Acris Analyzed Anew SPECIES LIMITS AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF NORTH AMERICAN CRICKET FROGS (ACRIS: HYLIDAE) Tony Gamble, Peter B. Berendzen, H. Bradley Shaffer, David E. Starkey, Andrew M. Simons 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48: 112–125 Abstract: Cricket Frogs are widely distributed across the eastern United States and two species, the Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans) and the Southern Cricket Frog (A. gryllus) are currently recognized. We generated a phylogenetic hypothesis for Acris using fragments of nuclear and mitochondrial genes in separate and combined phylogenetic analyses. We also used distance methods and fixation indices to evaluate species limits within the genus and the validity of currently recognized subspecies of A. crepitans. The distributions of existing A. crepitans subspecies, defined by morphology and call types, do not match the distributions of evolutionary lineages recovered using our genetic data. We discuss a scenario of call evolution to explain this disparity. We also recovered distinct phylogeographic groups within A. crepitans and A. gryllus that are congruent with other codistributed taxa. Under a lineage-based species concept, we recognize Acris blanchardi as a distinct species. The importance of this revised taxonomy is discussed in light of the dramatic declines in A. blanchardi across the northern and western portions of its range. ***** CNAH Note: Standard common names for the three species of Cricket Frogs remain: Acris blanchardi – Blanchard’s Cricket Frog Acris crepitans – Northern Cricket Frog Acris gryllus – Southern Cricket Frog In this paper, the subspecies, Acris crepitans paludicola, was synonymized with Acris crepitans. Agkistrodon Analyzed DEMOGRAPHIC AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHIC HISTORIES OF TWO VENOMOUS NORTH AMERICAN SNAKES OF THE GENUS AGKISTRODON Timothy J. Guiher and Frank T. Burbrink 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48(2): 543-553 Abstract: Many studies have revealed that lineages currently inhabiting formerly glaciated areas were pushed into southern glacial refugia and have expanded into their modern range since the last glacial maximum. There have been few studies that compare the effects of glacial cycles on lineage diversification and historical demography in closely related species with overlapping ranges. In this study we compare phylogeographic structure, historical demography, and approximate lineage age in two closely related and broadly co-occurring venomous snakes in eastern North America, the Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) and Copperhead (A. contortrix), using sequences from the mtDNA gene cytochrome b. We inferred three geographic lineages of A. contortrix and two of A. piscivorus with no common geographic or temporal pattern of lineage diversification identified for these species. Lineage diversification occurred in the Late Pliocene for A. piscivorus (2.5 mya) and in the Early Pleistocene for A. contortrix (1.5 mya). Demographic estimates revealed population expansion following the last glacial maximum (20,000 years ago) in two lineages of A. contortrix (the Central clade and Eastern clade) and one lineage of A. piscivorus (the Continental clade). The Florida clade of A. piscivorus is the only lineage for which constant population size through time was inferred, possibly due to stable populations persisting in areas unaffected by glacial advances. Our data suggest that unique habitat preferences may have shaped both the phylogeographic and demographic histories of each species. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: Using mtDNA, Guiher & Burbrink (2008) identified three evolutionary lineages of Agkistrodon contortrix and two evolutionary lineages of Agkistrodon piscivorus in this excellent paper, but did not name them as distinct species, instead awaiting future results of analysis of nucleic DNA evidence. However, based on known type localities (as they appear in Gloyd & Conant, 1990, and Schmidt, 1953) for already described, published, and available names, the following distinct species might be recognized in the future: Agkistrodon contortrix Linnaeus, 1766 (Eastern lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008) Type locality: Charleston, South Carolina Standard common name would become: Eastern Copperhead Synonym: Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen Palisot de Beauvois, 1799 Agkistrodon austrinus Gloyd & Conant, 1943 (Central lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008) Type locality: Orleans Parish, Louisiana Standard common name would become: Midland Copperhead Synonyms: none Agkistrodon laticinctus Gloyd & Conant, 1934 (Western lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008) Type locality: Bexar County, Texas Standard common name would become: Western Copperhead Synonyms: Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster Gloyd, 1969; Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster Gloyd & Conant, 1943 Agkistrodon piscivorus Lacépède, 1789 (Continental lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008) Type locality: Charleston, South Carolina Standard common name would become: Northern Cottonmouth Synonyms: Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma Troost, 1836; Toxicophis pugnax Baird & Girard, 1853 Agkistrodon conanti Gloyd, 1969 (Florida lineage of Guiher & Burbrink 2008) Type locality: Alachua County, Florida Standard common name would become: Southern Cottonmouth Synonyms: none The above list of name combinations is presented here merely as advance information of possible future changes in the taxonomy of two polytypic species of the North American genus Agkistrodon. Under no circumstances should the above list be adopted as a taxonomy for the group. Additional work on the systematics of these serpents is in progress. References Gloyd, Howard K. and Roger Conant. 1990. Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex. A Monographic Review. SSAR Contribution to Herpetology 6: vi + 614 pp. Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Sixth Ed. Publ. American Soc. Ich. Herp., viii + 280 pp. Joseph T. Collins Director CNAH Aneides Arranged Adding More Ecology into Species Delimitation: Ecological Niche Models and Phylogeography Help Define Cryptic Species in the Black Salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus) Leslie J. Rissler & Joseph J. Apodaca 2007. Systematic Biology 56(6): 924–942 Abstract: Being able to efficiently and accurately delimit species is one of the most basic and important aspects of systematics because species are the fundamental unit of analysis in biogeography, ecology, and conservation. We present a rationale and approach for combining ecological niche modeling, spatially explicit analyses of environmental data, and phylogenetics in species delimitation, and we use our methodology in an empirical example focusing on Aneides flavipunctatus, the Black Salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae), in California. We assess the relationships between genetic, environmental, and geographic distance among populations. We use 11 climatic variables and point locality data from public databases to create ecological niche models. The suitability of potential contact zones between parapatric lineages is also assessed using the data from ecological niche modeling. Phylogenetic analyses of portions of the mitochondrial genome reveal morphologically cryptic mitochondrial lineages in this species. In addition, we find that patterns of genetic divergence are strongly associated with divergence in the ecological niche. Our work demonstrates the ease and utility of using spatial analyses of environmental data and phylogenetics in species delimitation, especially for groups displaying fine-scaled endemism and cryptic species. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: This excellent paper recognizes five distinct populations within Aneides flavipunctatus, two of which do not have available specific names. The authors are addressing the taxonomy of this group in a future paper, but, as Rissler and Apodaca point out in this title, at least three of their evolutionary lineages will be known as: Aneides flavipunctatus Strauch 1870 (their Central lineage) Aneides niger Myers and Maslin 1948 (their Southern Disjunct lineage) Aneides iëcanus Cope 1883 (their Shasta lineage) Anolis Monophyletic Steven Poe (2004. Phylogeny of Anoles. Herpetological Monograph 18: 37-89), using osteology, internal anatomy, chromosomes, DNA sequences, allozymes, and immunology, demonstrated that Anolis is supported as a monophyletic genus (i.e., it does not need to be divided into several genera, as has been proposed in the past). No web site given Aspidoscelis/Cnemidophorus Reeder, Cole, & Dessauer (2002 American Museum of Natural History Novitates 3365: 1-61) placed all North American (north of Mexico) species of Cnemidophorus in the genus Aspidoscelis Fitzinger, 1843. This changes the emendations for many of the taxa recognized in Collins & Taggart (2002 Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians. Fifth Edition). CNAH Note: This important paper was received too late to be considered for inclusion in Collins & Taggart (2002 op. cit.). Obviously, it will be considered for the upcoming sixth edition. CNAH users wishing to download a complete gratis pdf copy of this paper should visit the CNAH web site at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Chelydra Classification NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 23 April 2008 MOLECULAR INSIGHTS INTO THE SYSTEMATICS OF THE SNAPPING TURTLES (CHELYDRIDAE) H. Bradley Shaffer, David E. Starkey & Matthew K. Fujita Pp. 44-49. In BIOLOGY OF THE [COMMON] SNAPPING TURTLE (CHELYDRA SERPENTINA) A. G. Steyermark, M. S. Finkler, and R. J. Brooks (editors) 2008. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore. x + 225 pp. Taken from the text on page 49: Based on currently available molecular evidence, we favor recognizing a monotypic, widespread C[helydra] serpentina across the continental United States and southern Canada, and abandoning C[helydra] s. osceola as an evolutionary entity . . . available molecular data do not indicate any substantial differentiation between these [C. s. serpentina and C. s. osceola] taxa. CNAH Note: See the CNAH web site main page at http://www.cnah.org/ for information about ordering this book. Chrysemys now 2 species Starkey, David E., H. Bradley Shaffer, Russell L. Burke, Michael R. J. Forstner, John B. Iverson, Fredric J. Janzen, Anders G. J. Rhodin, and Gordon R. Ultsch [2003 Molecular systematics, phylogeography, and the effects of Pleistocene glaciation in the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) complex. Evolution 57(1): 119-128] recognized two evolutionary lineages within the genus Chrysemys: C. dorsalis in the southern Mississippi drainage, and C. picta from the rest of the range of the genus. They find no support for subspecies designations in the genus. No web site given Coluber New World Only Racers of the genus Coluber restricted to the New World Z. T. Nagy, Robin Lawson, U. Joger and M. Wink recently (2004) published a paper entitled "Molecular systematics of Racers, Whipsnakes and relatives (Reptilia: Colubridae) using Mitochondrial and Nuclear Markers," in the Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research (Volume 42 pages 223–233). Their taxonomic recommendations with implications for this North American serpent (taken directly from the published paper) are: "We recommend restricting the usage of the name Coluber to the New World taxa currently contained within that genus. Whether the closely related Masticophis should also be included in Coluber, thus reducing the name Masticophis to a synonym of Coluber, cannot be decided on the basis of our current data." A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Nagy et al. is available from the CNAH PDF Library on the CNAH web site home page. No web site given Cranopsis Crushed COPE'S CRANOPSIS CRUSHED (IN COPEIA) Frost, Darrel R., Taran Grant & Joseph R. Mendelson, III [2006. Ollotis Cope, 1875 is the oldest name for the genus currently referred to as Cranopsis Cope, 1875 (Anura: Hyloides: Bufonidae). Copeia 2006(3): 558] replaced the the genus Cranopsis Cope 1875 with the genus Ollotis Cope 1875. Only two species in the genus occur in the United States. They are: Ollotis alvaria (Colorado River Toad) Ollotis nebulifer (Coastal Plain Toad) A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Frost et al. (2006) is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Crotalus horridus Clark, Moler, Possardt, Savitzky, Brown, & Bowen (2003 Journal of Herpetology 37(1): 145-154), using mtDNA, concluded that no subspecies could be defined within Crotalus horridus. Their results corroborated the conclusion (using a different data set) arrived at three decades ago by Pisani, Collins, & Edwards (1973 Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 75: 255-263). Crotalus viridis now 7 species Douglas, Douglas, Schuett, Porras, & Holycross [2002. Phylogeography of the Western Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) Complex, With Emphasis on the Colorado Plateau]. Pp. 11-50. In Biology of the Vipers [Schuett, Höggren, Douglas, and Greene (editors). Eagle Mountain Publishing, Eagle Mountain, Utah. xii + 580 pp. + 16 color plates] split the former Crotalus viridis into seven species: C. abyssus, C. cerberus, C. concolor, C. helleri, C. lutosus, C. oreganus, and C. viridis. Standard common names for these seven evolutionary lineages match exactly those as listed in Collins & Taggart (2002 Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians. Fifth Edition. iv + 44 pp.) http://www.eaglemountainpublishing.com/ Desmognathus Divided NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 10 April 2008 DUSKY SALAMANDERS (DESMOGNATHUS, PLETHODONTIDAE) FROM THE COASTAL PLAIN: MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT LINEAGES AND THEIR BEARING ON THE MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF THE GENUS 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47(1): 143-153 David A. Beamer and Trip Lamb Abstract: Recent phylogenetic reassessment of the lungless salamanders (Plethodontidae) confirmed a major life-history reversal—from direct development to an aquatic larval stage—in the dusky salamanders (Desmognathus) of eastern North America. This reversal initiated high rates of lineage accumulation, reputedly generating the species richness and ecological breadth that now characterize Desmognathus. Certain important aspects of the radiation, e.g., ecomorphological evolution, have been identified through intense sampling effort of Appalachian Highland lineages. However, the research preoccupation on montane species has left overlooked a significant component of dusky salamander distribution—the Coastal Plain. We present the first molecular phylogeny for Desmognathus to incorporate extensive coverage from the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains. We examined 38 Coastal Plain populations in conjunction with 45 additional populations, representing 16 of the 19 nominal species. Bayesian analysis of 88 mitochondrial cox1 haplotypes diagnosed eight independent population lineages within the Coastal Plain, a number at odds with the region’s three currently recognized species. Desmognathus has apparently experienced a complex biogeographic history in this physiographic region, one involving multiple invasions and several ecological transitions from lotic to lentic habitats. