Discovery of a new family of amphibians from northeast India with ancient links to Africa

Title
Discovery of a new family of amphibians from northeast India with ancient links to Africa
Publication Date
2012
Author(s)
Kamei, Rachunliu G
San Mauro, Diego
Gower, David J
Van Bocxlaer, Ines
Sherratt, Emma
Thomas, Ashish
Babu, Suresh
Bossuyt, Franky
Wilkinson, Mark
Biju, S D
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
The Royal Society Publishing
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1098/rspb.2012.0150
UNE publication id
une:17972
Abstract
The limbless, primarily soil-dwelling and tropical caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) comprise the least known order of tetrapods. On the basis of unprecedented extensive fieldwork, we report the discovery of a previously overlooked, ancient lineage and radiation of caecilians from threatened habitats in the underexplored states of northeast India. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of mitogenomic and nuclear DNA sequences, and comparative cranial anatomy indicate an unexpected sister-group relationship with the exclusively African family Herpelidae. Relaxed molecular clock analyses indicate that these lineages diverged in the Early Cretaceous, about 140 Ma. The discovery adds a major branch to the amphibian tree of life and sheds light on both the evolution and biogeography of caecilians and the biotic history of northeast India - an area generally interpreted as a gateway between biodiversity hotspots rather than a distinct biogeographic unit with its own ancient endemics. Because of its distinctive morphology, inferred age and phylogenetic relationships, we recognize the newly discovered caecilian radiation as a new family of modern amphibians.
Link
Citation
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1737), p. 2396-2401
ISSN
1471-2954
0962-8452
Start page
2396
End page
2401

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