Phylogenetic relationships of the Boana pulchella Group (Anura: Hylidae)

FAIVOVICH, JULIAN; D. P. PINHEIRO, PAULO; LYRA, MARIANA L.; PEREYRA, MARTÍN O.; BALDO, DIEGO; MUÑOZ, ARTURO; REICHLE, STEFFEN; BRANDÃO, REUBER A.; GIARETTA, ARIOVALDO A.; TEREZA C. THOMÉ, MARIA; CHAPARRO, JUAN C.; BAÊTA, DÉLIO; LIBARDI WIDHOLZER, RONALDO; BALDO, JORGE; LEHR, EDGAR; WHEELER, WARD C.; C. A. GARCIA, PAULO; HADDAD, CÉLIO F.B.

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Año: 2021 vol. 155

1055-7903

In this paper we present a phylogenetic analysis of the treefrogs of the Boana pulchella Group with the goals of (1) providing a rigorous test its monophyly; (2) providing a test of relationships supported in previous studies; and (3) exploring the relationships of the several species not included in previous analyses. The analyses included more than 300 specimens of 37 of the 38 species currently included in the group, plus 36 outgroups, exemplars of the diversity of Boana and the other genera of the hylid tribe Cophomantini. The dataset included eight mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, CytB, COI, ND1, and the tRNAIle, tRNALeu, and tRNAVal) and five nuclear genes (RHO, TYR, RAG-1, CXCR4, SIAH 1). The phylogenetic analyses recover the monophyly of the B. pulchella Group with lower support than previous analyses, as a result of the inclusion of the B. claresignata Group, which is recovered as its sister taxon. Within the B. pulchella Group, the inclusion of almost all species of the group had little impact on previous notions of its phylogeny, except for the rejection of the hypothesized B. polytaenia Clade (B. goiana and B. phaeopleura are nested in the clade here called the B. prasina Clade), which is redefined. Phylogenetic support is strong for five major clades, which collectively include all but three of the species sampled: the B. balzani Clade (B. aguilari, B. balzani, B. gladiator, B. melanopleura, B. palaestes), the redefined B. polytaenia Clade (B. botumirim, B. buriti, B. cipoensis, B. jaguariaivensis, B. leptolineata, B. polytaenia, B. stenocephala, and two undescribed species), the B. prasina Clade (B. bischoffi, B. caingua, B. cordobae, B. goiana, B. guentheri, B. marginata, B. phaeopleura, B. prasina, B. pulchella, and one undescribed species), the B. riojana Clade (B. callipleura, B. marianitae, B. riojana), the B. semiguttata Clade (B. caipora, B. curupi, B. joaquini, B. poaju, B. semiguttata, B. stellae, and two undescribed species). The monophyly of the B. prasina + B. riojana clades, and that of B. polytaenia + B. semiguttata are well-supported. The relationships among these two clades, the B. balzani Clade, B. ericae + B. freicanecae, and B. cambui (representing the deepest phylogenetic splits within the B. pulchella Group) are recovered with weak support. We discuss the phenotypic evidence supporting the monophyly of the B. pulchella Group, and the taxonomy of several species, identifying three new synonyms of Boana polytaenia, one new synonym of Boana goiana, and one new synonym of B. riojana.