, and we designate Ichthyophis husaini Pillai & Ravichandran, 1999 as a junior subjective synonym of Ichthyophis garoensis Pillai & Ravichandran, 1999. This taxonomic action and newly reported material extends the known geographic range of I. garoensis. It also reduces the number of Ichthyophis species of North East India to eight, and restricts unstriped members of the genus within this region to a single species (I. sikkimensis Taylor, 1960) that is known only from the far west of the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachunliu G Kamei
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK;
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India; unknown
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27
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Biju SD, Senevirathne G, Garg S, Mahony S, Kamei RG, Thomas A, Shouche Y, Raxworthy CJ, Meegaskumbura M, Van Bocxlaer I. Frankixalus, a New Rhacophorid Genus of Tree Hole Breeding Frogs with Oophagous Tadpoles. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0145727. [PMID: 26790105 PMCID: PMC4720377 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite renewed interest in the biogeography and evolutionary history of Old World tree frogs (Rhacophoridae), this family still includes enigmatic frogs with ambiguous phylogenetic placement. During fieldwork in four northeastern states of India, we discovered several populations of tree hole breeding frogs with oophagous tadpoles. We used molecular data, consisting of two nuclear and three mitochondrial gene fragments for all known rhacophorid genera, to investigate the phylogenetic position of these new frogs. Our analyses identify a previously overlooked, yet distinct evolutionary lineage of frogs that warrants recognition as a new genus and is here described as Frankixalusgen. nov. This genus, which contains the enigmatic ‘Polypedates’ jerdonii described by Günther in 1876, forms the sister group of a clade containing Kurixalus, Pseudophilautus, Raorchestes, Mercurana and Beddomixalus. The distinctiveness of this evolutionary lineage is also corroborated by the external morphology of adults and tadpoles, adult osteology, breeding ecology, and life history features.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India
| | - Gayani Senevirathne
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India
| | - Stephen Mahony
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India.,School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4, Ireland
| | - Rachunliu G Kamei
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India.,Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, United Kingdom
| | - Ashish Thomas
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India.,Department of Environmental Studies, Hindu College, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India
| | - Yogesh Shouche
- Microbial Culture Collection, National Center for Cell Science, NCCS Complex, Pune University Campus, Ganeshkhind, Pune, 411 007, India
| | - Christopher J Raxworthy
- Herpetology Department, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York, 10024, United States of America
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Amphibian Evolution Lab, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
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Wijayathilaka N, Garg S, Senevirathne G, Karunarathna N, Biju SD, Meegaskumbura M. A new species of Microhyla (Anura: Microhylidae) from Sri Lanka: an integrative taxonomic approach. Zootaxa 2016; 4066:331-42. [PMID: 27395556 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4066.3.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Species boundaries of Microhyla rubra of India and Sri Lanka were assessed using the following criteria: genetic barcoding, morphology, and vocalization. We use a ca. 500 bp fragment of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene and show that there is an uncorrected pairwise distance of 2.7-3.2% between the Indian and Sri Lankan populations of M. rubra. We show that they are different in several call characteristics such as, dominant frequency, call duration, call rise time and pulse rate. Morphologically, the Sri Lankan population can be distinguished from the typical M. rubra described from southern India, by a combination of characters: body size, skin texture, and feet dimensions. We recognize the population from Sri Lanka as a new species, Microhyla mihintalei sp. nov., a widely distributed lowland species with an elevational distribution of up to 500 m a.s.l.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayana Wijayathilaka
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science & Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; unknown
| | - Sonali Garg
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India; unknown
| | - Gayani Senevirathne
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science & Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; unknown
| | - Nuwan Karunarathna
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science & Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; unknown
| | - S D Biju
- Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India; unknown
| | - Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science & Postgraduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka;
