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Zoological Research May 2021A new species of the genus , , from eastern Panama is described herein based on molecular, morphological, and bioacoustic evidence. The new species can be distinguished...
A new species of the genus , , from eastern Panama is described herein based on molecular, morphological, and bioacoustic evidence. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners occurring in the region by a combination of the following characters: (1) phalangeal reduction in thumb; (2) SVL (females only) (35.1-50.1; =13), HW/SVL (0.23-0.34; =59), EYND/HW (0.27-0.39; =60), TIBL/SVL (0.41-0.56; =58), and HAL/SVL (0.22-0.28; =49); (3) dorsal color pattern with green or yellow background and extensive dark olive blotches forming transversal bands or mottling; (4) advertisement call duration 176-235 ms with 19-34 pulses, average pulse rate 131.69 pulses/s, and dominant frequency 2 422.50-2 606.50 Hz. The new species is nested within the Central American clade of . The minimum Kimura-2-parameter (K2P) genetic divergence between and its most phylogenetically similar congeners ( . and . ) is >2.6% for 16S and >4.9% for (Table 1). The phylogenetic relationship is strongly supported by ultrafast bootstrap values for the maximum-likelihood trees of both genetic markers (16S, 96; , 100, Figure 1A). Bayesian analysis of the concatenated sequences resulted in a tree with similar topology and high posterior probability support (0.99; Supplementary Figure S1). In addition, haplotype networks inferred from and 16S (Supplementary Figure S2) showed a well-separated clade containing the new species (two for , four for 16S). The number of mutational steps between haplotypes for the new species samples is very low (1-4 in 16S; one in ), and the minimum number of mutational steps from the nearest species is nine for 16S (distance to . ) and 28 for (distance to . ).
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Bufonidae; Panama; Phylogeny; Species Specificity
PubMed: 33797210
DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.319 -
Integrative and Comparative Biology Nov 2021Extant anurans (frogs and toads) exhibit reduced dentition, ranging from a lack of mandibular teeth to complete edentulation, as observed in the true toads of the family...
Extant anurans (frogs and toads) exhibit reduced dentition, ranging from a lack of mandibular teeth to complete edentulation, as observed in the true toads of the family Bufonidae. The evolutionary time line of these reductions remains vague due to a poor fossil record. Previous studies have demonstrated an association between the lack of teeth in edentulous vertebrates and the pseudogenization of the major tooth enamel gene amelogenin (AMEL) through accumulation of deleterious mutations and the disruption of its coding sequence. In this study, we have harnessed the pseudogenization of AMEL as a molecular dating tool to correlate loss of dentition with genomic mutation patterns during the rise of the family Bufonidae. Specifically, we have utilized AMEL pseudogenes in three members of the family as a tool to estimate the putative date of edentulation in true toads. Comparison of AMEL sequences from Rhinella marina, Bufo gargarizans and Bufo bufo, with nine extant, dentulous frogs, revealed mutations confirming AMEL inactivation in Bufonidae. AMEL pseudogenes in modern bufonids also exhibited remarkably high 86-93% sequence identity among each other, with only a slight increase in substitution rate and relaxation of selective pressure, in comparison with functional copies in other anurans. Moreover, using selection intensity estimates and synonymous substitution rates, analysis of functional and pseudogenized AMEL resulted in an estimated inactivation window of 46-60 million years ago in the lineage leading to modern true toads, a time line that coincides with the rise of the family Bufonidae.
Topics: Amelogenin; Animals; Biological Evolution; Bufonidae; Fossils; Tooth Loss
PubMed: 33905504
DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab039 -
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution Sep 2021African amphibian diversity remains underestimated with many cryptic lineages awaiting formal description. An important hotspot of amphibian diversification is the...
