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SPECIES LIMITS AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AMERICAN CRICKET FROGS (ACRIS: HYLIDAE)
Tony Gamble, Peter B. Berendzen, H. Bradley Shaffer, David E. Starkey, Andrew M. Simons
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48: 112–125
Abstract: Cricket Frogs are widely distributed across the eastern United States and two species, the Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans) and the Southern Cricket Frog (A. gryllus) are currently recognized. We generated a phylogenetic hypothesis for Acris using fragments of nuclear and mitochondrial genes in separate and combined phylogenetic analyses. We also used distance methods and fixation indices to evaluate species limits within the genus and the validity of currently recognized subspecies of A. crepitans. The distributions of existing A. crepitans subspecies, defined by morphology and call types, do not match the distributions of evolutionary lineages recovered using our genetic data. We discuss a scenario of call evolution to explain this disparity. We also recovered distinct phylogeographic groups within A. crepitans and A. gryllus that are congruent with other codistributed taxa. Under a lineage-based species concept, we recognize Acris blanchardi as a distinct species. The importance of this revised taxonomy is discussed in light of the dramatic declines in A. blanchardi across the northern and western portions of its range.
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CNAH Note: Standard common names for the three species of Cricket Frogs remain:
Acris blanchardi – Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Acris crepitans – Northern Cricket Frog
Acris gryllus – Southern Cricket Frog
In this paper, the subspecies, Acris crepitans paludicola, was synonymized with Acris crepitans.
DEMOGRAPHIC AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC HISTORIES OF TWO VENOMOUS NORTH AMERICAN SNAKES OF THE GENUS AGKISTRODON
Timothy J. Guiher and Frank T. Burbrink
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48(2): 543-553
Abstract: Many studies have revealed that lineages currently inhabiting formerly glaciated areas were pushed into southern glacial refugia and have expanded into their modern range since the last glacial maximum. There have been few studies that compare the effects of glacial cycles on lineage diversification and historical demography in closely related species with overlapping ranges. In this study we compare phylogeographic structure, historical demography, and approximate lineage age in two closely related and broadly co-occurring venomous snakes in eastern North America, the Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and Copperhead (A. contortrix), using sequences from the mtDNA gene cytochrome b. We inferred three geographic lineages of A. contortrix and two of A. piscivorus with no common geographic or temporal pattern of lineage diversification identified for these species. Lineage diversification occurred in the Late Pliocene for A. piscivorus (2.5 mya) and in the Early Pleistocene for A. contortrix (1.5 mya). Demographic estimates revealed population expansion following the last glacial maximum (20,000 years ago) in two lineages of A. contortrix (the Central clade and Eastern clade) and one lineage of A. piscivorus (the Continental clade). The Florida clade of A. piscivorus is the only lineage for which constant population size through time was inferred, possibly due to stable populations persisting in areas unaffected by glacial advances. Our data suggest that unique habitat preferences may have shaped both the phylogeographic and demographic histories of each species.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: Using mtDNA, Guiher & Burbrink (2008) identified three evolutionary lineages of Agkistrodon contortrix and two evolutionary lineages of Agkistrodon piscivorus in this excellent paper, but did not name them as distinct species, instead awaiting future results of analysis of nucleic DNA evidence. However, based on known type localities (as they appear in Gloyd & Conant, 1990, and Schmidt, 1953) for already described, published, and available names, the following distinct species might be recognized in the future:
Agkistrodon contortrix Linnaeus, 1766 (Eastern lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008)
Type locality: Charleston, South Carolina
Standard common name would become: Eastern Copperhead
Synonym: Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen Palisot de Beauvois, 1799
Agkistrodon austrinus Gloyd & Conant, 1943 (Central lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008)
Type locality: Orleans Parish, Louisiana
Standard common name would become: Midland Copperhead
Synonyms: none
Agkistrodon laticinctus Gloyd & Conant, 1934 (Western lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008)
Type locality: Bexar County, Texas
Standard common name would become: Western Copperhead
Synonyms: Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster Gloyd, 1969; Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster Gloyd & Conant, 1943
Agkistrodon piscivorus Lacépède, 1789 (Continental lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008)
Type locality: Charleston, South Carolina
Standard common name would become: Northern Cottonmouth
Synonyms: Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma Troost, 1836; Toxicophis pugnax Baird & Girard, 1853
Agkistrodon conanti Gloyd, 1969 (Florida lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008)
Type locality: Alachua County, Florida
Standard common name would become: Southern Cottonmouth
Synonyms: none
The above list of name combinations is presented here merely as advance information of possible future changes in the taxonomy of two polytypic species of the North American genus Agkistrodon. Under no circumstances should the above list be adopted as a taxonomy for the group. Additional work on the systematics of these serpents is in progress.
References
Gloyd, Howard K. and Roger Conant. 1990. Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex. A Monographic Review. SSAR Contribution to Herpetology 6: vi + 614 pp.
Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Sixth Ed. Publ. American Soc. Ich. Herp., viii + 280 pp.
Joseph T. Collins
Director
CNAH
Agkistrodon Arranged Again
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
26 May 2009
CLIMATE CHANGE AND EVOLUTION OF THE NEW WORLD PITVIPER GENUS AGKISTRODON (VIPERIDAE)
Michael E. Douglas, Marlis R. Douglas, Gordon W. Schuett and Louis W. Porras
2009. Journal of Biogeography 36: 1164-1180
Abstract:
Aim: We derived phylogenies, phylogeographies, and population demographies for two North American pitvipers, Agkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766) and A. piscivorus (Lacepede, 1789) (Viperidae: Crotalinae), as a mechanism to evaluate the impact of rapid climatic change on these taxa.
Location: Midwestern and eastern North America.
Methods: We reconstructed maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) relationships based on 846 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ATPase 8 and ATPase 6 genes sequenced over 178 individuals. We quantified range expansions, demographic histories, divergence dates and potential size differences among clades since their last period of rapid expansion. We used the Shimodaira–Hasegawa (SH) test to compare our ML tree against three biogeographical hypotheses.
Results: A significant SH test supported diversification of A. contortrix from northeastern Mexico into midwestern–eastern North America, where its trajectory was sundered by two vicariant events. The first (c. 5.1 Ma) segregated clades at 3.1% sequence divergence (SD) along a continental east–west moisture gradient. The second (c. 1.4 Ma) segregated clades at 2.4% SD along the Mississippi River, coincident with the formation of the modern Ohio River as a major meltwater tributary. A single glacial refugium was detected within the Apalachicola region of southeastern North America. Significant support was also found for a hypothesis of trans-Gulf rafting by the common ancestor of A. piscivorus from eastern Mexico (possibly the Yucatan Peninsula) to northern Florida. There, a Mid–Late Pliocene marine transgression separated it at 4.8% SD from mainland North America. Significant range expansions followed compressive glacial effects in three (of four) A. contortrix clades and in two (of three) A. piscivorus clades, with the Florida A. piscivorus clade exhibiting significant distributional stasis.
Main conclusions: Pliocene glaciations, rapidly developing western aridity, and Pleistocene glacial meltwaters seemingly led to the diversification of A. contortrix and A. piscivorus in North America. Both species were pushed southwards by Pleistocene climate change, with subsequent northward expansions uninhibited topographically. The subspecific taxonomy used for A. contortrix and A. piscivorus today, however, appears non-representative. The monophyletic Florida subspecies of A. piscivorus may be a distinct species (at 4.8% SD), whereas two western subspecies of A. contortrix also appear to constitute a single distinct species, pending additional analyses. We conclude that both species of Agkistrodon can be used as suitable ectothermic models to gauge impacts of future climate change.
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CNAH Note: Based on the data analyzed, in this paper the following subspecies do not appear to be supported by evidence: Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma, Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster, and Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster.
Apparently, the Cottonmouth consists of two species, Agkistrodon piscivorus (Northern Cottonmouth) and Agkistrodon conanti (Southern Cottonmouth), and the Copperhead consists of two species, Agkistrodon contortrix (Eastern Copperhead) and Agkistrodon laticinctus (Western Copperhead).
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
Adding More Ecology into Species Delimitation: Ecological Niche Models and Phylogeography Help Define Cryptic Species in the Black Salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus)
Leslie J. Rissler & Joseph J. Apodaca
2007. Systematic Biology 56(6): 924–942
Abstract: Being able to efficiently and accurately delimit species is one of the most basic and important aspects of systematics because species are the fundamental unit of analysis in biogeography, ecology, and conservation. We present a rationale and approach for combining ecological niche modeling, spatially explicit analyses of environmental data, and phylogenetics in species delimitation, and we use our methodology in an empirical example focusing on Aneides flavipunctatus, the Black Salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae), in California. We assess the relationships between genetic, environmental, and geographic distance among populations. We use 11 climatic variables and point locality data from public databases to create ecological niche models. The suitability of potential contact zones between parapatric lineages is also assessed using the data from ecological niche modeling. Phylogenetic analyses of portions of the mitochondrial genome reveal morphologically cryptic mitochondrial lineages in this species. In addition, we find that patterns of genetic divergence are strongly associated with divergence in the ecological niche. Our work demonstrates the ease and utility of using spatial analyses of environmental data and phylogenetics in species delimitation, especially for groups displaying fine-scaled endemism and cryptic species.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: This excellent paper recognizes five distinct populations within Aneides flavipunctatus, two of which do not have available specific names. The authors are addressing the taxonomy of this group in a future paper, but, as Rissler and Apodaca point out in this title, at least three of their evolutionary lineages will be known as:
Aneides flavipunctatus Strauch 1870 (their Central lineage)
Aneides niger Myers and Maslin 1948 (their Southern Disjunct lineage)
Aneides iëcanus Cope 1883 (their Shasta lineage)
Steven Poe (2004. Phylogeny of Anoles. Herpetological Monograph 18: 37-89), using osteology, internal anatomy, chromosomes, DNA sequences, allozymes, and immunology, demonstrated that Anolis is supported as a monophyletic genus (i.e., it does not need to be divided into several genera, as has been proposed in the past).
No web site given
Aspidoscelis/Cnemidophorus
Reeder, Cole, & Dessauer (2002 American Museum of Natural History Novitates 3365: 1-61) placed all North American (north of Mexico) species of Cnemidophorus in the genus Aspidoscelis Fitzinger, 1843. This changes the emendations for many of the taxa recognized in Collins & Taggart (2002 Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians. Fifth Edition). CNAH Note: This important paper was received too late to be considered for inclusion in Collins & Taggart (2002 op. cit.). Obviously, it will be considered for the upcoming sixth edition.
CNAH users wishing to download a complete gratis pdf copy of this paper should visit the CNAH web site at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
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23 April 2008
MOLECULAR INSIGHTS INTO THE SYSTEMATICS OF THE SNAPPING TURTLES (CHELYDRIDAE)
H. Bradley Shaffer, David E. Starkey & Matthew K. Fujita
Pp. 44-49. In BIOLOGY OF THE [COMMON] SNAPPING TURTLE (CHELYDRA SERPENTINA)
A. G. Steyermark, M. S. Finkler, and R. J. Brooks (editors)
2008. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore. x + 225 pp.
Taken from the text on page 49: Based on currently available molecular evidence, we favor recognizing a monotypic, widespread C[helydra] serpentina across the continental United States and southern Canada, and abandoning C[helydra] s. osceola as an evolutionary entity . . . available molecular data do not indicate any substantial differentiation between these [C. s. serpentina and C. s. osceola] taxa.
CNAH Note: See the CNAH web site main page at
http://www.cnah.org/
for information about ordering this book.
NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
2 February 2009
SHOVELNOSE SNAKE SLICED
Molecular and phenotypic diversity in Chionactis occipitalis (Western Shovelnose Snake), with emphasis on the status of C. o. klauberi (Tucson Shovelnose Snake)
2008. Conservation Genetics 9: 1489–1507
Dustin A. Wood, J. M. Meik, A. T. Holycross, R. N. Fisher & A. G. Vandergast
Abstract: Chionactis occipitalis (Western Shovelnose Snake) is a small colubrid snake inhabiting the arid regions of the Mojave, Sonoran, and Colorado deserts. Morphological assessments of taxonomy currently recognize four subspecies. However, these taxonomic proposals were largely based on weak morphological differentiation and inadequate geographic sampling. Our goal was to explore evolutionary relationships and boundaries among subspecies of C. occipitalis, with particular focus on individuals within the known range of C. o. klauberi (Tucson Shovelnose Snake). Population sizes and range for C. o. klauberi have declined over the last 25 years due to habitat alteration and loss prompting a petition to list this subspecies as endangered. We examined the phylogeography, population structure, and subspecific taxonomy of C. occipitalis across its geographic range with genetic analysis of 1100 bases of mitochondrial DNA sequence and reanalysis of 14 morphological characters from 1543 museum specimens. We estimated the species gene phylogeny from 81 snakes using Bayesian inference and explored possible factors influencing genetic variation using landscape genetic analyses. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses reveal genetic isolation and independent evolutionary trajectories for two primary clades. Our data indicate that diversification between these clades has developed as a result of both historical vicariance and environmental isolating mechanisms. Thus these two clades likely comprise ‘evolutionary significant units’ (ESUs). Neither molecular nor morphological data are concordant with the traditional C. occipitalis subspecies taxonomy. Mitochondrial sequences suggest specimens recognized as C. o. klauberi are embedded in a larger geographic clade whose range has expanded from western Arizona populations, and these data are concordant with clinal longitudinal variation in morphology.
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CNAH: Based on the data in this elegant paper by Wood et al., the Western Shovelnose Snake may now consist of two well-defined species, as follows:
Mojave Shovelnose Snake, Chionactis occipitalis (Hallowell, 1854) – type locality Mojave Desert
Synonym: Chionactis occipitalis talpina Klauber, 1951
Colorado Desert Shovelnose Snake, Chionactis annulata (Baird, 1859) – type locality Colorado Desert
Synonym: Chionactis occipitalis klauberi (Stickel, 1941)
Recognition of the subspecies C. o. klauberi and C. o. talpina was not supported by the data in this paper.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
Starkey, David E., H. Bradley Shaffer, Russell L. Burke, Michael R. J.
Forstner, John B. Iverson, Fredric J. Janzen, Anders G. J. Rhodin, and Gordon R. Ultsch [2003 Molecular systematics, phylogeography, and the effects of Pleistocene glaciation in the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) complex. Evolution 57(1): 119-128] recognized two evolutionary lineages within the genus Chrysemys: C. dorsalis in the southern Mississippi drainage, and C. picta from the rest of the range of the genus. They find no support for subspecies designations in the genus.
No web site given
Racers of the genus Coluber restricted to the New World
Z. T. Nagy, Robin Lawson, U. Joger and M. Wink recently (2004) published a paper entitled "Molecular systematics of Racers, Whipsnakes and relatives (Reptilia: Colubridae) using Mitochondrial and Nuclear Markers," in the Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research (Volume 42 pages 223–233).
Their taxonomic recommendations with implications for this North American serpent (taken directly from the published paper) are:
"We recommend restricting the usage of the name Coluber to the New World taxa currently contained within that genus. Whether the closely related Masticophis should also be included in Coluber, thus reducing the name Masticophis to a synonym of Coluber, cannot be decided on the basis of our current data."
A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Nagy et al. is available from the CNAH PDF Library on the CNAH web site home page.
No web site given
COPE'S CRANOPSIS CRUSHED (IN COPEIA)
Frost, Darrel R., Taran Grant & Joseph R. Mendelson, III [2006. Ollotis Cope, 1875 is the oldest name for the genus currently referred to as Cranopsis Cope, 1875 (Anura: Hyloides: Bufonidae). Copeia 2006(3): 558] replaced the the genus Cranopsis Cope 1875 with the genus Ollotis Cope 1875. Only two species in the genus occur in the United States. They are:
Ollotis alvaria (Colorado River Toad)
Ollotis nebulifer (Coastal Plain Toad)
A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Frost et al. (2006) is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
Clark, Moler, Possardt, Savitzky, Brown, & Bowen (2003 Journal of Herpetology 37(1): 145-154), using mtDNA, concluded that no subspecies could be defined within Crotalus horridus. Their results corroborated the conclusion (using a different data set) arrived at three decades ago by Pisani, Collins, & Edwards (1973 Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 75: 255-263).
