Authors
David R Vieites, Katharina C Wollenberg, Franco Andreone, Jörn Köhler, Frank Glaw, Miguel Vences
Publication date
2009/5/19
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume
106
Issue
20
Pages
8267-8272
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Description
Amphibians are in decline worldwide. However, their patterns of diversity, especially in the tropics, are not well understood, mainly because of incomplete information on taxonomy and distribution. We assess morphological, bioacoustic, and genetic variation of Madagascar's amphibians, one of the first near-complete taxon samplings from a biodiversity hotspot. Based on DNA sequences of 2,850 specimens sampled from over 170 localities, our analyses reveal an extreme proportion of amphibian diversity, projecting an almost 2-fold increase in species numbers from the currently described 244 species to a minimum of 373 and up to 465. This diversity is widespread geographically and across most major phylogenetic lineages except in a few previously well-studied genera, and is not restricted to morphologically cryptic clades. We classify the genealogical lineages in confirmed and unconfirmed candidate species …
Total citations
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Scholar articles
DR Vieites, KC Wollenberg, F Andreone, J Köhler… - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2009