The Herpetological Journal

Authors: Jiang, Jianping & Zhou, Kaiya

Abstract: Phylogenetic relationships among twenty-nine species of Ranidae representing thirteen genera were investigated on the basis of 1005 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA sequences of 12S and 16S rRNA gene fragments. Sequence data were analyzed using maximum parsimony, likelihood maximum, and neighbour joining with all indel and missing/ambiguous sites deleted. Among the twenty-nine ranids studied, two clades are well supported by the results of the three analyses, the first consists of twenty-one species in the genera Rana, Glandirana, Rugosa, Pelophylax, Amolops, Odorrana, and Hylarana; and the second includes eight species in the genera Fejervarya, Hoplobatrachus, Paa, Nanorana, Altirana, and Limnonectes; the six genera with multi-species samples – including Amolops, Pelophylax, Rugosa, Rana, Odorrana, and Paa – are recognized as distinct lineages with higher bootstrap and quartet puzzling supports: the phylogenetic relationships between species within each lineage are resolved well. The results testify that the traditional genus Rana is heterogeneous. On the basis of the phylogenetic relationships of these taxa, it is suggested that the genera Paa, Nanorana, and Altirana should be removed from the subfamily Raninae and to be included in the subfamily Dicroglossinae. The torrent frog of the genus Amolops should be retained in the subfamily Raninae rather than in a distinct subfamily Amolopinae of its own. The inclusion of Fejervarya limnocharis in the genus Limnonectes is not supported.

Keywords: CHINA, MOLECULAR SYSTEMATICS, MTDNA, RANIDAE