Suwannapoom Chatmongkon, Sumontha Montri, Tunprasert Jitthep, Ruangsuwan Thiti, Pawangkhanant Parinya, Korost Dmitriy V, Poyarkov Nikolay A
Division of Fishery, School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand.
Department of Fishery, Ranong Marine Fisheries Station, Ranong, Thailand.
PeerJ. 2018 Feb 23;6:e4422. doi: 10.7717/peerj.4422. eCollection 2018.
We report on a discovery of a new troglophilous genus and species of microhylid frog from a limestone cave in the tropical forests of western Thailand. To assess its phylogenetic relationships we studied the 12S rRNA-16S rRNA mtDNA fragment with final alignment comprising up to 2,591 bp for 56 microhylid species. Morphological characterization of the new genus is based on examination of external morphology and analysis of osteological characteristics using microCT-scanning. Phylogenetic analyses place the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus , the only member of the subfamily known from Sundaland. The new genus markedly differs from all other Asterophryinae members by a number of diagnostic morphological characters and demonstrates significant mtDNA sequence divergence. We provide a preliminary description of a tadpole of the new genus. Thus, it represents the only asterophryine taxon with documented free-living larval stage and troglophilous life style. Our work demonstrates that represents an old lineage of the initial radiation of Asterophryinae which took place in the mainland Southeast Asia. Our results strongly support the "out of Indo-Eurasia" biogeographic scenario for this group of frogs. To date, the new frog is only known from a single limestone cave system in Sai Yok District of Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand; its habitat is affected by illegal bat guano mining and other human activities. As such, is likely to be at high risk of habitat loss. Considering high ecological specialization and a small known range of the new taxon, we propose a IUCN Red List status of endangered for it.
我们报告了在泰国西部热带森林的一个石灰岩洞穴中发现的一种新的喜洞栖的姬蛙科蛙类属和物种。为了评估其系统发育关系，我们研究了12S rRNA - 16S rRNA线粒体DNA片段，最终比对包含56种姬蛙科物种，长度达2591碱基对。新属的形态特征基于外部形态检查以及使用显微CT扫描对骨学特征的分析。系统发育分析将新属归入主要分布于澳大拉西亚的星蛙亚科，作为该亚科唯一已知来自巽他大陆的属的姐妹分类单元。新属在许多诊断性形态特征上与所有其他星蛙亚科成员明显不同，并显示出显著的线粒体DNA序列差异。我们提供了新属蝌蚪的初步描述。因此，它是唯一有记录的自由生活幼虫阶段且有喜洞栖生活方式的星蛙亚科分类单元。我们的研究表明，它代表了星蛙亚科在东南亚大陆最初辐射演化的一个古老谱系。我们的结果有力地支持了该蛙类群体“走出印欧 - 欧亚大陆”的生物地理情景。迄今为止，这种新蛙仅在泰国北碧府赛育区的一个单一石灰岩洞穴系统中被发现；其栖息地受到非法蝙蝠粪便开采和其他人类活动的影响。因此，它很可能面临高栖息地丧失风险。考虑到新分类单元的高度生态特化和已知分布范围较小，我们提议将其列入世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录。
