Continue reading ‘Review of the systematics, distribution, biogeography and natural history of Moroccan amphibians’ »]]>

Beukema et al. 2013

The amphibian fauna of the Kingdom of Morocco was traditionally regarded as poor and closely related to its European counterpart. However, an increase in research during the last decades revealed a considerable degree of endemism amongst Moroccan amphibians, as well as phenotypic and genotypic inter- and intraspecific divergence. Despite this increase in knowledge, a comprehensible overview is lacking while several systematic issues have remained unresolved. We herein present a contemporary overview of the distribution, taxonomy and biogeography of Moroccan amphibians.

Fourteen fieldtrips were made by the authors and colleagues between 2000 and 2012, which produced a total of 292 new distribution records. Furthermore, based on the results of the present work, we (i) review the systematics of the genus Salamandra in Morocco, including the description of a new subspecies from the Rif- and Middle Atlas Mountains, Salamandra algira splendens ssp. nov.; (ii) present data on intraspecific morphological variability of Pelobates varaldii and Pleurodeles waltl in Morocco; (iii) attempt to resolve the phylogenetic position of Bufo brongersmai and erect a new genus for this species, Barbarophryne gen. nov.; (iv) summarize and assess the availability of tadpole-specific characteristics and bioacoustical data, and (v) summarize natural history data.

Beukema, W., de Pous, P., Donaire-Barroso, D., Bogaerts, S., Garcia Porta, J., Escoriza, D., Arribas, O.J., El Mouden, E.H., and Carranza, S. (2013) Review of the systematics, distribution, biogeography and natural history of Moroccan amphibians: a contemporary synthesis. Zootaxa 3661: 01-60 PDF

Continue reading ‘The rediscovered Hula painted frog is a living fossil’ »]]>

Biton et al. 2013

Amphibian declines are seen as an indicator of the onset of a sixth mass extinction of life on earth. Because of a combination of factors such as habitat destruction, emerging pathogens and pollutants, over 156 amphibian species have not been seen for several decades, and 34 of these were listed as extinct by 2004. Here we report the rediscovery of the Hula painted frog, the first amphibian to have been declared extinct. We provide evidence that not only has this species survived undetected in its type locality for almost 60 years but also that it is a surviving member of an otherwise extinct genus of alytid frogs, Latonia, known only as fossils from Oligocene to Pleistocene in Europe. The survival of this living fossil is a striking example of resilience to severe habitat degradation during the past century by an amphibian.

Biton, R., E. Geffen, M. Vences, O. Cohen, S. Bailon, R. Rabinovich, Y. Malka, T. Oron, R. Boistel, V. Brumfeld & S. Gafny (2013): The rediscovered Hula painted frog is a living fossil. – Nature Communications 4: e1959.

http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/130604/ncomms2959/full/ncomms2959.html

Continue reading ‘Out of Arabia: A Complex Biogeographic History of Multiple Vicariance and Dispersal Events in the Gecko Genus Hemidactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae)’ »]]>

Šmíd et al. 2013

The geological history of the Arabian Peninsula has played a crucial role in shaping current diversity and distribution patterns of many Arabian and African faunal elements. The gecko genus Hemidactylus is not an exception. In this study, we provide an insight into the phylogeny and systematics of 45 recognized species of the so-called Arid clade of the genusHemidactylus from Arabia, the Horn of Africa, the Levant and Iran. The material comprises 358 specimens sequenced for up to two mitochondrial (12S rRNA, cytochrome b) and four nuclear (mc1r, cmos, rag1, rag2) genes with 4766 bp of the concatenated alignment length. A robust calibrated phylogeny and reconstruction of historical biogeography are inferred. We link the history of this genus with major geological events that occurred in the region within the last 30 million years. Two basal divergences correspond with the break-ups of the Arabian and African landmasses and subsequent separation of Socotra from the Arabian mainland, respectively, segregating the genus by means of vicariance. Formation of the Red Sea led to isolation and subsequent radiation in the Arabian Peninsula, which was followed by multiple independent expansions: 13.1 Ma to Iran; 9.8 Ma to NE Africa; 8.2 to Socotra Archipelago; 7–7.3 Ma two colonizations to the Near East; 5.9 Ma to NE Africa; and 4.1 to Socotra. Moreover, using multiple genetic markers we detected cryptic diversity within the genus, particularly in south-western Arabia and the Ethiopian highlands, and confirmed the existence of at least seven new species in the area. These findings highlight the role of Arabia and the Horn of Africa as an important Hemidactylus diversity hotspot.

