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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Big, Bad, and Beautiful: Phylogenetic Relationships of the Horned Frogs (Anura: Ceratophryidae)

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Author(s):
Faivovich, Julian [1, 2] ; Nicoli, Laura [1] ; Blotto, Boris L. [3, 1] ; Pereyra, Martin O. [1] ; Baldo, Diego [4] ; Barrionuevo, J. Sebastian [1] ; Fabrezi, Marissa [5] ; Wild, Erik R. [6, 7] ; Haddad, Celio F. B. [8]
Total Authors: 9
Affiliation:
[1] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, Museo Argentino Ciencias Nat Bernardino Rivadavia, Div Herpetol, Buenos Aires, DF - Argentina
[2] Univ Buenos Aires, Fac Ciencias Exactas & Nat, Dept Biodiversidad & Biol Expt, RA-1053 Buenos Aires, DF - Argentina
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-05508090 Sao Paulo - Brazil
[4] Univ Nacl Misiones, Fac Ciencias Exactas Quim & Nat, Consejo Nacl Invest Cientif & Tecn, Inst Biol Subtrop, Lab Genet Evolut, Posadas - Argentina
[5] Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, Ctr Cientif Tecnol Salta, Inst Bio & Geociencias NOA, RA-4405 Rosario De Lerma, Salta - Argentina
[6] Univ Wisconsin, Dept Biol, River Falls, WI 54022 - USA
[7] Univ Wisconsin, Museum Nat Hist, River Falls, WI 54022 - USA
[8] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, BR-13506900 Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 8
Document type: Journal article
Source: South American Journal of Herpetology; v. 9, n. 3, p. 207-227, DEC 2014.
Web of Science Citations: 29
Abstract

The horned frog family, Ceratophryidae, currently comprises three genera and 12 extant species, distributed from the Caribbean lowlands to the Pampean grasslands. Horned frogs are fossorial species that are remarkable in terms of their adult and larval morphology, karyotype, behavior, and other aspects of their biology. In this paper we present a molecular phylogenetic analysis with the goals of: (1) exploring the relationships among the species of Ceratophryidae; (2) studying the evolution of polyploidy; (3) studying the evolution of cocoon formation and larval development duration associated with surviving in semiarid environments; and (4) reviewing the ceratophryid fossil record that could be relevant as calibration points in molecular divergence estimations. The analysis included 11 of the 12 extant species and, when possible, multiple exemplars per species, as well as multiple outgroups. Sequence data were obtained on seven mitochondrial and six nuclear genes for up to 8200 bp per specimen. Our results indicate that the individual monophyly of Ceratophrys and Lepidobatrachus is well corroborated. The monotypic Chacophrys is recovered as the sister taxon of Lepidobatrachus, but with Jackknife frequency < 50%. Lepidobatrachus asper is the sister taxon of L. laevis + L. llanensis. Relationships within Ceratophrys are congruent with an earlier proposal, with a clade composed of the species possessing a dorsal bony shield (Ce. aurita, Ce. cranwelli, Ce. joazeirensis, and Ce. ornata), and another clade composed of Ce. stolzmanni, Ce. calcarata, and Ce. cornuta. Unlike earlier proposals, the octoploid species (Ce. aurita, Ce. joazeirensis, and Ce. ornata) are not monophyletic, as the diploid Ce. cranwelli, and Ce. ornata are sister taxa. This result implies an ambiguous optimization of ploidy levels, with either a single origin of octoploidy with a subsequent reversal to diploidy, or two independent origins of octoploidy being equally parsimonious; both alternatives are quite unusual from the perspective of chromosome evolution. Our results suggest that ceratophryids diversified in semiarid environments and three independent events resulted in three species subsequently occupying temperate or tropical humid areas. This early diversification in semiarid areas explains the retention of characteristics associated with these environments (like the production of a cocoon of dead skin during estivation, and possibly an accelerated larval period and development) in species present in humid areas. A revision of the fossil record of this family of frogs indicates that there are only two fossil remains that could serve as calibration points for molecular clock estimation, but a number of issues associated with them preclude their use. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/10000-5 - A multi-disciplinary approach to the study of amphibian diversification
Grantee:Taran Grant
Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/50741-7 - Diversity and conservation of Brazilian amphibians
Grantee:Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/20423-3 - Relationships among major clades of Hyloidea (Anura: Neobatrachia): one of the main unresolved problems of the phylogeny of Anura
Grantee:Boris Leonardo Blotto Acuña
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral