A diamond in the rough desert shrublands of the Great Basin in the Western United States: A new cryptic toad species (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Bufo (Anaxyrus)) discovered in Northern Nevada

Gordon, Michelle R.; Simandle, Eric T.; Tracy, C. Richard

doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4290.1.7

Cited by 909 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Late Cenozoic paleogeographic reconstructions, for example, can be used as the basis for hypotheses about the histories of desert organisms in these landscapes (i.e., vicariance and dispersal in and among regions), which can then be tested using phylogeography. Such phylogeographic studies of widespread desert-adapted taxa often identify cryptic species and species complexes (Boratynski, Brito, & Mappes, 2012;Bryson, Riddle, Graham, Smith, & Prendini, 2013;Gordon, Simandle, & Tracy, 2017;López-López, Hudson, & Galián, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic species and co‐diversification in sand scorpions from the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts of Central Asia

et al. 2019

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Little is known about species diversification within the deserts of Central Asia. For example, the degree of lineage divergence and timing of population differentiation, as well as potential biogeographic barriers driving diversification, are nearly unknown. Here, we analysed a multi‐locus data set for a widespread sand scorpion (Mesobuthus gorelovi) to evaluate cryptic species diversity and phylogeographic patterns across the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts. We also combined these data with previously published sequence data to test for a signal of co‐diversification. A consensus species delimitation approach indicated that the widespread M. gorelovi is likely composed of up to five distinct species that began to diversify at the Miocene–Pliocene boundary. We observed shared patterns of lineage divergence across the Amu Darya River region in three scorpion taxa and found support for a shared history of assemblage diversification across this biogeographic barrier. Thus, major river systems appear to facilitate diversification among desert scorpions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic species and co‐diversification in sand scorpions from the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts of Central Asia

et al. 2019

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“…Similarly, Thomas et al [66] described alligator snapping turtles ( Macrochelys temminckii ) from the Apalachicola River and adjacent rivers to be a distinct species, despite microsatellite data from Echelle et al [67] that are inconsistent with this conclusion [68]. In a similar example, Gordon et al [69] used mtDNA to describe a population of Anaxyrus boreas in the western United States as a distinct species, but this conclusion was contested by microsatellite analysis of gene flow [70].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic, population genetic, and morphological analyses reveal evidence for one species of Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi)

Folt

Bauder

Spear

et al. 2018

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30Accurate species delimitation and description are necessary to guide effective conservation 31 management of imperiled species. The Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) is a large 32 species in North America that is federally-protected as Threatened under the Endangered Species 33 Act. Recently, two associated studies hypothesized that Drymarchon couperi is two species. 34 Here, we use diverse approaches to test the two-species hypothesis for D. couperi. Our analyses 35 reveal that (1) phylogenetic reconstruction in previous studies was based entirely on variance of 36 mitochondrial DNA sequence data, (2) microsatellite data demonstrate significant population 37 admixture and nuclear gene flow between mitochondrial lineages, and (3) morphological 38 analyses recover a single diagnosable species. Our results are inconsistent with the two-species 39 hypothesis, thus we reject it and formally place Drymarchon kolpobasileus into synonymy with 40 D. couperi. We suggest inconsistent patterns between mitochondrial and nuclear DNA may be 41 driven by high dispersal of males relative to females. We caution against species delimitation 42 exercises when one or few loci are used without evaluation of contemporary gene flow, 43 particularly species with strong sex-biased dispersal (e.g., squamates) and/or when results have 44 implications for ongoing conservation efforts. 45 46 65 Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle [13]. 66 Current conservation management plans for D. couperi were developed under the 67 hypothesis that D. couperi represents a single species. However, this hypothesis was recently 68 challenged by Krysko et al. [15], who used DNA sequence analyses to describe two genetic 69 lineages of D. couperi -an Atlantic lineage, including populations in southeastern Georgia and 70 eastern peninsular Florida, and a Gulf lineage of populations in western and southern peninsular 71Florida and the Florida panhandle. This phylogeographic study was followed by a second paper 72 [16] that analyzed morphological variation between the Atlantic and Gulf lineages and provided 73 4 an official description of the Gulf lineage as a purported novel species, the Gulf Coast Indigo 74 Snake (Drymarchon kolpobasileus). 75 Given the conservation status of D. couperi (sensu lato), these results have potentially 76 important consequences for the conservation of Eastern Indigo Snakes. First, division of D. 77 couperi (sensu lato) into two smaller-ranged species results in two species with substantially 78 smaller population sizes that are, therefore, at greater risk of extinction (sensu [2]; e.g., [17]). 79 Second, conservation and recovery of two rare species requires more time and funds than one, 80 and both resources are in short supply. Finally, as noted by Krysko et al. [15], active 81 conservation management plans for D. couperi (sensu lato) include population repatriation 82 projects in Alabama and the Florida panhandle, where populations attributed to the Gulf lineage 83 presumably were...

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“…Genetics.-Following the methods described in Gordon et al (2017), tissue samples were collected from individuals identified as B. boreas ( Fig. 1B; n ¼ 308), B. canorus (n ¼ 32), B. exsul (n ¼ 30), B. nelsoni (n ¼ 32), and B. williamsi (n ¼ 7).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1. Sampling localities of congeneric taxa within the B. boreas species complex included for morphological (A) and DNA (B) collections within the hydrological Great Basin and surrounding states (Gordon et al, 2017). (A) Colors indicate species-specific populations measured for morphological analysis, with stars denoting new species.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A MPHIBIANS are among the rarest vertebrates in the Great Basin Desert, yet the western toad (Bufo [Anaxyrus] boreas) can be found throughout much of the region with a range that extends across the western United States. The B. boreas species complex, which includes the cosmopolitan B. boreas, plus four narrowly distributed endemics confined to the hydrologic Great Basin: B. canorus, B. exsul, B. nelsoni, and the newly described B. williamsi (Gordon et al, 2017) are examples of the unique aquaticdependent taxa within this arid ecoregion. Previous analyses examining the genetic diversity and endemism within the B. boreas species complex have suggested that cryptic lineages are likely present within the western toad's broad geographic range, and that the current taxonomy does not accurately reflect the diversity of B. boreas (Stephens, 2001), particularly around the Great Basin (Goebel, 2005;Goebel et al, 2009;Switzer et al, 2009).…”

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Two New Cryptic Endemic Toads of Bufo Discovered in Central Nevada, Western United States (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Bufo [Anaxyrus])

Gordon

Simandle

Sandmeier

et al. 2020

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A diamond in the rough desert shrublands of the Great Basin in the Western United States: A new cryptic toad species (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Bufo (Anaxyrus)) discovered in Northern Nevada

Cited by 909 publications

References 39 publications

Cryptic species and co‐diversification in sand scorpions from the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts of Central Asia

Cryptic species and co‐diversification in sand scorpions from the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts of Central Asia

Phylogenetic, population genetic, and morphological analyses reveal evidence for one species of Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi)

Two New Cryptic Endemic Toads of Bufo Discovered in Central Nevada, Western United States (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Bufo [Anaxyrus])

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