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: New species of Dusky Salamanders loom on the herpetological horizon. Elaphe guttata now 3 species Frank T. Burbrink (2002 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 25(3): 465-476), using mtDNA, showed that the taxon previously referred to as Elaphe guttata consists of three distinct evolutionary lineages (=species), E. guttata, E. emoryi, and a new species, Elaphe slowinskii. Go to the CNAH common names checklist on the home page and check out the images of all three taxa. No web site given Euhyas/Syrrhophus Sunk MAJOR CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICAN FROG FAUNAS ORIGINATED BY ANCIENT OCEANIC DISPERSAL Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(24): 9913-10294 Matthew P. Heinicke, William E. Duellman, and S. Blair Hedges Abstract: Approximately one-half of all species of amphibians occur in the New World tropics, which includes South America, Middle America, and the West Indies. Of those, 27% (801 species) belong to a large assemblage, the eleutherodactyline frogs, which breed out of water and lay eggs that undergo direct development on land. Their wide distribution and mode of reproduction offer potential for resolving questions in evolution, ecology, and conservation. However, progress in all of these fields has been hindered by a poor understanding of their evolutionary relationships. As a result, most of the species have been placed in a single genus, Eleutherodactylus, which is the largest among vertebrates. Our DNA sequence analysis of a major fraction of eleutherodactyline diversity revealed three large radiations of species with unexpected geographic isolation: a South American Clade (393 sp.), a Caribbean Clade (171 sp.), and a Middle American Clade (111 sp.). Molecular clock analyses reject the prevailing hypothesis that these frogs arose from land connections with North and South America and their subsequent fragmentation in the Late Cretaceous (80–70 Mya). Origin by dispersal, probably over water from South America in the early Cenozoic (47–29 million years ago, Mya), is more likely. ***** CNAH Note: Of interest to North American herpetologists is the return of the Greenhouse Frog (Euhyas planirostris) and Chirping Frogs (Syrrhophus) to the genus Eleutherodactylus. This change has been made on the CNAH web site. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Eumeces epipleurotus Axtell, Ralph W. & Hobart M. Smith (2004. Southwestern Naturalist 49(1): 100) clarified the history and use of the name gaigeae versus epipleurotus, and concluded that the latter is the correct name for this taxon. (CNAH Note: Apparently a formal ruling by the Commission on Zoological Nomenclature is not required, so we assume the herpetological community should adopt the name epipleurotus over gaigeae). Eumeces Now Plestiodon Plestiodon: A Replacement Name for Most Members of the Genus Eumeces in North America Hobart M. Smith 2005. Journal of Kansas Herpetology 14: 15-16 The author presents the case for replacing the generic name Eumeces with Plestiodon for all North American (north of Mexico) species of skinks. A copy of this article can be downloaded gratis by visiting the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp CNAH Note: Replacing Eumeces with Plestiodon does not change any endings to the specific names of North American taxa. Standard common names remain the same, as they appear in Collins and Taggart (2002). http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Eumeces Revised; Neoseps Sunk Andreas Schmitz, Patrick Mausfeld, and Dirk Embert (2004 Hamadryad 28(1–2): 73-89) analyzed molecular data to demonstrate that the lizard genus Neoseps (family Scincidae) should be synonymized with the genus Eumeces. They provide additional evidence that Eumeces obtusirostris is a species distinct from E. septentrionalis. Finally, they propose a new generic name, Pariocela Fitzinger (1843) for all North American skinks previously referred to the genus Eumeces, although their post-publication research with other colleagues has revealed a name older than Pariocela, and that name, Plestiodon Dumeril & Bibron 1839, will be offered as an alternative in a future paper (Andreas Schmitz, pers. comm.). A gratis copy of the paper by Schmitz et al. (2004) may be downloaded (as a pdf or print copy) from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp No web site given Eurycea Elucidated Kenneth H. Kozak, Russell A. Blaine & Allan Larson. 2006. Gene lineages and eastern North American palaeodrainage basins: Phylogeography and speciation in salamanders of the Eurycea bislineata species complex. Molecular Ecology 15: 191–207. Abstract: Contemporary North American drainage basins are composites of formerly isolated drainages, suggesting that fragmentation and fusion of palaeodrainage systems may have been an important factor generating current patterns of genetic and species diversity in stream-associated organisms. Here, we combine traditional molecular-phylogenetic, multiple-regression, nested clade, and molecular-demographic analyses to investigate the relationship between phylogeographic variation and the hydrogeological history of eastern North American drainage basins in semiaquatic plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea bislineata species complex. Four hundred forty-two sequences representing 1108 aligned bases from the mitochondrial genome are reported for the five formally recognized species of the E. bislineata complex and three outgroup taxa. Within the ingroup, 270 haplotypes are recovered from 144 sampling locations. Geographic patterns of mtDNA-haplotype coalescence identify 13 putatively independent population-level lineages, suggesting that the current taxonomy of the group underestimates species-level diversity. Spatial and temporal patterns of phylogeographic divergence are strongly associated with historical rather than modern drainage connections, indicating that shifts in major drainage patterns played a pivotal role in the allopatric fragmentation of populations and build-up of lineage diversity in these stream-associated salamanders. More generally, our molecular genetic results corroborate geological and faunistic evidence suggesting that palaeodrainage connections altered by glacial advances and headwater erosion occurring between the mid-Miocene and Pleistocene epochs explain regional patterns of biodiversity in eastern North American streams. A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Kozak, Blaine & Larson is available from the CNAH PDF Library. CNAH: Provides evidence for recognition of Eurycea aquatica (Brownback Salamander), Eurycea junaluska (Junaluska Salamander) and Eurycea bislineata (Northern Two-lined Salalamander) as distinct species. http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Heterodon kennerlyi Smith, Chiszar, Eckerman & Walley [2003 The Taxonomic Status of the Mexican Hognose Snake Heterodon kennerlyi Kennicott (1860). Journal of Kansas Herpetology 5: 17-20] recommended that this taxon be recognized as a distinct species. Standard common name remains the same. Pantherophis replaces Elaphe Utiger, Helfenberger, Schatti, Schmidt, Ruf & Ziswiler (2002 Russian Journal of Herpetology 9(2): 105-124), using mtDNA, presented evidence that North American Rat Snakes of the genus Elaphe are a monophyletic lineage different from Old World members of the genus, and resurrected the available name Pantherophis Fitzinger for all North American (north of Mexico) taxa. http://www.folium.ru/en/journals/rjh/contents/2002/2002-02.htm Pantherophis to Pituophis Burbrink & Lawson (2007 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 43: 173-189), using DNA, placed the genus Pantherophis in the synonymy of Pituophis. The resulting taxonomy for the nine North American species affected would be: Eastern Rat Snake (Pituophis alleghaniensis), Baird's Rat Snake (Pituophis bairdi), Great Plains Rat Snake (Pituophis emoryi), Eastern Fox Snake (Pituophis gloydi), Eastern Corn Snake (Pituophis guttatus), Western Rat Snake (Pituophis obsoletus), Slowinski's Corn Snake (Pituophis slowinskii), Midland Rat Snake (Pituophis spiloides), and Western Fox Snake (Pituophis vulpinus). A pdf of the article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp CNAH Note: A manuscript on Rat Snakes of the genus Pantherophis is in preparation that will retain the genus Pituophis as distinct from them. For the immediate future, herpetologists are advised to continue to use the name Pantherophis for all North American Rat Snakes formerly in the genus Elaphe. Phrynosoma blainvillii Richard R. Montanucci [2004 Geographic variation in Phrynosoma coronatum (Lacertilia, Phrynosomatidae): Further evidence for a Peninsular Archipelago. Herpetologica 60(1): 117-139] restricted the name coronatum to populations in southern Baja California. He applied name Phrynosoma blainvillii to all populations in the United States. Standard common name remains Coastal Horned Lizard. No web site given Phrynosoma goodei Recognized Phylogeography of the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) and systematics of the P. mcallii–platyrhinos mtDNA complex. Daniel G. Mulcahy, Allen W. Spaulding, Joseph R. Mendelson III & Edmund D. Brodie, Jr. 2006. Molecular Ecology 15(0): 1–20 Abstract: Two species of Horned Lizards are sympatric along the periphery of the Salton Trough. Phrynosoma mcallii, endemic to the trough, is of conservation concern because its limited habitat has been fragmented by human activities. A more common and widespread species, Phrynosoma platyrhinos, occurs around the periphery of the trough and much further to the North. The two species are syntopic at a few localities, where morphological intermediates have also been found. Here, we used nested clade phylogeographical analysis (NCPA) and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), to examine 781 bp of mitochondrial DNA (nad4 and two tRNAs) from 82 individuals of P. mcallii. We tested whether populations of this species were recently connected, or if they were historically isolated prior to human modification of the region. Our NCPA results indicated significant population structure associated with the Colorado River, suggesting limited gene flow and potential isolation across this barrier. Populations west of the Colorado River, currently isolated from one another by human development, show less genetic differentiation. We also collected homologous sequence data from 34 of P. platyrhinos and seven specimens morphologically intermediate between P. mcallii and P. platyrhinos, as a preliminary investigation of hybridization between these two species. From phylogenetic results of these data, we identified a species (Phrynosoma goodei) previously recognized as a subspecies of P. platyrhinos. Six of the morphologically intermediate specimens shared mtDNA haplotypes with P. goodei, while one was nested among P. mcallii haplotypes. A copy of this article can be downloaded gratis by visiting the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp No web site given Pituophis Preserved An Alternative Classification of the New World Rat Snakes (genus Pantherophis [Reptilia: Squamata: Colubridae]) Joseph T. Collins and Travis W. Taggart 2008. Journal of Kansas Herpetology 26: 16-18 Abstract: Mintonius, gen. nov, is erected for two species of large snakes (100-140 cm) from the north-central United States and adjacent Canada, principally around the Great Lakes region. The genus contains M. vulpinus and M. gloydi, and is distinguishable from its closest relatives, Pantherophis, Pituophis, and Scotophis, by aspects of its scutellation, color pattern, and gross morphology, as well biochemically, genetically, and phylogenetically. Key Words: evolutionary history, phylogeny, taxonomy, Fox Snake. Date of publication: 18 June 2008 ***** A gratis pdf of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Pseudacris Phylogeny Lemmon, Emily M., Alan R. Lemmon, Joseph T. Collins, Julie A. Lee-Yaw, & David C. Cannatella [2007. Phylogeny-based delimitation of species boundaries and contact zones in the trilling chorus frogs (Pseudacris). