Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of Euproctus (Amphibia: Salamandridae), with the resurrection of the genus Calotriton and the description of a new endemic species from the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

A phylogeny of West Palearctic Salamandridae based on 1208 bp of mtDNA sequences (300 bp of cytb, 346 bp of 12S rRNA and 562 bp of 16S rRNA) indicates the European brook newts (Euproctus) are polyphyletic. To reflect revised relationships, the Tyrrhenian species (E. montanus (Savi, 1838) and E. platycephalus (Gravenhorst, 1829)) are retained in EuproctusGenè, 1839, while the genus CalotritonGray, 1858 is resurrected to include the Pyrenean brook newt (Calotriton asper (Dugès, 1852) comb. nov.) and a new species from the massif of El Montseny, Catalonia, Spain, described herein as Calotriton arnoldi sp. nov., which is both morphologically and genetically distinct. Although according to the principle of priority MegapternaSavi, 1838 should take precedence over EuproctusGenè, 1839, for the sake of nomenclatural stability and in line with Art. 23.9.1 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Megapterna is considered a nomen oblitum and Euproctus a nomen protectum. The polyphyly of Euproctus (s.l.) contradicts previous, well‐accepted, biogeographical hypotheses and represents a clear case of convergence, involving several morphological traits and a unique reproductive behaviour that is advantageous in stream situations. Molecular dating suggests the Western brook newt lineage (C. asper+C. arnoldi) originated towards the end of the Miocene (8.3 ± 0.11 Mya) and is part of a well‐supported monophyletic assemblage, which also includes Neurergus kaiseri (Schmidt, 1952) and a clade formed by Triturus karelinii (Strauch, 1870), T. carnifex (Laurenti, 1768), T. pygmaeus (Wolterstoff, 1905) and T. marmoratus (Latreille, 1800). Speciation separating E. montanus and E. platycephalus might have coincided with the onset of the Messinian salinity crisis. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2005, 145, 555–582.

A molecular assessment of phylogenetic relationships and lineage accumulation rates within the family Salamandridae (Amphibia, Caudata)

“…Molecular phylogenetics of Triturus has received considerable attention (Busack et al, 1988;Giacomo and Balletto, 1988;Halliday and Arano, 1991;Macgregor et al, 1990;Zajc and Arntzen, 1999) with some molecular studies indicating that it is not monophyletic (Titus and Larson, 1995;Zajc and Arntzen, 1999). Furthermore, molecular (mtDNA and nuclear rDNA) phylogenetic investigations have found that Calotriton likewise renders Triturus nonmonophyletic (Caccone et al, 1994(Caccone et al, , 1997Carranza and Amat, 2005).…”

“…Caccone et al, 1997;Carranza and Amat, 2005;Chan et al, 2001;Lu et al, 2004;Steinfartz et al, 2000Steinfartz et al, , 2002Weisrock et al, 2001), yet many species-level relationships require further resolution. Evolution of the genus Triturus has been studied extensively (Halliday and Arano, 1991), yet phylogenetic resolution among species remains ambiguous, even with a host of morphological, molecular, and behavioral data (Giacomo and Balletto, 1988;Macgregor et al, 1990;RaWnski and Arntzen, 1987;Zajc and Arntzen, 1999).…”

“…Zajc and Arntzen, 1999). Recent studies of the genus Euproctus indicate that it is not monophyletic (Caccone et al, 1994(Caccone et al, , 1997Carranza and Amat, 2005), and instead may represent two phylogenetically divergent groups, one of which was recently placed in the genus Calotriton (Carranza and Amat, 2005). A thorough phylogenetic assessment of these genera and other salamandrid lineages requires comprehensive species-level sampling of the entire family.…”

A Bayesian approach on molecules and behavior: reconsidering phylogenetic and evolutionary patterns of the Salamandridae with emphasis on Triturus newts

“…This study supported the grouping of the largebodied species (T. cristatus, T. marmoratus and allies) together with T. alpestris and T. vittatus as one clade, separate from the small-bodied species T. boscai, T. helveticus, T. italicus, T. montandoni and T. vulgaris. The monophyly of Triturus was challenged by the analysis of mtDNA sequence data (Caccone et al, '94, '97; Titus and Larson, '95) and other studies (Steinfartz et al, 2002;Garcia-Paris et al, 2004;Carranza and Amat, 2005;Litvinchuk et al, 2005). Recently, GarciaParis et al (2004) and Litvinchuk et al (2005) independently proposed a taxonomic revision of the genus Triturus.…”

Piecing the punicus Puzzle

“…In addition to this, after the Messinian salinity crisis, which occurred 5.5 million years ago (Krijgsman et al, 1999), Corsica and Sardinia were isolated from the mainland by Pliocene flooding (van der Made et al, 2006), which gave rise to endemic species (Carranza & Amat, 2005) but then during the Pleistocene glaciations, the lowering in sea level provided periods of intermittent contact during which faunal exchanges could have possibly occurred (Lanza, 1972;Lanza, 1983;Caloi et al, 1986;van Andel & Tzedakis, 1996).…”