Šmíd J, Carranza S, Kratochvíl L, Gvoždík V, Nasher AK, et al. (2013) Out of Arabia: A Complex Biogeographic History of Multiple Vicariance and Dispersal Events in the Gecko Genus Hemidactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). PLoS ONE 8(5): e64018. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064018

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0064018

Continue reading ‘Phylogeographic patterns of genetic diversity in the common spadefoot toad, Pelobates fuscus (Anura: Pelobatidae), reveals evolutionary history, postglacial range expansion and secondary contact’ »]]>

Litvinchuk et al. 2013

Based on allozyme variation of 410 newly collected individuals from 52 localities, we reconstructed range-wide phylogeography of the widespread Western Palearctic anuran, Pelobates fuscus. To study genetic diversity, evolutionary history, postglacial range expansion and secondary contact zones, we used a multidisciplinary approach combining information from various genetic analyses and ecological niche modeling. We confirmed the presence of two main groups in P. fuscus, initially revealed by genome size variation. Pelobates f. vespertinus presents a monomorphic group, but two main groups can be identified in P. f. fuscus: an East European and a West European group. We suggest the existence of at least four different Last Glacial refugia for P. fuscus: (1) the area between the Caspian and Azov Seas as the origin for the expansion of P. f. vespertinus; (2) the northwestern part of the Black Sea area for the East European P. f. fuscus; (3) the southwestern part of the Pannonian Plain and (4) the Po Plain for the West European P. f. fuscus. The routes of postglacial range expansions from the refugia are discussed. We newly identified a hybrid zone between P. f. fuscus and P. f. vespertinus. The width of this zone is about 12.5 km. In light of these findings, the two subspecies of P. fuscus constitute distinct evolutionary lineages and merit recognition as separate species. Our data do not provide support for the validity of P.f. insubricus. We therefore propose to synonymize this subspecies with P. f. fuscus.

Litvinchuk, S.N., Crottini, A., Federici, S., de Pous, P., Donaire, D., Andreone, F., Kalezić, M.L., Džukić, Lada, G.A., Borkin, L.J. and Rosanov, J.M. (In press ) Phylogeographic patterns of genetic diversity in the common spadefoot toad, Pelobates fuscus, reveals evolutionary history, postglacial range expansion and secondary contact. Organisms Diversity & Evolution DOI 10.1007/s13127-013-0127-5

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13127-013-0127-5

Continue reading ‘The conservation status of the world’s reptiles’ »]]>

Böhm et al 2013

Effective and targeted conservation action requires detailed information about species, their distribution, systematics and ecology as well as the distribution of threat processes which affect them. Knowledge of reptilian diversity remains surprisingly disparate, and innovative means of gaining rapid insight into the status of reptiles are needed in order to highlight urgent conservation cases and inform environmental policy with appropriate biodiversity information in a timely manner. We present the first ever global analysis of extinction risk in reptiles, based on a random representative sample of 1500 species (16% of all currently known species). To our knowledge, our results provide the first analysis of the global conservation status and distribution patterns of reptiles and the threats affecting them, highlighting conservation priorities and knowledge gaps which need to be addressed urgently to ensure the continued survival of the world’s reptiles. Nearly one in five reptilian species are threatened with extinction, with another one in five species classed as Data Deficient. The proportion of threatened reptile species is highest in freshwater environments, tropical regions and on oceanic islands, while data deficiency was highest in tropical areas, such as Central Africa and Southeast Asia, and among fossorial reptiles. Our results emphasise the need for research attention to be focussed on tropical areas which are experiencing the most dramatic rates of habitat loss, on fossorial reptiles for which there is a chronic lack of data, and on certain taxa such as snakes for which extinction risk may currently be underestimated due to lack of population information. Conservation actions specifically need to mitigate the effects of human-induced habitat loss and harvesting, which are the predominant threats to reptiles.

Böhm et al. (2013): The conservation status of the world’s reptiles. Biological Conservation 157: 372–385

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320712003357

Continue reading ‘An Update of Wallace’s Zoogeographic Regions of the World’ »]]>

Holt et al. 2012

Modern attempts to produce biogeographic maps focus on the distribution of species and are typically drawn without phylogenetic considerations. Here, we generate a global map of zoogeographic regions by combining data on the distributions and phylogenetic relationships of 21,037 species of amphibians, birds, and mammals. We identify 20 distinct zoogeographic regions, which are grouped into 11 larger realms. We document the lack of support for several regions previously defined based on distributional data and show that spatial turnover in the phylogenetic composition of vertebrate assemblages is higher in the Southern than in the Northern Hemisphere. We further show that the integration of phylogenetic information provides valuable insight on historical relationships among regions, permitting the identification of evolutionarily unique regions of the world.

