Phylogenetic relationships of Pseudohynobius (Urodela, Hynobiidae) inferred from DNA barcoding analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACT. As a proven tool, DNA barcoding can identify species rapidly and unambiguously. In this study, we used mtDNA cyt b, COI, and 16s rRNA sequences of six species of Pseudohynobius, Protohynobius puxiongensis, Liua shihi, Ranodon sibiricus, and Pachyhynobius shangchengensis, to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods. Approximate lineage divergence times were also estimated, the divergence between them was calculated to have taken place mainly in Miocene. Our results showed that: 1) Ps. guizhouensis is an independent and valid species that is a sister species to Ps. kuankuoshuiensis; 2) five Pseudohynobius species formed a monophyletic group; 3) Ps. tsinpaensis is different from L. shihi, and should be classified as belonging to the Liua genus; and 4) Pr. puxiongensis is the sister lineage to all Pseudohynobius species, and should therefore be named Pseudohynobius puxiongensis.

In Silico Studies on Structural Function of Melanin Concentrating Hormone Receptor 1 Through Docking Approach, Towards Designing Drug for Treating Obesity

“…The phylogenetic analysis enabled to check the subject which is more related to the query in terms of homology because an accurate prediction must be based on the sequence similarity or the evolution (Cavalli-Sforza and Edwards 1967). Similar philosophy was applied in a research conducted on mitochondrial genome sequence (Zhao et al 2016), and their findings are in agreement with data discussed in this article.…”

Comparative osteology of the hynobiid complex Liua‐Protohynobius‐Pseudohynobius (Amphibia, Urodela): Ⅰ. Cranial anatomy of Pseudohynobius

“…flavomaculatus are distributed outside of Guizhou Province, with the former living in Chongqing Municipality and the latter living in Chongqing Municipality, and Hunan and Hubei provinces (Fei & Ye, 2016). Interestingly, species living inside and outside of Guizhou Province were previously recovered as two different subclades, respectively (Figure 1; Yang et al ., 2013; Zhao et al ., 2016). Our study reveal that members within each of these two subclades share several similar features: (1) the pars facialis of maxilla articulates both with the lacrimal and prefrontal in Ps .…”

“…Phylogenetically, Pseudohynobius is consistently found as the sister group to Liua in molecular studies based on mitochondrial DNA (Zeng et al, 2006;Weisrock et al, 2013), nuclear DNA (Chen et al, 2015) or a combination of both types of molecules (Weisrock et al, 2005;Peng et al, 2010;Pyron & Wiens, 2011;Zheng et al, 2011). Nevertheless, interspecific relationships of Pseudohynobius were in dispute: a recent study based on three mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase I, cytochrome b and 16S rRNA; Zhao et al, 2016) support that Ps. flavomaculatus and Ps.…”

“…shuichengensis was found instead as the most basal taxon of Pseudohynobius . The genus has no fossil record known so far, but previous dating analyses indicate that the splitting event between Pseudohynobius and Liua occurred in the Miocene (Tortonian–Burdigalian) (16–8 Mya of Zheng et al ., 2011; 18.8–11.4 Mya of Chen et al ., 2015) or Oligocene‐to‐early Miocene (33.34–22.59 Mya of Zhao et al ., 2016).…”

“…(2010) and Zhao et al . (2016). Note that photographs of representative formaldehyde‐preserved specimens of each species are in dorsal view: Ps .…”