At the Edge of a Species Boundary: A New and Relatively Young Species of Leptopelis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Itombwe Plateau, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Portillo, Frank; Greenbaum, Eli

doi:10.1655/herpetologica-d-12-00087

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Phylogenetic relationships within the genus Leptopelis are poorly understood; however, relationships among some species groups are strongly supported in our mtDNA gene tree and are consistent with phenotypically and/or geographically cohesive groups (Portillo & Greenbaum, 2014;Reyes-Velasco et al, 2018). Although the phylogenetic placement of L. palmatus remains unclear, our inference does not support a close affinity to L. rufus, as foreshadowed by Perret's morphological comparisons (Perret, 1973).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

New evidence for distinctiveness of the island-endemic Príncipe giant tree frog (Arthroleptidae: Leptopelis palmatus)

Jaynes¹

2021

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The Príncipe giant tree frog Leptopelis palmatus is endemic to the small oceanic island of Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. For several decades, this charismatic but poorly known species was confused with another large tree frog species from continental Africa, L. rufus. Phylogenetic relationships within the African genus Leptopelis are poorly understood and consequently the evolutionary history of L. palmatus and its affinity to L. rufus remain unclear. In this study, we combined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), morphological, and acoustic data for L. palmatus and L. rufus to assess different axes of divergence between the species. Our mtDNA gene tree for the genus Leptopelis indicated that L. palmatus is not closely related to L. rufus or other large species of Leptopelis. Additionally, we found low mtDNA diversity in L. palmatus across its range on Príncipe. We found significant morphological differences between females of L. rufus and L. palmatus, but not between males. We characterised the advertisement call of L. palmatus for the first time, which is markedly distinct from L. rufus. Finally, we summarised our observations of L. palmatus habitats and additional notes on phenotypic variation and behaviour. Our study reinforces the distinctiveness of L. palmatus and provides information important for the conservation of this endangered species. A rã gigante de Príncipe, Leptopelis palmatus, é endêmica da pequena ilha oceânica de Príncipe no Golfo da Guiné. Por várias décadas, esta espécie carismática mas pouco conhecida foi confundida com outra espécie grande de rã da África continental, L. rufus. As relações filogenéticas dentro do gênero africano Leptopelis são mal compreendidas e, conseqüentemente, a história evolutiva de L. palmatus e sua afinidade com L. rufus permanecem obscuras. Neste estudo, combinamos dados de DNA mitocondrial (mtDNA), morfológicos e acústicos de L. palmatus e L. rufus para avaliar diferentes eixos de divergência entre as espécies. Nossa árvore de genes de mtDNA para o gênero Leptopelis indicou que L. palmatus não está proximamente relacionada a L. rufus ou outras espécies grandes de Leptopelis, e encontramos baixa diversidade de mtDNA em L. palmatus em toda a sua distribuição em Príncipe. Encontramos diferenças morfológicas significativas entre as fêmeas de L. rufus e L. palmatus, mas não entre os machos. Caracterizamos o canto reprodutor de L. palmatus pela primeira vez, que é marcadamente distinto do de L. rufus. Finalmente, resumimos nossas observações dos habitats de L. palmatus e notas adicionais sobre variação fenotípica e comportamento. Nosso estudo fornece informações importantes para a conservação dessa espécie ameaçada de extinção

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

New evidence for distinctiveness of the island-endemic Príncipe giant tree frog (Arthroleptidae: Leptopelis palmatus)

Jaynes¹

2021

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“…The region's flagship animals include endangered species such as the eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and Grauer's Swamp Warbler (Bradypterus graueri; Kahindo et al 2017), but the region is a hotspot for .40 endemic species of birds (Prigogine 1980, Bober et al 2001, Plumptre et al 2007. New vertebrate species are still being described from the area, including birds (Engel et al 2014), small mammals (Kerbis Peterhans et al 2013a, 2013b, lizards (Greenbaum et al , 2012, and amphibians (Evans et al 2011, Greenbaum et al 2013, Portillo and Greenbaum 2014a, 2014b. Voelker et al (2010) showed that sooty bush-shrikes in the genus Laniarius that occur in mid-elevation forests in the Albertine Rift are morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from those that inhabit higher-elevations forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative niche modeling of two bush-shrikes (Laniarius) and the conservation of mid-elevation Afromontane forests of the Albertine Rift

et al. 2018

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“…Many threatened and endemic species reside within the AR (Plumptre et al, 2007; Jenkins et al, 2013; Portillo et al, 2015), making it one of the most irreplaceable and important sites for conservation in Africa (Brooks et al, 2006). Many vertebrate species in the AR are morphologically cryptic and endemic to a small number of sites, including small mammals (Kerbis Peterhans et al, 2010; Demos et al, 2014), birds (Prigogine, 1971, 1977, 1978, 1984, 1985; Bowie et al, 2006), reptiles (Greenbaum et al, 2011, 2015a; Menegon et al, 2014) and amphibians (Laurent, 1964, 1972; Evans et al, 2008, 2011; Greenbaum and Kusamba, 2012; Portillo and Greenbaum, 2014a,b; Portillo et al, 2015). Viertel et al (2012) recently described tadpole morphology and chytrid fungal infections in a Ugandan population of A. ruwenzorica , but no previous studies have assessed AR Amietia populations with molecular data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary history of the river frog genus Amietia (Anura: Pyxicephalidae) reveals extensive diversification in Central African highlands

Larson

Castro

Behangana

et al. 2016

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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The African river frog genus Amietia is found near rivers and other lentic water sources throughout central, eastern, and southern Africa. Because the genus includes multiple morphologically conservative species, taxonomic studies of river frogs have been relatively limited. We sampled 79 individuals of Amietia from multiple localities in and near the Albertine Rift (AR) of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. We utilized single-gene (16S) and concatenated (12S, 16S, cyt b and RAG1) gene-tree analyses and coalescent species-tree analyses to construct phylogenetic trees. Two divergence dating approaches were used in BEAST, including secondary calibration points with 12S, 16S, cyt b and RAG1, and a molecular clock with the 12S, 16S, and cyt b genes. All analyses recovered Amietia as monophyletic with strong support, and revealed several well-supported cryptic lineages, which is consistent with other recent phylogeography studies of AR amphibians. Dating estimates were similar, and Amietia diversification is coincident with global cooling and aridification events in the Miocene and Pliocene, respectively. Our results suggest additional taxonomic work is needed to describe multiple new species of AR Amietia, some of which have limited geographic distributions that are likely to be of conservation concern.

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At the Edge of a Species Boundary: A New and Relatively Young Species of Leptopelis (Anura: Arthroleptidae) from the Itombwe Plateau, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cited by 20 publications

References 59 publications

New evidence for distinctiveness of the island-endemic Príncipe giant tree frog (Arthroleptidae: Leptopelis palmatus)

New evidence for distinctiveness of the island-endemic Príncipe giant tree frog (Arthroleptidae: Leptopelis palmatus)

Comparative niche modeling of two bush-shrikes (Laniarius) and the conservation of mid-elevation Afromontane forests of the Albertine Rift

Evolutionary history of the river frog genus Amietia (Anura: Pyxicephalidae) reveals extensive diversification in Central African highlands

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