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Mahony S, Teeling EC, Biju SD. Three new species of horned frogs, Megophrys (Amphibia: Megophryidae), from northeast India, with a resolution to the identity of Megophrys boettgeri populations reported from the region. Zootaxa 2015; 3722:143-69. [PMID: 26171520 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3722.2.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Northeast India is a well-established region of biological importance but remains poorly understood with regards to the species level identifications of many of its extant amphibians. In this study we examined small sized frogs from the genus Megophrys recently collected from remote and suburban forests in the northeast Indian states of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, from which we have identified three new species. Megophrys vegrandis sp. nov., Megophrys ancrae sp. nov. and Megophrys oropedion sp. nov. are compared with all known congeners from India and surrounding regions from which they differ based primarily on a combination of morphological characters. Megophrys boettgeri is removed, and Megophrys minor added to the Indian amphibian checklist, through critical review of all literature pertaining to the former species, and the discovery of an overlooked historical report of the latter species. Two of the new species, Megophrys ancrae sp. nov. and Megophrys vegrandis sp. nov. are known from low and mid elevations within two large protected forests in Arunachal Pradesh, both with poorly studied amphibian fauna. Contrastingly, Megophrys oropedion sp. nov. is currently known only from small forested areas on the upper reaches of the Shillong Plateau. The importance of the Shillong Plateau as an area of known high amphibian endemicity is highlighted in the light of the miniscule proportion of its land area afforded government protection, raising concerns about the future conservation of its still poorly known species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Mahony
- UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, UCD Science Centre (West), University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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Meegaskumbura M, Senevirathne G, Biju SD, Garg S, Meegaskumbura S, Pethiyagoda R, Hanken J, Schneider CJ. Patterns of reproductive-mode evolution in Old World tree frogs (Anura, Rhacophoridae). ZOOL SCR 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Madhava Meegaskumbura
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology; Faculty of Science; University of Peradeniya; Peradeniya KY 20400 Sri Lanka
| | - Gayani Senevirathne
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology; Faculty of Science; University of Peradeniya; Peradeniya KY 20400 Sri Lanka
| | - S. D. Biju
- Department of Environmental Studies; University of Delhi; Delhi 110 007 India
| | - Sonali Garg
- Department of Environmental Studies; University of Delhi; Delhi 110 007 India
| | - Suyama Meegaskumbura
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science; University of Peradeniya; Peradeniya KY 20400 Sri Lanka
| | | | - James Hanken
- Museum of Comparative Zoology; Harvard University; Cambridge MA 02138 USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Bee
- a Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior , University of Minnesota , 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul , MN , 55108 , USA
| | - Robin Suyesh
- b Systematics Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies , University of Delhi , Delhi , 110 007 , India
| | - S. D. Biju
- b Systematics Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies , University of Delhi , Delhi , 110 007 , India
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Kamei RG, San Mauro D, Gower DJ, Van Bocxlaer I, Sherratt E, Thomas A, Babu S, Bossuyt F, Wilkinson M, Biju SD. Discovery of a new family of amphibians from northeast India with ancient links to Africa. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 279:2396-401. [PMID: 22357266 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The limbless, primarily soil-dwelling and tropical caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) comprise the least known order of tetrapods. On the basis of unprecedented extensive fieldwork, we report the discovery of a previously overlooked, ancient lineage and radiation of caecilians from threatened habitats in the underexplored states of northeast India. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of mitogenomic and nuclear DNA sequences, and comparative cranial anatomy indicate an unexpected sister-group relationship with the exclusively African family Herpelidae. Relaxed molecular clock analyses indicate that these lineages diverged in the Early Cretaceous, about 140 Ma. The discovery adds a major branch to the amphibian tree of life and sheds light on both the evolution and biogeography of caecilians and the biotic history of northeast India-an area generally interpreted as a gateway between biodiversity hotspots rather than a distinct biogeographic unit with its own ancient endemics. Because of its distinctive morphology, inferred age and phylogenetic relationships, we recognize the newly discovered caecilian radiation as a new family of modern amphibians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachunliu G Kamei
