We report on the discovery of a new genus of microhylid subfamily Asterophryinae from northern and eastern Indochina, containing three new species. Vietnamophryne (3en. nov. are secretive miniaturized frogs (SVL〈21...We report on the discovery of a new genus of microhylid subfamily Asterophryinae from northern and eastern Indochina, containing three new species. Vietnamophryne (3en. nov. are secretive miniaturized frogs (SVL〈21 mm) with a mostly semi-fossorial lifestyle. To assess phylogenetic relationships, we studied 12S rRNA - 16S rRNA mtDNA fragments with a final alignment of 2 591 bp for 53 microhylid species. Morphological and osteological characters were analyzed using micro-CT scanning and used to describe the new genus. Results of phylogenetic analyses assigned the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus Siamophryne from southern Indochina. The three specimens collected from Gia Lai Province in central Vietnam, Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam, and Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand proved to be separate species, different both in morphology and genetics (genetic divergence 3.1%〈P〈5.1%). Our work provides further evidence for the "out of Indo-Eurasia" scenario for Asterophryinae, indicating that the initial cladogenesis and differentiation of this group of frogs occurred in the Indochina Peninsula. To date, eachof the three new species of Vietnamophryne Gen. nov. is known only from a single specimen; thus, their distribution, life history, and conservation status require further study.展开更多
基金supported by the programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31501843,31622052)Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute,Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)(Y4ZK111B01:2017CASSEABRIQG002)+2 种基金Animal Branch of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species,CAS(Large Research Infrastructure Funding)Thailand Research Fund(TRF)(DBG6180001)Molecular experiments,phylogenetic analyses,specimen storage,examination and micro CT-analysis were carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation(RSF14-50-00029)
文摘We report on the discovery of a new genus of microhylid subfamily Asterophryinae from northern and eastern Indochina, containing three new species. Vietnamophryne (3en. nov. are secretive miniaturized frogs (SVL〈21 mm) with a mostly semi-fossorial lifestyle. To assess phylogenetic relationships, we studied 12S rRNA - 16S rRNA mtDNA fragments with a final alignment of 2 591 bp for 53 microhylid species. Morphological and osteological characters were analyzed using micro-CT scanning and used to describe the new genus. Results of phylogenetic analyses assigned the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus Siamophryne from southern Indochina. The three specimens collected from Gia Lai Province in central Vietnam, Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam, and Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand proved to be separate species, different both in morphology and genetics (genetic divergence 3.1%〈P〈5.1%). Our work provides further evidence for the "out of Indo-Eurasia" scenario for Asterophryinae, indicating that the initial cladogenesis and differentiation of this group of frogs occurred in the Indochina Peninsula. To date, eachof the three new species of Vietnamophryne Gen. nov. is known only from a single specimen; thus, their distribution, life history, and conservation status require further study.