Crotalus viridis now 7 species
Douglas, Douglas, Schuett, Porras, & Holycross [2002. Phylogeography of the Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) Complex, With Emphasis on the Colorado Plateau]. Pp. 11-50. In Biology of the Vipers [Schuett, Höggren, Douglas, and Greene (editors). Eagle Mountain Publishing, Eagle Mountain, Utah. xii + 580 pp. + 16 color plates] split the former Crotalus viridis into seven species: C. abyssus, C. cerberus, C. concolor, C. helleri, C. lutosus, C. oreganus, and C. viridis. Standard common names for these seven evolutionary lineages match exactly those as listed in Collins & Taggart (2002 Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians. Fifth Edition. iv + 44 pp.)
http://www.eaglemountainpublishing.com/
NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
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10 April 2008
DUSKY SALAMANDERS (DESMOGNATHUS, PLETHODONTIDAE) FROM THE COASTAL PLAIN: MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT LINEAGES AND THEIR BEARING ON THE MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF THE GENUS
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47(1): 143-153
David A. Beamer and Trip Lamb
Abstract: Recent phylogenetic reassessment of the lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae) confirmed a major life-history reversal—from direct development to an aquatic larval stage—in the dusky salamanders (Desmognathus) of eastern North America. This reversal initiated high rates of lineage accumulation, reputedly generating the species richness and ecological breadth that now characterize Desmognathus. Certain important aspects of the radiation, e.g., ecomorphological evolution, have been identified through intense sampling effort of Appalachian Highland lineages. However, the research preoccupation on montane species has left overlooked a significant component of dusky salamander distribution—the Coastal Plain. We present the first molecular phylogeny for Desmognathus to incorporate extensive coverage from the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. We examined 38 Coastal Plain populations in conjunction with 45 additional populations, representing 16 of the 19 nominal species. Bayesian analysis of 88 mitochondrial cox1 haplotypes diagnosed eight independent population lineages within the Coastal Plain, a number at odds with the region’s three currently recognized species. Desmognathus has apparently experienced a complex biogeographic history in this physiographic region, one involving multiple invasions and several ecological transitions from lotic to lentic habitats.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: New species of Dusky Salamanders loom on the herpetological horizon.
Elaphe guttata now 3 species
Frank T. Burbrink (2002 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 25(3): 465-476), using mtDNA, showed that the taxon previously referred to as Elaphe guttata consists of three distinct evolutionary lineages (=species), E. guttata, E. emoryi, and a new species, Elaphe slowinskii. Go to the CNAH common names checklist on the home page and check out the images of all three taxa.
No web site given
CONFLICTING MITOCHONDRIAL AND NUCLEAR PHYLOGENIES FOR THE WIDELY DISJUNCT EMYS (TESTUDINES: EMYDIDAE) SPECIES COMPLEX, AND WHAT THEY TELL US ABOUT
BIOGEOGRAPHY AND HYBRIDIZATION
2009. Systematic Biology 58(1): 1-20
Phillip Q. Spinks & H. Bradley Shaffer
Abstract: Understanding the mechanisms by which widely disjunct members of a clade came to occupy their current distribution is one of the fundamental challenges of biogeography. Here, we used data from 7 nuclear and 1 mitochondrial gene to examine the phylogenetic and biogeographic history of Emys, a clade of turtles that is broadly disjunct in western and eastern North America and Europe. We found strong disagreement between mitochondrial and nuclear gene trees, with mitochondrial DNA supporting the monophyly of the North American taxa (marmorata + blandingii) to the exclusion of the European orbicularis, and nuclear genes supporting the monophyly of (blandingii + orbicularis) to the exclusion of marmorata. We used fossil-calibrated molecular chronograms, in combination with supporting evidence from the fossil record and paleoclimatology, to identify a potential example of ancient hybridization and mitochondrial gene capture 12 million years ago, which explains this discrepancy. Based on the weight of evidence, we argue that the invasion of Eurasia by Emys orbicularis occurred about 16 Ma via a trans-Beringian land bridge. The case of Emys emphasizes how single-gene trees can be strongly affected by population processes, including hybridization, and that the effects of these processes can persist through long periods of evolutionary history. Given the chaotic state of the current taxonomy of these turtles, our work also emphasizes the care that should be used in implementing taxonomic changes based on 1 or a few gene trees and the importance of taking a conservative approach in renaming or splitting higher taxa based on apparent nonmonophyly.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: Based on the data and analysis in this excellent paper, CNAH has adopted the genus Emys for the North American species heretofore known as Actinemys marmorata and Emydoidea blandingii, creating the following taxonomy:
Emys marmorata Baird & Girard, 1852 – Western Pond Turtle
Emys blandingii Holbrook, 1838 – Blanding's Turtle
Both Holbrook (1838) and Baird & Girard (1852) originally placed these species in the genus Emys. Welcome home.
This change has been made on the CNAH web site and all appropriate provincial and state checklists.
MAJOR CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN FROG FAUNAS ORIGINATED BY ANCIENT OCEANIC DISPERSAL
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(24): 9913-10294
Matthew P. Heinicke, William E. Duellman, and S. Blair Hedges
Abstract: Approximately one-half of all species of amphibians occur in the New World tropics, which includes South America, Middle America, and the West Indies. Of those, 27% (801 species) belong to a large assemblage, the eleutherodactyline frogs, which breed out of water and lay eggs that undergo direct development on land. Their wide distribution and mode of reproduction offer potential for resolving questions in evolution, ecology, and conservation. However, progress in all of these fields has been hindered by a poor understanding of their evolutionary relationships. As a result, most of the species have been placed in a single genus, Eleutherodactylus, which is the largest among vertebrates. Our DNA sequence analysis of a major fraction of eleutherodactyline diversity revealed three large radiations of species with unexpected geographic isolation: a South American Clade (393 sp.), a Caribbean Clade (171 sp.), and a Middle American Clade (111 sp.). Molecular clock analyses reject the prevailing hypothesis that these frogs arose from land connections with North and South America and their subsequent fragmentation in the Late Cretaceous (80–70 Mya). Origin by dispersal, probably over water from South America in the early Cenozoic (47–29 million years ago, Mya), is more likely.
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CNAH Note: Of interest to North American herpetologists is the return of the Greenhouse Frog (Euhyas planirostris) and Chirping Frogs (Syrrhophus) to the genus Eleutherodactylus. This change has been made on the CNAH web site.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
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Axtell, Ralph W. & Hobart M. Smith (2004. Southwestern Naturalist 49(1): 100) clarified the history and use of the name gaigeae versus epipleurotus, and concluded that the latter is the correct name for this taxon. (CNAH Note: Apparently a formal ruling by the Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is not required, so we assume the herpetological community should adopt the name epipleurotus over gaigeae).
Plestiodon: A Replacement Name for Most Members of the Genus Eumeces in North America
Hobart M. Smith
2005. Journal of Kansas Herpetology 14: 15-16
The author presents the case for replacing the generic name Eumeces with Plestiodon for all North American (north of Mexico) species of skinks.
A copy of this article can be downloaded gratis by visiting the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH Note: Replacing Eumeces with Plestiodon does not change any endings to the specific names of North American taxa. Standard common names remain the same, as they appear in Collins and Taggart (2002).
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
Eumeces Revised; Neoseps Sunk
Andreas Schmitz, Patrick Mausfeld, and Dirk Embert (2004 Hamadryad 28(1–2): 73-89) analyzed molecular data to demonstrate that the lizard genus Neoseps (family Scincidae) should be synonymized with the genus Eumeces. They provide additional evidence that Eumeces obtusirostris is a species distinct from E. septentrionalis. Finally, they propose a new generic name, Pariocela Fitzinger (1843) for all North American skinks previously referred to the genus Eumeces, although their post-publication research with other colleagues has revealed a name older than Pariocela, and that name, Plestiodon Dumeril & Bibron 1839, will be offered as an alternative in a future paper (Andreas Schmitz, pers. comm.).
A gratis copy of the paper by Schmitz et al. (2004) may be downloaded (as a pdf or print copy) from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
No web site given
Kenneth H. Kozak, Russell A. Blaine & Allan Larson. 2006. Gene lineages and eastern North American palaeodrainage basins: Phylogeography and speciation in salamanders of the Eurycea bislineata species complex. Molecular Ecology 15: 191–207.
Abstract: Contemporary North American drainage basins are composites of formerly isolated drainages, suggesting that fragmentation and fusion of palaeodrainage systems may have been an
important factor generating current patterns of genetic and species diversity in stream-associated
organisms. Here, we combine traditional molecular-phylogenetic, multiple-regression, nested clade, and molecular-demographic analyses to investigate the relationship between
phylogeographic variation and the hydrogeological history of eastern North American drainage
basins in semiaquatic plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea bislineata species complex. Four hundred forty-two sequences representing 1108 aligned bases from the mitochondrial genome are reported for the five formally recognized species of the E. bislineata complex and three outgroup taxa. Within the ingroup, 270 haplotypes are recovered from 144 sampling locations. Geographic patterns of mtDNA-haplotype coalescence identify 13 putatively independent population-level lineages, suggesting that the current taxonomy of the group underestimates species-level diversity. Spatial and temporal patterns of phylogeographic divergence are strongly associated with historical rather than modern drainage connections, indicating that shifts in major drainage patterns played a pivotal role in the allopatric fragmentation of populations and build-up of lineage diversity in these stream-associated salamanders. More generally, our molecular genetic results corroborate geological and faunistic evidence suggesting that palaeodrainage connections altered by glacial advances and headwater erosion occurring between the mid-Miocene and Pleistocene epochs explain regional patterns of biodiversity in eastern North American streams.
A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Kozak, Blaine & Larson is available from the CNAH PDF Library.
CNAH: Provides evidence for recognition of Eurycea aquatica (Brownback Salamander), Eurycea junaluska (Junaluska Salamander) and Eurycea bislineata (Northern Two-lined Salalamander) as distinct species.
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
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23 February 2009
CONSERVATION PHYLOGENETICS OF HELODERMATID LIZARDS USING MULTIPLE MOLECULAR MARKERS AND A SUPERTREE APPROACH
Michael E. Douglas, Marlis R. Douglas, Gordon W. Schuett, Daniel D. Beck & Brian K. Sullivan
2010. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55: 153-167
Abstract: We analyzed both mitochondrial (MT-) and nuclear (N) DNAs in a conservation phylogenetic framework to examine deep and shallow histories of the Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Gila Monster (H. suspectum) throughout their geographic ranges in North and Central America. Both MTDNA and intron markers clearly partitioned each species. One intron and MTDNA further subdivided H. horridum into its four recognized subspecies (H. n. alvarezi, charlesbogerti, exasperatum, and horridum). However, the two subspecies of H. suspectum (H. s. suspectum and H. s. cinctum) were undefined. A supertree approach sustained these relationships. Overall, the Helodermatidae is reaffirmed as an ancient and conserved group. Its most recent common ancestor (MRCA) was Lower Eocene [35.4 million years ago (mya)], with a ca. 25 my period of stasis before the MRCA of H. horridum diversified in Lower Miocene. Another ca. 5 my passed before H. h. exasperatum and H. h. horridum diverged, followed by ca. 1.5 my before H. h. alvarezi and H. h. charlesbogerti separated. Heloderma suspectum reflects an even longer period of stasis (ca. 30 my) before diversifying from its MRCA. Both H. suspectum (México) and H. h. alvarezi also revealed evidence of historic range expansion following a recent bottleneck. Our conservation phylogenetic approach emphasizes the origin and diversification of this group, yields information on the manner by which past environmental variance may have impacted its populations and, in turn, allows us to disentangle historic from contemporary impacts that might threaten its long-term persistence. The value of helodermatid conservation resides in natural services and medicinal products, particularly venom constituents, and these are only now being realized.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: In this paper, the authors demonstrated that the subspecies Heloderma suspectum cinctum did not warrant continued recognition.
Smith, Chiszar, Eckerman & Walley [2003 The Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Hognose Snake Heterodon kennerlyi Kennicott (1860). Journal of Kansas Herpetology 5: 17-20] recommended that this taxon be recognized as a distinct species. Standard common name remains the same.
CNAH NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
9 September 2008
INCONGRUENCE IN THE PATTERN AND TIMING OF INTRA-SPECIFIC DIVERSIFICATION IN BRONZE FROGS AND BULLFROGS (RANIDAE)
James D. Austin & Kelly R. Zamudio
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48: 1041–1053
Abstract: We compare patterns of lineage divergence in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of two proteinencoding mitochondrial genes (cyt b and ND2) in two ecologically similar, co-distributed, and closely related ranid frogs (Rana clamitans and Rana catesbeiana), that are geographically widespread, and frequently syntopic. We identified three lineages in R. clamitans, separated by 0.5% to 2.1% net corrected sequence divergence, comparable to two R. catesbeiana lineages separated by 0.6%. The geographic pattern of lineage distribution differed notably between the two species. In R. clamitans, we found a Coastal Plain-Appalachian (CPA) lineage restricted to south and east of the Appalachian Mountains and a widespread lineage that encompassing nearly all the sampled range. A third distinct and divergent lineage was detected in one location in the southwest portion of the range (Louisiana). This pattern contrasts with the east-west pattern in R. catesbeiana, and reflects possible differences in refugial dynamics and patterns of range expansion. Although both species have undergone range expansion and population growth, coalescent reconstruction of Ne reflects larger lineages but more recent divergence in R. clamitans relative to R. catesbeiana, reflecting significant differences in population history or divergent patterns of molecular evolution at mtDNA.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: Using mtDNA, Austin and Zamudio (2008) identified three evolutionary lineages of Lithobates clamitans and two evolutionary lineages of Lithobates catesbeianus in this excellent paper, but did not name them as distinct species, presumably awaiting future results of an analysis that includes nucleic DNA. However, based on known type localities (as they appear in Schmidt, 1953) for already described, published, and available names, the following distinct species might be recognized in the future:
Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802) (Eastern lineage of Austin & Zamudio 2008)
Type locality: Charleston, South Carolina
Standard common name would become: Eastern Bullfrog
Synonyms: Lithobates mugiens (Merrem, 1820); Lithobates scapularis (Le Conte, 1825); Lithobates conspersus (Le Conte, 1855)
Lithobates new species (Western lineage of Austin & Zamudio 2008)
Type locality: should data warrant, to be designated and published
Standard common name would become: Western Bullfrog
Lithobates clamitans (Latreille, 1801) (ACP lineage of Austin & Zamudio 2008)
Type locality: Charleston, South Carolina
Standard common name would become: Bronze Frog or Southern Bronze Frog
Synonym: none found
Lithobates melanotus (Rafinesque, 1820) (Widespread of Austin & Zamudio 2008)
Type locality: Lake Champlain and Lake George, Vermont & New York
Standard common name would become: Green Frog or Northern Bronze Frog
Synonyms: Lithobates fontinalis (Le Conte, 1825); Lithobates flaviviridis (Harlan, 1825); Lithobates horiconensis (Holbrook, 1838); Lithobates nigricans (Agassiz, 1850)
Lithobates new species (Louisiana lineage of Austin & Zamudio 2008)
Type locality: should data warrant, to be designated and published
Standard common name would become: Louisiana or Cajun Bronze Frog
The above arrangement is presented here merely as advance information of possible future changes in the taxonomy of two wide-ranging species of the North American genus Lithobates. Under no circumstances should the above list be adopted as a taxonomy for the group. Additional work on the systematics of these anurans is in progress.
The status of Lithobates okaloosae (Moler, 1985) remains uncertain and awaits resolution as to whether it is a distinct species or a synonym of L. clamitans (sensu lato).
Of more immediate interest to many north American herpetologists, the authors synonymized the subspecies Lithobates clamitans melanotus (Rafinesque, 1820) with L. c. clamitans (Latreille, 1801). L. c. melanotus has heretofore been called the Green Frog and the nominate subspecies has been called the Bronze Frog. CNAH will now adopt the standard common name Bronze Frog for the species because it better reflects the skin color of this frog –- most herpetologists know that Lithobates clamitans has little if any green skin color throughout most of its range. While "bronze" may not be as precise as some would desire, it is better than a color the amphibian normally doesn't possess. An alternative would be to call L. clamitans the Bronze Frog and retain Green Frog for L. melanotus if it proves to be a distinct species.
References
Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Sixth Ed. Publ. American Soc. Ich. Herp., viii + 280 pp.
Joseph T. Collins
Director
CNAH
Ollotis Out - Incilius In
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for North American Herpetology
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17 June 2009
FURTHER NOTES ON THE NOMENCLATURE OF MIDDLE AMERICAN TOADS (BUFONIDAE)
Darrel R. Frost, Joseph R. Mendelson III, and Jennifer Pramuk
Copeia 2009(2): 418
The authors demonstrated that all species formerly placed in the genus Ollotis Cope 1875, should now be placed in the genus Incilius Cope 1863. This changes the generic name of two species in the United States to Incilius alvarius (Girard, 1859) (Sonoran Desert Toad) and Incilius nebulifer (Girard, 1854) (Coastal Plain Toad). Users of the CNAH common and scientific names list (Collins & Taggart, 2009) should note this in their copies. CNAH has already adopted the generic name Incilius on its web site.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
Pantherophis replaces Elaphe
Utiger, Helfenberger, Schatti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler (2002 Russian Journal of Herpetology 9(2): 105-124), using mtDNA, presented evidence that North American Rat Snakes of the genus Elaphe are a monophyletic lineage different from Old World members of the genus, and resurrected the available name Pantherophis Fitzinger for all North American (north of Mexico) taxa.
http://www.folium.ru/en/journals/rjh/contents/2002/2002-02.htm
Pantherophis to Pituophis
Burbrink & Lawson (2007 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43: 173-189), using DNA, placed the genus Pantherophis in the synonymy of Pituophis.