- Department of Environmental Studies, Systematics Laboratory, Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110 007, India
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Van Bocxlaer I, Biju SD, Willaert B, Giri VB, Shouche YS, Bossuyt F. Mountain-associated clade endemism in an ancient frog family (Nyctibatrachidae) on the Indian subcontinent. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2011; 62:839-47. [PMID: 22178364 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2011] [Revised: 11/17/2011] [Accepted: 11/24/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Night frogs (Nyctibatrachidae) form a family endemic to the Western Ghats, a hill chain along the west coast of southern India. Extant members of this family are descendants of a lineage that originated on the subcontinent during its longtime isolation in the Late Cretaceous. Because the evolutionary history of Nyctibatrachidae has always been tightly connected to the subcontinent, these tropically-adapted frogs are an ideal group for studying how patterns of endemism originated and evolved during the Cenozoic in the Western Ghats. We used a combined set of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA fragments to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of 120 ingroup specimens of all known species of Nyctibatrachidae. Our analyses indicate that, although this family had an early origin on the Indian subcontinent, the early diversification of extant nyctibatrachids happened only in the Eocene. Biogeographic analyses show that dispersal across the Palghat gap and Shencottah gap was limited, which led to clade endemism within mountain ranges of the Western Ghats. It is likely that multiple biota have been affected simultaneously by these prominent geographical barriers. Our study therefore further highlights the importance of considering the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot as an assemblage of distinct mountain regions, each containing endemism and deserving attention in future conservation planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Van Bocxlaer
- Biology Department, Amphibian Evolution Lab, Unit of Ecology & Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
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Hoffmann M, Hilton-Taylor C, Angulo A, Böhm M, Brooks TM, Butchart SHM, Carpenter KE, Chanson J, Collen B, Cox NA, Darwall WRT, Dulvy NK, Harrison LR, Katariya V, Pollock CM, Quader S, Richman NI, Rodrigues ASL, Tognelli MF, Vié JC, Aguiar JM, Allen DJ, Allen GR, Amori G, Ananjeva NB, Andreone F, Andrew P, Aquino Ortiz AL, Baillie JEM, Baldi R, Bell BD, Biju SD, Bird JP, Black-Decima P, Blanc JJ, Bolaños F, Bolivar-G W, Burfield IJ, Burton JA, Capper DR, Castro F, Catullo G, Cavanagh RD, Channing A, Chao NL, Chenery AM, Chiozza F, Clausnitzer V, Collar NJ, Collett LC, Collette BB, Cortez Fernandez CF, Craig MT, Crosby MJ, Cumberlidge N, Cuttelod A, Derocher AE, Diesmos AC, Donaldson JS, Duckworth JW, Dutson G, Dutta SK, Emslie RH, Farjon A, Fowler S, Freyhof J, Garshelis DL, Gerlach J, Gower DJ, Grant TD, Hammerson GA, Harris RB, Heaney LR, Hedges SB, Hero JM, Hughes B, Hussain SA, Icochea M J, Inger RF, Ishii N, Iskandar DT, Jenkins RKB, Kaneko Y, Kottelat M, Kovacs KM, Kuzmin SL, La Marca E, Lamoreux JF, Lau MWN, Lavilla EO, Leus K, Lewison RL, Lichtenstein G, Livingstone SR, Lukoschek V, Mallon DP, McGowan PJK, McIvor A, Moehlman PD, Molur S, Muñoz Alonso A, Musick JA, Nowell K, Nussbaum RA, Olech W, Orlov NL, Papenfuss TJ, Parra-Olea G, Perrin WF, Polidoro BA, Pourkazemi M, Racey PA, Ragle JS, Ram M, Rathbun G, Reynolds RP, Rhodin AGJ, Richards SJ, Rodríguez LO, Ron SR, Rondinini C, Rylands AB, Sadovy de Mitcheson Y, Sanciangco JC, Sanders KL, Santos-Barrera G, Schipper J, Self-Sullivan C, Shi Y, Shoemaker A, Short FT, Sillero-Zubiri C, Silvano DL, Smith KG, Smith AT, Snoeks J, Stattersfield AJ, Symes AJ, Taber AB, Talukdar BK, Temple HJ, Timmins R, Tobias JA, Tsytsulina K, Tweddle D, Ubeda C, Valenti SV, van Dijk PP, Veiga LM, Veloso A, Wege DC, Wilkinson M, Williamson EA, Xie F, Young BE, Akçakaya HR, Bennun L, Blackburn TM, Boitani L, Dublin HT, da Fonseca GAB, Gascon C, Lacher TE, Mace GM, Mainka SA, McNeely JA, Mittermeier RA, Reid GM, Rodriguez JP, Rosenberg AA, Samways MJ, Smart J, Stein BA, Stuart SN. The impact of conservation on the status of the world's vertebrates. Science 2010; 330:1503-9. [PMID: 20978281 DOI: 10.1126/science.1194442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 662] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world's vertebrates. One-fifth of species are classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this overall pattern conceals the impact of conservation successes, and we show that the rate of deterioration would have been at least one-fifth again as much in the absence of these. Nonetheless, current conservation efforts remain insufficient to offset the main drivers of biodiversity loss in these groups: agricultural expansion, logging, overexploitation, and invasive alien species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hoffmann
- IUCN SSC Species Survival Commission, c/o United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK.