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 44: 1068-1082]. Abstract: Although the trilling chorus frogs (subclade within Pseudacris: Hylidae) have been important in studies of speciation, continental patterns of genetic diversity within and among species have not been elucidated. As a result, this North American clade has been the subject of substantial taxonomic debate. In this study, we examined the phylogenetic relationships among the trilling Pseudacris and tested previously hypothesized scenarios for speciation using 2.4 kb of mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA from 253 populations. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses, in combination with published morphological and behavioral data, support recognition of at least nine species, including an undescribed species from the south-central United States. Evidence is presented for substantial geographic subdivision within P. brachyphona (northern and southern clades) and P. feriarum (coastal and inland clades). Discordance between morphology/behavior and molecular data in several individuals suggests occasional hybridization between sympatric species. These results require major revision of range limits for several taxa, in particular, P. maculata, P. triseriata, and P. feriarum. Hypothesis tests using parametric bootstrapping strongly reject previously proposed scenarios for speciation in the group. The tests also support recognition of the geographically restricted taxon P. kalmi as a distinct species. Results of this study provide both a firm phylogenetic basis for future studies of speciation in the trilling Pseudacris and a taxonomic framework for conservation efforts. CNAH Note: The standard common names remain the same for all species but Pseudacris triseriata, which becomes the Midland Chorus Frog. Standard common name for the new species will be announced in its original description (in press). Pseudacris subspecies gone Moriarty, Emily C. and David. C. Cannatella (2004. Phylogenetic relationships of the North American chorus frogs (Pseudacris: Hylidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30(2): 409-420) synonymized the remaining two subspecies in this genus, P. crucifer bartramiana and P. nigrita verrucosa. No web site given Pternohyla Taxonomy NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 14 July 2006 PTERNOHYLA PLACED IN SMILISCA 2005. Faivovich, Julián, Célio F. B. Haddad, Paulo C. A. Garcia, Darrel R. Frost, Jonathan A. Campbell & Ward C. Wheeler. Systematic review of the frog family Hylidae, with special reference to Hylinae: Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 294: 1-240. ***** Faivovich et al. (2005) placed the genus Pternohyla Boulenger 1882 in the synonymy of the genus Smilisca Cope 1865. Common name for the genus Smilisca would remain Mexican Treefrogs. Common name for Smilisca fodiens (Boulenger, 1882) would remain Lowland Burrowing Treefrog. A pdf of the article may be viewed at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp CNAH apologizes for overlooking this taxonomic change when the article first appeared and takes this opportunity to rectify the oversight. Rana draytonii Distinct West Coast Red-legged Frog Now Two Species H. Bradley Shaffer, G. M. Fellers, S. Randal Voss, J. C. Olive and Gregory B. Pauly recently published a paper entitled "Species boundaries, phylogeography and conservation genetics of the Red-legged Frog (Rana aurora/draytonii) complex" in the September 2004 issue of Molecular Ecology (Volume 13 Issue 9 Pages 2667-2677). Here is the abstract: The Red-legged Frog, Rana aurora, has been recognized as both a single, polytypic species and as two distinct species since its original description 150 years ago. It is currently recognized as one species with two geographically contiguous subspecies, aurora and draytonii; the latter is protected under the US Endangered Species Act. We present the results of a survey of 50 populations of Red-legged Frogs from across their range plus four outgroup species for variation in a phylogenetically informative, 400 base pairs (bp) fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Our mtDNA analysis points to several major results. (1) In accord with several other lines of independent evidence, aurora and draytonii are each diagnosably distinct, evolutionary lineages; the mtDNA data indicate that they do not constitute a monophyletic group, but rather that aurora and R. cascadae from the Pacific northwest are sister taxa; (2) the range of the draytonii mtDNA clade extends about 100 km further north in coastal California than was previously suspected, and corresponds closely with the range limits or phylogeographical breaks of several codistributed taxa; (3) a narrow zone of overlap exists in southern Mendocino County between aurora and draytonii haplotypes, rather than a broad intergradation zone; and (4) the critically endangered population of draytonii in Riverside County, California, forms a distinct clade with frogs from Baja California, Mexico. The currently available evidence favours recognition of aurora and draytonii as separate species with a narrow zone of overlap in northern California. No web site given Rana Re-arranged Hillis, David M. and Thomas P. Wilcox (2005 Phylogeny of the New World true frogs (Rana). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 34(2005): pp. 299-314). Abstract: Phylogenetic relationships among the species of true frogs (Rana) from North, South, and Central America were investigated based on the sequences of approximately 2 kb from the mitochondrial genome, sampled from most of the described species, as well as eight undescribed species. This analysis, combined with previous studies of the phylogeny of New World Rana, served as the basis for a revised classification of the group. The American species of [the genus] Rana are not monophyletic; the western North American Amerana is more closely related to the R. temporaria group of Eurasia (together, these frogs form the group Laurasiarana). The remaining species from the Americas form the monophyletic group Novirana, which includes: R. sylvatica; Aquarana (the R. catesbeiana group); Ranula (the R. palmipes group, including the mostly upland Levirana species and the mostly lowland Lithobates species); Torrentirana (the R. tarahumarae group, or Zweifelia, plus R. sierramadrensis), Stertirana (the R. montezumae group, or Lacusirana, plus R. pipiens), Nenirana (the R. areolata group), and Scurrilirana (most of the southern and tropical leopard frogs). The mitochondrial sequences supported many of the previous hypotheses of relationships of New World Rana, although there were some differences involving the placement of the species R. pipiens, R. sierramadrensis, and R. sylvatica. Parametric bootstrap analyses indicated significant support for the relationships inferred from the mtDNA sequences, and rejected the previous hypotheses of relationships for these three species. http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Rhinella Re-arranged A New Species of Arboreal Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae) from Cloud Forest of Southeastern Peru 2007. Herpetologica 63(2): 203-212 Juan Carlos Chaparro, Jennifer B. Pramuk & Andrew G. Gluesenkamp Abstract: A new arboreal species of Rhinella is described from the humid montane forest of Manu National Park in the Cordillera Oriental of southern Peru. The new species can be distinguished from all known Rhinella by a unique combination of external and osteological characters as well as by molecular data. The new toad is compared to R. arborescandens and R. veraguensis with respect to external characters. On the basis of morphological and molecular data, the new taxon is closely related to R. chavin, R. nesiotes, and R. festae. Although DNA data indicate that a member of the R. veraguensis group (R. nesiotes) is its sister taxon, the new species is not closely related to other members of this species group (e.g., R. veraguensis). In addition, DNA data indicate that the R. veraguensis group as it currently is defined is paraphyletic. Until additional studies are completed on the phylogeny of these South American toads, we refrain from assigning the new taxon to a species group. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: Buried within this excellent paper is a taxonomic change of broader importance to herpetologists in North America (and worldwide). The wide-ranging Cane Toad, formerly placed in the genus Chaunus Wagler, 1828, is now placed in the genus Rhinella Fitzinger, 1826. Standard common name for Rhinella marina (note the new emendation for the specific name) remains the Cane Toad. Rhinocheilus Races Rejected Mainland Longnose Snake Subspecies Sunk Mollie K. Manier. 2004. Geographic variation in the Long-nosed Snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei (Colubridae): Beyond the subspecies debate. Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society 83(1): 65-85. Abstract: Scalation, colour pattern, linear and geometric morphometrics were used to quantify geographical differentiation in the Longnose Snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei, and to test the hypothesis that all four subspecies are morphologically distinct. Also investigated were potential associations between morphological (scalation, colour pattern, linear measurements) and environmental variables (climate, vegetation, soil). Sexual dimorphism was weakest for geometric and strongest for linear morphometric variables. Morphological variables differed widely in their ability to differentiate subspecies. Linear morphometric variables achieved the most statistically significant pairwise Mahalanobis distances between subspecies, while geometric morphometrics largely failed to differentiate them. Colour pattern showed the strongest and linear morphometrics the weakest correlation with environment. Several characters varied continuously along latitudinal or longitudinal gradients, such that, in some cases, the clines for closely related traits were discordant. No one subspecies was consistently divergent in all analyses, leading to the conclusion that the three mainland subspecies are not sufficiently distinct to warrant separate subspecies status. The island subspecies, though not always statistically distinct, is geographically separate from other populations and differs in characters related to size. Given the small number of specimens available, a decision regarding its taxonomic status (i.e. elevation to species level) is best deferred until additional specimens can be examined and data on molecular variation can be analysed. A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Mollie Manier is available from the CNAH PDF Library on the CNAH web site home page at: http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp No web site given Sceloporus undulatus revised Leaché and Reeder (2002 Systematic Biology 51(1): 44-68) concluded that this taxon is composed of four distinct species, Sceloporus undulatus, Sceloporus consobrinus, Sceloporus tristichus, and Sceloporus cowlesi. They consider all races within the former Sceloporus undulatus (sensu lato) to be ecomorphs, and do not recommend continued recognition of any subspecies. No web site Typhlotriton Sunk Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex R. M. Bonett and P. T. Chippindale Molecular Ecology (2004) Abstract: Understanding the complex interactions among environment, genotype and ontogeny in determining organismal phenotypes is cental to many biological disciplines. The Eurycea multiplicata complex, endemic to the Interior Highlands (Ozark Plateau and Ouachita Mountains) of eastern North America, comprises a diverse radiation of paedomorphic surface-dwelling (E. tynerensis), metamorphic surface-dwelling (E. multiplicata multiplicata and E. m. griseogaster) and metamorphic subterranean (Typhlotriton spelaeus) hemidactyliine plethodontid salamanders. Portions of two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome-b and NADH dehydrogenase-4, totalling 1818 base pairs (bp) were sequenced for 70 ingroup individuals plus numerous outgroup taxa, to examine the biogeography and relationships among these morphologically disparate species. Results show the E. multiplicata complex to be monophyletic, with its two most divergent clades corresponding to geography, not morphology or life history. Transforming surface-dwelling populations from the Ouachitas (E. m. multiplicata) are sister to the Ozark taxa, including paedomorphic surface-dwelling (E. tynerensis), subterranean (T. spelaeus) and transforming surface-dwelling salamanders assigned to the ‘subspecies’ E. m. griseogaster. Among Ozark taxa T. spelaeus (deeply nested within Eurycea) is sister to a clade that includes E. m. griseogaster and E. tynerensis. Current taxonomy suggests that paedomorphic populations (E. tynerensis) from the western Ozarks are distinct from nearby transforming populations (E. m. griseogaster). However, paedomorphic and transforming salamanders do not form reciprocally monophyletic groups and many populations share almost identical haplotypes. Ancestral state reconstruction of life history traits shows that paedomorphosis arose independently from three to nine times. Most populations are either completely paedomorphic or completely transforming. This suggests that local habitat parameters strongly influence life history mode in this complex, either facultatively or by selection for particular genotypes. ***** CNAH Note: The taxonomic implications