A total evidence analysis of the phylogeny of hatchet‐faced treefrogs (Anura: Hylidae: Sphaenorhynchus)

Abstract

The Neotropical hylid genus Sphaenorhynchus includes 15 species of small, greenish treefrogs widespread in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Although some studies have addressed the phylogenetic relationships of the genus with other hylids using a few exemplar species, its internal relationships remain poorly understood. In order to test its monophyly and the relationships among its species, we performed a total evidence phylogenetic analysis of sequences of three mitochondrial and three nuclear genes, and 193 phenotypic characters from all species of Sphaenorhynchus. Our results support the monophyly of Sphaenorhynchus with molecular and phenotypic evidence, with S. pauloalvini as the earliest diverging taxon, followed by S. carneus, as the sister taxon of all remaining species of the genus. We recognize three species groups in Sphaenorhynchus (the S. lacteus, S. planicola and S. platycephalus groups), to facilitate its taxonomic study; only three species (S. carneus, S. pauloalvini and S. prasinus) remain unassigned to any group. Sequence data were not available for only two species (S. bromelicola and S. palustris) for which we scored phenotypic data; wildcard behaviour was detected only in S. bromelicola nested inside the S. platycephalus group. On the basis of the resulting phylogenetic hypothesis, we discuss the evolution of oviposition site and a number of phenotypic characters that could be associated with heterochronic events in the evolutionary history of this group.

A review of the elusive bicolored iris Snouted Treefrogs (Anura: Hylidae:Scinax uruguayus group)

“…uruguayus group might be unique within Scinax , since other species in this genus have an elongate medial ramus that covers the basal process but does not contact the prootic [2,149] (K Araujo-Vieira and J Faivovich, personal observations). An elongated medial ramus of pterygoid was reported in species of other hylid genera that had been related to Scinax ( Dendropsophus , Lysapsus , Pseudis , Scarthyla , and Sphaenorhynchus ; [21,136,137,149,150]). The only known exception is Xenohyla truncata (Izecksohn, 1959) (Fig 2 in [144]) that has a short medial ramus similar to that present in species of the S .…”

“…haddadorum , S . rupestris Araujo-Vieira, Brandão, and Faria, 2015, Dendropsophus , Scarthyla , Sphaenorhynchus , and Xenohyla ; [118,121,123,124,135,136]) or the base of the disc ( Lysapsus , Pseudis , and Sphaenorhynchus lacteus (Daudin, 1800); [122,137]). Under the recent phylogenetic hypotheses of Hylidae [9,10]—considering that the extent of webbing along each margin of the digit varies independently [138]—both reduced preaxial and postaxial webbing of Toe IV could be synapomorphies of the S .…”

“…The presence of these papillae has also been reported in larvae of S . camposseabrai [139] and some species of Sphaenorhynchus [123,137]. We consider the presence of marginal papillae on the posterior margin of the oral disc larger than those on the lateral margins as a putative synapomorphy of the S .…”

“…uruguayus group, with at least two instances of homoplasy in Hylinae—in S . camposseabrai and in an internal clade of Sphaenorhynchus (see [137]).…”

The phylogeny of the Casque‐headed Treefrogs (Hylidae: Hylinae: Lophyohylini)

“…luteolus (Ferreira et al, 2012; Motta‐Tavares et al, 2016; Araujo‐Vieira et al, 2018). This feeding habit is quite uncommon in hylids, being considered a putative synapomorphy of Sphaenorhynchus (Faivovich et al, 2005; Araujo‐Vieira et al, 2019). Araujo‐Vieira et al (2018), based on the diet of Ph.…”