Alrefaei Abdulwahed Fahad, Alosaimi Bandar Hamoud, Algethami Raed Hamoud, Ahmad Javed, Jeewon Rajesh
Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
PLoS One. 2025 Jun 3;20(6):e0322129. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322129. eCollection 2025.
Taxonomic studies of the Arabian toad (Sclerophrys arabica) are of great interest to better understand phylogenetic relationships and their differences in morphology and distribution. In this study, the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the Sclerophrys arabica are investigated utilizing the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. Tissue samples from 30 individuals were obtained from various places in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and following DNA extraction, PCR and sequencing, phylogenetic analyses were performed. Phylogenetic investigation using Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods found that S. arabica belongs to a separate clade within the Bufonidae family, closely related to Sclerophrys gutturalis, and exhibits no gene flow with other toad species. Sclerophrys arabica's strong phylogenetic relationships to other Sclerophrys species support the genus' monophyly, but its relatively distant position from other species also reflects evolutionary separations within the Bufonidae family. This research demonstrates the utility of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene as a reliable genetic marker in amphibian phylogeny, contributing to our understanding of species relationships and providing a basis for future taxonomic and conservation work.
对阿拉伯蟾蜍（阿拉伯硬皮蟾蜍，Sclerophrys arabica）进行分类学研究，对于更好地理解系统发育关系以及它们在形态和分布上的差异具有重要意义。在本研究中，利用线粒体16S核糖体RNA（rRNA）基因对阿拉伯硬皮蟾蜍的遗传多样性和系统发育关系进行了研究。从沙特阿拉伯塔伊夫的不同地点采集了30个个体的组织样本，经过DNA提取、PCR和测序后，进行了系统发育分析。使用最大似然法（ML）进行的系统发育研究发现，阿拉伯硬皮蟾蜍属于蟾蜍科内的一个独立分支，与喉疣硬皮蟾蜍（Sclerophrys gutturalis）密切相关，并且与其他蟾蜍物种没有基因流动。阿拉伯硬皮蟾蜍与其他硬皮蟾蜍物种之间紧密的系统发育关系支持了该属的单系性，但其与其他物种相对较远的位置也反映了蟾蜍科内部的进化分化。这项研究证明了线粒体16S rRNA基因作为两栖动物系统发育中可靠的遗传标记的实用性，有助于我们理解物种关系，并为未来的分类学和保护工作提供了基础。
