Phylogenetic analysis of Ceratophryidae (Anura: Hyloidea) including extant and extinct species

The South American horned frogs or ‘escuerzos’ (Ceratophryidae) are among the best-known neobatrachians and comprise the genera Chacophrys, Ceratophrys, and Lepidobatrachus. Their relatively rich fossil record, which dates back to the Late Miocene and is largely concentrated in the Argentinean Pampas, consists mostly of variably complete cranial remains and comparatively few, mainly isolated, postcranial bones of Ceratophrys, whereas only three specimens of Lepidobatrachus are known. Here we describe two extra-Pampean ceratophryid records from the Upper Miocene–Lower Pliocene of Huayquerías del Este, Mendoza Province, Argentina, including Lepidobatrachus dibumartinez sp. nov. based on a well-preserved articulated skeleton. The new species is part of the stem of Lepidobatrachus and is diagnosed on the basis of several cranial and postcranial traits, including a large kite-shaped dorsal dermal shield. The new taxon sheds light on the evolution of a dorsal shield in the group, as well as on their paleobiogeographic history, adding support to the hypothesis of a broader ancestral distribution of Lepidobatrachus, whose diversification might have been triggered by the Late Miocene marine introgression of the Paranaense Sea. Also, it indicates that the prevalent climatic conditions during the Early Pliocene in western Argentina were much warmer and less dry than today. Finally, we discuss the potential value of the new records in calibrating the time-tree of Ceratophryidae.

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A new old Budgett frog: an articulated skeleton of an Early Pliocene Lepidobatrachus (Anura, Ceratophryidae) from western Argentina

Turazzini

Gómez

2022

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Ceratophryid frogs in the late Miocene of central Andes of Argentina: insights on the paleoenvironment of Palo Pintado Formation

Zimicz,

Fabrezi,

Aramayo

et al. 2024

Historical Biology

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Phylogeny, historical biogeography and climate niche differentiation in extant species of Ceratophryidae (Anura, Hyloidea) frogs in South America

van der Kamp,

Ortega-Andrade

2024

biogeography

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Ceratophryidae is a family of frogs containing twelve extant species distributed in South America. Several studies have been carried out concerning the systematics, morphology, karyotypes, and behaviour within this monophyletic family. However, little is known about the historical biogeography and the divergence in time of this group. Here, we present an updated phylogeny, along with a calibrated chronogram, to analyse the historical biogeographical pattern and climate niche differentiation among extant species of Ceratophryidae (Anura: Hyloidea) frogs in South America. A phylogeny based on morphological and genetic data was obtained from 256 morphological characters, six mitochondrial and eight nuclear genes for up to a total of 8428 characters in the homological matrix. Our results indicate that the genus Ceratophrys is sister to the clade Chacophrys + Lepidobatrachus. The divergence of the crown group of Ceratophryidae is estimated to have occurred 19.2 Ma at the beginning of the Miocene, with recent cladogenetic events related to the late Miocene (10.18–13.70 Ma) and the Pliocene (~5.3–2.6 Ma). Moreover, the Cerrado region is estimated to be the ancestral area of the family, as well for the genera Chacophrys and Lepidobatrachus. In addition, temperature seasonality and annual precipitation play a major role in the niche differentiation of extant species within Ceratophryidae. In conclusion, our data suggest multiple dispersal and vicariance events originating from the Cerrado region in the early Miocene, and recognize the role of the environment in the differentiation of the ecological niches among extant species of this family in South America. Ceratophryidae is hypothesized to have originated in the semi-arid Cerrado region in the early Miocene (~19.2 million years ago), from where species have diversified by independent dispersal and vicariance events across other South American regions. Ceratophrys frogs are phylogenetically recovered as the sister taxon to the clade comprising Chacophrys and Lepidobatrachus. Three lineages of Lepidobatrachus and four lineages from Ceratophrys diverged in the Pliocene, around 5.3 to 2.6 million years ago. Niche differentiation among extant species of Ceratophryidae appears to reflect roles for temperature seasonality and annual precipitation.

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Phylogenetic analysis of Ceratophryidae (Anura: Hyloidea) including extant and extinct species

Cited by 3 publications

References 91 publications

A new old Budgett frog: an articulated skeleton of an Early Pliocene Lepidobatrachus (Anura, Ceratophryidae) from western Argentina

A new old Budgett frog: an articulated skeleton of an Early Pliocene Lepidobatrachus (Anura, Ceratophryidae) from western Argentina

Ceratophryid frogs in the late Miocene of central Andes of Argentina: insights on the paleoenvironment of Palo Pintado Formation

Phylogeny, historical biogeography and climate niche differentiation in extant species of Ceratophryidae (Anura, Hyloidea) frogs in South America

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