African amphibian diversity remains underestimated with many cryptic lineages awaiting formal description. An important hotspot of amphibian diversification is the Guineo-Congolian rainforest in Central Africa, its richness attributable to present day and ancestral range fragmentation through geological barriers, habitat expansion and contraction, and the presence of steep ecological gradients. The charismatic Nectophryne tree toads present an interesting case study for diversification in this region. The two formally described species comprising this genus show nearly identical geographic distributions extending across most of the Guineo-Congolian rainforest, but show little morphological disparity. Both species harbour extensive genetic diversity warranting taxonomic revisions, and interestingly, when comparing the subclades within each, the two species show remarkably parallel diversification histories, both in terms of timing of phylogenetic splits and their geographic distributions. This indicates that common processes may have shaped the evolutionary history of these lineages.
Topics: Animals; Bufonidae; Female; Male; Phylogeny; Phylogeography; Rainforest
PubMed: 33932615
DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107184 -
Genes Aug 2022Taxonomy in Bufonidae witnessed notable transformations. Bufotes viridis and Epidalea calamita, previously included in genus Bufo, were relocated in other genera, while...
Taxonomy in Bufonidae witnessed notable transformations. Bufotes viridis and Epidalea calamita, previously included in genus Bufo, were relocated in other genera, while the genus Bufo was restricted to members of the earlier Bufo bufo group. On the other hand, Bufo bufo sensu lato now includes four species: Bufo bufo, Bufo spinosus, Bufo verrucosissimus and Bufo eichwaldi. In this study, we examined three species of three Bufonidae genera (B. spinosus, B. viridis and E. calamita) by conventional (C-banding and Ag-NOR staining) and molecular (in situ hybridization with probes for telomeric repeats and rDNA loci, and genomic in situ hybridization (GISH)) cytogenetic methods. C-banding patterns are reported for the first time for B. spinosus and E. calamita populations from Iberian Peninsula and for B. viridis from Greece, and reveal several differences with the reported C-banded karyotypes described for other European populations of these species. Silver staining shows size heteromorphisms of the signals at the Nucleolar Organizing Region (NOR). By contrast, FISH with ribosomal probes only reveal size heteromorphism of rDNA sequences in E. calamita, suggesting that the differences observed after silver staining in B. spinosus and B. viridis should be attributed to differences in chromosomal condensation and/or gene activity rather than to differences in the copy number for ribosomal genes. Regarding telomeric repeats, E. calamita is the only species with interstitial telomeric sequences (ITS) located on centromeric regions, probably originated by accumulation of telomeric sequences in the centromeric heterochromatin. Finally, we analyzed the composition and distribution of repetitive sequences by genome in situ hybridization. These experiments reveal the accumulation of repetitive sequences in centromeric regions of the three species, although these sequences are not conserved when species from different genera are compared.
Topics: Animals; Bufonidae; Cytogenetic Analysis; DNA, Ribosomal; Karyotyping; Telomere
PubMed: 36011385
DOI: 10.3390/genes13081475 -
Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA Mapping,... Jul 2016The complete mitochondrial genome of Bufo stejnegeri was determined, which was 17 939 bp in length. It consists of 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA...
The complete mitochondrial genome of Bufo stejnegeri was determined, which was 17 939 bp in length. It consists of 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and one displacement loop (D-loop). The total length of D-loop region is 2533 bp, some tandem repeat units were found in this region. The phylogenetic trees of the 20 species from anura were reconstructed based on complete mtDNA sequences by Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses. The result demonstrated that B. stejnegeri is the most closely related species with other Bufo species.
Topics: Animals; Bayes Theorem; Bufonidae; DNA, Mitochondrial; Genes, Mitochondrial; Genome, Mitochondrial; Phylogeny; RNA, Transfer; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 26457914
DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2015.1060421 -
Zoological Science Feb 2020Two lineages of stream toads in the genus from Malaysian Borneo have long been suspected to be specifically distinct on the basis of molecular data. We assessed the...
Two lineages of stream toads in the genus from Malaysian Borneo have long been suspected to be specifically distinct on the basis of molecular data. We assessed the taxonomic status of these lineages using morphological and additional genetic data. In mtDNA phylogeny, each lineage-one from Bario, Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak, the other from Mt. Mulu of Sarawak and the Crocker Range of Sabah-is separated from other congeners by large genetic distances, comparable with those observed between heterospecific species in the genus. These lineages are also morphologically distinguishable from other species, and are considered to represent valid, independently evolving species. We therefore describe them as . sp. nov. and . sp. nov.