Ben G. Holt, Jean-Philippe Lessard, Michael K. Borregaard, Susanne A. Fritz, Miguel B. Araújo, Dimitar Dimitrov, Pierre-Henri Fabre, Catherine H. Graham, Gary R. Graves, Knud A. Jønsson, David Nogués-Bravo, Zhiheng Wang, Robert J. Whittaker, Jon Fjeldså, Carsten Rahbek (2012): An Update of Wallace’s Zoogeographic Regions of the World. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1228282

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/12/19/science.1228282.full?explicitversion=true

Continue reading ‘Comparative phylogeography of six herpetofauna species in Cyprus: late Miocene to Pleistocene colonization routes’ »]]>

Poulakakis et al 2013

The colonization patterns of oceanic islands are often interpreted through transmarine dispersal. However, in islands with intense human activities and unclear geological history, this inference may be inappropriate. Cyprus is such an island, whose geotectonic evolution has not been clarified yet to the desired level for biogeographical reconstructions, leaving the questions of ‘how the Cypriote biota arrived’ and ‘does the dispersal have the formative role in patterns of its diversification’ unanswered. Here, we address these issues through a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of six herptiles (Ablepharus budaki, Ophisops elegans, Acanthodactylus schreiberi, Telescopus fallax, Pelophylax cf. bedriagae, and Hyla savignyi) by means of mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b and 16S rRNA), applying a Bayesian phylogenetic, biogeographical, and chronophylogenetic analyses. The phylogeographical analyses show that the colonization history of those species in Cyprus started in the late Miocene and extended into the Pliocene and Pleistocene, with geodispersal, transmarine dispersal, and human-mediated dispersal having their share in shaping the diversification of Cypriote herptiles. The revealed patterns could be divided into three biogeographical categories: old colonizers that arrived in Cyprus during the late Miocene or early Pliocene either by a land bridge (geodispersal) which connected Cyprus with the mainland or by transmarine dispersal, younger colonizers that reached the island through transmarine dispersal from the Middle East, and new settlers that arrived through human-induced (voluntary or not) introductions. This work advances our knowledge of the biogeography of Cyprus and highlights the need to consider both geo- and transmarine dispersal when dealing with islands whose associations do not have a straightforward interpretation.

Nikos Poulakakis, Paschalia Kapli, Afroditi Kardamaki, Eirini Skourtanioti1, Bayram Göcmen, Çetin Ilgaz, Yusuf Kumlutas¸ Aziz Avci and Petros Lymberakis (2013) Comparative phylogeography of six herpetofauna species in Cyprus: late Miocene to Pleistocene colonization routes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.02039.x

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2012.02039.x/abstract

Continue reading ‘A preliminary phylogeny of the Palearctic naked-toed geckos (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) with taxonomic implications’ »]]>

Bauer et al. 2013

Palearctic naked-toed geckos are a group of gekkonid geckos that range from North Africa to northern India and western China, with their greatest diversity in Iran and Pakistan. Relationships among the constituent genera remain incompletely resolved and the monophyly of key genera remains unverified. Further, competing classifications are in current use and many species have been allocated to different genera by different authors. We used both mitochondrial (ND2) and nuclear genes (RAG1, PDC) to explore relationships among representatives of all but one genus in the group (Rhinogecko), including four genera not previously included in phylogenetic analyses (Asiocolotes, Altigekko, Indogekko, and Siwaligekko). Siwaligekko (and presumably other Tibeto-Himalayan species often referred to Cyrtopodion) are more closely related to tropical Asian Cyrtodactylus than to Palearctic naked-toed geckos. Sampled species of Asiocolotes and Altigekko are sister taxa, but both genera are here considered junior subjective synonyms of Altiphylax. Cyrtopodion sensu lato is non-monophyletic; Mediodactylus and Tenuidactylus, which have variably been considered as subgenera or synonyms of Cyrtopodion are both valid genera. Indogekko is embedded within Cyrtopodion and is here treated as a subgenus. Bunopus and Crossobamon are closely related to one-another, and with Agamura are interdigitated among taxa previously assigned to Cyrtopodion. Our data confirm the previous identification of a Saharo-Arabian Stenodactylus/Tropiocolotes/Pseudoceramodactylus clade and verify that Microgecko and Alsophylax are not members of the main clade of Palearctic naked-toed geckos. Osteological differences between Tropiocolotes and Microgecko, formerly treated as congeneric, are discussed and illustrated. The divergence between Cyrtodactylus and the Palearctic naked-toed clade predates the initial collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, but deeper divergences within both groups are consistent with mountain building in the Himalayas and adjacent ranges as promoting cladogenic events. Miocene divergences within Tenuidactylus are consistent with vicariant speciation caused by uplift events in the Iranian and Transcaspian regions. Taxonomic implications of our phylogenetic results are discussed and a preliminary allocation of all species of padless Palearctic gekkonids to genus is provided.

Aaron M. Bauer, Rafaqat Masroor, James Titus-Mcquillan, Matthew P. Heinicke, Juan D. Daza & Todd R. Jackman (2013): A preliminary phylogeny of the Palearctic naked-toed geckos (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) with taxonomic implications. Zootaxa 3599 (4): 301–324