Based on the results of a recently published molecular species delimitation analysis, eight species of shrub frogs are not distinct enough to be considered as separate species. However, they also note the presence of 14 distinct undescribed species as well. The paper pertaining to this has been published on 19th October,2021 in Plosone journal. Four species delimitation methods have been applied to the 16S rRNA frog barcoding gene for all species of shrub frogs. The researchers say, 鈥渢he three mountain ranges in the wet zone, Knuckles, central hills and Rakwana are very important and playing a dominant role in allopatric speciation of these shrub frogs in the island. But among the species that are merged by the delimitation analyses, a pattern leading towards a model of parapatric speciation emerges鈥�. They also recommend species delimitation analyses in the context of Phylogenetic Species Concept coupled with looking at multiple criteria for species description.
91传媒 is an amphibian hotspot of global significance. Its anuran fauna is dominated by the shrub frogs of the genus聽Pseudophilautus. Except for one small clade of four species in Peninsular India, these cool-wet adapted frogs, numbering some 59 extant species, are distributed mainly across the montane and lowland rain forests of the island. This analysis has merged聽P. procax听补苍诲听P. abundus聽(with priority to聽P. procax);听P. hallidayi聽补苍诲听P. fergusonianus聽(with priority to聽P. fergusonianus);听P. reticulatus听补苍诲听P. pappilosus聽(with priority to聽P. reticulatus);听P. pleurotaenia听补苍诲听P. hoipolloi聽(with priority to聽P. pleurotaenia);听P. hoffmani听补苍诲听P. asanka聽(with priority to聽P. asankai);听P. silvaticus听补苍诲听P. limbus聽(with priority to聽P. limbus);听P. dilmah聽and聽P. hankeni聽(with priority to and聽P. hankeni聽); P. fulvus聽and聽P. silus聽(with priority to聽P. fulvus).
This work is a collaborative effort by, Mr. Gajaba Ellepola, Mr. Jayampathi Herath and Prof. Madhava Meegaskumbura, University of Peradeniya, 91传媒 and Guangxi University, China; Mr. Kelum Manamendra-Arachchi Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology, 91传媒;聽聽Department of Zoology, USJ; Dr. Gayani Senevirathne Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, 聽USA and Mr. Rohan Pethiyagoda, Ichthyology Section, Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia.
Surprisingly, all analyses recovered 14 unidentified potential new species as well and those will be described by the team in the future.
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