Discovery of the first Asian plethodontid salamander

Min, Mi‐Sook; Yang, Sun; Bonett, Ronald M.; Vieites, David R.; Brandon, Ronald A.; Wake, David B.

doi:10.1038/nature03474

Cited by 98 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…An important acceleration in the rate of new discoveries, mainly from tropical areas, is obvious from many recent studies (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). These discoveries are not the result of taxonomic inflation (9,14,17), but correspond to real divergent species (18,19). Although high numbers of undescribed amphibians have been estimated to exist in poorly studied tropical regions (11,15), these results remain unverified for complete, highly diverse amphibian faunas.…”

mentioning

confidence: 88%

Vast underestimation of Madagascar's biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory

Vieites

Wollenberg

Andreone

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

592

738

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Amphibians are in decline worldwide. However, their patterns of diversity, especially in the tropics, are not well understood, mainly because of incomplete information on taxonomy and distribution. We assess morphological, bioacoustic, and genetic variation of Madagascar's amphibians, one of the first near-complete taxon samplings from a biodiversity hotspot. Based on DNA sequences of 2,850 specimens sampled from over 170 localities, our analyses reveal an extreme proportion of amphibian diversity, projecting an almost 2-fold increase in species numbers from the currently described 244 species to a minimum of 373 and up to 465. This diversity is widespread geographically and across most major phylogenetic lineages except in a few previously well-studied genera, and is not restricted to morphologically cryptic clades. We classify the genealogical lineages in confirmed and unconfirmed candidate species or deeply divergent conspecific lineages based on concordance of genetic divergences with other characters. This integrative approach may be widely applicable to improve estimates of organismal diversity. Our results suggest that in Madagascar the spatial pattern of amphibian richness and endemism must be revisited, and current habitat destruction may be affecting more species than previously thought, in amphibians as well as in other animal groups. This case study suggests that worldwide tropical amphibian diversity is probably underestimated at an unprecedented level and stresses the need for integrated taxonomic surveys as a basis for prioritizing conservation efforts within biodiversity hotspots.biodiversity estimates ͉ new candidate species ͉ phylogeny ͉ DNA barcoding

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mentioning

confidence: 88%

Vast underestimation of Madagascar's biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory

Vieites

Wollenberg

Andreone

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

592

738

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“…Specimens of Karsenia koreana were collected in 2005 and 2006 from the type locality (Min et al 2005), by DV and MSM. Chromosome preparations were done in the field for two female specimens in 2005, with poor results.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The absence of plethodontids from elsewhere in Europe or anywhere in Asia has been a major biogeographic puzzle for decades. The recent discovery of an Asian plethodontid from South Korea, Karsenia koreana (Min et al 2005), has helped to clarify the phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of Holarctic plethodontids. Molecular phylogenetic studies of these species have led to a reassessment of their taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships (Mueller et al 2004, Wiens et al 2005Vieites et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cytogenetic analysis of the Asian Plethodontid salamander, Karsenia koreana: Evidence for karyotypic conservation, chromosome repatterning, and genome size evolution

et al. 2008

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“…The disjunct and highly asymmetric Holarctic distribution of the family, with Ϸ98% of the species in the Americas and a few in the Mediterranean region, has long been a biogeographic puzzle (7)(8)(9), with the debate centered on the timing and route of colonization of Eurasia (reinvigorated with the recent discovery of Karsenia, the first East Asian plethodontid; ref. 10). The distribution of the supergenus (Sg) Hydromantes, with representatives in western North America and in the Mediterranean, has been considered enigmatic, even paradoxical, given the high degree of philopatry, small ranges, and low dispersal capacity of plethodontids (11).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid diversification and dispersal during periods of global warming by plethodontid salamanders

Vieites

Min

Wake

2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

206

235

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A phylogeny and timescale derived from analyses of multilocus nuclear DNA sequences for Holarctic genera of plethodontid salamanders reveal them to be an old radiation whose common ancestor diverged from sister taxa in the late Jurassic and underwent rapid diversification during the late Cretaceous. A North American origin of plethodontids was followed by a continentalwide diversification, not necessarily centered only in the Appalachian region. The colonization of Eurasia by plethodontids most likely occurred once, by dispersal during the late Cretaceous. Subsequent diversification in Asia led to the origin of Hydromantes and Karsenia, with the former then dispersing both to Europe and back to North America. Salamanders underwent rapid episodes of diversification and dispersal that coincided with major global warming events during the late Cretaceous and again during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal optimum. The major clades of plethodontids were established during these episodes, contemporaneously with similar phenomena in angiosperms, arthropods, birds, and mammals. Periods of global warming may have promoted diversification and both inter-and transcontinental dispersal in northern hemisphere salamanders by making available terrain that shortened dispersal routes and offered new opportunities for adaptive and vicariant evolution.historical biogeography ͉ paleogeography ͉ Plethodontidae dispersal ͉ salamander phylogeny ͉ phylogeny P lethodontidae, the most speciose family of salamanders, is also the most differentiated in morphology, ecology, and behavior. The family includes Ϸ68% of the extant described species of caudate amphibians (1). New analyses of mtDNA, nuclear DNA, and morphology (2-6) have achieved consensus on many aspects of phylogenetic relationships, but unresolved conflicts remain. The disjunct and highly asymmetric Holarctic distribution of the family, with Ϸ98% of the species in the Americas and a few in the Mediterranean region, has long been a biogeographic puzzle (7-9), with the debate centered on the timing and route of colonization of Eurasia (reinvigorated with the recent discovery of Karsenia, the first East Asian plethodontid; ref. 10

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Discovery of the first Asian plethodontid salamander

Cited by 98 publications

References 10 publications

Vast underestimation of Madagascar's biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory

Vast underestimation of Madagascar's biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory

Cytogenetic analysis of the Asian Plethodontid salamander, Karsenia koreana: Evidence for karyotypic conservation, chromosome repatterning, and genome size evolution

Rapid diversification and dispersal during periods of global warming by plethodontid salamanders

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