The resulting taxonomy for the nine North American species affected would be: Eastern Rat Snake (Pituophis alleghaniensis), Baird's Rat Snake (Pituophis bairdi), Great Plains Rat Snake (Pituophis emoryi), Eastern Fox Snake (Pituophis gloydi), Eastern Corn Snake (Pituophis guttatus), Western Rat Snake (Pituophis obsoletus), Slowinski's Corn Snake (Pituophis slowinskii), Midland Rat Snake (Pituophis spiloides), and Western Fox Snake (Pituophis vulpinus).
A pdf of the article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH Note: A manuscript on Rat Snakes of the genus Pantherophis is in preparation that will retain the genus Pituophis as distinct from them. For the immediate future, herpetologists are advised to continue to use the name Pantherophis for all North American Rat Snakes formerly in the genus Elaphe.
Richard R. Montanucci [2004 Geographic variation in Phrynosoma coronatum (Lacertilia, Phrynosomatidae): Further evidence for a Peninsular Archipelago. Herpetologica 60(1): 117-139] restricted the name coronatum to populations in southern Baja California. He applied name Phrynosoma blainvillii to all populations in the United States. Standard common name remains Coastal Horned Lizard.
No web site given
Phrynosoma goodei Recognized
Phylogeography of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) and systematics of the P. mcallii–platyrhinos mtDNA complex.
Daniel G. Mulcahy, Allen W. Spaulding, Joseph R. Mendelson III & Edmund D. Brodie, Jr.
2006. Molecular Ecology 15(0): 1–20
Abstract: Two species of Horned Lizards are sympatric along the periphery of the Salton Trough. Phrynosoma mcallii, endemic to the trough, is of conservation concern because its limited habitat has been fragmented by human activities. A more common and widespread species, Phrynosoma platyrhinos, occurs around the periphery of the trough and much further to the North. The two species are syntopic at a few localities, where morphological intermediates have also been found. Here, we used nested clade phylogeographical analysis (NCPA) and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), to examine 781 bp of mitochondrial DNA (nad4 and two tRNAs) from 82 individuals of P. mcallii. We tested whether populations of this species were recently connected, or if they were historically isolated prior to human modification of the region. Our NCPA results indicated significant population structure associated with the Colorado River, suggesting limited gene flow and potential isolation across this barrier. Populations west of the Colorado River, currently isolated from one another by human development, show less genetic differentiation. We also collected homologous sequence data from 34 of P. platyrhinos and seven specimens morphologically intermediate between P. mcallii and P. platyrhinos, as a preliminary investigation of hybridization between these two species. From phylogenetic results of these data, we identified a species (Phrynosoma goodei) previously recognized as a subspecies of P. platyrhinos. Six of the morphologically intermediate specimens shared mtDNA haplotypes with P. goodei, while one was nested among P. mcallii haplotypes.
A copy of this article can be downloaded gratis by visiting the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
No web site given
NEWS RELEASE
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Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
18 March 2009
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND TAXONOMY OF LEAF-TOED GECKOS (PHYLLODACTYLIDAE: PHYLLODACTYLUS) INHABITING THE PENINSULA OF BAJA CALIFORNIA
2009. Zootaxa 2027: 28-42
Christopher Blair, Fausto R. Méndez de la Cruz, Andre Ngo, Johan Lindell, Amy Lathrop & Robert W. Murphy
Abstract: Herein we assess the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of geckos of the genus Phyllodactylus inhabiting the peninsula of Baja California, Mexico using five mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) recovered three distinct peninsular clades with high statistical support. Sequence divergence estimates between peninsular taxa approached 13%. Two of the species, P. unctus and P. xanti are Cape Region endemics, whereas P. nocticolus is widespread throughout much of the peninsula and extreme southern California. Monophyly of the peninsular taxa was strongly supported. In the MP analysis, P. unctus rooted at the base of the peninsular clade, resolving P. xanti and P. nocticolus as sister taxa. Conversely, BI placed P. nocticolus and P. unctus as sister taxa. These data provide further evidence for a trans-peninsular seaway near the Isthmus of La Paz, severing the Cape Region from the rest of the peninsula. The analysis also supports the validity of P. nocticolus as a distinct species and suggests a single invasion to the peninsula from mainland Mexico, presumably during tectonic activity during the Miocene.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
An Alternative Classification of the New World Rat Snakes (genus Pantherophis [Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae])
Joseph T. Collins and Travis W. Taggart
2008. Journal of Kansas Herpetology 26: 16-18
Abstract: Mintonius, gen. nov, is erected for two species of large snakes (100-140 cm) from the north-central United States and adjacent Canada, principally around the Great Lakes region. The genus contains M. vulpinus and M. gloydi, and is distinguishable from its closest relatives, Pantherophis, Pituophis, and Scotophis, by aspects of its scutellation, color pattern, and gross morphology, as well as biochemically, genetically, and phylogenetically. Key Words: evolutionary history, phylogeny, taxonomy, Fox Snake.
Date of publication: 18 June 2008
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A gratis pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
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Lemmon, Emily M., Alan R. Lemmon, Joseph T. Collins, Julie A. Lee-Yaw, & David C. Cannatella [2007. Phylogeny-based delimitation of species boundaries and contact zones in the trilling chorus frogs (Pseudacris). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44: 1068-1082].
Abstract: Although the trilling chorus frogs (subclade within Pseudacris: Hylidae) have been important in studies of speciation, continental patterns of genetic diversity within and among species have not been elucidated. As a result, this North American clade has been the subject of substantial taxonomic debate. In this study, we examined the phylogenetic relationships among the trilling Pseudacris and tested previously hypothesized scenarios for speciation using 2.4 kb of mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA from 253 populations. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses, in combination with published morphological and behavioral data, support recognition of at least nine species, including an undescribed species from the south-central United States. Evidence is presented for substantial geographic subdivision within P. brachyphona (northern and southern clades) and P. feriarum (coastal and inland clades). Discordance between morphology/behavior and molecular data in several individuals suggests occasional hybridization between sympatric species. These results require major revision of range limits for several taxa, in particular, P. maculata, P. triseriata, and P. feriarum. Hypothesis tests using parametric bootstrapping strongly reject previously proposed scenarios for speciation in the group. The tests also support recognition of the geographically restricted taxon P. kalmi as a distinct species. Results of this study provide both a firm phylogenetic basis for future studies of speciation in the trilling Pseudacris and a taxonomic framework for conservation efforts.
CNAH Note: The standard common names remain the same for all species but Pseudacris triseriata, which becomes the Midland Chorus Frog. Standard common name for the new species will be announced in its original description (in press).
Pseudacris subspecies gone
Moriarty, Emily C. and David. C. Cannatella (2004. Phylogenetic relationships of the North American chorus frogs (Pseudacris: Hylidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30(2): 409-420) synonymized the remaining two subspecies in this genus, P. crucifer bartramiana and P. nigrita verrucosa.
No web site given
NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
14 July 2006
PTERNOHYLA PLACED IN SMILISCA
2005. Faivovich, Julián, Célio F. B. Haddad, Paulo C. A. Garcia, Darrel R. Frost, Jonathan A. Campbell & Ward C. Wheeler. Systematic review of the frog family Hylidae, with special reference to Hylinae: Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 294: 1-240.
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Faivovich et al. (2005) placed the genus Pternohyla Boulenger 1882 in the synonymy of the genus Smilisca Cope 1865. Common name for the genus Smilisca would remain Mexican Treefrogs.
A pdf of the article may be viewed at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH apologizes for overlooking this taxonomic change when the article first appeared and takes this opportunity to rectify the oversight.
West Coast Red-legged Frog Now Two Species
H. Bradley Shaffer, G. M. Fellers, S. Randal Voss, J. C. Olive and Gregory B. Pauly recently published a paper entitled "Species boundaries, phylogeography and conservation genetics of the Red-legged Frog (Rana aurora/draytonii) complex" in the September 2004 issue of Molecular Ecology (Volume 13 Issue 9 Pages 2667-2677).
Here is the abstract:
The Red-legged Frog, Rana aurora, has been recognized as both a single, polytypic species and as two distinct species since its original description 150 years ago. It is currently recognized as one species with two geographically contiguous subspecies, aurora and draytonii; the latter is protected under the US Endangered Species Act. We present the results of a survey of 50 populations of Red-legged Frogs from across their range plus four outgroup species for variation in a phylogenetically informative, 400 base pairs (bp) fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Our mtDNA analysis points to several major results. (1) In accord with several other lines of independent evidence, aurora and draytonii are each diagnosably distinct, evolutionary lineages; the mtDNA data indicate that they do not constitute a monophyletic group, but rather that aurora and R. cascadae from the Pacific northwest are sister taxa; (2) the range of the draytonii mtDNA clade extends about 100 km further north in coastal California than was previously suspected, and corresponds closely with the range limits or phylogeographical breaks of several codistributed taxa; (3) a narrow zone of overlap exists in southern Mendocino County between aurora and draytonii haplotypes, rather than a broad intergradation zone; and (4) the critically endangered population of draytonii in Riverside County, California, forms a distinct clade with frogs from Baja California, Mexico. The currently available evidence favours recognition of aurora and draytonii as separate species with a narrow zone of overlap in northern California.
No web site given
Hillis, David M. and Thomas P. Wilcox (2005 Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 34(2005): pp. 299-314).
Abstract: Phylogenetic relationships among the species of true frogs (Rana) from North, South, and Central America were investigated based on the sequences of approximately 2 kb from the mitochondrial genome, sampled from most of the described species, as well as eight undescribed species. This analysis, combined with previous studies of the phylogeny of New World Rana, served as the basis for a revised classification of the group. The American species of [the genus] Rana are not monophyletic; the western North American Amerana is more closely related to the R. temporaria group of Eurasia (together, these frogs form the group Laurasiarana). The remaining species from the Americas form the monophyletic group Novirana, which includes: R. sylvatica; Aquarana (the R. catesbeiana group); Ranula (the R. palmipes group, including the mostly upland Levirana species and the mostly lowland Lithobates species); Torrentirana (the R. tarahumarae group, or Zweifelia, plus R. sierramadrensis), Stertirana (the R. montezumae group, or Lacusirana, plus R. pipiens), Nenirana (the R. areolata group), and Scurrilirana (most of the southern and tropical leopard frogs). The mitochondrial sequences supported many of the previous hypotheses of relationships of New World Rana, although there were some differences involving the placement of the species R. pipiens, R. sierramadrensis, and R. sylvatica. Parametric bootstrap analyses indicated significant support for the relationships inferred from the mtDNA sequences, and rejected the previous hypotheses of relationships for these three species.
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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20 October 2009
Slender Blind Snake Systematics
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY, CLASSIFICATION, AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF SNAKES OF THE FAMILY LEPTOTYPHLOPIDAE (REPTILIA, SQUAMATA)
Solny A. Adalsteinsson, William R. Branch, Sébastien Trape, L. J. Vitt & S. Blair Hedges
2009. Zootaxa. 2244: pp. 1-50
CNAH Note: In this paper, the authors re-arranged worldwide the generic taxonomy of the Slender Blind Snakes of the Family Leptotyphlopidae Stejneger, 1891. The resulting taxonomy for these reptiles in North America (north of Mexico) becomes:
Rena Baird & Girard, 1853 – Blind Snakes
Rena dissecta (Cope, 1896) – New Mexico Blind Snake
Rena dulcis Baird & Girard, 1853 – Texas Blind Snake
Rena humilis Baird & Girard, 1853 – Western Blind Snake
This generic change has been adopted on the CNAH web site. Please note this change in the printed version of your CNAH common names list.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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A New Species of Arboreal Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae) from Cloud Forest of Southeastern Peru
2007. Herpetologica 63(2): 203-212
Juan Carlos Chaparro, Jennifer B. Pramuk & Andrew G. Gluesenkamp
Abstract: A new arboreal species of Rhinella is described from the humid montane forest of Manu National Park in the Cordillera Oriental of southern Peru. The new species can be distinguished from all known Rhinella by a unique combination of external and osteological characters as well as by molecular data. The new toad is compared to R. arborescandens and R. veraguensis with respect to external characters. On the basis of morphological and molecular data, the new taxon is closely related to R. chavin, R. nesiotes, and R. festae. Although DNA data indicate that a member of the R. veraguensis group (R. nesiotes) is its sister taxon, the new species is not closely related to other members of this species group (e.g., R. veraguensis). In addition, DNA data indicate that the R. veraguensis group as it currently is defined is paraphyletic. Until additional studies are completed on the phylogeny of these South American toads, we refrain from assigning the new taxon to a species group.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: Buried within this excellent paper is a taxonomic change of broader importance to herpetologists in North America (and worldwide). The wide-ranging Cane Toad, formerly placed in the genus Chaunus Wagler, 1828, is now placed in the genus Rhinella Fitzinger, 1826. Standard common name for Rhinella marina (note the new emendation for the specific name) remains the Cane Toad.
Rhinocheilus Races Rejected
Mainland Longnose Snake Subspecies Sunk
Mollie K. Manier. 2004. Geographic variation in the Long-nosed Snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei (Colubridae): Beyond the subspecies debate. Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society 83(1): 65-85.
Abstract: Scalation, colour pattern, linear and geometric morphometrics were used to quantify geographical differentiation in the Longnose Snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei, and to test the hypothesis that all four subspecies are morphologically distinct. Also investigated were potential associations between morphological (scalation, colour pattern, linear measurements) and environmental variables (climate, vegetation, soil). Sexual dimorphism was weakest for geometric and strongest for linear morphometric variables. Morphological variables differed widely in their ability to differentiate subspecies. Linear morphometric variables achieved the most statistically significant pairwise Mahalanobis distances between subspecies, while geometric morphometrics largely failed to differentiate them. Colour pattern showed the strongest and linear morphometrics the weakest correlation with environment. Several characters varied continuously along latitudinal or longitudinal gradients, such that, in some cases, the clines for closely related traits were discordant. No one subspecies was consistently divergent in all analyses, leading to the conclusion that the three mainland subspecies are not sufficiently distinct to warrant separate subspecies status. The island subspecies, though not always statistically distinct, is geographically separate from other populations and differs in characters related to size. Given the small number of specimens available, a decision regarding its taxonomic status (i.e. elevation to species level) is best deferred until additional specimens can be examined and data on molecular variation can be analysed.
A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Mollie Manier is available from the CNAH PDF Library on the CNAH web site home page at:
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
No web site given
Sceloporus undulatus revised
Leaché and Reeder (2002 Systematic Biology 51(1): 44-68) concluded that this taxon is composed of four distinct species, Sceloporus undulatus, Sceloporus consobrinus, Sceloporus tristichus, and Sceloporus cowlesi. They consider all races within the former Sceloporus undulatus (sensu lato) to be ecomorphs, and do not recommend continued recognition of any subspecies.
No web site
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
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10 February 2010
SPECIES TREES FOR SPINY LIZARDS (GENUS SCELOPORUS): IDENTIFYING POINTS OF CONCORDANCE AND CONFLICT BETWEEN NUCLEAR AND MITOCHONDRIAL DATA
Adam D. Leaché
2010. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 162-171
Abstract: Spiny lizards (genus Sceloporus) represent one of the most diverse and species rich clades of squamate reptiles in continental North America. Sceloporus contains 90+ species, which are partitioned into 21 species groups containing anywhere from one to 15 species. Despite substantial progress towards elucidating the phylogeographic patterns for many species of Sceloporus, efforts to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among the major species groups remain limited. In this study, the phylogenetic relationships of 53 species of Sceloporus, representing all 21 species groups, are estimated based on four nuclear genes (BDNF, PNN, R35, RAG-1; >3.3 kb) and contrasted with a new mitochondrial DNA genealogy based on six genes (12S, ND1, ND4, and the histidine, serine, and leucine tRNA genes; >2.5 kb). Species trees estimated from the nuclear loci using data concatenation or a coalescent-based inference method result in concordant topologies, but the coalescent approach provides lower resolution and support. When comparing nuclear versus mtDNA-based topologies for Sceloporus species groups, conflicting relationships outnumber concordant relationships. Incongruence is not restricted to weak or unresolved nodes as might be expected under a scenario of rapid diversification, but extends to conflicts involving strongly support clades. The points of concordance and conflict between the nuclear and mtDNA data are discussed, and arguments for preferring the species trees estimated from the multilocus nuclear data are presented.
