Taxonomic Review of South American Butter Frogs: Phylogeny, Geographic Patterns, and Species Delimitation in the Leptodactylus latrans Species Group (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

Author(s):Show less -

Magalhaes, Felipe de M. ^[1] ; Lyra, Mariana L. ^{[2, 3]} ; de Carvalho, Thiago R. ^{[2, 3]} ; Baldo, Diego ^[4] ; Brusquetti, Francisco ^[5] ; Burella, Pamela ^[6] ; Colli, Guarino R. ^[7] ; Gehara, Marcelo C. ^[8] ; Giaretta, Ariovaldo A. ^[9] ; Haddad, Celio F. B. ^{[2, 3]} ; Langone, Jose A. ^[10] ; Lopez, Javier A. ^{[6, 11]} ; Napoli, Marcelo F. ^[12] ; Santana, Diego J. ^[13] ; de Sa, Rafael O. ^[14] ; Garda, Adrian A. ^{[1, 15]}

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^[1] Univ Fed Paraiba UFPB, Programa Pos Grad Ciencias Biol, Ctr Ciencias Exatas & Nat, Cidade Univ, BR-58000000 Joao Pessoa, Paraiba - Brazil

^[2] Ctr Aquicultura CAUNESP, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Biodiversidade, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Nacl Misiones, Inst Biol Subtrop IBS, CONICET UNaM, Lab Genet Evolut, Fac Ciencias Exactas, CP N3300LQF, Posadas, Misiones - Argentina

^[5] Inst Invest Biol Paraguay IIBP, Escudo 1607, CP 1425, Asuncion - Paraguay

^[6] Univ Nacl Litoral, Dept Ciencias Nat, Fac Humanidades & Ciencias, Ciudad Univ UNL, RA-3000 Santa Fe - Argentina

^[7] Univ Brasilia UNB, Dept Zool, BR-70910900 Brasilia, DF - Brazil

^[8] Rutgers State Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Newark, NJ 07102 - USA

^[9] Univ Fed Uberlandia UFU, Inst Ciencias Exatas & Nat Pontal ICENP, Lab Taxon & Sistemat Anuros Neotrop LTSAN, Ituiutaba, MG - Brazil

^[10] Museo Nacl Hist Nat, Dept Herpetol, Casilla Correo 399, CP 11-000, Montevideo - Uruguay

^[11] UNL, CONICET, Inst Nacl Limnol, Ciudad Univ UNL, Santa Fe - Argentina

^[12] Univ Fed Bahia UFBA, Lab Taxon & Hist Nat Anfibios AMPHIBIA, Museu Hist Nat, Inst Biol, BR-40170115 Salvador, BA - Brazil

^[13] Univ Fed Mato Grosso UFMS, Mapinguari, Lab Biogeog & Sistemat Anfibios & Repteis, BR-79002970 Campo Grande, MS - Brazil

^[14] Univ Richmond, Dept Biol, Richmond, VA 23173 - USA

^[15] Univ Fed Rio Grande Norte UFRN, Lab Anfibios & Repteis LAR, Dept Bot & Zool, BR-59078900 Natal, RN - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS; v. 34, p. 131-177, DEC 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The Leptodactylus latrans species group currently comprises eight medium- to large-sized frog species with a convoluted taxonomic history, particularly related to the specific limits of the L. latrans complex, and the species pair Leptodactylus chaquensis-Leptodactylus macrosternum. Their homogeneous external morphology and continental geographic distribution in South America have posed severe limitations to a comprehensive review, such that taxonomic consensus and species limits remain uncertain. This is further worsened by the presence of chromatic polymorphism among coexisting species that can hardly be distinguished by external morphology. Based on a large-scale geographic sampling including multilocus DNA analyses, and acoustic and morphological data, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the taxonomic status and species limits of the L. latrans group, focusing on the resolution of the L. latrans complex and the species pair L. chaquensis-L. macrosternum. We gathered 728 mitochondrial sequences from 429 localities, encompassing the entire geographic distribution of the group. Both generalized mixed Yule coalescent and automatic barcode gap discovery species delimitation methods recovered four major mitochondrial evolutionary lineages within the L. latrans complex, also supported by distribution patterns, multilocus molecular, morphological and/or bioacoustic data. One lineage is linked to nominal L. latrans, one revalidated as Leptodactylus luctator, and the other two are formally named and described. Another lineage encompasses all specimens previously assigned to the species pair L. chaquensis-L. macrosternum, clustered as a single evolutionary entity and is now regarded as L. macrosternum. We provide a revised diagnosis for these species based on acoustic data, morphological/chromatic variation, and phylogenetic relationships of all species currently included in the L. latrans group. Our findings reinforce the view that Neotropical diversity is highly underestimated and stress that appropriate geographic sampling in an integrative framework is crucial for the establishment of specific limits among broadly distributed and morphologically cryptic Neotropical frogs. (AU)

• 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: 12/15763-7 - Advertisement call evolution in the genus Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leptodactylinae), with taxonomic application on populations and species of the genus
• Grantee: Thiago Ribeiro de Carvalho Tavares
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 17/26162-8 - Diversity and conservation of Brazilian amphibians
• Grantee: Mariana Lúcio Lyra
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Technical Training Program - Technical Training
• FAPESP's process: 17/08489-0 - Diversity of vocalizations in Leptodactylidae and exploratory analysis of vocal morphology: a phylogenetic comparative approach investigation of acoustic evolution in a group of Neotropical anurans
• Grantee: Thiago Ribeiro de Carvalho Tavares
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 14/50342-8 - Amphibians of Lagamar Mosaic protected areas: diversity, conservation and perspectives
• Grantee: Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Partnership for Technological Innovation - PITE