Unveiling the diversity of Giant Neotropical Torrent frogs (Hylodidae): phylogenetic relationships, morphology, and the description of two new species

Sá, Fábio P. de; Condez, Thaís Helena; Lyra, Mariana L.; Haddad, Célio F. B.; Malagoli, Leo Ramos

doi:10.1080/14772000.2022.2039318

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…However, shape diversification in this family does not deviate significantly from the pond-type tadpole bauplan. Tadpoles in these three families inhabit different types of water bodies, from ponds and lakes (e.g., Atelognathus) [38] to fast-torrent streams (e.g., Phantasmarana) [77], but they mostly exhibit benthic behavior and avoid strong currents, being commonly found in slow backwaters, on the bottom of water bodies, or among rocks, e.g., [34,[78][79][80][81]. Variations in body and tail height and length appear to be intrageneric changes not strictly related to development in lentic vs. lotic environments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shape Evolution in Two Acts: Morphological Diversity of Larval and Adult Neoaustraranan Frogs

Almeida-Silva,

Vera Candioti

2024

Animals

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Phenotypic traits can evolve independently at different stages of ontogeny, optimizing adaptation to distinct ecological contexts and increasing morphological diversity in species with complex life cycles. Given the relative independence resulting from the profound changes induced by metamorphosis, niche occupation and resource utilization in tadpoles may prompt evolutionary responses that do not necessarily affect the adults. Consequently, diversity patterns observed in the larval shape may not necessarily correspond to those found in the adult shape for the same species, a premise that can be tested through the Adaptive Decoupling Hypothesis (ADH). Herein, we investigate the ADH for larval and adult shape differentiation in Neoaustrarana frogs. Neoaustrarana frogs, particularly within the Cycloramphidae family, exhibit remarkable diversity in tadpole morphology, making them an ideal model for studying adaptive decoupling. By analyzing 83 representative species across four families (Alsodidae, Batrachylidae, Cycloramphidae, and Hylodidae), we generate a morphological dataset for both larval and adult forms. We found a low correlation between larval and adult shapes, species with a highly distinct larval shape having relatively similar shape when adults. Larval morphological disparity is not a good predictor for adult morphological disparity within the group, with distinct patterns observed among families. Differences between families are notable in other aspects as well, such as the role of allometric components influencing shape and morphospace occupancy. The larval shape has higher phylogenetic structure than the adult. Evolutionary convergence emerges as a mechanism of diversification for both larval and adult shapes in the early evolution of neoaustraranans, with shape disparity of tadpoles reaching stable levels since the Oligocene. The widest occupation in morphospace involves families associated with dynamically changing environments over geological time. Our findings support the ADH driving phenotypic diversity in Neoaustrarana, underscoring the importance of considering ontogenetic stages in evolutionary studies.

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