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Sceloporus Split Supported
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The Plantation
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28 December 2009
SPECIES TREE DISCORDANCE TRACES TO PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC CLADE BOUNDARIES IN NORTH AMERICAN FENCE LIZARDS (SCELOPORUS)
2009. Systematic Biology 58(6): 547-559
Adam D. Leaché
Abstract: I investigated the impacts of phylogeographic sampling decisions on species tree estimation in the Sceloporus undulatus species group, a recent radiation of small, insectivorous lizards connected by parapatric and peripatric distribution across North America, using a variety of species tree inference methods (Bayesian estimation of species trees, Bayesian untangling of concordance knots, and minimize deep coalescences). Phylogenetic analyses of 16 specimens representing 4 putative species within S. "undulatus" using complete (8 loci, >5.5 kb) and incomplete (29 loci, >23.6 kb) nuclear data sets result in species trees that share features with the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genealogy at the phylogeographic level but provide new insights into the evolutionary history of the species group. The concatenated nuclear data and mtDNA data both recover 4 major clades connecting populations across North America; however, instances of discordance are localized at the contact zones between adjacent phylogeographic groups. A random sub-sampling experiment designed to vary the phylogeographic samples included across hundreds of replicate species tree inferences suggests that inaccurate species assignments can result in inferred phylogenetic relationships that are dependent upon which particular populations are used as exemplars to represent species and can lead to increased estimates of effective population size. For the phylogeographic data presented here, reassigning specimens with introgressed mtDNA genomes to their prospective species, or excluding them from the analysis altogether, produces species tree topologies that are distinctly different from analyses that utilize mtDNA-based species assignments. Evolutionary biologists working at the interface of phylogeography and phylogenetics are likely to encounter multiple processes influencing gene trees congruence, which increases the relevance of estimating species trees with multilocus nuclear data and models that accommodate deep coalescence.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: Based on the evidence presented in this excellent paper, Sceloporus undulatus is apparently restricted to east of the Mississippi River and S. consobrinus to the west, a geographic finding consistent with a number of other systematic studies involving frogs and snakes.
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1 June 2009
NEOGENE DIVERSIFICATION AND TAXONOMIC STABILITY IN THE SNAKE TRIBE LAMPROPELTINI (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE)
2009. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 52: 524-529
R. Alexander Pyron & Frank T. Burbrink
The colubroid snakes are a diverse (>2500 species), globally distributed group (Lawson et al., 2005) which date to the early Cenozoic (Burbrink and Pyron, 2008). Of the several NW representatives of the group (Natricinae, Crotalinae, Elapinae, Colubrinae, and Xenodontinae), the colubrine tribe Lampropeltini is one of the most conspicuous and well-studied (Williams, 1978; Rodríguez-Robles and de Jesús-Escobar, 1999). The lampropeltinines (Rat, Corn, and Fox [Pantherophis, Bogertophis, and Pseudelaphe], King and Milk [Lampropeltis], Short-tailed [Stilosoma], Bull, Gopher, and
Pine [Pituophis], Glossy [Arizona], Scarlet [Cemophora] and Longnose [Rhinocheilus] Snakes) are common constrictors, distributed from Canada to Ecuador (Williams, 1978; Conant and Collins, 1998; Stebbins, 2003). Several recent studies have found that the Lampropeltini form a monophyletic clade endemic to the NW, thus rendering the cosmopolitan genus Elaphe paraphyletic (Rodríguez- Robles and de Jesús-Escobar, 1999; Utiger et al., 2002; Burbrink and Lawson, 2007). Based primarily on trees inferred using mitochondrial evidence, the taxonomy of the group is in a state of flux and the monophyly of several genera (i.e. Pantherophis, Pituophis, and Lampropeltis) has been disputed, including the erection of a new genus (Mintonius) for the Fox Snakes (Pantherophis vulpinus; Bryson et al., 2007; Burbrink and Lawson, 2007; Collins and Taggart, 2008). Additionally, while many phylogeographic studies have used mtDNA to investigate biogeographic structure (Burbrink et al., 2000; Burbrink, 2002; Mulcahy, 2008; Rodríguez-Robles and de Jesús-Escobar, 2000), higher-level phylogenies based solely or primarily on mitochondrial data have not been well-supported (Rodríguez-Robles and de Jesús-Escobar, 1999; Burbrink and Lawson, 2007). Thus, multiple independent loci are desirable to infer phylogenies and estimate tree-based quantities such as divergence times (i.e. Wiens et al., 2008). Here, we present a phylogeny based on three nuclear genes (3368 bp), two of which are newly presented in this study, and six mitochondrial genes (4926 bp). We included representatives from all 31 of the traditionally described species of lampropeltinine. We use this phylogeny to address hypotheses regarding the timing of origin and diversification of the lampropeltinines, as well as generate a revised taxonomy of the group.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Notes on the taxonomy in Pyron & Burbrink (2009):
1. The Short-tailed Snake, Stilosoma extenuatum, is placed in the genus Lampropeltis (as L. extenuata); it is most closely related to the L. getula complex. A possible standard common name might be Short-tailed Kingsnake or it might remain Short-tailed Snake.
2. The Scarlet Kingsnake, previously considered by many herpetologists to be a race of Lampropeltis triangulum, is recognized as a distinct species, Lampropeltis elapsoides, and retains the standard common name Scarlet Kingsnake.
3. The statement by Pyron & Burbrink (2009 page 528 column right) that the "taxonomic conclusions of Burbrink & Lawson (2007) and Collins & Taggart (2008) are shown to be inaccurate" is . . . ummm . . . inaccurate. The taxonomic conclusion of Burbrink & Lawson (2007) was quite accurate, based on the available data and analysis; the more comprehensive data set in this latest paper has shown that the earlier taxonomic conclusion of Burbrink & Lawson (2007) to synonymize all Rat, Fox, and Corn Snakes into the genus Pituophis was simply premature. The taxonomic conclusions of Collins & Taggart (2008), however, are unaffected by this paper, since the two species in the genus Mintonius (gloydi and vulpinus) remain as sister taxa to the three species in the genus Pantherophis (emoryi, guttatus, and slowinskii), and both Mintonius and Pantherophis remain as sister taxa to the four species in the genus Scotophis. CNAH will continue to use an accurate generic taxonomy that includes Mintonius, Pantherophis, Pituophis, and Scotophis because it is more evolutionarily informative than placing them in the single genus Pantherophis. Both arrangements are correct and consistent with all available evidence, but four distinct and easily recognized genera, as adopted by CNAH, will always be a more informative and useful taxonomy than a single genus containing a wide variety of dissimilar species.
Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex
R. M. Bonett and P. T. Chippindale
Molecular Ecology (2004)
Abstract: Understanding the complex interactions among environment, genotype and ontogeny in determining organismal phenotypes is cental to many biological disciplines. The Eurycea multiplicata complex, endemic to the Interior Highlands (Ozark Plateau and Ouachita Mountains) of eastern North America, comprises a diverse radiation of paedomorphic surface-dwelling (E. tynerensis), metamorphic surface-dwelling (E. multiplicata multiplicata and E. m. griseogaster) and metamorphic subterranean (Typhlotriton spelaeus) hemidactyliine plethodontid salamanders. Portions of two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome-b and NADH dehydrogenase-4, totalling 1818 base pairs (bp) were sequenced for 70 ingroup individuals plus numerous outgroup taxa, to examine the biogeography and relationships among these morphologically disparate species. Results show the E. multiplicata complex to be monophyletic, with its two most divergent clades corresponding to geography, not morphology or life history. Transforming surface-dwelling populations from the Ouachitas (E. m. multiplicata) are sister to the Ozark taxa, including paedomorphic surface-dwelling (E. tynerensis), subterranean (T. spelaeus) and transforming surface-dwelling salamanders assigned to the ‘subspecies’ E. m. griseogaster. Among Ozark taxa T. spelaeus (deeply nested within Eurycea) is sister to a clade that includes E. m. griseogaster and E. tynerensis. Current taxonomy suggests that paedomorphic populations (E. tynerensis) from the western Ozarks are distinct from nearby transforming populations (E. m. griseogaster). However, paedomorphic and transforming salamanders do not form reciprocally monophyletic groups and many populations share almost identical haplotypes. Ancestral state reconstruction of life history traits shows that paedomorphosis arose independently from three to nine times. Most populations are either completely paedomorphic or completely transforming. This suggests that local habitat parameters strongly influence life history mode in this complex, either facultatively or by selection for particular genotypes.
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CNAH Note: The taxonomic implications of the research and conclusions of Bonett annd Chippindale (2004) are as follows:
For Eurycea multiplicata
Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) present data supporting the continued recognition of this taxon, restricting its range to south of the Arkansas River in Arkansas and Oklahoma. For the time being, the common name remains Many-ribbed Salamander; Bonett & Chippindale state that they plan to divide this taxon into additional species in the future.
For Eurycea multiplicata griseogaster
Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) synonymized this subspecies with E. tynerensis.
For Eurycea tynerensis
Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) present data supporting the continued recognition of this taxon (when combined with populations previously known as E. multiplicata griseogaster). For the time being, the common name remains Oklahoma Salamander; Bonett & Chippindale state that they plan to divide this taxon into additional species in the future.
For Typhlotriton
Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) synonymized this genus with Eurycea.
For Typhlotriton spelaeus
Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) present data supporting the continued recognition of this taxon as a member of the genus Eurycea. For the time being, the common name remains Grotto Salamander; Bonett & Chippindale indicate that additional distinct species within this taxon may be identified and described in the future.
No web site given
CHANGES TO THE TAXONOMY OF NORTH AMERICAN AMPHIBIANS
In their recent publication, Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, De Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green & Wheeler (2006. The Amphibian Tree of Life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 297: 1-370) recommended the following:
1) The Family Dicamptodontidae (Tihen, 1958) is synonymized with the Family Ambystomatidae (Gray, 1850).
2) The genus Haideotriton Carr, 1939, is synonymized with the genus Eurycea Rafinesque, 1822, resulting in the new combination Eurycea wallacei (Carr, 1939).
3) The Family Ascaphidae (Fejérváry, 1923) is synonymized with the Family Leiopelmatidae (Mivart, 1869).
4) As part of the partitioning of the genus Eleutherodactylus, the genus Syrrhophus (Cope, 1878) is resurrected and, along with the genus Craugastor (Cope, 1862), is placed in the Family Brachycephalidae (Günther, 1858), as follows (specific taxa match those currently contained in the CNAH checklist):
Craugastor augusti (Dùges, 1879)
Craugastor augusti cactorum (Taylor, 1938)
Craugastor augusti latrans (Cope, 1880)
Syrrhophus cystignathoides (Cope, 1877)
Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi (Stejneger, 1914)
Syrrhophus guttilatus (Cope, 1879)
Syrrhophus marnockii (Cope, 1878)
5) Partitioning of the genus Bufo worldwide results in the recognition of three genera of these anurans in North America and Canada, as follows (specific taxa match those currently contained in the CNAH checklist):
Genus Anaxyrus Tschudi, 1845
Anaxyrus americanus (Holbrook, 1836)
Anaxyrus americanus americanus (Holbrook, 1836)
Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi (Bragg, 1954 )
Anaxyrus baxteri (Porter, 1968)
Anaxyrus boreas (Baird and Girard, 1852)
Anaxyrus boreas boreas (Baird and Girard, 1852)
Anaxyrus boreas halophilus (Baird and Girard, 1853)
Anaxyrus californicus (Camp, 1915)
Anaxyrus canorus (Camp, 1916)
Anaxyrus cognatus (Say in James, 1823)
Anaxyrus debilis (Girard, 1854)
Anaxyrus debilis debilis (Girard, 1854)
Anaxyrus debilis insidior (Girard, 1854)
Anaxyrus exsul (Myers, 1942)
Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley, 1882)
Anaxyrus hemiophrys (Cope, 1886)
Anaxyrus houstonensis (Sanders, 1953)
Anaxyrus microscaphus (Cope, 1866)
Anaxyrus nelsoni (Stejneger, 1893)
Anaxyrus punctatus (Baird and Girard, 1852)
Anaxyrus quercicus (Holbrook, 1840)
Anaxyrus retiformis (Sanders and Smith, 1951)
Anaxyrus speciosus (Girard, 1854)
Anaxyrus terrestris (Bonnaterre, 1789)
Anaxyrus woodhousii (Girard, 1854)
Anaxyrus woodhousii australis (Shannon and Lowe, 1955)
Anaxyrus woodhousii velatus (Bragg and Sanders, 1951)
Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii (Girard, 1854)
Genus Chaunus Wagler, 1828
Chaunus marinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Genus Cranopsis Cope, 1875
Cranopsis alvaria (Girard in Baird, 1849)
Cranopsis nebulifer (Girard, 1854)
6) Partitioning of the genus Rana worldwide results in the recognition of two genera of these frogs in North America and Canada, as follows (specific taxa match those currently contained in the CNAH checklist):
Genus Lithobates Fitzinger, 1843
Lithobates areolatus (Baird and Girard, 1852)
Lithobates areolatus areolatus (Baird and Girard, 1852)
Lithobates areolatus circulosus (Rice and Davies, 1878)
Lithobates berlandieri (Baird, 1859)
Lithobates blairi (Mecham, Littlejohn, Oldham, Brown & Brown, 1973)
Lithobates capito (LeConte, 1855)
Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802)
Lithobates chiricahuensis (Platz & Mecham, 1979)
Lithobates clamitans (Latreille, 1801)
Lithobates clamitans clamitans (Latreille, 1801)
Lithobates clamitans melanotus (Rafinesque, 1820)
Lithobates grylio (Stejneger, 1901)
Lithobates heckscheri (Wright, 1924)
Lithobates okaloosae (Moler, 1985)
Lithobates onca (Cope, 1875)
Lithobates palustris (LeConte, 1825)
Lithobates pipiens (Schreber, 1782)
Lithobates septentrionalis (Baird, 1854)
Lithobates sevosus (Goin & Netting, 1940)
Lithobates sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886)
Lithobates sphenocephalus sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886)
Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularius (Harlan, 1825)
Lithobates subaquavocalis (Platz, 1993)
Lithobates sylvaticus (LeConte, 1825)
Lithobates tarahumarae (Boulenger, 1917)
Lithobates virgatipes (Cope, 1891)
Lithobates yavapaiensis (Platz & Frost, 1984)
Genus Rana Linnaeus, 1758
Rana aurora Baird & Girard, 1852
Rana boylii Baird, 1854
Rana cascadae Slater, 1939
Rana draytonii Baird & Girard, 1852
Rana luteiventris Thompson, 1913
Rana muscosa Camp, 1917
Rana pretiosa Baird & Girard, 1853
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CNAH Note: The CNAH common and scientific names list, as displayed on the CNAH web site, has adopt the familial changes proposed in Frost et al. (2006). The generic changes are logged in the web site commentary (note the red icon to the right of a name -- it denotes that commentary since 2002 is present for that taxon) and will be adopted (or not, based on peer scrutiny) in the sixth edition of "Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians" (Collins & Taggart, in preparation).
Arizona Treefrog Distinct
Erik W. A. Gergus, Tod W. Reeder, and Brian K. Sullivan
2004 Copeia 2004(4): 758-769
Abstract (part): "Molecular data (allozymes and mtDNA), as well as the advertisement calls, support continued recognition of two species: H. eximia in central-southern Mexico and H. wrightorum, which consists of disjunct populations in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico, the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and the mountains of central Arizona and western New Mexico."
The standard common name for Hyla wrightorum reverts to Arizona Treefrog, used for this taxon as early as Schmidt (1953. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Publication of the American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists. Chicago, Illinois. viii+ 280 pp.). The Arizona Treefrog has previously been considered by some as a subspecies of Hyla eximia; others (including most recently Stebbins 2003 Western Peterson Field Guide) have long considered it a synonym of H. eximia.
No web site given
Barking Frogs in New Genus
Andrew J. Crawford and Eric N. Smith (2005. Cenozoic biogeography and evolution in direct-developing frogs of Central America (Leptodactylidae: Eleutherodactylus) as inferred from a phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 35(3): 536-555) placed the North American species Eleutherodactylus augusti in the genus Craugastor. Here is the abstract:
Abstract: We report the first phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data for the Central American component of the genus Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Eleutherodactylinae), one of the most ubiquitous, diverse, and abundant components of the Neotropical amphibian fauna. We obtained DNA sequence data from 55 specimens representing 45 species. Sampling was focused on Central America, but also included Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, and the USA. We sequenced 1460 contiguous base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial genome containing ND2 and five neighboring tRNA genes, plus 1300 bp of the c-myc nuclear gene. The resulting phylogenetic inferences were broadly concordant between data sets and among analytical methods. The subgenus Craugastor is monophyletic and its initial radiation was potentially rapid and adaptive. Within Craugastor, the earliest splits separate three northern Central American species groups, milesi, augusti, and alfredi, from a clade comprising the rest of Craugastor. Within the latter clade, the rhodopis group as formerly recognized comprises three deeply divergent clades that do not form a monophyletic group; we therefore restrict the content of the rhodopis group to one of two northern clades, and use new names for the other northern (mexicanus group) and one southern clade (bransfordii group). The new rhodopis and bransfordii groups together form the sister taxon to a clade comprising the biporcatus, fitzingeri, mexicanus, and rugulosus groups. We used a Bayesian MCMC approach together with geological and biogeographic assumptions to estimate divergence times from the combined DNA sequence data. Our results corroborated three independent dispersal events for the origins of Central American Eleutherodactylus: (1) an ancestor of Craugastor entered northern Central America from South American in the early Paleocene, (2) an ancestor of the subgenus Syrrhophus entered northern Central America from the Caribbean at the end of the Eocene, and (3) a wave of independent dispersal events from South America coincided with formation of the Isthmus of Panama during the Pliocene. We elevate the subgenus Craugastor to the genus rank.
