We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Cryptic Species within a Cryptic Species? Species Delimitation in the Cumberland Plateau Salamander, Plethodon kentucki.
- Authors
Watts, Emily F.; Waldron, Brian P.; Hantak, Maggie M.; Lemmon, Emily Moriarty; Lemmon, Alan R.; Kuchta, Shawn R.
- Abstract
The Cumberland Plateau Salamander, Plethodon kentucki, is a cryptic species with respect to the sympatric Northern Slimy Salamander, Plethodon glutinosus. It was first described by Highton and MacGregor (1983) by using allozyme data. In that description, the authors reported extreme levels of genetic differentiation for a single species with a narrow distribution; however, follow-up studies found patterns of genetic variation that were discordant with the allozyme data. In this paper, we describe patterns of genetic variation within P. kentucki by using an anchored hybrid enrichment dataset of 21 individuals sampled from across its known range. We identified four genetic groups with extensive admixture and isolation by distance. We constructed a population tree by using TreeMix and inferred gene flow between two of the four genetic groups. Finally, we used Bayesian phylogenetics and phylogeography (BPP) in conjunction with the genealogical divergence index (gdi) to test species boundaries within P. kentucki. Although BPP suggested that P. kentucki could be four species, gdi indicated that none of the groups were sufficiently independent to constitute separate species. We conclude that P. kentucki is best recognized as a single species with substantial genetic structure within its limited distribution.
- Subjects
PHYLOGEOGRAPHY; SALAMANDERS; GENETIC variation; SPECIES; SPECIES distribution; GENE flow
- Publication
Herpetologica, 2024, Vol 80, Issue 2, p189
- ISSN
0018-0831
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1655/Herpetologica-D-22-00044