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Genetic diversity of the Pegu Rice Frog, Microhyla berdmorei (Anura: Microhylidae) based on mitochondrial DNA.

ABSTRACT: The Pegu Rice Frog, Microhyla berdmorei is distributed across ten Asian countries. However, the DNA barcoding information (COI gene) is restricted to only Southeast Asian countries. Here, we sampled a specimen of M. berdmorei in Mizoram state, northeast India to allow the genetic diversity of the species across its range. We generated both COI and 16S ribosomal RNA sequences of the studied species to check the population genetic diversity. The Bayesian analyses clearly discriminate M. berdmorei from its sister species Microhyla pulchra. The present datasets of M. berdmorei also revealed 11 and 19 haplotypes with high uncorrected pairwise genetic distances in COI (3.8-11.8%) and 16S rRNA (0-4.6%) gene, respectively. Owing to the high intra-species genetic distances and different haplotypes with sufficient mutational steps in both mitochondrial genes, this study affirms the existence of M. berdmorei species complex or cryptic diversity within its range distribution in South and Southeast Asia.

SUBMITTER: Kundu S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8218842 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Vocalizing behavior of frogs and toads, once quantified, is useful for systematics, rapid species identification, behavioral experimentation and conservation monitoring. But yet, for many lineages vocalizations remain unknown or poorly quantified, especially in diversity rich tropical regions. Here we provide a quantitative acoustical analysis for all four Sri Lankan congeners of the genus Microhyla. Three of these species are endemic to the island, but Microhyla ornata is regionally widespread. Two of these endemics, M. karunaratnei (Critically Endangered) and M. zeylanica (Endangered), are highly threatened montane isolates; the other, M. mihintalei, is relatively common across the dry lowlands. We recorded and analyzed 100 advertisement calls from five calling males for each species, except for M. zeylanica, which only had 53 calls from three males suitable for analyses. All four species call in choruses and their vocal repertoires are simple compared to most frogs. Their calls contain multiple pulses and no frequency modulation. We quantified eight call characters. Call duration and number of pulses were higher for the two montane isolates (inhabiting cooler habitats at higher altitudes) compared to their lowland congeners. Microhyla zeylanica has the longest call duration (of 1.8 ± 0.12 s) and the highest number of pulses (of 61-92 pulses). The smallest of the species, Microhyla karunaratnei (16.2-18.3 mm), has the highest mean dominant frequency (3.3 ± 0.14 kHz) and pulse rate (77 ± 5.8 pulses per second). The calls separate well in the Principal Component space: PC1 axis is mostly explained by the number of pulses per call and call duration; PC2 is mostly explained by the pulse rate. A canonical means plot of a Discriminant Function analysis shows non-overlapping 95% confidence ellipses. This suggests that some call parameters can be used to distinguish these species effectively. We provide detailed descriptions for eight call properties and compare these with congeners for which data is available. This work provides a foundation for comparative bioacoustic analyses and species monitoring while facilitating the systematics of Microhyla across its range.

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Genetic diversity of the Pegu Rice Frog, Microhyla berdmorei (Anura: Microhylidae) based on mitochondrial DNA.

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