A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Crawford and Smith is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
No web site given
NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
8 November 2006
CORRIGENDUM TO "PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF PSEUDACRIS REGILLA (ANURA: HYLIDAE) IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA, WITH A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW TAXONOMIC REARRANGEMENT"
2006. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41(2): 511.
Ernesto Recuero, Íñigo Martínez-Solano, Gabriela Parra-Olea & Mario García-París
Two of the names proposed for newly recognized species in the Pseudacris regilla complex are incorrect. The northern population should take the name Pseudacris regilla (Baird & Girard 1852), not Pseudacris pacifica. The name for the central population should be Pseudacris sierra (Jameson, Mackey & Richmond 1966), not Pseudacris regilla.
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CNAH Note: Recognition of the three species within this complex (as per the above adjustment) in North America (north of Mexico) results in the following arrangement (CNAH common names are appended):
Pseudacris hypochondriaca (Hallowell, 1854) Baja California Chorus Frog
Pseudacris regilla (Baird and Girard, 1852) Pacific Chorus Frog
Pseudacris sierra (Jameson, Mackey, and Richmond, 1966) Sierra Chorus Frog
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This article can be viewed or downloaded on the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
LINEAGE DIVERSIFICATION IN A WIDESPREAD SPECIES: ROLES FOR NICHE DIVERGENCE AND CONSERVATISM IN THE COMMON KINGSNAKE, LAMPROPELTIS GETULA
R. Alexander Pyron and Frank T. Burbrink
2009. Molecular Ecology 18: 3443–3457
Abstract: Niche conservatism and niche divergence are both important ecological mechanisms associated with promoting allopatric speciation across geographical barriers. However, the potential for variable responses in widely distributed organisms has not been fully investigated. For allopatric sister lineages, three patterns for the interaction of ecological niche preference and geographical barriers are possible: (i) niche conservatism at a physical barrier; (ii) niche divergence at a physical barrier; and (iii) niche divergence in the absence of a physical barrier. We test for the presence of these patterns in a transcontinentally distributed snake species, the Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula), to determine the relative frequency of niche conservatism or divergence in a single species complex inhabiting multiple distinct ecoregions. We infer the phylogeographic structure of the Kingsnake using a range-wide data set sampled for the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b. We use coalescent simulation methods to test for the presence of structured lineage formation vs. fragmentation of a widespread ancestor. Finally, we use statistical techniques for creating and evaluating ecological niche models to test for conservatism of ecological niche preferences. Significant geographical structure is present in the kingsnake, for which coalescent tests indicate structured population division. Surprisingly, we find evidence for all three patterns of conservatism
and divergence. This suggests that ecological niche preferences may be labile on recent phylogenetic timescales, and that lineage formation in widespread species can result from an interaction between inertial tendencies of niche conservatism and natural selection on populations in ecologically divergent habitats.
CNAH Note: In yet another elegant paper from the Burbrink laboratory, the authors divide the Common Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) into five species, as follows (text taken from the paper):
Eastern: A lineage comprising the kingsnakes of the eastern seaboard of the United States, from New Jersey to the Florida Keys and extending to the Apalachicola region in the Florida panhandle and southeast Alabama (CNAH: will become Lampropeltis getula, the Eastern Kingsnake).
Mississippi: This lineage ranges through the greater Mississippi River drainage east of the Mississippi River, from southern Illinois east to Ohio and western West Virginia in the north, to the Tennessee and Alabama river drainages of Georgia and Alabama in the south (CNAH: will become Lampropeltis nigra, the Black Kingsnake).
Central: The Central lineage inhabits the Great Plains and Mississippi River valley west of the Mississippi River, from Iowa and Nebraska in the north to westcentral Texas and the western Gulf Slope in the south, east to the Mississippi River (CNAH: will become Lampropeltis holbrooki, the Speckled Kingsnake).
Desert: The Desert lineage is found in the Chihuahan Desert of west Texas, southern New Mexico (including the Rio Grande River Valley), extreme southeastern Arizona and eastern Mexico, along the Mexican Plateau. May also occur in north central Arizona (CNAH: will become Lampropeltis splendida, the Desert Kingsnake).
Western: The Western lineage occurs west of the Rocky Mountains, from the southern Great Basin in Nevada and Utah, southern Oregon south to Baja California, and most of Sonora, Mexico, east to southeastern Arizona (CNAH: will become Lampropeltis californiae, the California Kingsnake).
The following subspecies were not recognized as distinct: floridana, meansi, and nigrita. The status of Lampropeltis catalinensis was not addressed.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
28 September 2009
SYSTEMATICS OF THE COMMON KINGSNAKE (LAMPROPELTIS GETULA: SERPENTES:
COLUBRIDAE) AND THE BURDEN OF HERITAGE IN TAXONOMY
R. Alexander Pyron & Frank T. Burbrink
2009. Zootaxa 2241: 22-32
Abstract: We present a systematic revision of the Lampropeltis getula group, based on a recent range-wide phylogeographic analysis. We define our theoretical and operational concepts of species delimitation, and provide diagnoses based on mitochondrial DNA evidence, ecological niche modeling, morphology, and historical precedence. We find support for the recognition of five distinct species, which bear the name of the nominate subspecies found primarily within the range of each phylogeographic lineage: the Eastern lineage (Lampropeltis getula, Eastern Kingsnake), the Mississippi lineage (L. nigra, Black Kingsnake), the Central lineage (L. holbrooki, Speckled Kingsnake), the Desert lineage (L. splendida, Desert Kingsnake), and the Western lineage (L. californiae, California Kingsnake). Interestingly, all of these taxa had originally been described as distinct species and recognized as such for up to 101 years (in the case of L. californiae) before being demoted to subspecies. We discuss the impact that increasingly detailed genetic information from phylogeographic analyses may have on traditional taxonomy.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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Blanchard’s Cricket Frog Synonymized
Malcolm L. McCallum & Stanley E. Trauth. 2006. An evaluation of the subspecies Acris crepitans blanchardi (Anura, Hylidae). Zootaxa 1104: 1–21.
Abstract: We investigated the validity and distribution of the subspecies Acris crepitans blanchardi. Currently Acris crepitans contains three subspecies: the Northern Cricket Frog (A. c. crepitans), Blanchards Cricket Frog (A. c. blanchardi) and the coastal cricket frog (A. c. paludicola). We examined the diagnostic characters of 1441 specimens from the center of the range (Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi), 161 specimens from the extreme northwest portion of this species range (South Dakota and Nebraska), and 85 from the extreme southeast portion of the species range (Florida and Georgia). Discriminate analysis was applied to the tabulated data and no significant differences between portions of the range could be discerned. No concrete evidence was found to support designation of specimens from South Dakota and Nebraska or from Smallens Cave (origin of the type specimen) as A. c. blanchardi. This information places the subspecies A. c. blanchardi in a status of doubtful validity suggesting that no delineation between A. c. blanchardi and A. c. crepitans should be made at this time.
A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by McCallum and Trauth is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
27 November 2009
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY AND CONSERVATION GENETICS OF THE HELLBENDER SALAMANDER (CRYPTOBRANCHUS ALLEGANIENSIS).
2009. Conservation Genetics 10: 1235–1246
Stephen J. Sabatino and Eric J. Routman
Abstract: We investigated Hellbender phylogeography through phylogenetic analyses of individuals sampled from 16 locations throughout their range in the eastern United States. Analyses were conducted on concatenated cytochrome-oxidase I (COI), cytochrome-b (Cytb) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) mtDNA sequence, totaling 2160 nucleotides. Hellbender haplotypes differed by 0.1 to 5.8% maximum likelihood (ML) corrected sequence divergence. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that hellbenders are separated into 8 reciprocally monophyletic populations or clades differentiated by a minimum of 0.7 to 5.4% sequence divergence, each of which constitutes a separate Management Unit (MU). High among population divergence and reciprocal monophyly suggest that female-mediated gene flow is severely restricted or non-existent among each MU. Hellbenders are currently divided into two subspecies, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis and C. a. bishopi based on morphological characters. The phylogenetic analyses presented here strongly indicate that these subspecies are paraphyletic. Management priorities for the Hellbender should be reconsidered in light of these new molecular data. Results from Bayesian rooting indicate the root of the hellbender mtDNA tree lies on the branch leading to Hellbender haplotypes from the Current, Eleven Point and New Rivers. The rooted tree suggests that a common ancestor in the southern Ozarks and/or southern Appalachians gave rise to northern Hellbender populations, consistent with a Pleistocene refuge hypothesis.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
*****
CNAH: The data in this excellent paper by Sabatino and Routman "strongly indicate that these subspecies [C. a. alleganiensis and C. a. bishopi] are paraphyletic." Thus, from a systematic (and taxonomic) standpoint, Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi should be placed in the synonymy of C. alleganiensis until further evidence suggests otherwise or until each of the evolutionary lineages (i.e., management units) identified by the authors is named as a distinct species; this latter option would permit the population named C. a. bishopi to be recognized as a distinct species, Cryptobranchus bishopi. The latter option would also eliminate the stigma of Cryptobranchus being a monotypic genus and would better categorize the evolutionary history of these salamanders.
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
30 November 2009
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF ADVANCED SNAKES (SERPENTES, CAENOPHIDIA) WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SOUTH AMERICAN XENODONTINES: A REVISED CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW TAXA
2009. Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 49(11): 115-153
Hussam Zaher, Felipe Gobbi Grazziotin, John E. Cadle, Robert W. Murphy, Julio Cesar de Moura-Leite and Sandro L. Bonatto
Abstract: We present a molecular phylogenetic analysis of caenophidian (advanced) snakes using sequences from two mitochondrial genes (12S and 16S rRNA) and one nuclear (c‑mos) gene (1681 total base pairs), and with 131 terminal taxa sampled from throughout all major caenophidian lineages but focussing on Neotropical xenodontines. Direct optimization parsimony analysis resulted in a well-resolved phylogenetic tree, which corroborates some clades identified in previous analyses and suggests new hypotheses for the composition and relationships of others. The major salient points of our analysis are: (1) placement of Acrochordus, Xenodermatids, and Pareatids as successive outgroups to all remaining caenophidians (including viperids, elapids, atractaspidids, and all other “colubrid” groups); (2) within the latter group, viperids and homalopsids are sucessive sister clades to all remaining snakes; (3) the following monophyletic clades within crown group caenophidians: Afro-Asian psammophiids (including Mimophis from Madagascar), Elapidae (including hydrophiines but excluding Homoroselaps), Pseudoxyrhophiinae, Colubrinae, Natricinae, Dipsadinae, and Xenodontinae. Homoroselaps is associated with atractaspidids. Our analysis suggests some taxonomic changes within xenodontines, including new taxonomy for Alsophis elegans, Liophis amarali, and further taxonomic changes within Xenodontini and the West Indian radiation of xenodontines. Based on our molecular analysis, we present a revised classification for caenophidians and provide morphological diagnoses for many of the included clades; we also highlight groups where much more work is needed. We name as new two higher taxonomic clades within Caenophidia, one new subfamily within Dipsadidae, and, within Xenodontinae five new tribes, six new genera and two resurrected genera. We synonymize Xenoxybelis and Pseudablabes with Philodryas; Erythrolamprus with Liophis; and Lystrophis and Waglerophis with Xenodon.
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A pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: In this paper on the Suborder Caenophidia, the Family Dipsadidae Bonaparte, 1838, is re-defined to include the Family Xenodontidae Bonaparte, 1845, which includes the North American genera Farancia and Heterodon, although the position of these two genera within the Family Dipsadidae is as yet uncertain. CNAH has made this familial change on its main web site and all provincial and state checklists. This reduces the number of North American (north of Mexico) snake families (as categorized by Collins, 2006) from nine to eight.
The Family Hydrophiidae continues to be supported (with expanded content to include some terrestrial taxa) as a monophyletic lineage that is sister to the Family Elapidae.
Stephens, Patrick R. and John J. Wiens (2003, Ecological Diversification and Phylogeny of Emydid Turtles. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 79: 577-610) recommend some taxonomic changes amongst these freshwater chelonians. Many of their recommendations have implications for North American taxa. For a reprint or pdf, contact the authors at
pstephens@life.bio.sunysb.edu or wiensj@life.bio.sunysb.edu
Users of this website can consult the Turtle section of the CNAH Checklist (left column) on the CNAH main page for details of recommended taxonomic changes or support of existing taxonomy by Stephens and Wiens (2003).
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27 September 2007
CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS OF A MORPHOMETRIC COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ILLINOIS CHORUS FROG (PSEUDACRIS STRECKERI ILLINOENSIS) AND STRECKER’S CHORUS FROG (P. S. STRECKERI) (ANURA: HYLIDAE) FROM ARKANSAS, ILLINOIS, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, AND TEXAS
Zootaxa 1589: 23–32 (2007)
Joy B. Trauth, Ronald L. Johnson & Stanley E. Trauth
Abstract: Much uncertainty exists regarding the taxonomic status of the Illinois Chorus Frog (Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis Smith; ICF) relative to Strecker’s Chorus Frog (P. s. streckeri, Wright & Wright; SCF) of the southcentral United States (US). Molecular analyses have been inconsistent in providing taxonomic insight, and no formal morphological comparisons have been previously performed. Each taxon possesses a wide range of background colors. We undertook morphometric analyses to help clarify their taxonomic relationship. Tibia length and mass were compared for live Arkansas (AR) specimens and snout-vent, head and tibia lengths were measured from preserved vouchered specimens. Tibia length and mass were significantly greater for living ICFs versus SCFs in AR. Among preserved specimens, tibia, snoutvent and head lengths were significantly greatly for AR ICFs relative to most intraspecific groups, and Texas (TX) SCFs were significantly smaller than most other groups. Principal components analysis was largely consistent with univariate analyses, although Missouri (MO) ICFs also partitioned distinctly from other sample groups. These data provide morphological evidence of geographic (clinal) variation within a species, but do not provide support for the taxonomic elevation of the ICF to species status. Our data do provide evidence of distinct population segments of P. streckeri. As ICF habitat suitable for reproduction has dramatically declined in Arkansas as have population numbers, we recommend the listing of AR ICFs as a distinct population segment under the Endangered Species Act.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: The above analysis, along with those of Moriarty and Cannatella (2004) and Lemmon et al. (2007), convincingly demonstrate that Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis is not a distinct taxon (either as a subspecies or species), confirming the earlier contention of Collins (1991) that this taxon was either a distinct species or (by implication) should not be recognized at all. The allopatric populations of this frog in S Illinois, SE Missouri, and NE Arkansas are simply isolated colonies of the monotypic species Pseudacris streckeri.
Rhineuridae recognized as a distinct amphisbaenid family
J. Robert Macey, Theodore J. Papenfuss, Jennifer V. Kuehl, H. Mathew Fourcade, & Jeffrey L. Boore. Phylogenetic relationships among amphisbaenian reptiles based on complete mitochondrial genomic sequences (2004. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 33: pp. 22-31), using molecular data and biogeography, recognized a distinct North American amphisbaenid family Rhineuridae Vanzolini 1951, whose sole component is the Florida Worm Lizard (Rhineura floridana Baird 1858).
A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
No web site given
García-París, Mario, Daniel R. Buchholz, and Gabriela Parra-Olea. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships of Pelobatoidea re-examined using mtDNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 28(1): 12-23.
The authors used partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and 16S RNA) from all Pelobatoidea subclades, including all species of Pelobatidae and Pelodytidae and four outgroup taxa (Xenopus, Ascaphus, Discoglossus, and Rana), to propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for relationships within Pelobatoidea. They showed that the family Pelobatidae, as previously defined is not monophyletic, and should be split into Eurasian Spadefoots, Pelobates, which retain the family name Pelobatidae and North American Spadefoots, Scaphiopus and Spea, which comprise the revived family Scaphiopodidae. Their analysis uncovered the existence of morphologically cryptic taxa within previously recognized species of the genus Spea.
