Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17761
Title: Discovery of a new family of amphibians from northeast India with ancient links to Africa
Contributor(s): Kamei, Rachunliu G (author); San Mauro, Diego (author); Gower, David J (author); Van Bocxlaer, Ines (author); Sherratt, Emma (author); Thomas, Ashish (author); Babu, Suresh (author); Bossuyt, Franky (author); Wilkinson, Mark (author); Biju, S D (author)
Publication Date: 2012
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0150Open Access Link
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/17761
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.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1737), p. 2396-2401
Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing
Place of Publication: United Kingdom
ISSN: 1471-2954
0962-8452
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 060301 Animal Systematics and Taxonomy
060809 Vertebrate Biology
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 310401 Animal systematics and taxonomy
310914 Vertebrate biology
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

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