Relaciones filogenéticas del género Batrachyla (Anura: Batrachylidae) basadas en evidencia molecular.
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Date
2025
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Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
En Chile, los anfibios (Clase Lissamphibia) están representados por 58 especies nativas de anuros, pertenecientes a siete familias y 14 géneros. Uno de estos géneros, Batrachyla, cuenta con cinco especies endémicas del cono sur de Sudamérica: B. taeniata, B. leptopus, B. antartandica, B. nibaldoi y B. fitzroya. Mientras que las tres primeras tienen una distribución amplia en Chile y más reducida en Argentina, B. nibaldoi y B. fitzroya son endémicas de áreas específicas de Chile y Argentina, respectivamente. La filogenia del género ha sido debatida debido a resultados inconsistentes en estudios previos. Para esclarecer estas relaciones, se obtuvieron secuencias de los genes mitocondriales 12S, tRNA-Val intermedio, 16S y citocromo b de poblaciones representativas de B. leptopus, B. antartandica, B. taeniata y B. nibaldoi. A través de inferencia bayesiana, se determinó que B. antartandica y B. leptopus forman un clado bien sustentado. En contraste, B. nibaldoi se encuentra anidada dentro de B. taeniata, con probabilidad posterior máxima, lo que sugiere que la primera no constituye una especie válida. Además, si se acepta la propuesta basada en evidencia morfológica de que B. fitzroya corresponde a una población de B. leptopus, la diversidad del género quedaría reducida a solo tres especies. Finalmente, el clado B. antartandica + B. leptopus se relaciona más con Hylorina sylvatica que con las otras especies de su mismo género (aunque con bajo soporte), lo que sugiere que Batrachyla no es un grupo natural. Este estudio tiene implicancias importantes para la diversidad, sistemática y taxonomía de los géneros Batrachyla e Hylorina, por lo que se resalta la necesidad de análisis con enfoques filogenómicos y un muestreo geográfico más extenso para esclarecer las relaciones evolutivas dentro de la familia Batrachylidae.
In Chile, amphibians (Class Lissamphibia) are represented by 58 native species of anurans, belonging to seven families and 14 genera. One of these genera, Batrachyla, includes five species endemic to the southern cone of South America: B. taeniata, B. leptopus, B. antartandica, B. nibaldoi, and B. fitzroya. While the first three species have a broad distribution in Chile and a more restricted range in Argentina, B. nibaldoi and B. fitzroya are endemic to specific areas in Chile and Argentina, respectively. The phylogeny of the genus has been debated due to inconsistent results in previous studies. To clarify these relationships, sequences of the mitochondrial genes 12S, intermediate tRNA-Val, 16S, and cytochrome b were obtained from representative populations of B. leptopus, B. antartandica, B. taeniata, and B. nibaldoi. Through Bayesian inference, it was determined that B. antartandica and B. leptopus form a well-supported clade. In contrast, B. nibaldoi is nested within B. taeniata with maximum posterior probability, suggesting that the former does not constitute a valid species. Additionally, if the morphological evidence-based proposal that B. fitzroya corresponds to a population of B. leptopus is accepted, the diversity of the genus would be reduced to only three species. Finally, the B. antartandica + B. leptopus clade is more closely related to Hylorina sylvatica than to other species within its genus (albeit with low support), suggesting that Batrachyla is not a natural group. This study has important implications for the diversity, systematics, and taxonomy of the genera Batrachyla and Hylorina, highlighting the need for phylogenomic approaches and broader geographic sampling to clarify evolutionary relationships within the family Batrachylidae.
In Chile, amphibians (Class Lissamphibia) are represented by 58 native species of anurans, belonging to seven families and 14 genera. One of these genera, Batrachyla, includes five species endemic to the southern cone of South America: B. taeniata, B. leptopus, B. antartandica, B. nibaldoi, and B. fitzroya. While the first three species have a broad distribution in Chile and a more restricted range in Argentina, B. nibaldoi and B. fitzroya are endemic to specific areas in Chile and Argentina, respectively. The phylogeny of the genus has been debated due to inconsistent results in previous studies. To clarify these relationships, sequences of the mitochondrial genes 12S, intermediate tRNA-Val, 16S, and cytochrome b were obtained from representative populations of B. leptopus, B. antartandica, B. taeniata, and B. nibaldoi. Through Bayesian inference, it was determined that B. antartandica and B. leptopus form a well-supported clade. In contrast, B. nibaldoi is nested within B. taeniata with maximum posterior probability, suggesting that the former does not constitute a valid species. Additionally, if the morphological evidence-based proposal that B. fitzroya corresponds to a population of B. leptopus is accepted, the diversity of the genus would be reduced to only three species. Finally, the B. antartandica + B. leptopus clade is more closely related to Hylorina sylvatica than to other species within its genus (albeit with low support), suggesting that Batrachyla is not a natural group. This study has important implications for the diversity, systematics, and taxonomy of the genera Batrachyla and Hylorina, highlighting the need for phylogenomic approaches and broader geographic sampling to clarify evolutionary relationships within the family Batrachylidae.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al título de Bióloga
Keywords
Anfibios Evolución, Anfibios Filogenia, Anfibios Ecología