Genetic Structure of the Hyrcanian Wood Frog, Rana pseudodalmatina (Amphibia: Ranidae) Using mtDNA Gene Sequences

Tracking climate change in the spatial distribution pattern and the phylogeographic structure of Hyrcanian wood frog,Rana pseudodalmatina(Anura: Ranidae)

“…Rana pseudodalmatina displayed a phylogeographic pattern with two regional groups across its distribution range in the western and eastern Hyrcanian forests (Figure 1, Figure S1). The results of Najibzadeh et al (2018) corroborate our findings that the species forms two distinct groups in the east and west of the geographic range. However, Najibzadeh et al (2017) estimate of TMRCA of the two groups is older compared to our findings.…”

“…The Hyrcanian wood frog, Rana pseudodalmatina Eiselt & Schmidtler, 1971, is a brown frog (Anura, Ranidae) endemic to temperate forests in northern Iran (also known as Hyrcanian forests). It ranges from the Talesh region to the Golestan National Park, on the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains and the southern edge of the Caspian Sea of Iran (Najibzadeh et al, 2018). The species composition and diversity of the Southwest Asian forests, rich in endemic species, suggests that the Hyrcanian region has likely acted as a glacial refugium for many taxa during the Quaternary glaciations (Röhrig, 1991;Saberi-Pirooz et al, 2018).…”

Alborz Heritage: geographic distribution and genetic differentiation of the Iranian Paradactylodon (Amphibia: Hynobiidae)

“…It seems that climatic oscillations may have shaped the genetic structure of the species. For instance, during glaciations, some species' distribution was restricted to the refuges in the Hyrcanian Forests (Ahmadzadeh et al, 2013;Najibzadeh et al, 2018;Saberi-Pirooz et al, 2018). Moreover, the low inter-cladal variations and recent diversification observed in the time-calibrated tree (fig.…”

“…It is a common assumption that the southern Caspian Sea region has been a refuge for many species during the ice age and then populations began to expand after the end of glacial period (Ahmadzadeh et al, 2013;Wielstra et al, 2013;Parvizi et al, 2018). Forming a single clade across the Hyrcanian region makes the evolutionary history of Iranian Paradactylodon comparable to other species inhabiting the region during the glaciation e.g., the Hyrcanian Wood Frog (Rana pseudodalmatina), an endemic amphibian in the Hyrcanian Forest, which has been recently shown to have a similar pattern of geographic distribution and genetic variation (Najibzadeh et al, 2017(Najibzadeh et al, , 2018.…”

“…The Gorgan Salamander (P. gorganensis) can be found in the northeast of Iran (Baloutch and Kami, 1995). Both species are Hyrcanian Forests' endemic species, an ancient ecosystem in Iran harboring several unique amphibian species including Triturus karelinii, Hyla orientalis, Bufo eichwaldi, and Rana pseudodalmatina (Litvinchuk et al, 2008;Gvoždík, 2010;Wielstra et al, 2010;Najibzadeh et al, 2018; AmphibiaWeb, http://amphibiaweb.org/). The region has been a refuge for many species during climatic oscillations (Veith et al, 2003;Ahmadzadeh et al, 2013;Wielstra et al, 2013;Saberi-Pirooz et al, 2018), causing subsequent diversifications.…”