Flatwoods Salamander Fillet
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9 February 2007
Phylogeographic concordance in the southeastern United States: the Flatwoods Salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum, as a test case
Gregory B. Pauly, Oliver Piskurek & H. Bradley Shaffer
2007. Molecular Ecology 16: 415–429
Abstract: Well-supported, congruent phylogeographic and biogeographic patterns permit the development of a priori phylogeographic and distributional predictions. In the southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States, the common discovery of east–west disjunctions (phylogeographic breaks and species’ distributional boundaries) suggests that similar disjunctions should occur in codistributed taxa. Despite the near ubiquity of these disjunctions, the most recent morphological analyses of the flatwoods salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum, indicate that none occur in this low-vagility, Coastal Plain endemic. We conducted molecular and morphological analyses to test whether the flatwoods salamander is an exception to this common biogeographic pattern. Assessing geographic variation in this species is also an important management tool for this threatened, declining amphibian. We demonstrate that flatwoods salamanders, as predicted by comparisons to codistributed taxa, are polytypic with a major disjunction at the Apalachicola River. This drainage is a common site for east–west phylogeographic breaks, probably because repeated marine embayments during the Pliocene and Pleistocene interglacials generated barriers to gene flow. Based on mitochondrial DNA, morphology, and allozymes, we recognize two species of Flatwoods Salamanders —
Ambystoma cingulatum to the east of the Apalachicola drainage and Ambystoma bishopi to the west. Given this increased diversity, the conservation status of these two taxa may warrant re-evaluation. More generally, these results emphasize that in the absence of taxon-specific data, established comparative patterns can provide strong expectations for designing management units for unstudied species of conservation concern.
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This article is available for downloading in the CNAH Pdf Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: In the paper by Pauly et al. (referenced above), the standard common names assigned to the two taxa recognized therein were inadvertently reversed. With the encouragement of the senior author, we note this and give the correct standard common names, as follows:
Ambystoma bishopi - Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander
Ambystoma cingulatum - Frosted Flatwoods Salamander
Frogs More Finely Filleted
NEW WORLD DIRECT-DEVELOPING FROGS (ANURA: TERRARANA): MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY, CLASSIFICATION, BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND CONSERVATION
2008. Zootaxa 1737: 1-182
S. Blair Hedges, William E. Duellman & Matthew P. Heinicke
Abstract: New World frogs recently placed in a single, enormous family (Brachycephalidae) have direct development and reproduce on land, often far away from water. DNA sequences from mitochondrial and nuclear genes of 344 species were analyzed to estimate their relationships. The molecular phylogeny in turn was used as the basis for a revised classification of the group. The 882 described species are placed in a new taxon, Terrarana, and allocated to four families, four subfamilies, 24 genera, 11 subgenera, 33 species series, 56 species groups, and 11 species subgroups. Systematic accounts are provided for all taxa above the species level. Two families (Craugastoridae and Strabomantidae), three subfamilies (Holoadeninae, Phyzelaphryninae, and Strabomantinae), six genera (Bryophryne, Diasporus, Haddadus, Isodactylus, Lynchius, and Psychrophrynella), and two subgenera (Campbellius and Schwartzius) are proposed and named as new
taxa, 13 subspecies are considered to be distinct species, and 613 new combinations are formed. Most of the 100 informal groups (species series, species groups, and species subgroups) are new or newly defined. Brachycephalus and Ischnocnema are placed in Brachycephalidae, a relatively small clade restricted primarily to southeastern Brazil. Eleutherodactylidae includes two subfamilies, four genera, and five subgenera and is centered in the Caribbean region. Craugastoridae contains two genera and three subgenera and is distributed mainly in Middle America. Strabomantidae is
distributed primarily in the Andes of northwestern South America and includes two subfamilies, 16 genera, and three subgenera. Images and distribution maps are presented for taxa above the species level and a complete list of species is
provided. Aspects of the evolution, biogeography, and conservation of Terrarana are discussed.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: This paper slightly reorganizes the traditional taxonomy of some of the species of frogs (both native and non-native) found in the United States, as follows:
Class Amphibia Linnaeus, 1758
Order Anura Rafinesque, 1815
The Family Brachycephalidae Gunther, 1858, as proposed and organized by Frost et al. (2006) and adopted by CNAH, is now restricted by Hedges et al. (2008) to frogs found along the eastern coast of South America and no longer applies to any anurans in North America; this name has been eliminated from the CNAH web site.
The Family Craugastoridae Hedges, Duellman & Heinicke, 2008 (Fleshbelly Frogs) has been added to the CNAH web site. It was erected by Hedges et al. (2008) for U.S. taxa as follows:
Genus Craugastor Cope, 1862 - Fleshbelly Frogs
Craugastor augusti (Duges, 1879) - Barking Frog
The Family Eleutherodactylidae Lutz, 1954 (Free-toed Frogs) has been added to the CNAH web site. It was resurrected by Hedges et al. (2008) for U.S. taxa as follows:
Genus Eleutherodactylus Dumeril & Bibron, 1841 - Robber Frogs
Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas, 1966 - Puerto Rican Coqui (non-native)
Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides (Cope, 1877) – Rio Grande Chirping Frog
Eleutherodactylus guttilatus (Cope, 1879) – Spotted Chirping Frog
Eleutherodactylus marnockii (Cope, 1878) – Cliff Chirping Frog
Eleutherodactylus planirostris (Cope, 1862) - Greenhouse Frog (non-native)
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Learning Lyre Snake Lineages
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11 June 2008
THE TRIMORPHODON BISCUTATUS (SQUAMATA: COLUBRIDAE) SPECIES COMPLEX REVISITED: A MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION
Thomas J. Devitt, Travis J. LaDuc & Jimmy A. McGuire
Copeia 2008(2): 370-387
The Western Lyre Snake (Trimorphodon biscutatus) inhabits arid regions from the desert southwestern United States southward along the Pacific lowland versant to northwestern Costa Rica and exhibits substantial geographic variation in size, squamation, and color pattern across its range. We examined patterns of geographic variation within T. biscutatus using multivariate statistical analyses of 33 morphological characters scored from 429 specimens. Principal components and discriminant analysis revealed six morphologically distinct groups that are generally concordant with lineages recovered in a phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA and with taxa traditionally recognized as species or subspecies. We conclude that Trimorphodon biscutatus (sensu lato) comprises six evolutionary species (including the recently elevated T. vilkinsonii) and recommend elevating T. biscutatus (sensu stricto), T. lambda, T. lyrophanes, T. paucimaculatus, and T. quadruplex to the species level. A key to the species of Trimorphodon is provided.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
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CNAH Note: Within the United States, the following species are recognized (common names are those suggested by the authors):
Trimorphodon lambda – Sonoran Lyre Snake
Trimorphodon lyrophanes – Peninsular Lyre Snake (formerly the Baja California Lyre Snake)
Trimorphodon vilkinsonii – Chihuahuan Lyre Snake (formerly the Texas Lyre Snake
Lizard Families Condensed
Schulte, James A. II, John Pablo Valladares & Allan Larson
(2003. Phylogenetic Relationships within Iguanidae Inferred using Molecular and Morphological Data and a Phylogenetic Taxonomy of Iguanian Lizards. Herpetologica 59(3): 399-419) proposed placing the currently recognized North American lizard families Crotaphytidae, Iguanidae, Phrynosomatidae, and Polychrotidae into a single family, Iguanidae.
Montane Rana Re-organized
V. T. Vredenburg, R. Bingham, R. Knapp, J. A. T. Morgan, C. Moritz & D. Wake (2007. Journal of Zoology 271: 361–374) demonstrated that Rana muscosa consisted of two species, Rana muscosa Camp (1917) and Rana sierrae Camp (1917). Here is the abstract:
The Mountain Yellow-legged Frog, Rana muscosa sensu lato, once abundant in the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada, and the disjunct Transverse Ranges of southern California, has declined precipitously throughout its range, even though most of its habitat is protected. The species is now extinct in Nevada and reduced to tiny remnants in southern California, where as a distinct population segment, it is classified as Endangered. Introduced predators (trout), air pollution and an infectious disease (chytridiomycosis) threaten remaining populations. A Bayesian analysis of 1901 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA confirms the presence of two deeply divergent clades that come into near contact in the Sierra Nevada. Morphological studies of museum specimens and analysis of acoustic data show that the two major mtDNA clades are readily differentiated phenotypically. Accordingly, we recognize two species, Rana sierrae, in the northern and central Sierra Nevada, and R. muscosa, in the southern Sierra Nevada and southern California. Existing data indicate no range overlap. These results have important implications for the conservation of these two species as they illuminate a
profound mismatch between the current delineation of the distinct population segments (southern California vs. Sierra Nevada) and actual species boundaries. For example, our study finds that remnant populations of R. muscosa exist in both the southern Sierra Nevada and the mountains of southern California, which may broaden options for management. In addition, despite the fact that only the southern California populations are listed as Endangered, surveys conducted since 1995 at 225 historic (1899–1994) localities from museum collections show that 93.3% (n=146) of R. sierrae populations and 95.2% (n=79) of R. muscosa populations are extinct. Evidence presented here underscores the need for revision of protected population status to include both species throughout their ranges.
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This article can be viewed or downloaded on the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY AND SPECIES BOUNDARIES OF THE WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NIGHT SNAKE (HYPSIGLENA TORQUATA): REVISITING THE SUBSPECIES CONCEPT
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46: 1095–1115
Daniel G. Mulcahy
Abstract: The subspecies concept has received considerable debate throughout the past century. Subspecies were originally used to delineate potential incipient species, but were later employed to simply capture geographical variation. There is a recent trend to eliminate the trinomial in light of new evidence. Discrete, diagnosable lineages are elevated to specific status, while those that show clinal variation and/or appear to represent ecological pattern classes are placed in synonymy with the parent species and the subspecific epithets are disregarded. Here, I examine the species boundaries of Night Snakes (Hypsiglena torquata) using standard phylogeographic methods and mtDNA data from 178 individuals. Previously, seventeen subspecies of H. torquata were described. In this study, I recognize six species in what was previously considered H. torquata: one is novel, two were previously recognized subspecies, while the remaining three are wide-spread, polymorphic lineages, composed of multiple subspecies. I make the case to maintain the subspecific lineages in these wide-ranging species because they are geographically cohesive, morphologically discrete, and may represent incipient species within each complex, which have not yet achieved speciation. These subspecies are maintained, not only pending future investigations, but because they provide a useful identity for the taxonomy of this diverse lineage.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH NOTE: For North America (north of Mexico), the following taxonomy (based on the above paper) and standard common names are adopted by CNAH and are those that will be used in the next Peterson Field Guide (pending further revision based on peer-reviewed, published evidence):
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Dipsadidae
Hypsiglena chlorophaea – Desert Night Snake
Hypsiglena jani – Chihuahuan Night Snake
Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha – Coast Night Snake
Hypsiglena sp. – Hooded Night Snake
The common name “Night Snake” is two words (not one), just as it has been spelled for well over a half a century (starting at least with Schmidt & Davis, 1941, Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Putnam’s Sons, New York. xiii + 365 pp.).
Caitlin R. Gabor and Chris C. Nice (2004. Genetic variation among populations of Eastern Newts, Notophthalmus viridescens: A preliminary analysis based on allozymes. Herpetologica 60(3): 373-386), using molecular data, demonstrated that the four previously recognized subspecies of the Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) did not reflect the evolutionary history of the species (i.e., the author's analyses showed an absence of significant differentiation among the subspecies).
No web site given
MULTI-LOCUS DNA SEQUENCE DATA REVEAL A HISTORY OF DEEP CRYPTIC VICARIANCE AND HABITAT-DRIVEN CONVERGENCE IN THE DESERT NIGHT LIZARD XANTUSIA VIGILIS SPECIES COMPLEX (SQUAMATA: XANTUSIIDAE)
2007. Molecular Ecology 16: 4455-4481
Dean H. Leavitt, Robert L. Bezy, Keith A. Crandall and Jack W. Sites, Jr.
Abstract: The lizard genus Xantusia of southwestern North America has received recent attention in relation to delimiting species. Using more than 500 lizards from 156 localities, we further test hypothesized species boundaries and clarify phylogeographical patterns, particularly in regions of potential secondary contact. We sequenced the entire mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for every lizard in the study, plus a second mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) region and two nuclear introns for subsets of the total sample. Phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA recover a well-resolved, novel hypothesis for species in the Xantusia vigilis complex. The nuclear DNA (nDNA) data provide independent support for the recognition of X. arizonae, X. bezyi and X. wigginsi. Differences between the respective mtDNA and nDNA topologies result from either the effects of lineage sorting or ancient introgression. Nuclear data confirm the inference that some populations of X. vigilis in northwestern Arizona converged on rock-crevice-dwelling morphology and are not X. arizonae with an introgressed X. vigilis mtDNA genome. The historical independence of ancient cryptic lineages of Xantusia in southern California is also corroborated, though limited introgression is detected. Our proposed biogeographical scenario indicates that diversification of this group was driven by vicariance beginning in the late Miocene. Additionally, Pleistocene climatical changes influenced Xantusia distribution, and the now inhospitable Colorado Desert previously supported Night Lizard presence. The current taxonomy of the group likely underestimates species diversity within the group, and our results collectively show that while convergence on the rock-crevice-dwelling morphology is one hallmark of Xantusia evolution, morphological stasis is paradoxically another.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: The taxonomic diversity of the genus Xantusia in the United States now stands at:
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Xantusidae
Xantusia arizonae Klauber, 1931 (Arizona Night Lizard)
Xantusia bezyi Papenfuss, Macey & Schulte, 2001 (Bezy’s Night Lizard)
Xantusia gracilis Grismer & Galvan 1986 (Sandstone Night Lizard)
Xantusia henshawi Stejneger, 1893 (Granite Night Lizard)
Xantusia riversiana Cope, 1883 (Island Night Lizard)
Xantusia sierrae Bezy, 1967 (Sierra Night Lizard)
Xantusia vigilis Baird, 1858 (Desert Night Lizard)
Xantusia wigginsi Savage, 1952 (Wiggins’s Night Lizard)
In addition, the above referenced paper revealed the presence of an undescribed species (the Yucca Valley clade) in southern California. Presumably, this population will be given a specific epithet in the near future.
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Pacific Chorus Frog Partitioned
Ernesto Recuero, Íñigo Martínez-Solano, Gabriela Parra-Olea, and Mario García-París [2006. Phylogeography of Pseudacris regilla (Anura: Hylidae) in western North America, with a proposal for a new taxonomic rearrangement. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39: 293–304].
Abstract: The Baja California populations of Pseudacris regilla, a widespread species in western North America ranging from British Columbia to southern Baja California, are characterized by extensive geographic fragmentation. We performed phylogeographic and historical demographic analyses on 609 bp of the cytochrome b mitochondrial gene of 110 individuals representing 28 populations to determine the relative influences of current and historical processes in shaping the present distribution of genetic diversity on the Baja California peninsula. Haplotypes from this area were nested in a clade with three well-differentiated groups. Two of these groups are from Baja California Sur and another is from California and Baja California. The estimated date for the split of these groups, between 0.9–1 Ma, fits with previously proposed hypotheses of vicariance due to different transpeninsular seaways, although successive population fragmentation and expansion due to climatic oscillations during Pleistocene glaciations cannot be discarded. Historical demographic analyses detected signs of past population expansions, especially in the southernmost group. With respect to populations north of this region, two older clades were identified, one with haplotypes mainly distributed in central California, and the other corresponding to the northern half of the species range, in what apparently is a recurrent pattern in the pacific coast of North America. Based on the concordance between mt-DNA and available allozyme data indicating that these species have a long independent evolutionary history, we propose to consider the three major clades as distinct species: P. regilla, P. pacifica, and P. hypochondriaca.
A pdf of this article may be viewed at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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CNAH Note: Recognition of three species within this complex in North America (north of Mexico) results in the following arrangement (tentative common names are appended):
Pseudacris hypochondriaca (Hallowell, 1854) Baja California Chorus Frog
Pseudacris pacifica (Jameson, Mackey, and Richmond, 1966) Northwest Chorus Frog
Pseudacris regilla (Baird and Girard, 1852) Pacific Chorus Frog
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
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17 October 2007
CONTACT ZONES AND SPECIES LIMITS: HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN LINEAGES OF THE CALIFORNIA NEWT, TARICHA TOROSA, IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
2007 Herpetologica 63(3): 332-350
Shawn R. Kuchta
Abstract: Recent phylogeographic work on Taricha torosa has revealed that the subspecific lineages, T. t. torosa and T. t. sierrae, are distinct evolutionary lineages that form a secondary contact zone in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. I examined the dynamics of this contact zone using two allozyme markers, mitochondrial DNA, morphometrics (head shape), and head color pattern. The subspecific lineages interbreed where they meet, and form a hybrid zone centered along the Kaweah River in Tulare County. Clines among genetic markers had similar shapes and centers, and ranged from 7–10 km wide. There is evidence of selection against hybrid genotypes in the center of the hybrid zone. Analyses of head shape and color pattern show that the two subspecies are phenotypically differentiated, and that patterns of differentiation in these characters are congruent with the genetic clines. The two subspecies constitute distinct evolutionary lineages and merit recognition as separate species: T. torosa (California Newt) and T. sierrae (Sierra Newt).