of the research and conclusions of Bonett annd Chippindale (2004) are as follows: For Eurycea multiplicata Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) present data supporting the continued recognition of this taxon, restricting its range to south of the Arkansas River in Arkansas and Oklahoma. For the time being, the common name remains Many-ribbed Salamander; Bonett & Chippindale state that they plan to divide this taxon into additional species in the future. For Eurycea multiplicata griseogaster Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) synonymized this subspecies with E. tynerensis. For Eurycea tynerensis Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) present data supporting the continued recognition of this taxon (when combined with populations previously known as E. multiplicata griseogaster). For the time being, the common name remains Oklahoma Salamander; Bonett & Chippindale state that they plan to divide this taxon into additional species in the future. For Typhlotriton Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) synonymized this genus with Eurycea. For Typhlotriton spelaeus Bonett, R. M. & P. T. Chippindale (2004. Speciation, phylogeography and evolution of life history and morphology in plethodontid salamanders of the Eurycea multiplicata complex. Molecular Ecology 13(5): 1189-1203) present data supporting the continued recognition of this taxon as a member of the genus Eurycea. For the time being, the common name remains Grotto Salamander; Bonett & Chippindale indicate that additional distinct species within this taxon may be identified and described in the future. No web site given Amphibians Arranged CHANGES TO THE TAXONOMY OF NORTH AMERICAN AMPHIBIANS In their recent publication, Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, De Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green & Wheeler (2006. The Amphibian Tree of Life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 297: 1-370) recommended the following: 1) The Family Dicamptodontidae (Tihen, 1958) is synonymized with the Family Ambystomatidae (Gray, 1850). 2) The genus Haideotriton Carr, 1939, is synonymized with the genus Eurycea Rafinesque, 1822, resulting in the new combination Eurycea wallacei (Carr, 1939). 3) The Family Ascaphidae (Fejérváry, 1923) is synonymized with the Family Leiopelmatidae (Mivart, 1869). 4) As part of the partitioning of the genus Eleutherodactylus, the genus Syrrhophus (Cope, 1878) is resurrected and, along with the genus Craugastor (Cope, 1862), is placed in the Family Brachycephalidae (Günther, 1858), as follows (specific taxa match those currently contained in the CNAH checklist): Craugastor augusti (Dùges, 1879) Craugastor augusti cactorum (Taylor, 1938) Craugastor augusti latrans (Cope, 1880) Syrrhophus cystignathoides (Cope, 1877) Syrrhophus cystignathoides campi (Stejneger, 1914) Syrrhophus guttilatus (Cope, 1879) Syrrhophus marnockii (Cope, 1878) 5) Partitioning of the genus Bufo worldwide results in the recognition of three genera of these anurans in North America and Canada, as follows (specific taxa match those currently contained in the CNAH checklist): Genus Anaxyrus Tschudi, 1845 Anaxyrus americanus (Holbrook, 1836) Anaxyrus americanus americanus (Holbrook, 1836) Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithi (Bragg, 1954 ) Anaxyrus baxteri (Porter, 1968) Anaxyrus boreas (Baird and Girard, 1852) Anaxyrus boreas boreas (Baird and Girard, 1852) Anaxyrus boreas halophilus (Baird and Girard, 1853) Anaxyrus californicus (Camp, 1915) Anaxyrus canorus (Camp, 1916) Anaxyrus cognatus (Say in James, 1823) Anaxyrus debilis (Girard, 1854) Anaxyrus debilis debilis (Girard, 1854) Anaxyrus debilis insidior (Girard, 1854) Anaxyrus exsul (Myers, 1942) Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley, 1882) Anaxyrus hemiophrys (Cope, 1886) Anaxyrus houstonensis (Sanders, 1953) Anaxyrus microscaphus (Cope, 1866) Anaxyrus nelsoni (Stejneger, 1893) Anaxyrus punctatus (Baird and Girard, 1852) Anaxyrus quercicus (Holbrook, 1840) Anaxyrus retiformis (Sanders and Smith, 1951) Anaxyrus speciosus (Girard, 1854) Anaxyrus terrestris (Bonnaterre, 1789) Anaxyrus woodhousii (Girard, 1854) Anaxyrus woodhousii australis (Shannon and Lowe, 1955) Anaxyrus woodhousii velatus (Bragg and Sanders, 1951) Anaxyrus woodhousii woodhousii (Girard, 1854) Genus Chaunus Wagler, 1828 Chaunus marinus (Linnaeus, 1758) Genus Cranopsis Cope, 1875 Cranopsis alvaria (Girard in Baird, 1849) Cranopsis nebulifer (Girard, 1854) 6) Partitioning of the genus Rana worldwide results in the recognition of two genera of these frogs in North America and Canada, as follows (specific taxa match those currently contained in the CNAH checklist): Genus Lithobates Fitzinger, 1843 Lithobates areolatus (Baird and Girard, 1852) Lithobates areolatus areolatus (Baird and Girard, 1852) Lithobates areolatus circulosus (Rice and Davies, 1878) Lithobates berlandieri (Baird, 1859) Lithobates blairi (Mecham, Littlejohn, Oldham, Brown & Brown, 1973) Lithobates capito (LeConte, 1855) Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802) Lithobates chiricahuensis (Platz & Mecham, 1979) Lithobates clamitans (Latreille, 1801) Lithobates clamitans clamitans (Latreille, 1801) Lithobates clamitans melanotus (Rafinesque, 1820) Lithobates grylio (Stejneger, 1901) Lithobates heckscheri (Wright, 1924) Lithobates okaloosae (Moler, 1985) Lithobates onca (Cope, 1875) Lithobates palustris (LeConte, 1825) Lithobates pipiens (Schreber, 1782) Lithobates septentrionalis (Baird, 1854) Lithobates sevosus (Goin & Netting, 1940) Lithobates sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886) Lithobates sphenocephalus sphenocephalus (Cope, 1886) Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularius (Harlan, 1825) Lithobates subaquavocalis (Platz, 1993) Lithobates sylvaticus (LeConte, 1825) Lithobates tarahumarae (Boulenger, 1917) Lithobates virgatipes (Cope, 1891) Lithobates yavapaiensis (Platz & Frost, 1984) Genus Rana Linnaeus, 1758 Rana aurora Baird & Girard, 1852 Rana boylii Baird, 1854 Rana cascadae Slater, 1939 Rana draytonii Baird & Girard, 1852 Rana luteiventris Thompson, 1913 Rana muscosa Camp, 1917 Rana pretiosa Baird & Girard, 1853 ***** CNAH Note: The CNAH common and scientific names list, as displayed on the CNAH web site, has adopt the familial changes proposed in Frost et al. (2006). The generic changes are logged in the web site commentary (note the red icon to the right of a name -- it denotes that commentary since 2002 is present for that taxon) and will be adopted (or not, based on peer scrutiny) in the sixth edition of "Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians" (Collins & Taggart, in preparation). Arizona Treefrog Distinct Erik W. A. Gergus, Tod W. Reeder, and Brian K. Sullivan 2004 Copeia 2004(4): 758-769 Abstract (part): "Molecular data (allozymes and mtDNA), as well as the advertisement calls, support continued recognition of two species: H. eximia in central-southern Mexico and H. wrightorum, which consists of disjunct populations in the Sierra Madre Occidental of northern Mexico, the Huachuca Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and the mountains of central Arizona and western New Mexico." The standard common name for Hyla wrightorum reverts to Arizona Treefrog, used for this taxon as early as Schmidt (1953. A Checklist of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Publication of the American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists. Chicago, Illinois. viii+ 280 pp.). The Arizona Treefrog has previously been considered by some as a subspecies of Hyla eximia; others (including most recently Stebbins 2003 Western Peterson Field Guide) have long considered it a synonym of H. eximia. No web site given Barking Frogs in New Genus Andrew J. Crawford and Eric N. Smith (2005. Cenozoic biogeography and evolution in direct-developing frogs of Central America (Leptodactylidae: Eleutherodactylus) as inferred from a phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 35(3): 536-555) placed the North American species Eleutherodactylus augusti in the genus Craugastor. Here is the abstract: Abstract: We report the first phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data for the Central American component of the genus Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Eleutherodactylinae), one of the most ubiquitous, diverse, and abundant components of the Neotropical amphibian fauna. We obtained DNA sequence data from 55 specimens representing 45 species. Sampling was focused on Central America, but also included Bolivia, Brazil, Jamaica, and the USA. We sequenced 1460 contiguous base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial genome containing ND2 and five neighboring tRNA genes, plus 1300 bp of the c-myc nuclear gene. The resulting phylogenetic inferences were broadly concordant between data sets and among analytical methods. The subgenus Craugastor is monophyletic and its initial radiation was potentially rapid and adaptive. Within Craugastor, the earliest splits separate three northern Central American species groups, milesi, augusti, and alfredi, from a clade comprising the rest of Craugastor. Within the latter clade, the rhodopis group as formerly recognized comprises three deeply divergent clades that do not form a monophyletic group; we therefore restrict the content of the rhodopis group to one of two northern clades, and use new names for the other northern (mexicanus group) and one southern clade (bransfordii group). The new rhodopis and bransfordii groups together form the sister taxon to a clade comprising the biporcatus, fitzingeri, mexicanus, and rugulosus groups. We used a Bayesian MCMC approach together with geological and biogeographic assumptions to estimate divergence times from the combined DNA sequence data. Our results corroborated three independent dispersal events for the origins of Central American Eleutherodactylus: (1) an ancestor of Craugastor entered northern Central America from South American in the early Paleocene, (2) an ancestor of the subgenus Syrrhophus entered northern Central America from the Caribbean at the end of the Eocene, and (3) a wave of independent dispersal events from South America coincided with formation of the Isthmus of Panama during the Pliocene. We elevate the subgenus Craugastor to the genus rank. A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by Crawford and Smith is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp No web site given Chorus Frog Corrections NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 8 November 2006 CORRIGENDUM TO "PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF PSEUDACRIS REGILLA (ANURA: HYLIDAE) IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA, WITH A PROPOSAL FOR A NEW TAXONOMIC REARRANGEMENT" 2006. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 41(2): 511. Ernesto Recuero, Íñigo Martínez-Solano, Gabriela Parra-Olea & Mario García-París Two of the names proposed for newly recognized species in the Pseudacris regilla complex are incorrect. The northern population should take the name Pseudacris regilla (Baird & Girard 1852), not Pseudacris pacifica. The name for the central population should be Pseudacris sierra (Jameson, Mackey & Richmond 1966), not Pseudacris regilla. ***** CNAH Note: Recognition of the three species within this complex (as per the above adjustment) in North America (north of Mexico) results in the following arrangement (CNAH common names are appended): Pseudacris hypochondriaca (Hallowell, 1854) Baja California Chorus Frog Pseudacris regilla (Baird and Girard, 1852) Pacific Chorus Frog Pseudacris sierra (Jameson, Mackey, and Richmond, 1966) Sierra Chorus Frog ***** This article can be viewed or downloaded on the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Cricket Frog Change Blanchard’s Cricket Frog Synonymized Malcolm L. McCallum & Stanley E. Trauth. 2006. An evaluation of the subspecies Acris crepitans blanchardi (Anura, Hylidae). Zootaxa 1104: 1–21. Abstract: We investigated the validity and distribution of the subspecies Acris crepitans blanchardi. Currently Acris crepitans contains three subspecies: the Northern Cricket Frog (A. c. crepitans), Blanchards Cricket Frog (A. c. blanchardi) and the coastal cricket frog (A. c. paludicola). We examined the diagnostic characters of 1441 specimens from the center of the range (Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi), 161 specimens from the extreme northwest portion of this species range (South Dakota and Nebraska), and 85 from the extreme southeast portion of the species range (Florida and Georgia). Discriminate analysis was applied to the tabulated data and no significant differences between portions of the range could be discerned. No concrete evidence was found to support designation of specimens from South Dakota and Nebraska or from Smallens Cave (origin of the type specimen) as A. c. blanchardi. This information places the subspecies A. c. blanchardi in a status of doubtful validity suggesting that no delineation between A. c. blanchardi and A. c. crepitans should be made at this time. A gratis downloadable pdf of the paper by McCallum and Trauth is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Emydid Turtle Taxonomy Stephens, Patrick R. and John J. Wiens (2003, Ecological Diversification and Phylogeny of Emydid Turtles. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 79: 577-610) recommend some taxonomic changes amongst these freshwater chelonians. Many of their recommendations have implications for North American taxa. For a reprint or pdf, contact the authors at pstephens@life.bio.sunysb.edu or wiensj@life.bio.sunysb.edu Users of this website can consult the Turtle section of the CNAH Checklist (left column) on the CNAH main page for details of recommended taxonomic changes or support of existing taxonomy by Stephens and Wiens (2003). Endangered Frog Ended NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 27 September 2007 CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS OF A MORPHOMETRIC COMPARISON BETWEEN THE ILLINOIS CHORUS FROG (PSEUDACRIS STRECKERI ILLINOENSIS) AND STRECKER’S CHORUS FROG (P. S. STRECKERI) (ANURA: HYLIDAE) FROM ARKANSAS, ILLINOIS, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, AND TEXAS Zootaxa 1589: 23–32 (2007) Joy B. Trauth, Ronald L. Johnson & Stanley E. Trauth Abstract: Much uncertainty exists regarding the taxonomic status of the Illinois Chorus Frog (Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis Smith; ICF) relative to Strecker’s Chorus Frog (P. s. streckeri, Wright & Wright; SCF) of the southcentral United States (US). Molecular analyses have been inconsistent in providing taxonomic insight, and no formal morphological comparisons have been previously performed. Each taxon possesses a wide range of background colors. We undertook morphometric analyses to help clarify their taxonomic relationship. Tibia length and mass were compared for live Arkansas (AR) specimens and snout-vent, head and tibia lengths were measured from preserved vouchered specimens. Tibia length and mass were significantly greater for living ICFs versus SCFs in AR. Among preserved specimens, tibia, snoutvent and head lengths were significantly greatly for AR ICFs relative to most intraspecific groups, and Texas (TX) SCFs were significantly smaller than most other groups. Principal components analysis was largely consistent with univariate analyses, although Missouri (MO) ICFs also partitioned distinctly from other sample groups. These data provide morphological evidence of geographic (clinal) variation within a species, but do not provide support for the taxonomic elevation of the ICF to species status. Our data do provide evidence of distinct population segments of P. streckeri. As ICF habitat suitable for reproduction has dramatically declined in Arkansas as have population numbers, we recommend the listing of AR ICFs as a distinct population segment under the Endangered Species Act. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: The above analysis, along with those of Moriarty and Cannatella (2004) and Lemmon et al. (2007), convincingly demonstrate that Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis is not a distinct taxon (either as a subspecies or species), confirming the earlier contention of Collins (1991) that this taxon was either a distinct species or (by implication) should not be recognized at all. The allopatric populations of this frog in S Illinois, SE Missouri, and NE Arkansas are simply isolated colonies of the monotypic species Pseudacris streckeri. Family Rhineuridae Rhineuridae recognized as a distinct amphisbaenid family J. Robert Macey, Theodore J. Papenfuss, Jennifer V. Kuehl, H. Mathew Fourcade, & Jeffrey L. Boore. Phylogenetic relationships among amphisbaenian reptiles based on complete mitochondrial genomic sequences (2004. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 33: pp. 22-31), using molecular data and biogeography, recognized a distinct North American amphisbaenid family Rhineuridae Vanzolini 1951, whose sole component is the Florida Worm Lizard (Rhineura floridana Baird 1858). A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp No web site given Family Scaphiopodidae García-París, Mario, Daniel R. Buchholz, and Gabriela Parra-Olea. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships of Pelobatoidea re-examined using mtDNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 28(1): 12-23. The authors used partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and 16S RNA) from all Pelobatoidea subclades, including all species of Pelobatidae and Pelodytidae and four outgroup taxa (Xenopus, Ascaphus, Discoglossus, and Rana), to propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for relationships within Pelobatoidea. They showed that the family Pelobatidae, as previously defined is not monophyletic, and should be split into Eurasian Spadefoots, Pelobates, which retain the family name Pelobatidae and North American Spadefoots, Scaphiopus and Spea, which comprise the revived family Scaphiopodidae. Their analysis uncovered the existence of morphologically cryptic taxa within previously recognized species of the genus Spea. Flatwoods Salamander Fillet NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 9 February 2007 Phylogeographic concordance in the southeastern United States: the Flatwoods Salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum, as a test case Gregory B. Pauly, Oliver Piskurek & H. Bradley Shaffer 2007. Molecular Ecology 16: 415–429 Abstract: Well-supported, congruent phylogeographic and biogeographic patterns permit the development of a priori phylogeographic and distributional predictions. In the southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States, the common discovery of east–west disjunctions (phylogeographic breaks and species’ distributional boundaries) suggests that similar disjunctions should occur in codistributed taxa. Despite the near ubiquity of these disjunctions, the most recent morphological analyses of the flatwoods salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum, indicate that none occur in this low-vagility, Coastal Plain endemic. We conducted molecular and morphological analyses to test whether the flatwoods salamander is an exception to this common biogeographic pattern. Assessing geographic variation in this species is also an important management tool for this threatened, declining amphibian. We demonstrate that flatwoods salamanders, as predicted by comparisons to codistributed taxa, are polytypic with a major disjunction at the Apalachicola River. This drainage is a common site for east–west phylogeographic breaks, probably because repeated marine embayments during the Pliocene and Pleistocene interglacials generated barriers to gene flow. Based on mitochondrial DNA, morphology, and allozymes, we recognize two species of Flatwoods Salamanders — Ambystoma cingulatum to the east of the Apalachicola drainage and Ambystoma bishopi to the west. Given this increased diversity, the conservation status of these two taxa may warrant re-evaluation. More generally, these results emphasize that in the absence of taxon-specific data, established comparative patterns can provide strong expectations for designing management units for unstudied species of conservation concern. ***** This article is available for downloading in the CNAH Pdf Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: In the paper by Pauly et al. (referenced above), the standard common names assigned to the two taxa recognized therein were inadvertently reversed. With the encouragement of the senior author, we note this and give the correct standard common names, as follows: Ambystoma bishopi - Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander Ambystoma cingulatum - Frosted Flatwoods Salamander Frogs More Finely Filleted NEW WORLD DIRECT-DEVELOPING FROGS (ANURA: TERRARANA): MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY, CLASSIFICATION, BIOGEOGRAPHY, AND CONSERVATION 2008. Zootaxa 1737: 1-182 S. Blair Hedges, William E. Duellman & Matthew P. Heinicke Abstract: New World frogs recently placed in a single, enormous family (Brachycephalidae) have direct development and reproduce on land, often far away from water. DNA sequences from mitochondrial and nuclear genes of 344 species were analyzed to estimate their relationships. The molecular phylogeny in turn was used as the basis for a revised classification of the group. The 882 described species are placed in a new taxon, Terrarana, and allocated to four families, four subfamilies, 24 genera, 11 subgenera, 33 species series, 56 species groups, and 11 species subgroups. Systematic accounts are provided for all taxa above the species level. Two families (Craugastoridae and Strabomantidae), three subfamilies (Holoadeninae, Phyzelaphryninae, and Strabomantinae), six genera (Bryophryne, Diasporus, Haddadus, Isodactylus, Lynchius, and Psychrophrynella), and two subgenera (Campbellius and Schwartzius) are proposed and named as new taxa, 13 subspecies are considered to be distinct species, and 613 new combinations are formed. Most of the 100 informal groups (species series, species groups, and species subgroups) are new or newly defined. Brachycephalus and Ischnocnema are placed in Brachycephalidae, a relatively small clade restricted primarily to southeastern Brazil. Eleutherodactylidae includes two subfamilies, four genera, and five subgenera and is centered in the Caribbean region. Craugastoridae contains two genera and three subgenera and is distributed mainly in Middle America. Strabomantidae is distributed primarily in the Andes of northwestern South America and includes two subfamilies, 16 genera, and three subgenera. Images and distribution maps are presented for taxa above the species level and a complete list of species is provided. Aspects of the evolution, biogeography, and conservation of Terrarana are discussed. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: This paper slightly reorganizes the traditional taxonomy of some of the species of frogs (both native and non-native) found in the United States, as follows: Class Amphibia Linnaeus, 1758 Order Anura Rafinesque, 1815 The Family Brachycephalidae Gunther, 1858, as proposed and organized by Frost et al. (2006) and adopted by CNAH, is now restricted by Hedges et al. (2008) to frogs found along the eastern coast of South America and no longer applies to any anurans in North America; this name has been eliminated from the CNAH web site. The Family Craugastoridae Hedges, Duellman & Heinicke, 2008 (Fleshbelly Frogs) has been added to the CNAH web site. It was erected by Hedges et al. (2008) for U.S. taxa as follows: Genus Craugastor Cope, 1862 - Fleshbelly Frogs Craugastor augusti (Duges, 1879) - Barking Frog The Family Eleutherodactylidae Lutz, 1954 (Free-toed Frogs) has been added to the CNAH web site. It was resurrected by Hedges et al. (2008) for U.S. taxa as follows: Genus Eleutherodactylus Dumeril & Bibron, 1841 - Robber Frogs Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas, 1966 - Puerto Rican Coqui (non-native) Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides (Cope, 1877) – Rio Grande Chirping Frog Eleutherodactylus guttilatus (Cope, 1879) – Spotted Chirping Frog Eleutherodactylus marnockii (Cope, 1878) – Cliff Chirping Frog Eleutherodactylus planirostris (Cope, 1862) - Greenhouse Frog (non-native) ***** Learning Lyre Snake Lineages NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas www.cnah.org 11 June 2008 THE TRIMORPHODON BISCUTATUS (SQUAMATA: COLUBRIDAE) SPECIES COMPLEX REVISITED: A MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION Thomas J. Devitt, Travis J. LaDuc & Jimmy A. McGuire Copeia 2008(2): 370-387 The Western Lyre Snake (Trimorphodon biscutatus) inhabits arid regions from the desert southwestern United States southward along the Pacific lowland versant to northwestern Costa Rica and exhibits substantial geographic variation in size, squamation, and color pattern across its range. We examined patterns of geographic variation within T. biscutatus using multivariate statistical analyses of 33 morphological characters scored from 429 specimens. Principal components and discriminant analysis revealed six morphologically distinct groups that are generally concordant with lineages recovered in a phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA and with taxa traditionally recognized as species or subspecies. We conclude that Trimorphodon biscutatus (sensu lato) comprises six evolutionary species (including the recently elevated T. vilkinsonii) and recommend elevating T. biscutatus (sensu stricto), T. lambda, T. lyrophanes, T. paucimaculatus, and T. quadruplex to the species level. A key to the species of Trimorphodon is provided. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: Within the United States, the following species are recognized (common names are those suggested by the authors): Trimorphodon lambda – Sonoran Lyre Snake Trimorphodon lyrophanes – Peninsular Lyre Snake (formerly the Baja California Lyre Snake) Trimorphodon vilkinsonii – Chihuahuan Lyre Snake (formerly the Texas Lyre Snake Lizard Families Condensed Schulte, James A. II, John Pablo Valladares & Allan Larson (2003. Phylogenetic Relationships within Iguanidae Inferred using Molecular and Morphological Data and a Phylogenetic Taxonomy of Iguanian Lizards. Herpetologica 59(3): 399-419) proposed placing the currently recognized North American lizard families Crotaphytidae, Iguanidae, Phrynosomatidae, and Polychrotidae into a single family, Iguanidae. Montane Rana Re-organized V. T. Vredenburg, R. Bingham, R. Knapp, J. A. T. Morgan, C. Moritz & D. Wake (2007. Journal of Zoology 271: 361–374) demonstrated that Rana muscosa consisted of two species, Rana muscosa Camp (1917) and Rana sierrae Camp (1917). Here is the abstract: The Mountain Yellow-legged Frog, Rana muscosa sensu lato, once abundant in the Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada, and the disjunct Transverse Ranges of southern California, has declined precipitously throughout its range, even though most of its habitat is protected. The species is now extinct in Nevada and reduced to tiny remnants in southern California, where as a distinct population segment, it is classified as Endangered. Introduced predators (trout), air pollution and an infectious disease (chytridiomycosis) threaten remaining populations. A Bayesian analysis of 1901 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA confirms the presence of two deeply divergent clades that come into near contact in the Sierra Nevada. Morphological studies of museum specimens and analysis of acoustic data show that the two major mtDNA clades are readily differentiated phenotypically. Accordingly, we recognize two species, Rana sierrae, in the northern and central Sierra Nevada, and R. muscosa, in the southern Sierra Nevada and southern California. Existing data indicate no range overlap. These results have important implications for the conservation of these two species as they illuminate a profound mismatch between the current delineation of the distinct population segments (southern California vs. Sierra Nevada) and actual species boundaries. For example, our study finds that remnant populations of R. muscosa exist in both the southern Sierra Nevada and the mountains of southern California, which may broaden options for management. In addition, despite the fact that only the southern California populations are listed as Endangered, surveys conducted since 1995 at 225 historic (1899–1994) localities from museum collections show that 93.3% (n=146) of R. sierrae populations and 95.2% (n=79) of R. muscosa populations are extinct. Evidence presented here underscores the need for revision of protected population status to include both species throughout their ranges. ***** This article can be viewed or downloaded on the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp New Night Snake Names PHYLOGEOGRAPHY AND SPECIES BOUNDARIES OF THE WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NIGHT SNAKE (HYPSIGLENA TORQUATA): REVISITING THE SUBSPECIES CONCEPT 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46: 1095–1115 Daniel G. Mulcahy Abstract: The subspecies concept has received considerable debate throughout the past century. Subspecies were originally used to delineate potential incipient species, but were later employed to simply capture geographical variation. There is a recent trend to eliminate the trinomial in light of new evidence. Discrete, diagnosable lineages are elevated to specific status, while those that show clinal variation and/or appear to represent ecological pattern classes are placed in synonymy with the parent species and the subspecific epithets are disregarded. Here, I examine the species boundaries of Night Snakes (Hypsiglena torquata) using standard phylogeographic methods and mtDNA data from 178 individuals. Previously, seventeen subspecies of H. torquata were described. In this study, I recognize six species in what was previously considered H. torquata: one is novel, two were previously recognized subspecies, while the remaining three are wide-spread, polymorphic lineages, composed of multiple subspecies. I make the case to maintain the subspecific lineages in these wide-ranging species because they are geographically cohesive, morphologically discrete, and may represent incipient species within each complex, which have not yet achieved speciation. These subspecies are maintained, not only pending future investigations, but because they provide a useful identity for the taxonomy of this diverse lineage. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH NOTE: For North America (north of Mexico), the following taxonomy (based on the above paper) and standard common names are adopted by CNAH and are those that will be used in the next Peterson Field Guide (pending further revision based on peer-reviewed, published evidence): Class Reptilia Order Squamata Family Dipsadidae Hypsiglena chlorophaea – Desert Night Snake Hypsiglena jani – Chihuahuan Night Snake Hypsiglena ochrorhyncha – Coast Night Snake Hypsiglena sp. – Hooded Night Snake The common name “Night Snake” is two words (not one), just as it has been spelled for well over a half a century (starting at least with Schmidt & Davis, 1941, Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Putnam’s Sons, New York. xiii + 365 pp.). Newt Subspecies Sunk Caitlin R. Gabor and Chris C. Nice (2004. Genetic variation among populations of Eastern Newts, Notophthalmus viridescens: A preliminary analysis based on allozymes. Herpetologica 60(3): 373-386), using molecular data, demonstrated that the four previously recognized subspecies of the Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) did not reflect the evolutionary history of the species (i.e., the author's analyses showed an absence of significant differentiation among the subspecies). No web site given Night Lizard Names MULTI-LOCUS DNA SEQUENCE DATA REVEAL A HISTORY OF DEEP CRYPTIC VICARIANCE AND HABITAT-DRIVEN CONVERGENCE IN THE DESERT NIGHT LIZARD XANTUSIA VIGILIS SPECIES COMPLEX (SQUAMATA: XANTUSIIDAE) 2007. Molecular Ecology 16: 4455-4481 Dean H. Leavitt, Robert L. Bezy, Keith A. Crandall and Jack W. Sites, Jr. Abstract: The lizard genus Xantusia of southwestern North America has received recent attention in relation to delimiting species. Using more than 500 lizards from 156 localities, we further test hypothesized species boundaries and clarify phylogeographical patterns, particularly in regions of potential secondary contact. We sequenced the entire mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for every lizard in the study, plus a second mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) region and two nuclear introns for subsets of the total sample. Phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA recover a well-resolved, novel hypothesis for species in the Xantusia vigilis complex. The nuclear DNA (nDNA) data provide independent support for the recognition of X. arizonae, X. bezyi and X. wigginsi. Differences between the respective mtDNA and nDNA topologies result from either the effects of lineage sorting or ancient introgression. Nuclear data confirm the inference that some populations of X. vigilis in northwestern Arizona converged on rock-crevice-dwelling morphology and are not X. arizonae with an introgressed X. vigilis mtDNA genome. The historical independence of ancient cryptic lineages of Xantusia in southern California is also corroborated, though limited introgression is detected. Our proposed biogeographical scenario indicates that diversification of this group was driven by vicariance beginning in the late Miocene. Additionally, Pleistocene climatical changes influenced Xantusia distribution, and the now inhospitable Colorado Desert previously supported Night Lizard presence. The current taxonomy of the group likely underestimates species diversity within the group, and our results collectively show that while convergence on the rock-crevice-dwelling morphology is one hallmark of Xantusia evolution, morphological stasis is paradoxically another. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: The taxonomic diversity of the genus Xantusia in the United States now stands at: Class Reptilia Order Squamata Family Xantusidae Xantusia arizonae Klauber, 1931 (Arizona Night Lizard) Xantusia bezyi Papenfuss, Macey & Schulte, 2001 (Bezy’s Night Lizard) Xantusia gracilis Grismer & Galvan 1986 (Sandstone Night Lizard) Xantusia henshawi Stejneger, 1893 (Granite Night Lizard) Xantusia riversiana Cope, 1883 (Island Night Lizard) Xantusia sierrae Bezy, 1967 (Sierra Night Lizard) Xantusia vigilis Baird, 1858 (Desert Night Lizard) Xantusia wigginsi Savage, 1952 (Wiggins’s Night Lizard) In addition, the above referenced paper revealed the presence of an undescribed species (the Yucca Valley clade) in southern California. Presumably, this population will be given a specific epithet in the near future. ***** Pacific Chorus Frog Partitioned Ernesto Recuero, Íñigo Martínez-Solano, Gabriela Parra-Olea, and Mario García-París [2006. Phylogeography of Pseudacris regilla (Anura: Hylidae) in western North America, with a proposal for a new taxonomic rearrangement. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39: 293–304]. Abstract: The Baja California populations of Pseudacris regilla, a widespread species in western North America ranging from British Columbia to southern Baja California, are characterized by extensive geographic fragmentation. We performed phylogeographic and historical demographic analyses on 609 bp of the cytochrome b mitochondrial gene of 110 individuals representing 28 populations to determine the relative influences of current and historical processes in shaping the present distribution of genetic diversity on the Baja California peninsula. Haplotypes from this area were nested in a clade with three well-differentiated groups. Two of these groups are from Baja California Sur and another is from California and Baja California. The estimated date for the split of these groups, between 0.9–1 Ma, fits with previously proposed hypotheses of vicariance due to different transpeninsular seaways, although successive population fragmentation and expansion due to climatic oscillations during Pleistocene glaciations cannot be discarded. Historical demographic analyses detected signs of past population expansions, especially in the southernmost group. With respect to populations north of this region, two older clades were identified, one with haplotypes mainly distributed in central California, and the other corresponding to the northern half of the species range, in what apparently is a recurrent pattern in the pacific coast of North America. Based on the concordance between mt-DNA and available allozyme data indicating that these species have a long independent evolutionary history, we propose to consider the three major clades as distinct species: P. regilla, P. pacifica, and P. hypochondriaca. A pdf of this article may be viewed at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: Recognition of three species within this complex in North America (north of Mexico) results in the following arrangement (tentative common names are appended): Pseudacris hypochondriaca (Hallowell, 1854) Baja California Chorus Frog Pseudacris pacifica (Jameson, Mackey, and Richmond, 1966) Northwest Chorus Frog Pseudacris regilla (Baird and Girard, 1852) Pacific Chorus Frog http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Pacific Newt Partitioned NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 17 October 2007 CONTACT ZONES AND SPECIES LIMITS: HYBRIDIZATION BETWEEN LINEAGES OF THE CALIFORNIA NEWT, TARICHA TOROSA, IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA 2007 Herpetologica 63(3): 332-350 Shawn R. Kuchta Abstract: Recent phylogeographic work on Taricha torosa has revealed that the subspecific lineages, T. t. torosa and T. t. sierrae, are distinct evolutionary lineages that form a secondary contact zone in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. I examined the dynamics of this contact zone using two allozyme markers, mitochondrial DNA, morphometrics (head shape), and head color pattern. The subspecific lineages interbreed where they meet, and form a hybrid zone centered along the Kaweah River in Tulare County. Clines among genetic markers had similar shapes and centers, and ranged from 7–10 km wide. There is evidence of selection against hybrid genotypes in the center of the hybrid zone. Analyses of head shape and color pattern show that the two subspecies are phenotypically differentiated, and that patterns of differentiation in these characters are congruent with the genetic clines. The two subspecies constitute distinct evolutionary lineages and merit recognition as separate species: T. torosa (California Newt) and T. sierrae (Sierra Newt). ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: The results in this paper corroborate the much earlier conclusion of Collins (1991) that the allopatric (as shown at the time by the range map in Stebbins’ Western Peterson Field Guide), defined, and diagnosed subspecies, Taricha torosa sierrae, was a distinct species using the Evolutionary Species Concept of Wiley (1978). Panamint Rattler Pumped Genealogical Concordance between Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNAs Supports Species Recognition of the Panamint Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii stephensi) Michael E. Douglas, Marlis R. Douglas, Gordon W. Schuett, Louis W. Porras & Blake L. Thomason 2007 Copeia, 2007(4): 920–932 Abstract: The Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) is a polytypic taxon presently composed of five subspecies that range across southwestern North America, including the Baja Peninsula and islands in the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortes. The principles of genealogical concordance were employed to test the taxonomic status of three of the five subspecies (C. m. mitchellii, C. m. pyrrhus, and C. m. stephensi). We used two molecular marker systems: mitochondrial (mt) DNA ATPase 8 and 6 genes (675 base pairs, bp), and introns 5 and 6 of the nuclear (n) DNA ribosomal protein (RP) gene (449 bp). These markers were evaluated across 104 individuals of (n = 3), C. m. pyrrhus (n = 83), C. m. stephensi (n = 18), with Sistrurus c. catenatus as the distant outgroup. Deep phylogenetic splits were detected in the subspecies of C. mitchellii, with 5.0–6.4% mtDNA sequence divergence (SD) separating C. m. mitchellii and C. m. pyrrhus, while C. m. mitchellii and C. m. stephensi had SD values of 6.4–7.3%. Similarly, C. m. pyrrhus and C. m. stephensi had SD values of 5.2–6.7%. In addition, C. m. mitchellii and C. m. pyrrhus were identical in all 449 intron bp, but C. m. stephensi differed from both at a single nucleotide polymorphism. Our molecular results diagnose C. m. stephensi as sister to mainland subspecies of the C. mitchellii complex, a result consistent with certain head scalation characters and its northernmost geographic distribution in this complex. Furthermore, four morphological synapomorphies (supraocular scales prominently ridged and/or creased, contact between rostral and prenasal scales, ground coloration of tail congruent with that of body, and black rings in the distal 15% of the tail) also diagnose C. m. stephensi from all other subspecies of C. mitchellii. We hypothesize that the northern distribution of C. m. stephensi likely resulted from two vicariant events: Pliocene expansion of the Sea of Cortes as the Salton Trough, and Pliocene development of the lacustrine Bouse Embayment along the Colorado River drainage. Despite earlier conclusions based on morphology, our molecular results showed no evidence of intergradation between C. m. pyrrhus and C. m. stephensi. Based on the principles of genealogical concordance, we advocate that C. m. stephensi be elevated to a full species, which renders a minimum of two species within the C. mitchellii clades we examined. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Racers Revealed PHYLOGEOGRAPHY ACROSS A CONTINENT: THE EVOLUTIONARY AND DEMOGRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN RACER (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE: COLUBER CONSTRICTOR) 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47(1): 274-288 Frank T. Burbrink, Frank Fontanella, R. Alexander Pyron, Timothy J. Guiher and Cynthia Jimenez Abstract: Most phylogeographic studies examine organisms that do not have transcontinental distributions and therefore the genetic and temporal effects of barriers across an entire continent cannot be assessed with respect to a single species. We examined the phylogeographic structure, lineage age, and historical demography using sequences from the mtDNA cytochrome b gene of the widespread North American racer (Coluber constrictor), one of the few abundant transcontinental snakes that occurs throughout many diverse biomes. Our results indicate that this complex is comprised of six lineages differing greatly in geographic extent, with the largest (a central US clade) being 26 times greater than the smallest (a lineage restricted to the Florida Panhandle and nearby portions of adjacent States). Most of the six lineages appear to be separated at previously identified genetic barriers for several vertebrates with similar ranges. Lineage diversification in this species began in the late Miocene, separating populations in the Florida Peninsula from the remainder of the US. Diversification of lineages continued throughout the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Four of the six lineages occur east of the Mississippi River, with only two distinctly young (1.5 mya) lineages found west of the Mississippi River (one occurs west of Continental Divide). All methods of demographic inference, including the mismatch distribution, Fu and Li’s D* and Tajima’s D*, and Bayesian skyline plots revealed population expansion occurring in the mid-to-late Pleistocene for every lineage, regardless of size or proximity to formerly glaciated areas. Population expansion for lineages found east of the Mississippi River occurred earlier and was much greater than those found west of the River. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: Using mtDNA, Burbrink et al. (2008) identified six lineages of Coluber constrictor in this excellent paper, but did not name them as distinct species, presumably until future results of nucleic DNA evidence along with southwestern U.S. and Mexican samples are assessed and integrated into the analysis. However, based on known type localities (as they appear in Auffenberg, 1955, Stejneger and Barbour, 1943, Schmidt, 1953, and Wilson, 1970) for already described, published, and available names, minimally the following distinct species (see Figure 1 on page 275 in Burbrink et al. for lineage designations) might be recognized in the future: Class Reptilia Order Squamata Family Colubridae Coluber constrictor Linnaeus, 1758 (Eastern lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008) Type locality: vicinity of Philadelphia (see Dunn & Wood, 1939) Standard common name would remain: Eastern Racer Coluber priapus Dunn & Wood, 1939 (Peninsular Florida lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008) Type locality: West Palm Beach, Florida Standard common name would become: Florida Racer Synonyms: Coluber haasti Bell, 1952, Coluber c. paludicolus Auffenberg & Babbitt, 1953 Coluber helvigularis Auffenberg, 1955 (Florida Panhandle lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008) Type locality: Gulf County, Florida Standard common name would remain: Brownchin Racer Coluber flaviventris Say, 1823 (Central lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008) Type locality: Pottawattamie County, Iowa Standard common name would probably become: Prairie Racer, Plains Racer, or Midland Racer Synonyms: Coluber anthicus (Cope 1862), Coluber c. etheridgei Wilson, 1970, Coluber c. foxii (Baird & Girard, 1853), Coluber c. latrunculus Wilson, 1970 Coluber mormon Baird & Girard, 1852 (Western lineage of Burbrink et al. 2008) Type locality: Valley of the Great Salt Lake, Utah Standard common name would remain: Western Racer Synonym: Coluber vetustus (Baird & Girard, 1853) Possible synonyms: Coluber oaxaca Jan, 1863, Coluber stejnegerianus (Cope, 1895) I was unable to clearly identify a name for the Gulf Coast lineage of Burbrink et al. (2008); it may require a new specific epithet. The western border of this lineage is the Mississippi River. The type locality of Coluber c. latrunculus Wilson, 1970 is St. James Parish, Louisiana (west of the Mississippi River) and very close to the range of the Gulf Coast lineage of Burbrink et al. (2008); additional sampling may demonstrate that the name C. c. latrunculus applies to it. The above list of name combinations is presented here merely as advance information of possible future changes in the taxonomy of the polytypic North American Racers (genus Coluber). Under no circumstances should the above list be adopted as a taxonomy for the group (except for recognition of C. mormon as a distinct species, an arrangement already well-documented long ago by Fitch et al., 1981, and Collins, 1991). Additional work on the systematics of this serpent remains to be done. References Auffenberg, W. 1955. A reconsideration of the racer, Coluber constrictor, in eastern United States. Tulane Stud. Zool. 2(6): 89-155. Collins, J. T. 1991. Viewpoint: A new taxonomic arrangement for some North American amphibians and reptiles. Herpetol. Review 22(2): 42-43. Fitch, H. S., W. S. Brown, and W. S. Parker. 1981. Coluber mormon, a species distinct from C. constrictor. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci. 84(4): 196-203. Schmidt, K. P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Sixth Ed. Publ. American Soc. Ich. Herp., viii + 280 pp. Stejneger, L. & T. Barbour. 1943. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Fifth Ed. Harvard University Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 93(1): xix + 260 pp. Wilson, L. D. 1970. The racer Coluber constrictor (Serpentes: Colubridae) in Louisiana and eastern Texas. Texas Journ. Sci. 22(1): 67-85. Joseph T. Collins Director CNAH Ringneck Snake Revelations PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF DIADOPHIS PUNCTATUS: EXTENSIVE LINEAGE DIVERSITY AND REPEATED PATTERNS OF HISTORICAL DEMOGRAPHY IN A TRANS-CONTINENTAL SNAKE 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46(3): 1049-1070 Frank Fontanella, Chris R. Feldman, Mark E. Siddall and Frank T. Burbrink Abstract: Dynamic climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene had profound effects on the distributions of species across North America. Although the role of historical climate change on speciation remains controversial, the impact on genetic variation within species has been well documented. We examined mtDNA sequences from the cytochrome b gene (1117 bp) and a portion of the NADH-4 gene (659 bp) for 286 individuals of Diadophis punctatus to infer phylogeographic patterns and population structure and to examine historical demographic patterns in both glaciated and unglaciated regions of North America. We inferred 14 lineages that replace each other geographically across the United States. Several of these lineages appear to be confined to specific habitats (floodplains, grasslands, montane environments) and traverse previously identified genetic barriers for terrestrial vertebrates including the Mississippi and Apalachicola Rivers, the Appalachian Mountains, and the western continental divide. We also observed overlapping ranges between some haplotype groups and several instances of secondary contact associated with ecological transition zones in eastern South Carolina, southern Oklahoma and central California. Within the US, diversification began during the late Miocene and continued into the mid-Pleistocene, suggesting these lineages pre-dated the last glacial maximum. Coalescent and non-coalescent demographic analyses indicate that independent lineages currently occupying previously glaciated or unsuitable areas in eastern, central and western US underwent post-glacial population expansion likely from southern refugia during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene. Conversely, southern lineages display patterns consistent with long-term population stability. Such long-term persistence of genetic structure may be due to the competitive effects between lineages or ecosystem stability in more southern latitudes. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: Using mtDNA, Fontanella et al. (2008) identified fourteen lineages of Ringneck Snakes but declined to recognize them as distinct species, pending the acquisition of additional data from Mexican populations and the evaluation of nucleic molecular data for the entire complex. However, based on known type localities (as they appear in Blanchard, 1942, Stejneger and Barbour, 1943, and Schmidt, 1953, plus information generously provided by Van Wallach, Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., James N. Layne, Travis W. Taggart, and Curtis J. Schmidt, pers. comms.) for already described, published, and available taxa, minimally the following distinct species (see Figures 3 & 5 in Fontanella et al. for lineage designations) might be recognized in the future: Class Reptilia Order Squamata Family Dipsadidae Diadophis acricus Paulson, 1968 (Peninsular Florida lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008). Type locality: Big Pine Key Diadophis amabilis Baird & Girard, 1853 (Coastal California lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: San Jose, California (see Stejneger & Barbour, 1943) Synonyms: D. occidentalis Blanchard, 1923 & D. vandenburgii Blanchard, 1923 Diadophis arnyi Kennicott, 1858 (Great Plains lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: Hyatt, Anderson County, Kansas Diadophis docilis Baird & Girard, 1853 (North Texas lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: between Rio San Pedro or Devil’s River and Comanche Spring, Texas Synonym: D. blanchardi Schmidt & Smith, 1944 Diadophis edwardsii (Merrem, 1820) (Northeastern lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: Pennsylvania Synonym: D. torquatus (Shaw, 1802) (preoccupied) Diadophis modestus Bocourt, 1886 (Southern California lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: California (see Stejneger & Barbour, 1943) Synonyms: D. anthonyi Van Denburgh & Slevin, 1923 & D. similis Blanchard, 1923 Diadophis occipitalis (Gunther, 1858) (Mid-Atlantic lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: designated as “Charleston, South Carolina” (see Schmidt, 1953) Synonym: D. pallidus Cope, 1860 Diadophis pulchellus Baird & Girard, 1853 (Eastern California lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: El Dorado County, California (see Stejneger & Barbour, 1943) Diadophis punctatus (Linnaeus, 1766) (Piedmont lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: Carolina (in Linnaeus, 1766), but given as “Carolina and Eastern Gulf States” by Stejneger & Barbour (1943), and restricted to “Charleston, South Carolina” by Schmidt (1953) Diadophis regalis Baird & Girard, 1853 (Great Basin lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: Sonora, Mexico Synonyms: D. arizonae Blanchard, 1923 & D. laetus Jan, 1863 Diadophis stictogenys Cope, 1860 (Mississippi River Valley lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: designated as “southern Illinois” (see Schmidt, 1953: 183) Diadophis texensis Kennicott, 1860 (Southeastern Louisiana lineage of Fontanella et al. 2008) Type locality: “New Orleans to Galveston” I was unable to locate available names for the Cumberland and Western Louisiana lineages of Fontanella et al. (2008); diligent research may reveal names for them. Diadophis dysopes Cope, 1860, might be an available name, provided the type specimen can be associated with either population; although its type locality has been designated as “vicinity of Philadelphia” (see Schmidt, 1953) and this would place it in the synonymy of D. edwardsii, this restriction of the type locality may not stand. Some of these names could be replaced by others, depending on the results of molecular analysis of Mexican populations by Fontanella and his colleagues along with research that establishes more precise type localities for some of the available names. The above list of name combinations is presented here merely as advance information of possible future changes in the taxonomy of the (currently monotypic) Ringneck Snake, Diadophis punctatus. Under no circumstances should the above list be adopted as a taxonomy for the group. Too much work remains to be done. References Blanchard, F. N. 1942. The ringneck snakes, genus Diadophis. Bull. Chicago Acad. Sci. 7(1): 1–144. Schmidt, K. P. 1953. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Sixth Ed. Publ. American Soc. Ich. Herp., viii + 280 pp. Stejneger, L. & T. Barbour 1943. A check list of North American amphibians and reptiles. Fifth Ed. Harvard University Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 93(1): xix + 260 pp. Joseph T. Collins Director CNAH Rosy Boas Bifurcated Novel Patterns of Historical Isolation, Dispersal, and Secondary Contact Across Baja California in the Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 46: 484-502 Dustin A. Wood, Robert N. Fisher and Tod W. Reeder Abstract: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation was examined in 131 individuals of the Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata) from across the species range in southwestern North America. Bayesian inference and nested clade phylogeographic analyses (NCPA) were used to estimate relationships and infer evolutionary processes. These patterns were evaluated as they relate to previously hypothesized vicariant events and new insights are provided into the biogeographic and evolutionary processes important in Baja California and surrounding North American deserts. Three major lineages (Lineages A, B, and C) are revealed with very little overlap. Lineage A and B are predominately separated along the Colorado River and are found primarily within California and Arizona (respectively), while Lineage C consists of disjunct groups distributed along the Baja California peninsula as well as south-central Arizona, southward along the coastal regions of Sonora, Mexico. Estimated divergence time points (using a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock) and geographic congruence with postulated vicariant events suggest early extensions of the Gulf of California and subsequent development of the Colorado River during the Late Miocene–Pliocene led to the formation of these mtDNA lineages. Our results also suggest that vicariance hypotheses alone do not fully explain patterns of genetic variation. Therefore, we highlight the importance of dispersal to explain these patterns and current distribution of populations. We also compare the mtDNA lineages with those based on morphological variation and evaluate their implications for taxonomy. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp ***** CNAH Note: Lichanura trivirgata (Cope, 1861) retains the standard common name Mexican Rosy Boa (most of its range is in Mexico); the newly resurrected Lichanura orcutti (Stejneger, 1889), found in both the Sonoran Desert and Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States, becomes the Desert Rosy Boa. Recognition of the taxa gracia, roseofusca, myriolepis, and saslowi (all formerly recognized as subspecies of L. trivirgata in Mexico and/or the United States) is not supported and they are herein considered as relegated to the synonymy of Lichanura trivirgata (although the authors of this paper do not explicitly address this issue). Snake Families Refined Lawson, Robin, the late Joseph B. Slowinski, Brian I. Crother & Frank T. Burbrink (2005 Phylogeny of the Colubroidea (Serpentes): New evidence from mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 37: 581–601) redefined the snake families of Canada and the United States. Download a copy of their paper from the CNAH PDF Library. http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Snake Families Revised Theodora Pinou, Saverio Vicario, Monique Marschner and Adalgisa Caccone (2004. Relict snakes of North America and their relationships within Caenophidia, using likelihood-based Bayesian methods on mitochondrial sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32: 563-574), using a data set from 87 species worldwide, recognized Natricidae, Colubridae, Dipsadidae, Crotalidae, and Viperidae as distinct snake families with North American representatives, placed the genus Leptodeira in the family Dipsadidae, placed the genera Carphophis, Contia, Diadophis, and Farancia within a single well-resolved (but unnamed) family-level clade, and placed the genus Heterodon within a single well-resolved (but unnamed) family-level clade. Another noteworthy finding reported in the paper was the deep phylogenetic structure of the genus Diadophis on each side of the Mississippi River. The 12S and 16S data used to construct the entire topology was corroborated by a concurrent examination of hemipenial morphology. The following problematic North American caenophidian snake genera were not addressed in this paper: Coniophanes, Hypsiglena, Rhadinaea, and Trimorphodon. A downloadable gratis reprint of the paper by Pinou et al. is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp No web site given Snake Families Stabilized NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 15 September 2006 A Re-classification of Snakes Native to Canada and the United States Joseph T. Collins Journal of Kansas Herpetology 19: 18-20 September 2006 Based on the robust data and modern analysis that recently appeared in Lawson et al. (2005 Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37: 581-601), the snakes of North America (north of Mexico) are arranged in nine Families, a more informative arrangement than that achieved by retaining them in the traditional five Families of the past. The classification proposed by Collins is fully supported by the scientific evidence in Lawson et al. (2005), and is proposed for researchers that prefer to communicate, both in writing and verbally, using a well-established, accurate hierarchy (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and species) to discuss the diversity of life on earth. ***** A gratis PDF of this article is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Spiny Lizard Split A genetic perspective on the geographic association of taxa among arid North American lizards of the Sceloporus magister complex (Squamata: Iguanidae: Phrynosomatinae) by James A. Schulte II, J. Robert Macey & Theodore J. Papenfuss 2006. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39: 873-880 A taxonomic summary of their research (taken directly from the article) is as follows: " . . . we elevate three subspecies to species status. Sceloporus magister magister (Linsdale, 1932) is recognized as Sceloporus magister [Hallowell, 1854, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phil. 7, 93. Type locality "Fort Yuma, California;" restricted to Yuma, Yuma, Arizona, by Smith and Taylor (1950)]. Sceloporus. m. bimaculosus (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955) is recognized as Sceloporus bimaculosus (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955, Herpetologica 11, 9. Type locality "6.6 miles east of San Antonio, Socorro, New Mexico"). Sceloporus m. uniformis (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955) is recognized as Sceloporus uniformis (Phelan and Brattstrom, 1955, Herpetologica 11, 7. Type locality "Valyermo, Los Angeles, California")." CNAH Note: Standard common names for these three revived taxa remain the names traditionally used for them as subspecies (see Collins, 1990): Twin-spotted Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus bimaculosus), Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister), and Yellowback Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus uniformis). ***** A gratis downloadable pdf of this paper is available from the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Spiny Lizard Split II NEWS RELEASE The Center for North American Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http://www.cnah.org 1 August 2006 A NEW SUBSPECIES OF SCELOPORUS FROM TEXAS Robert G. Webb (2006. Variation in the Crevice Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus poinsettii Baird and Girard. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 42(2): 65-114) described a new subspecies of the Crevice Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus poinsettii) from New Mexico and Texas. The new taxon, Sceloporus poinsettii axtelli, honors the distinguished herpetologist, Ralph W. Axtell (Southern Illinois University) in recognition of his substantial contributions to our understanding of lizards of the Family Phrynosomatidae. The nominate race, S. p. poinsettii, is restricted to west of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. An image of the new subspecies may be viewed at http://www.cnah.org/detail.asp?id=1249 The article is now available for downloading in the CNAH Pdf Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp Treefrog Taxonomy Treatise Treefrog Taxonomy Treated 2005. Faivovich, Julián, Célio F. B. Haddad, Paulo C. A. Garcia, Darrel R. Frost, Jonathan A. Campbell & Ward C. Wheeler. Systematic review of the frog family Hylidae, with special reference to Hylinae: Phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 294: 1-240. Abstract [in part] Hylidae is a large family of American, Australopapuan, and temperate Eurasian treefrogs of approximately 870 known species, divided among four subfamilies. Although some groups of Hylidae have been addressed phylogenetically, a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis has never been presented. The first goal of this paper is to review the current state of hylid systematics. We focus on the very large subfamily Hylinae (590 species), evaluate the monophyly of named taxa, and examine the evidential basis of the existing taxonomy. The second objective is to perform a phylogenetic analysis using mostly DNA sequence data in order to (1) test the monophyly of the Hylidae; (2) determine its constituent taxa, with special attention to the genera and species groups which form the subfamily Hylinae, and c) propose a new, monophyletic taxonomy consistent with the hypothesized relationships. We present a phylogenetic analysis of hylid frogs based on 276 terminals, including 228 hylids and 48 outgroup taxa. Included are exemplars of all but 1 of the 41 genera of Hylidae (of all four nominal subfamilies) and 39 of the 41 currently recognized species groups of the species-rich genus Hyla. The included taxa allowed us to test the monophyly of 24 of the 35 nonmonotypic genera and 25 species groups of Hyla. The phylogenetic analysis includes approximately 5100 base pairs from four mitochondrial (12S, tRNA valine, 16S, and cytochrome b) and five nuclear genes (rhodopsin, tyrosinase, RAG-1, seventh in absentia, and 28S), and a small data set from foot musculature. Concurring with previous studies, the present analysis indicates that Hemiphractinae are not related to the other three hylid subfamilies. It is therefore removed from the family and tentatively considered a subfamily of the paraphyletic Leptodactylidae. Hylidae is now restricted to Hylinae, Pelodryadinae, and Phyllomedusinae. ***** The generic and specific taxonomy for frogs of the family Hylidae found in the United States and Canada remains unchanged in this paper, and exactly matches that shown on the CNAH checklist at http://www.cnah.org/nameslist.asp?id=3 A pdf of the article may be viewed at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp No web site given Turtles a Distinct Class Sister Group Relationship of Turtles to the Bird-Crocodilian Clade Revealed by Nuclear DNA–Coded Proteins Naoyuki Iwabe, Yuichiro Hara, Yoshinori Kumazawa, Kaori Shibamoto, Yumi Saito, Takashi Miyata, and Kazutaka Katoh Molecular Biology and Evolution 22(4): 810–813 (2005) Abstract: The phylogenetic position of turtles is a currently controversial issue. Recent molecular studies rejected a traditional view that turtles are basal living reptiles (Hedges, S. B., and L. L. Poling. 1999. A molecular phylogeny. Science 83: 998–1001; Kumazawa, Y., and M. Nishida. 1999. Complete mitochondrial DNA sequences of the Green Turtle and Bluetail Mole Skink, statistical evidence for archosaurian affinity of turtles. Mol. Biol. Evol. 16: 784–792). Instead, these studies grouped turtles with birds and crocodiles. The relationship among turtles, birds, and crocodiles remained unclear to date. To resolve this issue, we have cloned and sequenced two nuclear genes encoding the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase a and glycinamide ribonucleotide synthetase–aminoimidazole ribonucleotide synthetase–glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase from amniotes and an amphibian. The amino acid sequences of these proteins were subjected to a phylogenetic analysis based on the maximum likelihood method. The resulting tree showed that turtles are the sister group to a monophyletic cluster of archosaurs (birds and crocodiles). All other possible tree topologies were significantly rejected. A copy of this article can be downloaded gratis by visiting the CNAH PDF Library at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdf.asp CNAH Note: The above paper is yet another that supports the higher-level taxonomy as shown on the CNAH web site at http://www.cnah.org/taxonomy.asp For those that use a traditional named hierarchy, turtles are a distinct Class. No web site given US Blind Snakes Revised Dixon, James R. & Kathryn Vaughan [2003 The Status of Mexican and Southwestern United States Blind Snakes Allied with Leptotyphlops dulcis (Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae). Texas Journal of Science 55(1): 3-24], using external morphological data, recognized the subspecies Leptotyphlops dulcis dissectus as a distinct species, and resurrected the name L. dulcis rubellum Garman 1883, for populations in southern Texas and adjacent Tamaulipas and Coahuila, Mexico. US Lyre Snakes Now 2 Species LaDuc, Travis J. & Jerry D. Johnson. 2003. A Taxonomic Revision of Trimorphodon biscutatus vilkinsoni (Serpentes: Colubridae). Herpetologica 59(3): 364-374. The authors recognized this taxon as species distinct from T. biscutatus, and recommended a standard common name of Chihuahuan Desert Lyre Snake, to better reflect