Topics: Animals; Borneo; Bufonidae; DNA, Mitochondrial; Female; Larva; Male; Phylogeny; Species Specificity
PubMed: 32068378
DOI: 10.2108/zs190078 -
Zootaxa Aug 2021In this work, we show that Bufo levicristatus Boettger, 1885 is a senior synonym of Bufo scitulus Caramaschi Niemeyer, 2003, and not a junior synonym of Bufo ornatus...
In this work, we show that Bufo levicristatus Boettger, 1885 is a senior synonym of Bufo scitulus Caramaschi Niemeyer, 2003, and not a junior synonym of Bufo ornatus Spix, 1824, as previously considered. In addition, we present evidence that Bufo scitulus Caramaschi Niemeyer, 2003 complies with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature requirements for a reversal of precedence over the name Bufo levicristatus Boettger, 1885, and so the name Bufo scitulus is to be maintained for this species.
Topics: Animals; Bufo bufo; Bufonidae; Paraguay
PubMed: 34810973
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5023.1.7 -
Mitochondrial DNA. Part A, DNA Mapping,... Sep 2016The complete mitogenome of Bufo gargarizans minshanicus is 17,719 bp in size, and shares a conserved gene arrangement, gene content and base composition with other...
The complete mitogenome of Bufo gargarizans minshanicus is 17,719 bp in size, and shares a conserved gene arrangement, gene content and base composition with other Bufonidae species. The base composition of the H-strand is biased toward A + T content at 56.97% (T 28.14%, C 27.67%, A 28.83% and G 15.36%). Most protein-coding genes (PCGs) begin with ATG, while COX1 and ND2 initiate with ATA and ND1 starts at ATT. Seven PCGs have the complete stop codons AGA and TAA, whereas the remaining four PCGs end with TA or T. The putative control region possesses two repeat motifs, and four termination-associated sequences and six conserved sequence blocks at the 5' and 3' ends.
Topics: Animals; Base Composition; Bufonidae; Codon; Gene Order; Genes, Mitochondrial; Genome Size; Genome, Mitochondrial; Open Reading Frames; Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Whole Genome Sequencing
PubMed: 25856517
DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2015.1018206 -
Zootaxa Jan 2015The first comprehensive description of the skeleton of Atelopus muisca Rueda-Almonacid & Hoyos, 1991 (Bufonidae, Anura) from the Chingaza Natural National Park...
The first comprehensive description of the skeleton of Atelopus muisca Rueda-Almonacid & Hoyos, 1991 (Bufonidae, Anura) from the Chingaza Natural National Park (Colombia) is provided, and comparisons with some characters described for this species by Coloma and related frogs of the group A. ignescens are done. The humerus of male presenting more developed crista ventralis and crista lateralis, and the articulation of the frontoparietal bones showed the presence of sexual dimorphism. These are character not described for species of the genus Atelopus belonging to the group A. ignescens. A. ignescens. Among the other osteological characters we did not find unique feature for the species.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Body Size; Bone and Bones; Bufonidae; Colombia; Female; Male; Organ Size; Osteology
PubMed: 25661025
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3905.1.7 -
Zoological Science Feb 2018The taxonomic status of two populations of stream toads of the genus Ansonia from Thailand, previously suspected to be specifically distinct on the basis of molecular...
The taxonomic status of two populations of stream toads of the genus Ansonia from Thailand, previously suspected to be specifically distinct on the basis of molecular data, are assessed using morphological and additional genetic data. In mtDNA phylogeny, each of the two Thai lineages, one from Pilok Subdistrict, Kanchanaburi, and another from Phuket Island, are separated from other congenerics from the Thai-Malay Peninsula by large genetic distances, comparable with those observed between other species in the genus. Although each of the two lineages is superficially similar to other species morphologically, they are distinguishable in several morphological traits and are considered to represent valid, independently evolving species. We therefore describe them as A. pilokensis sp. nov. and A. phuketensis sp. nov.
Topics: Animals; Bufonidae; DNA, Mitochondrial; Phylogeny; Thailand
PubMed: 29417897
DOI: 10.2108/zs170120