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
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CNAH Note: The results in this paper corroborate the much earlier conclusion of Collins (1991) that the allopatric (as shown at the time by the range map in Stebbins’ Western Peterson Field Guide), defined, and diagnosed subspecies, Taricha torosa sierrae, was a distinct species using the Evolutionary Species Concept of Wiley (1978).
Genealogical Concordance between Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNAs Supports Species Recognition of the Panamint Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii stephensi)
Michael E. Douglas, Marlis R. Douglas, Gordon W. Schuett, Louis W. Porras & Blake L. Thomason
2007 Copeia, 2007(4): 920–932
Abstract: The Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) is a polytypic taxon presently composed of five subspecies that range across southwestern North America, including the Baja Peninsula and islands in the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortes. The principles of genealogical concordance were employed to test the taxonomic status of three of the five subspecies (C. m. mitchellii, C. m. pyrrhus, and C. m. stephensi). We used two molecular marker systems: mitochondrial (mt) DNA ATPase 8 and 6 genes (675 base pairs, bp), and introns 5 and 6 of the nuclear (n) DNA ribosomal protein (RP) gene (449 bp). These markers were evaluated across 104 individuals of (n = 3), C. m. pyrrhus (n = 83), C. m. stephensi (n = 18), with Sistrurus c. catenatus as the distant outgroup. Deep phylogenetic splits were detected in the subspecies of C. mitchellii, with 5.0–6.4% mtDNA sequence divergence (SD) separating C. m. mitchellii and C. m. pyrrhus, while C. m. mitchellii and C. m. stephensi had SD values of 6.4–7.3%. Similarly, C. m. pyrrhus and C. m. stephensi had SD values of 5.2–6.7%. In addition, C. m. mitchellii and C. m. pyrrhus were
identical in all 449 intron bp, but C. m. stephensi differed from both at a single nucleotide polymorphism. Our molecular results diagnose C. m. stephensi as sister to mainland subspecies of the C. mitchellii complex, a result consistent with certain head scalation characters and its northernmost geographic distribution in this complex. Furthermore, four morphological synapomorphies (supraocular scales prominently ridged and/or
creased, contact between rostral and prenasal scales, ground coloration of tail congruent
with that of body, and black rings in the distal 15% of the tail) also diagnose C. m. stephensi from all other subspecies of C. mitchellii. We hypothesize that the northern distribution of C. m. stephensi likely resulted from two vicariant events: Pliocene expansion of the Sea of Cortes as the Salton Trough, and Pliocene development of the lacustrine Bouse Embayment along the Colorado River drainage. Despite earlier conclusions based on morphology, our molecular results showed no evidence of intergradation between C. m. pyrrhus and C. m. stephensi. Based on the principles of genealogical concordance, we advocate that C. m. stephensi be elevated to a full species, which renders a minimum of two species within the C. mitchellii clades we examined.
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A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
14 May 2010
PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL NICHE MODELING OF THE PLAINBELLY WATER SNAKE (NERODIA ERYTHROGASTER) REVEALS LOW LEVELS OF GENETIC AND ECOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION
2010. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55: 985-995
Robert Makowsky, John C. Marshall, Jr., John McVay, Paul T. Chippindale & Leslie J. Rissler
Abstract: Species that exhibit geographically defined phenotypic variation traditionally have been divided into subspecies. Subspecies based on phenotypic features may not comprise monophyletic groups due to selection, gene flow, and/or convergent evolution. In many taxonomic groups the number of species once designated as widespread is dwindling rapidly, and many workers reject the concept of subspecies altogether. We tested whether currently recognized subspecies in the Plainbelly Water Snake Nerodia erythrogaster are concordant with relationships based on mitochondrial markers, and whether it represents a single widespread species. The range of this taxon spans multiple potential biogeographic barriers (especially the Mississippi and Apalachicola Rivers) that correspond with lineage breaks in many species, including other snakes. We sequenced three mitochondrial genes (NADH-II, Cyt-b, Cox-I) from 156 georeferenced specimens and developed ecological niche models using Maxent and spatially explicit climate data to examine historical and ecological factors affecting variation in N. erythrogaster across its range. Overall, we found little support for the recognized subspecies as either independent evolutionary lineages or geographically circumscribed units and conclude that although some genetic and niche differentiation has occurred, most populations assigned to N. erythrogaster appear to represent a single, widespread species. However, additional sampling and application of nuclear markers are necessary to clarify the status of the easternmost populations.
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CNAH Note: The authors of this important paper on the Plainbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster) find no evidence to support the continued recognition of the subspecies N. e. flavigaster, N. e. neglecta, and N. e. transversa.
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY ACROSS A CONTINENT: THE EVOLUTIONARY AND DEMOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN RACER (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE: COLUBER CONSTRICTOR)
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47(1): 274-288
Frank T. Burbrink, Frank Fontanella, R. Alexander Pyron, Timothy J. Guiher and Cynthia Jimenez
Abstract: Most phylogeographic studies examine organisms that do not have transcontinental distributions and therefore the genetic and temporal effects of barriers across an entire continent cannot be assessed with respect to a single species. We examined the phylogeographic structure, lineage age, and historical demography using sequences from the mtDNA cytochrome b gene of the widespread North American racer (Coluber constrictor), one of the few abundant transcontinental snakes that occurs throughout many diverse biomes. Our results indicate that this complex is comprised of six lineages differing greatly in geographic extent, with the largest (a central US clade) being 26 times greater than the smallest (a lineage restricted to the Florida Panhandle and nearby portions of adjacent States). Most of the six lineages appear to be separated at previously identified genetic barriers for several vertebrates with similar ranges. Lineage diversification in this species began in the late Miocene, separating populations in the Florida Peninsula from the remainder of the US. Diversification of lineages continued throughout the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Four of the six lineages occur east of the Mississippi River, with only two distinctly young (1.5 mya) lineages found west of the Mississippi River (one occurs west of Continental Divide). All methods of demographic inference, including the mismatch distribution, Fu and Li’s D* and Tajima’s D*, and Bayesian skyline plots revealed population expansion occurring in the mid-to-late Pleistocene for every lineage, regardless of size or proximity to formerly glaciated areas. Population expansion for lineages found east of the Mississippi River occurred earlier and was much greater than those found west of the River.
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CNAH Note: Using mtDNA, Burbrink et al. (2008) identified six lineages of Coluber constrictor in this excellent paper, but did not name them as distinct species, presumably until future results of nucleic DNA evidence along with southwestern U.S. and Mexican samples are assessed and integrated into the analysis. However, based on known type localities (as they appear in Auffenberg, 1955, Stejneger and Barbour, 1943, Schmidt, 1953, and Wilson, 1970) for already described, published, and available names, minimally the following distinct species (see Figure 1 on page 275 in Burbrink et al. for lineage designations) might be recognized in the future:
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Colubridae
Coluber constrictor Linnaeus, 1758 (Eastern lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008)
Type locality: vicinity of Philadelphia (see Dunn & Wood, 1939)
Standard common name would remain: Eastern Racer
Coluber priapus Dunn & Wood, 1939 (Peninsular Florida lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008)
Type locality: West Palm Beach, Florida
Standard common name would become: Florida Racer
Synonyms: Coluber haasti Bell, 1952, Coluber c. paludicolus Auffenberg & Babbitt, 1953
Coluber helvigularis Auffenberg, 1955 (Florida Panhandle lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008)
Type locality: Gulf County, Florida
Standard common name would remain: Brownchin Racer
Coluber flaviventris Say, 1823 (Central lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008)
Type locality: Pottawattamie County, Iowa
Standard common name would probably become: Prairie Racer, Plains Racer, or Midland Racer
Synonyms: Coluber anthicus (Cope 1862), Coluber c. etheridgei Wilson, 1970, Coluber c. foxii (Baird & Girard, 1853), Coluber c. latrunculus Wilson, 1970
Coluber mormon Baird & Girard, 1852 (Western lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008)
Type locality: Valley of the Great Salt Lake, Utah
Standard common name would remain: Western Racer
Synonym: Coluber vetustus (Baird & Girard, 1853)
Possible synonyms: Coluber oaxaca Jan, 1863, Coluber stejnegerianus (Cope, 1895)
I was unable to clearly identify a name for the Gulf Coast lineage of Burbrink et al. (2008); it may require a new specific epithet. The western border of this lineage is the Mississippi River. The type locality of Coluber c. latrunculus Wilson, 1970 is St. James Parish, Louisiana (west of the Mississippi River) and very close to the range of the Gulf Coast lineage of Burbrink et al. (2008); additional sampling may demonstrate that the name C. c. latrunculus applies to it.
The above list of name combinations is presented here merely as advance information of possible future changes in the taxonomy of the polytypic North American Racers (genus Coluber). Under no circumstances should the above list be adopted as a taxonomy for the group (except for recognition of C. mormon as a distinct species, an arrangement already well-documented long ago by Fitch et al., 1981, and Collins, 1991). Additional work on the systematics of this serpent remains to be done.
References
Auffenberg, W. 1955. A reconsideration of the racer, Coluber constrictor, in eastern United States. Tulane Stud. Zool. 2(6): 89-155.
Collins, J. T. 1991. Viewpoint: A new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibians and reptiles. Herpetol. Review 22(2): 42-43.
Fitch, H. S., W. S. Brown, and W. S. Parker. 1981. Coluber mormon, a species distinct from C. constrictor. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 84(4): 196-203.
Schmidt, K. P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Sixth Ed. Publ. American Soc. Ich. Herp., viii + 280 pp.
Stejneger, L. & T. Barbour. 1943. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Fifth Ed. Harvard University Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 93(1): xix + 260 pp.
Wilson, L. D. 1970. The racer Coluber constrictor (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Louisiana and eastern Texas. Texas Journ. Sci. 22(1): 67-85.
Joseph T. Collins
Director
CNAH
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10 March 2009
A RECLASSIFICATION OF THE RATTLESNAKES; SPECIES FORMERLY EXCLUSIVELY REFERRED TO THE GENERA CROTALUS AND SISTRURUS
Raymond Hoser
2009. Australasian Journal of Herpetology 6: 1-21
Submitted 24 February 2009, Accepted 1 March 2009, Published 9 March 2009
ABSTRACT: In spite of the fact that the taxonomy of most rattlesnakes at the species level has been established for many years, the genus Crotalus as referred to by most taxonomists up to 2008 failed to properly distinguish relationships within the group commonly defined as "rattlesnakes." The genera Crotalus and Sistrurus (the latter sometimes subsumed in whole or part within Crotalus) as defined by most authors also fails to properly delineate relationships between taxa and fails to account for the modern definition and use of the “genus” level in terms of grouping closely related species only. This paper principally redefines the rattlesnakes at both genus and subgenus levels, formally naming a number of well-recognized species and species groups at the genus level for the first time. In summary, rattlesnakes are subdivided into nine genera for which names were previously available for a total of five. For the other four genera, they are formally defined, diagnosed and named for the first time. A further seven well-defined subgenera are also defined and named for the first time. Later workers may choose to elevate some or all of these to full genus level.
Keywords: new taxa, snake, rattlesnake, taxonomy, Crotalus, Sistrurus, Piersonus, Matteoea, Cummingea, Hoserea, Caudisona, Aechmophrys, and Uropsophus
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CNAH Note: To date, the New World Rattlesnakes have been placed in two genera, Crotalus and Sistrurus. The above paper divides these serpents into nine genera (species assigned to each genus by Hoser are listed with generic attribution and date; standard common names are added for those taxa that occur in the United States and/or Canada), as follows:
Genus Aechmophrys Coues 1875
A. cerastes - Sidewinder
A. intermedius
A. polystictus
A. pricei - Twin-spotted Rattlesnake
A. tancitarensis
A. transversus
A. willardi - Ridgenose Rattlesnake
Genus Caudisona Laurenti 1768
C. basiliscus
C. culminatus
C. durissus
C. enyo
C. estebanensis
C. molossus - Blacktail Rattlesnake
C. simus
C. totonacus
C. tzabcan
C. vegrandis
C. unicolor
Genus Crotalus Linnaeus 1758
C. abyssus - Grand Canyon Rattlesnake
C. cerberus - Arizona Black Rattlesnake
C. concolor - Midget Faded Rattlesnake
C. helleri - Southern Pacific Rattlesnake
C. horridus - Timber Rattlesnake
C. lutosus - Great Basin Rattlesnake
C. oreganus - Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
C. scutulatus - Mojave Rattlesnake
C. viridis - Prairie Rattlesnake
Genus Cummingea Hoser 2009
C. ericsmithi
C. lannomi
C. stejnegeri
Genus Hoserea Hoser 2009 (named to honor Shireen Hoser, not the author)
H. adamanteus - Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
H. atrox - Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
H. catalinensis
H. exsul
H. lorenzoensis
H. ruber - Red Diamond Rattlesnake
H. tortugensis
Genus Matteoea Hoser 2009
M. angelensis
M. mitchellii - Speckled Rattlesnake
M. stephensi - Panamint Rattlesnake (implied)
M. tigris - Tiger Rattlesnake
Genus Piersonus Hoser 2009
P. ravus
Genus Sistrurus Garman 1883
S. catenatus - Massasauga
S. miliarius - Pigmy Rattlesnake
Genus Uropsophus Wagler 1830
U. aquilus
U. lepidus - Rock Rattlesnake
U. pusillus
U. triseriatus
CNAH Comment: Announcement of papers does not constitute endorsement by CNAH of the proposals or conclusions contained therein. CNAH merely makes sure you don't miss out on these interesting topics.
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22 September 2009
RATTLESNAKES RESCUED AND COBRAS CLARIFIED
A recent paper by Australian herpetologist Raymond Hoser, in which he named a number of genera and subgenera of rattlesnakes, has caused considerable controversy in New World herpetology. The names were published in Hoser’s own Australasian Journal of Herpetology (AJH). The availability of the names under the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature was taken for granted by many.
In a paper dedicated to the systematics of African and Asian cobras, Wallach et al. (2009) provided evidence that all new names published in the Australasian Journal of Herpetology were not in fact published within the meaning of the Code. The authors showed that the claimed printed version of the AJH was not in fact available at the time of publication in a manner compatible with Article 8.1.3 of the Code: only a single copy was available in the Australian National Library. The online pdf version of the journal did not constitute a publication due to the specific exclusion of web documents (Article 9.8) and failure to state the libraries in which the article was to be deposited (Article 8.6). The printed copy of an issue in the Australian National library (itself a corner staple-bound home printout) differed from hard copies of all issues obtained directly from Hoser by Wallach et al. (2009), whereas all the latter copies showed identical printing flaws, suggesting they were printed at the same time. Wallach et al. (2009) concluded that the printed copies of AJH papers in existence were printed on demand, and therefore did not constitute publications under the provisions of Article 9.7.
While the paper by Wallach et al. (2009) was concerned specifically with Cobras, their conclusions on the AJH affected all new names published therein: the names of rattlesnake genera and subgenera contained in Hoser (2009) were not published within the meaning of the Code and therefore do not exist for nomenclatural purposes. The same applies to names published in the AJH for a number of Australasian elapids, pythons and a genus of Australian skink.
References
Hoser, Raymond. 2009. A reclassification of the Rattlesnakes; species formerly exclusively referred to the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus. Australasian Journal of Herpetology. 6: 1-21.
Wallach, Van, Wolfgang Wüster & Donald G. Broadley. 2009. In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of Cobras of the genus Naja Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae). Zootaxa 2236: 26-36.
