A cladistic analysis of the Scinax (Anura, Hylidae)

FAIVOVICH, J.

CLADISTICS (PRINT)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2002 vol. 4 p. 367 - 393

0748-3007

The hylid frog genus Scinax ranges from southern Mexico to eastern Argentina. The 84 recognized species are currently arrangedin five groups: the Scinax rubra, Scinax rostrata, Scinax catharinae, Scinax staufferi, and Scinax perpusilla species groups. Although afew species groups are distinctive, compelling evidence of monophyly is lacking for three groups, and their interrelationships remainvirtually unknown. With the objective of testing the monophyly of the species groups and exploring their interrelationships, a cladisticanalysis was performed, employing 86 characters from osteology, myology, adult and larval external morphology, reproductivebiology, and karyotypes taken from 36 representative species of the five species groups plus eight outgroup taxa. The analysis of theresulting data matrixshows moderately well-supported (as assessed through Bremer support and parsimony jackknifing) S. catharinaeand S. rostrata species groups. The S. staufferi species group is polyphyletic, as currently composed, given that some of itsspecies are nested within the S. catharinae species group. The only representative of the S. perpusilla species group is the sister speciesof the S. catharinae species group. Although weakly supported, the representatives of the S. rostrata and S. staufferi species groups arenested, separately, within the S. rubra species group. In order to have a taxonomy consistent with these results, it is proposed not torecognize the S. rubra group but to recognize a more inclusive rubra clade that includes all studied exemplars of the former S. rubragroup, plus some of the S. staufferi group and all of the S. rostrata group. Similarly, a catharinae clade is recognized, within which allstudied exemplars of the S. catharinae group (that now includes Scinax berthae and Scinax agilis) and the one studied representativeof the S. perpusilla group are included.