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Van Bocxlaer I, Loader SP, Roelants K, Biju SD, Menegon M, Bossuyt F. Gradual Adaptation Toward a Range-Expansion Phenotype Initiated the Global Radiation of Toads. Science 2010; 327:679-82. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1181707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Roelants K, Gower DJ, Wilkinson M, Loader SP, Biju SD, Guillaume K, Moriau L, Bossuyt F. Global patterns of diversification in the history of modern amphibians. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:887-92. [PMID: 17213318 PMCID: PMC1783409 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0608378104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 485] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The fossil record of modern amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) provides no evidence for major extinction or radiation episodes throughout most of the Mesozoic and early Tertiary. However, long-term gradual diversification is difficult to reconcile with the sensitivity of present-day amphibian faunas to rapid ecological changes and the incidence of similar environmental perturbations in the past that have been associated with high turnover rates in other land vertebrates. To provide a comprehensive overview of the history of amphibian diversification, we constructed a phylogenetic timetree based on a multigene data set of 3.75 kb for 171 species. Our analyses reveal several episodes of accelerated amphibian diversification, which do not fit models of gradual lineage accumulation. Global turning points in the phylogenetic and ecological diversification occurred after the end-Permian mass extinction and in the late Cretaceous. Fluctuations in amphibian diversification show strong temporal correlation with turnover rates in amniotes and the rise of angiosperm-dominated forests. Approximately 86% of modern frog species and >81% of salamander species descended from only five ancestral lineages that produced major radiations in the late Cretaceous and early Tertiary. This proportionally late accumulation of extant lineage diversity contrasts with the long evolutionary history of amphibians but is in line with the Tertiary increase in fossil abundance toward the present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Roelants
- *Unit of Ecology and Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - David J. Gower
- Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom; and
| | - Mark Wilkinson
- Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom; and
| | - Simon P. Loader
- Department of Zoology, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom; and
| | - S. D. Biju
- *Unit of Ecology and Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, School of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi 110007, India
| | - Karen Guillaume
- *Unit of Ecology and Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Linde Moriau
- *Unit of Ecology and Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Franky Bossuyt
- *Unit of Ecology and Systematics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
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Biju SD, Bossuyt F. New frog family from India reveals an ancient biogeographical link with the Seychelles. Nature 2003; 425:711-4. [PMID: 14562102 DOI: 10.1038/nature02019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2003] [Accepted: 09/01/2003] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
About 96% of the more than 4,800 living anuran species belong to the Neobatrachia or advanced frogs. Because of the extremely poor representation of these animals in the Mesozoic fossil record, hypotheses on their early evolution have to rely largely on extant taxa. Here we report the discovery of a burrowing frog from India that is noticeably distinct from known taxa in all anuran families. Phylogenetic analyses of 2.8 kilobases of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA unambiguously designate this frog as the sister taxon of Sooglossidae, a family exclusively occurring on two granitic islands of the Seychelles archipelago. Furthermore, molecular clock analyses uncover the branch leading to both taxa as an ancient split in the crown-group Neobatrachia. Our discovery discloses a lineage that may have been more diverse on Indo-Madagascar in the Cretaceous period, but now only comprises four species on the Seychelles and a sole survivor in India. Because of its very distinct morphology and an inferred origin that is earlier than several neobatrachian families, we recognize this frog as a new family.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Biju
- Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, 695562 Kerala, India
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