Wolfgang Wüster
University of Wales, Bangor
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Ringneck Snake Revelations
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF DIADOPHIS PUNCTATUS: EXTENSIVE LINEAGE DIVERSITY AND REPEATED PATTERNS OF HISTORICAL DEMOGRAPHY IN A TRANS-CONTINENTAL SNAKE
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46(3): 1049-1070
Frank Fontanella, Chris R. Feldman, Mark E. Siddall and Frank T. Burbrink
Abstract: Dynamic climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene had profound effects on the distributions of species across North America. Although the role of historical climate change on speciation remains controversial, the impact on genetic variation within species has been well documented. We examined mtDNA sequences from the cytochrome b gene (1117 bp) and a portion of the NADH-4 gene (659 bp) for 286 individuals of Diadophis punctatus to infer phylogeographic patterns and population structure and to examine historical demographic patterns in both glaciated and unglaciated regions of North America. We inferred 14 lineages that replace each other geographically across the United States. Several of these lineages appear to be confined to specific habitats (floodplains, grasslands, montane environments) and traverse previously identified genetic barriers for terrestrial vertebrates including the Mississippi and Apalachicola Rivers, the Appalachian Mountains, and the western continental divide. We also observed overlapping ranges between some haplotype groups and several instances of secondary contact associated with ecological transition zones in eastern South Carolina, southern Oklahoma and central California. Within the US, diversification began during the late Miocene and continued into the mid-Pleistocene, suggesting these lineages pre-dated the last glacial maximum. Coalescent and non-coalescent demographic analyses indicate that independent lineages currently occupying previously glaciated or unsuitable areas in eastern, central and western US underwent post-glacial population expansion likely from southern refugia during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene. Conversely, southern lineages display patterns consistent with long-term population stability. Such long-term persistence of genetic structure may be due to the competitive effects between lineages or ecosystem stability in more southern latitudes.
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CNAH Note: Using mtDNA, Fontanella et al. (2008) identified fourteen lineages of Ringneck Snakes but declined to recognize them as distinct species, pending the acquisition of additional data from Mexican populations and the evaluation of nucleic molecular data for the entire complex.
However, based on known type localities (as they appear in Blanchard, 1942, Stejneger and Barbour, 1943, and Schmidt, 1953, plus information generously provided by Van Wallach, Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., James N. Layne, Travis W. Taggart, and Curtis J. Schmidt, pers. comms.) for already described, published, and available taxa, minimally the following distinct species (see Figures 3 & 5 in Fontanella et al. for lineage designations) might be recognized in the future:
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Dipsadidae
Diadophis acricus Paulson, 1968 (Peninsular Florida lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008).
Type locality: Big Pine Key
Diadophis amabilis Baird & Girard, 1853 (Coastal California lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: San Jose, California (see Stejneger & Barbour, 1943)
Synonyms: D. occidentalis Blanchard, 1923 & D. vandenburgii Blanchard, 1923
Diadophis arnyi Kennicott, 1858 (Great Plains lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: Hyatt, Anderson County, Kansas
Diadophis docilis Baird & Girard, 1853 (North Texas lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: between Rio San Pedro or Devil’s River and Comanche Spring, Texas
Synonym: D. blanchardi Schmidt & Smith, 1944
Diadophis edwardsii (Merrem, 1820) (Northeastern lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: Pennsylvania
Synonym: D. torquatus (Shaw, 1802) (preoccupied)
Diadophis modestus Bocourt, 1886 (Southern California lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: California (see Stejneger & Barbour, 1943)
Synonyms: D. anthonyi Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1923 & D. similis Blanchard, 1923
Diadophis occipitalis (Gunther, 1858) (Mid-Atlantic lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: designated as “Charleston, South Carolina” (see Schmidt, 1953)
Synonym: D. pallidus Cope, 1860
Diadophis pulchellus Baird & Girard, 1853 (Eastern California lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: El Dorado County, California (see Stejneger & Barbour, 1943)
Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Piedmont lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: Carolina (in Linnaeus, 1766), but given as “Carolina and Eastern Gulf States” by Stejneger & Barbour (1943), and restricted to “Charleston, South Carolina” by Schmidt (1953)
Diadophis regalis Baird & Girard, 1853 (Great Basin lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: Sonora, Mexico
Synonyms: D. arizonae Blanchard, 1923 & D. laetus Jan, 1863
Diadophis stictogenys Cope, 1860 (Mississippi River Valley lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: designated as “southern Illinois” (see Schmidt, 1953: 183)
Diadophis texensis Kennicott, 1860 (Southeastern Louisiana lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008)
Type locality: “New Orleans to Galveston”
I was unable to locate available names for the Cumberland and Western Louisiana lineages of Fontanella et al. (2008); diligent research may reveal names for them. Diadophis dysopes Cope, 1860, might be an available name, provided the type specimen can be associated with either population; although its type locality has been designated as “vicinity of Philadelphia” (see Schmidt, 1953) and this would place it in the synonymy of D. edwardsii, this restriction of the type locality may not stand.
Some of these names could be replaced by others, depending on the results of molecular analysis of Mexican populations by Fontanella and his colleagues along with research that establishes more precise type localities for some of the available names. The above list of name combinations is presented here merely as advance information of possible future changes in the taxonomy of the (currently monotypic) Ringneck Snake, Diadophis punctatus. Under no circumstances should the above list be adopted as a taxonomy for the group. Too much work remains to be done.
References
Blanchard, F. N.
1942. The ringneck snakes, genus Diadophis. Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci. 7(1): 1–144.
Schmidt, K. P.
1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Sixth Ed. Publ. American Soc. Ich. Herp., viii + 280 pp.
Stejneger, L. & T. Barbour
1943. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Fifth Ed. Harvard University Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 93(1): xix + 260 pp.
Joseph T. Collins
Director
CNAH
Novel Patterns of Historical Isolation, Dispersal, and Secondary Contact Across Baja California in the Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata)
2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46: 484-502
Dustin A. Wood, Robert N. Fisher and Tod W. Reeder
Abstract: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation was examined in 131 individuals of the Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) from across the species range in southwestern North America. Bayesian inference and nested clade phylogeographic analyses (NCPA) were used to estimate relationships and infer evolutionary processes. These patterns were evaluated as they relate to previously hypothesized vicariant events and new insights are provided into the biogeographic and evolutionary processes important in Baja California and surrounding North American deserts. Three major lineages (Lineages A, B, and C) are revealed with very little overlap. Lineage A and B are predominately separated along the Colorado River and are found primarily within California and Arizona (respectively), while Lineage C consists of disjunct groups distributed along the Baja California peninsula as well as south-central Arizona, southward along the coastal regions of Sonora, Mexico. Estimated divergence time points (using a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock) and geographic congruence with postulated vicariant events suggest early extensions of the Gulf of California and subsequent development of the Colorado River during the Late Miocene–Pliocene led to the formation of these mtDNA lineages. Our results also suggest that vicariance hypotheses alone do not fully explain patterns of genetic variation. Therefore, we highlight the importance of dispersal to explain these patterns and current distribution of populations. We also compare the mtDNA lineages with those based on morphological variation and evaluate their implications for taxonomy.
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CNAH Note: Lichanura trivirgata (Cope, 1861) retains the standard common name Mexican Rosy Boa (most of its range is in Mexico); the newly resurrected Lichanura orcutti (Stejneger, 1889), found in both the Sonoran Desert and Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States, becomes the Desert Rosy Boa. Recognition of the taxa gracia, roseofusca, myriolepis, and saslowi (all formerly recognized as subspecies of L. trivirgata in Mexico and/or the United States) is not supported and they are herein considered as relegated to the synonymy of Lichanura trivirgata (although the authors of this paper do not explicitly address this issue).
Lawson, Robin, the late Joseph B. Slowinski, Brian I. Crother & Frank T. Burbrink (2005 Phylogeny of the Colubroidea (Serpentes): New evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37: 581–601) redefined the snake families of Canada and the United States. Download a copy of their paper from the CNAH PDF Library.
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Theodora Pinou, Saverio Vicario, Monique Marschner and Adalgisa Caccone (2004. Relict snakes of North America and their relationships within Caenophidia, using likelihood-based Bayesian methods on mitochondrial sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32: 563-574), using a data set from 87 species worldwide, recognized Natricidae, Colubridae, Dipsadidae, Crotalidae, and Viperidae as distinct snake families with North American representatives, placed the genus Leptodeira in the family Dipsadidae, placed the genera Carphophis, Contia, Diadophis, and Farancia within a single well-resolved (but unnamed) family-level clade, and placed the genus Heterodon within a single well-resolved (but unnamed) family-level clade. Another noteworthy finding reported in the paper was the deep phylogenetic structure of the genus Diadophis on each side of the Mississippi River. The 12S and 16S data used to construct the entire topology was corroborated by a concurrent examination of hemipenial morphology. The following problematic North American caenophidian snake genera were not addressed in this paper: Coniophanes, Hypsiglena, Rhadinaea, and Trimorphodon.
A downloadable gratis reprint of the paper by Pinou et al. is available from the CNAH PDF Library at
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No web site given
Snake Families Stabilized
NEWS RELEASE
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15 September 2006
A Re-classification of Snakes Native to Canada and the United States
Joseph T. Collins
Journal of Kansas Herpetology 19: 18-20
September 2006
Based on the robust data and modern analysis that recently appeared in Lawson et al. (2005 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37: 581-601), the snakes of North America (north of Mexico) are arranged in nine Families, a more informative arrangement than that achieved by retaining them in the traditional five Families of the past. The classification proposed by Collins is fully supported by the scientific evidence in Lawson et al. (2005), and is proposed for researchers that prefer to communicate, both in writing and verbally, using a well-established, accurate hierarchy (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and species) to discuss the diversity of life on earth.
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A genetic perspective on the geographic association of taxa among arid North American lizards of the Sceloporus magister complex (Squamata: Iguanidae: Phrynosomatinae)
by James A. Schulte II, J. Robert Macey & Theodore J. Papenfuss
2006. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39: 873-880
A taxonomic summary of their research (taken directly from the article) is as follows:
" . . . we elevate three subspecies to species status. Sceloporus magister magister (Linsdale, 1932) is recognized as Sceloporus magister [Hallowell, 1854, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 7,
93. Type locality "Fort Yuma, California;" restricted to Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, by Smith and Taylor (1950)]. Sceloporus. m. bimaculosus (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955) is recognized as Sceloporus bimaculosus (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955, Herpetologica 11, 9. Type locality "6.6 miles east of San Antonio, Socorro, New Mexico"). Sceloporus m. uniformis (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955) is recognized as Sceloporus uniformis (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955, Herpetologica 11, 7. Type locality "Valyermo, Los Angeles, California")."
CNAH Note: Standard common names for these three revived taxa remain the names traditionally used for them as subspecies (see Collins, 1990): Twin-spotted Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus bimaculosus), Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), and Yellowback Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus uniformis).
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1 August 2006
A NEW SUBSPECIES OF SCELOPORUS FROM TEXAS
Robert G. Webb (2006. Variation in the Crevice Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus poinsettii Baird and Girard. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 42(2): 65-114) described a new subspecies of the Crevice Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus poinsettii) from New Mexico and Texas. The new taxon, Sceloporus poinsettii axtelli, honors the distinguished herpetologist, Ralph W. Axtell (Southern Illinois University) in recognition of his substantial contributions to our understanding of lizards of the Family Phrynosomatidae. The nominate race, S. p. poinsettii, is restricted to west of the Rio Grande in New Mexico.
An image of the new subspecies may be viewed at
http://www.cnah.org/detail.asp?id=1249
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26 May 2010
A NEW SPECIES OF SNAKE IN THE GENUS CONTIA (SQUAMATA: COLUBRIDAE) FROM CALIFORNIA AND OREGON
2010. Copeia 2010(2): 254-267
Chris R. Feldman & Richard F. Hoyer
Abstract: We describe Contia longicaudae, a new colubroid snake from California and Oregon, USA. Because C. longicaudae differs only subtly from the nominate species, C. tenuis, it has long been overlooked. However, genetic and morphological data readily distinguish C. longicaudae as distinct from C. tenuis. Contia longicaudae is genetically cohesive, possesses a greater number of caudal scales, a proportionately longer tail, and tends to be larger overall with more pronounced dorsolateral stripes and a more muted ventral coloration than C. tenuis. Contia longicaudae also occurs in more mesic and wellshaded habitats than C. tenuis. Both forms appear to be broadly parapatric throughout much of northwestern California, and a few areas of sympatry have already been identified, particularly in southwestern Oregon, but the two species have not yet been found syntopically. Our data also reveal additional structure within C. tenuis; populations from the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains form an incipient lineage that warrants further investigation. The genetic and morphological subdivisions identified here allow future evolutionary and ecological studies, and conservations efforts, to focus on distinct evolutionary units within Contia.
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http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
A color image of the new snake may be viewed at
http://www.cnah.org/detail.asp?id=1407
Treefrog Taxonomy Treatise
Treefrog Taxonomy Treated
2005. Faivovich, Julián, Célio F. B. Haddad, Paulo C. A. Garcia, Darrel R. Frost, Jonathan A. Campbell & Ward C. Wheeler. Systematic review of the frog family Hylidae, with special reference to Hylinae: Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 294: 1-240.
Abstract [in part]
Hylidae is a large family of American, Australopapuan, and temperate Eurasian treefrogs of approximately 870 known species, divided among four subfamilies. Although some groups of Hylidae have been addressed phylogenetically, a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis has never been presented. The first goal of this paper is to review the current state of hylid systematics. We focus on the very large subfamily Hylinae (590 species), evaluate the monophyly of named taxa, and examine the evidential basis of the existing taxonomy. The second objective is to perform a phylogenetic analysis using mostly DNA sequence data in order to (1) test the monophyly of the Hylidae; (2) determine its constituent taxa, with special attention to the genera and species groups which form the subfamily Hylinae, and c) propose a new, monophyletic taxonomy consistent with the hypothesized relationships. We present a phylogenetic analysis of hylid frogs based on 276 terminals, including 228 hylids and 48 outgroup taxa. Included are exemplars of all but 1 of the 41 genera of Hylidae (of all four nominal subfamilies) and 39 of the 41 currently recognized species groups of the species-rich genus Hyla. The included taxa allowed us to test the monophyly of 24 of the 35 nonmonotypic genera and 25 species groups of Hyla. The phylogenetic analysis includes approximately 5100 base pairs from four mitochondrial (12S, tRNA valine, 16S, and cytochrome b) and five nuclear genes (rhodopsin, tyrosinase, RAG-1, seventh in absentia, and 28S), and a small data set from foot musculature. Concurring with previous studies, the present analysis indicates that Hemiphractinae are not related to the other three hylid subfamilies. It is therefore removed from the family and tentatively considered a subfamily of the paraphyletic Leptodactylidae. Hylidae is now restricted to Hylinae, Pelodryadinae, and Phyllomedusinae.
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The specific taxonomy for frogs of the family Hylidae found in the United States and Canada remains unchanged in this paper.
A pdf of the article may be viewed at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
No web site given
SISTER GROUP RELATIONSHIP OF TURTLES TO THE BIRD-CROCODILIAN CLADE REVEALED BY NUCLEAR DNA–CODED PROTEINS
Naoyuki Iwabe, Yuichiro Hara, Yoshinori Kumazawa, Kaori Shibamoto, Yumi Saito, Takashi Miyata, and Kazutaka Katoh
Molecular Biology and Evolution 22(4): 810–813 (2005)
Abstract: The phylogenetic position of turtles is a currently controversial issue. Recent molecular studies rejected a traditional view that turtles are basal living reptiles (Hedges, S. B., and L. L. Poling. 1999. A molecular phylogeny. Science 83: 998–1001; Kumazawa, Y., and M. Nishida. 1999. Complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of the Green Turtle and Bluetail Mole Skink, statistical evidence for archosaurian affinity of turtles. Mol. Biol. Evol. 16: 784–792). Instead, these studies grouped turtles with birds and crocodiles. The relationship among turtles, birds, and crocodiles remained unclear to date. To resolve this issue, we have cloned and sequenced two nuclear genes encoding the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase a and glycinamide ribonucleotide synthetase–aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase–glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase from amniotes and an amphibian. The amino acid sequences of these proteins were subjected to a phylogenetic analysis based on the maximum likelihood method. The resulting tree showed that turtles are the sister group to a monophyletic cluster of archosaurs (birds and crocodiles). All other possible tree topologies were significantly rejected.
A copy of this article can be downloaded gratis by visiting the CNAH PDF Library at
http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp
CNAH Note: The above paper is yet another that supports the higher-level taxonomy as shown on the CNAH web site at
http://www.cnah.org/taxonomy.asp
For those that use a traditional named hierarchy, turtles are a distinct Class.
No web site given
Dixon, James R. & Kathryn Vaughan [2003 The Status of Mexican and Southwestern United States Blind Snakes Allied with Leptotyphlops dulcis (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae). Texas Journal of Science 55(1): 3-24], using external morphological data, recognized the subspecies Leptotyphlops dulcis dissectus as a distinct species, and resurrected the name L. dulcis rubellum Garman 1883, for populations in southern Texas and adjacent Tamaulipas and Coahuila, Mexico.
US Lyre Snakes Now 2 Species
LaDuc, Travis J. & Jerry D. Johnson. 2003. A Taxonomic Revision of Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsoni (Serpentes: Colubridae). Herpetologica 59(3): 364-374. The authors recognized this taxon as species distinct from T. biscutatus, and recommended a standard common name of Chihuahuan Desert Lyre Snake, to better reflect its range.
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