Coalescent species delimitation of a Sumatran parachuting frog

• Published in: Zoologica scripta Vol. 47; no. 1; pp. 33 - 43
• Main Authors: O'Connell, Kyle A, Smith, Eric N, Shaney, Kyle J, Arifin, Umilaela, Kurniawan, Nia, Sidik, Irvan, Fujita, Matthew K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oslo Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-01-2018
• Subjects: Amphibians; Biodiversity; Biological evolution; Climate change; Divergence; Frameworks; Frogs; Mitochondria; New species; Physical characteristics; Pleistocene; Pliocene; Refugia; Rhacophorus catamitus; Species; Species diversity; Tropical climate; Volcanic activity; Sumatra; Indonesia
• ISSN: 0300-3256; 1463-6409
• DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12248

We conduct species delimitation of the widespread parachuting frog species Rhacophorus catamitus using samples from across the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. We use mitochondrial, genomic and morphological data, and find that R. catamitus is composed of three lineages corresponding to northern, central and southern lineages. Mitochondrial and genomic data show admixture or incomplete lineage sorting between the central and southern lineages, but deep divergence from the northern lineage. Coalescent species delimitation supports a three species model for this complex, and we recommend that the northern lineage be described as a new species. Our study highlights the power of coalescent species delimitation in an integrative framework for identifying unrecognised diversity in understudied tropical species complexes. We also emphasise the evolutionary importance of northern Sumatra, a region that harboured montane refugia during Pliocene–Pleistocene climate change, but has also been heavily affected by volcanic activity.