Prevalence of cryptic species in morphologically uniform taxa – Fast speciation and evolutionary radiation in Asian frogs

Publication date: Available online 18 June 2018Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and EvolutionAuthor(s): Zuyao Liu, Guoling Chen, Tianqi Zhu, Zhaochi Zeng, Zhitong Lyu, Jian Wang, Kevin Messenger, Anthony J. Greenberg, Zixiao Guo, Ziheng Yang, Suhua Shi, Yingyong WangAbstractDiversity and distributions of cryptic species have long been a vexing issue. Identification of species boundaries is made difficult by the lack of obvious morphological differences. Here, we investigate the cryptic diversity and evolutionary history of an underappreciated group of Asian frog species (Megophrys) to explore the pattern and dynamic of amphibian cryptic species. We sequenced four mitochondrial genes and five nuclear genes and delineated species using multiple approaches, combining DNA and mating-call data. A Bayesian species tree was generated to estimate divergence times and to reconstruct ancestral ranges. Macroevolutionary analyses and hybridization tests were conducted to explore the evolutionary dynamics of this cryptic group. Our phylogenies support the current subgenera. We revealed 43 cryptic species, 158% higher than previously thought. The species-delimitation results were further confirmed by mating-call data and morphological divergence. We found that these Asian frogs entered China from the Sunda Shelf 48 Mya, followed by an ancient radiation event during middle Miocene. We confirmed the efficiency of the multispecies coalescent model for delimitation of species with low morphol...

Source: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution - July 10, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research