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Elucidating the relationships within the <italic>Limnonectes kuhlii</italic> species complex (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae)
McLeod, David Stirling
McLeod, David Stirling
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Abstract
In a period where all life on Earth faces considerable threats and pressures, it is especially significant that many recent studies have demonstrated that complexes of multiple, unidentified, cryptic species often reside in what was once through to be a single biological form. This is particularly true of amphibians, which tend to exhibit both conservative morphological evolution and frequent convergent evolution. The utility of molecular phylogenetic tools has provided a means by which species complexes can be explored and the diversity hidden within them revealed. This study considers a group of widely distributed Southeast Asian anurans that, until recently, has been referred to Limnonectes kuhlii Tschudi (1838). Populations of these frogs are remarkably similar morphologically and any observed physical differences have not historically been treated as informative for intra- or interspecific delimitation. Through a detailed population-level sampling of molecular (mtDNA: 12S–16S gene regions) and morphological (external and osteological characters) data, I demonstrate that what has long been considered a single species is instead a complex of more than 24 unique evolutionary lineages. These comprise 4 major clades that can be defined biogeographically, and each exhibits high levels of geographic endemism. Additionally, I employ the L. kuhlii Complex as a model system to demonstrate that putative species defined by genetic data can be identified and corroborated through phylogenetic analysis of diverse morphological data. Results from this study reveal multiple instances in which sympatric/syntopic lineages are not each other's closest relatives. The phylogenetic hypothesis presented here, in combination with an evaluation of morphological characters, creates a framework within which this previously hidden biological diversity can now be identified and described by taxonomists. Ultimately, this work suggests that we have grossly underestimated the biodiversity of the Old World tropics and reinforces an urgent need for effective conservation policies and practices. This study contains four components, each addressing particular aspects of the Limnonectes kuhlii Complex. Chapter 1 is a systematic review of L. kuhlii and the L. kuhlii Complex. Chapter 2 is a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the L. kuhlii Complex. Chapter 3 considers this species complex as a case study, evaluating both molecular and morphological evidence in a phylogenetic context for the purpose of species delimitation. Chapter 4, the description of L. megastomias, stands as an example of the diversity that has been subsumed within L. kuhlii sensu lato.
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Date
2010-05-31
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
Zoology, Systematic biology, Morphology, Cryptic species, Diversity, Limnonectes kuhlii, Southeast Asia, Species complex