Meeting Abstract

96.4  Monday, Jan. 6 14:15  Recent evolutionary history of a Lost World frog radiation SALERNO, PE*; SEñARIS, JC; ROJAS-RUNJAIC, F.J.M.; CANNATELLA, D.C.; U.T. Austin; IVIC, Caracas; La Salle Nat. Hist. Museum, Caracas; U.T. Austin patriciasalerno@gmail.com

The Lost World of South America comprises hundreds of flattop mountains with walls up to 1000m high and hundreds of kilometers of lowlands separating them. These flattop mountains form a discontinuous ecosystem of islands in the sky, with enormous number of endemics unique to the highlands. However, many of these endemics seem to have arrived there recently, in spite of the drastic landscapes that suggest long-term isolation of highland species. We examine the evolutionary history of Tepuihyla, a genus of frogs endemic to these mountains. Although Tepuihyla is currently regarded as consisting of five species, species boundaries within the genus have been debated. We focus on three of the most recently diverged lineages, T. edelcae, T. cf edelcae (both summit restricted), and T. rodriguezi (midlands), to examine evidence of recent dispersals, demographic history, potential effects of Pleistocene climate shifts, and movements within the eastern flattop mountains and their surrounding lowlands. We also perform morphometric analyses to assess correspondence between genetic and morphological divergence. These analyses indicate the existence of a new cryptic species that lacks obvious diagnostic phenotypic characters.