Luo Tao, Zhao Xin-Rui, Lan Chang-Ting, Li Wei, Deng Huai-Qing, Xiao Ning, Zhou Jiang
School of Life Science Guizhou Normal University Guiyang China.
School of Karst Sciences Guizhou Normal University Guiyang China.
Ecol Evol. 2023 Dec 21;13(12):e10829. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10829. eCollection 2023 Dec.
Asian warty treefrogs, genus , are morphologically variable arboreal frogs endemic to Southeast Asia and Southern China. However, integrated systematic studies are lacking, and knowledge of the genus in terms of diversity, origin, and historical diversification remains limited. To address these knowledge gaps, we used three mitochondrial and five nuclear gene fragments to reconstruct the phylogeny, estimate divergence times, and examine the biogeography of the genus. Phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses suggest that the genus comprises three major clades corresponding to two subgenera and seven species groups, and mPTP identified at least 12 putative cryptic species, suggesting that species diversity has been underestimated. Biogeographic analyses indicated that most recent common ancestor of originated in the Indochina Peninsula during the Middle Oligocene (ca. 27.77 Ma) and the splitting of Clade A to C occurred in the Late Oligocene (ca. 23.55-25.57 Ma). Current biogeographic patterns result from two distinct processes: in situ diversification in the Indochina Peninsula and dispersal in multiple areas, namely southward dispersal to the Malay Peninsula and Borneo, northeastward dispersal to Southern China, northward dispersal to the Himalayas, and dispersal from Southern China to the Indochina Peninsula. Ancestral character reconstruction suggests that the ancestor of may have possessed a small body size, rough dorsal skin, and absence of vomerine teeth and hand webbing, and that these four characters have undergone multiple evolutions. Principal component analysis based on eight bioclimatic variables did not clearly distinguish the three major clades of , suggesting that species in these clades may occupy similar climatic ecological niches. Our research highlights the importance of orogeny and paleoclimatic changes, in shaping amphibian biodiversity in mountain ecosystems.
亚洲疣蛙属是东南亚和中国南方特有的形态多样的树栖蛙类。然而，目前缺乏综合系统研究，该属在多样性、起源和历史多样化方面的知识仍然有限。为了填补这些知识空白，我们使用了三个线粒体基因片段和五个核基因片段来重建该属的系统发育，估计分歧时间，并研究其生物地理学。系统发育和物种界定分析表明，该属包括三个主要分支，对应两个亚属和七个物种组，mPTP鉴定出至少12个假定的隐存物种，这表明物种多样性被低估了。生物地理学分析表明，该属的最近共同祖先起源于渐新世中期（约2777万年前）的印度支那半岛，A至C分支的分裂发生在渐新世晚期（约2355 - 2557万年前）。当前的生物地理格局是由两个不同的过程形成的：印度支那半岛的原地多样化和多个地区的扩散，即向南扩散到马来半岛和婆罗洲，向东北扩散到中国南方，向北扩散到喜马拉雅山脉，以及从中国南方扩散到印度支那半岛。祖先特征重建表明，该属的祖先可能体型较小，背部皮肤粗糙，无犁骨齿和手部蹼，并且这四个特征经历了多次演化。基于八个生物气候变量的主成分分析没有清晰地区分该属的三个主要分支，这表明这些分支中的物种可能占据相似的气候生态位。我们的研究强调了造山运动和古气候变化在塑造山地生态系统两栖动物生物多样性方面的重要性。
