TY - JOUR

T1 - Molecular, morphological and osteological differentiation of a new species of microhylid frog of the genus Stumpffia from northwestern Madagascar

AU - Klages, Johannes

AU - Glaw, Frank

AU - Kohler, Jorn

AU - Müller, Johannes

AU - Hipsley, Christy A.

AU - Vences, Miguel

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - We describe a new small-sized microhylid frog of the genus Stumpffia and provide a preliminary survey of Stumpffia di-versity in northern and northwestern Madagascar based on molecular and morphological data. Analysis of 68 previously published and 142 newly generated DNA sequences of a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene revealed a large genetic diversity within Stumpffia, with numerous strongly differentiated lineages occurring across Madagascar. The anal-ysis confirmed a clade formed exclusively by Stumpffia species occurring in north/northwestern Madagascar and contain-ing almost all species from this area. Based on DNA sequences of the RAG1 gene, we further assess that most of the deep mitochondrial lineages do not share haplotypes in this nuclear marker, even in the few cases of sympatry, which we inter-pret as confirmation of their status as independent evolutionary lineages. Micro-computed tomography revealed subtle dif-ferences in phalangeal formulae among some of these candidate species, providing additional taxonomic characters for future revisions of the genus. The newly described species Stumpffia analamaina sp. nov. occurs 27 km north-west of Ant-sohihy and is at present the southernmost confirmed Stumpffia of the north/northwestern clade. It is mainly characterized by a snout-vent length of 10-12 mm, advertisement calls consisting of a series of short melodious chirps, manus with four fingers and pes with five toes, with only slight length reduction of first finger and toe. It furthermore does not share hap-lotypes with any other Stumpffia species in 16S or RAG1, and has relatively longer hands and feet compared with other small-sized Stumpffia of the north/northwestern clade such as S. madagascariensis and S. pygmaea. The new species lives in an area of dry forest where it was found in leaf litter along a small stream bordered by degraded gallery vegetation. Due to the limited distributions of almost all species in the north/northwestern Stumpffia clade, the rareness of appropriate mi-crohabitat around the type locality of S. analamaina sp. nov. and the rampant habitat destruction in this part of Madagas-car, we propose a threat status of Critically Endangered for this new species.

AB - We describe a new small-sized microhylid frog of the genus Stumpffia and provide a preliminary survey of Stumpffia di-versity in northern and northwestern Madagascar based on molecular and morphological data. Analysis of 68 previously published and 142 newly generated DNA sequences of a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene revealed a large genetic diversity within Stumpffia, with numerous strongly differentiated lineages occurring across Madagascar. The anal-ysis confirmed a clade formed exclusively by Stumpffia species occurring in north/northwestern Madagascar and contain-ing almost all species from this area. Based on DNA sequences of the RAG1 gene, we further assess that most of the deep mitochondrial lineages do not share haplotypes in this nuclear marker, even in the few cases of sympatry, which we inter-pret as confirmation of their status as independent evolutionary lineages. Micro-computed tomography revealed subtle dif-ferences in phalangeal formulae among some of these candidate species, providing additional taxonomic characters for future revisions of the genus. The newly described species Stumpffia analamaina sp. nov. occurs 27 km north-west of Ant-sohihy and is at present the southernmost confirmed Stumpffia of the north/northwestern clade. It is mainly characterized by a snout-vent length of 10-12 mm, advertisement calls consisting of a series of short melodious chirps, manus with four fingers and pes with five toes, with only slight length reduction of first finger and toe. It furthermore does not share hap-lotypes with any other Stumpffia species in 16S or RAG1, and has relatively longer hands and feet compared with other small-sized Stumpffia of the north/northwestern clade such as S. madagascariensis and S. pygmaea. The new species lives in an area of dry forest where it was found in leaf litter along a small stream bordered by degraded gallery vegetation. Due to the limited distributions of almost all species in the north/northwestern Stumpffia clade, the rareness of appropriate mi-crohabitat around the type locality of S. analamaina sp. nov. and the rampant habitat destruction in this part of Madagas-car, we propose a threat status of Critically Endangered for this new species.

KW - Amphibia

KW - Anura

KW - Computed Tomography

KW - Cophylinae

KW - Microhylidae

KW - Molecular phylogeny

KW - Oste-ology

KW - Stumpffia analamaina sp. nov.

U2 - 10.11646/zootaxa.3717.2.8

DO - 10.11646/zootaxa.3717.2.8

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 26176106

AN - SCOPUS:84885159226

VL - 3717

SP - 280

EP - 300

JO - Zootaxa

JF - Zootaxa

SN - 1175-5326

IS - 2

ER -