Clarificación taxonómica dentro del género Telmatobius: ¿Son Telmatobius philippii y Telmatobius fronteriensis la misma especie?
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
El norte de Chile presenta un clima extremadamente árido, condicionado por el efecto de "sombra de lluvia", el anticiclón del Pacífico Sur y la corriente de Humboldt. Sin embargo, las estepas altiplánicas presentan un clima más húmedo debido a las precipitaciones estivales llamadas "lluvias altiplánicas". Estas condiciones favorecieron la adaptación de anfibios del género Telmatobius, un grupo altamente especializado en ambientes de altura. Dentro de este género, Telmatobius philippii y Telmatobius fronteriensis fueron descritas como especies distintas, aunque sus distribuciones geográficas son cercanas y presentan muy baja divergencia genética, lo que plantea la interrogante sobre su estatus taxonómico. En este estudio se reevaluó el estatus taxonómico de Telmatobius philippii y Telmatobius fronteriensis mediante análisis morfológicos de ejemplares adultos (enfocados en los caracteres diagnósticos) y moleculares con los genes mitocondriales 16S y citocromo b (reconstrucción filogenética, red de haplotipos y divergencia genética). Los resultados mostraron: una superposición en caracteres morfológicos clave (ej.: espinas nupciales, fórmula digital); muy baja divergencia genética entre poblaciones de T. philippii (Quebrada Amincha/Quebrada del Inca) y T. fronteriensis (Puquios) y la falta de separación entre ambas especies en la reconstrucción filogenética. En conjunto, estos resultados sugieren que ambas especies corresponden al mismo taxón.
The northern region of Chile exhibits an extremely arid climate, influenced by the "rain shadow" effect, the South Pacific anticyclone, and the Humboldt Current. However, the Altiplanic steppes have a more humid climate due to summer precipitation known as "Altiplanic rains". These conditions favored the adaptation of amphibians of the genus Telmatobius, a highly specialized group adapted to high-altitude environments. Within this genus, Telmatobius philippii and Telmatobius fronteriensis were described as distinct species, despite their geographically close distributions and very low genetic divergence, raising questions about their taxonomic status. In this study, the taxonomic status of Telmatobius philippii and Telmatobius fronteriensis was reevaluated through morphological analyses of adult specimens (focusing on diagnostic traits) and molecular analyses using the mitochondrial genes 16S and cytochrome b (phylogenetic reconstruction, haplotype network, and genetic divergence). The results showed: an overlap in key morphological traits (e.g., nuptial spines, digital formula); very low genetic divergence between populations of T. philippii (Quebrada Amincha/Quebrada del Inca) and T. fronteriensis (Puquios); and the absence of separation between both species in the phylogenetic reconstruction. Together, these findings suggest that both species correspond to the same taxon.
The northern region of Chile exhibits an extremely arid climate, influenced by the "rain shadow" effect, the South Pacific anticyclone, and the Humboldt Current. However, the Altiplanic steppes have a more humid climate due to summer precipitation known as "Altiplanic rains". These conditions favored the adaptation of amphibians of the genus Telmatobius, a highly specialized group adapted to high-altitude environments. Within this genus, Telmatobius philippii and Telmatobius fronteriensis were described as distinct species, despite their geographically close distributions and very low genetic divergence, raising questions about their taxonomic status. In this study, the taxonomic status of Telmatobius philippii and Telmatobius fronteriensis was reevaluated through morphological analyses of adult specimens (focusing on diagnostic traits) and molecular analyses using the mitochondrial genes 16S and cytochrome b (phylogenetic reconstruction, haplotype network, and genetic divergence). The results showed: an overlap in key morphological traits (e.g., nuptial spines, digital formula); very low genetic divergence between populations of T. philippii (Quebrada Amincha/Quebrada del Inca) and T. fronteriensis (Puquios); and the absence of separation between both species in the phylogenetic reconstruction. Together, these findings suggest that both species correspond to the same taxon.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al título de Biólogo/a.
Keywords
Anfibios, Diversidad de especies, Taxonomía zoológica