title: Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of West Indian toads (Anura: Bufonidae).
abstract: Toads of the Bufo peltocephalus Group (Anura: Bufonidae) occur throughout the Greater Antilles (Cuba to the Virgin Islands), a geographic region of relatively high endemicity. Previous morphological and immunological studies suggested that the West Indian toads are a monophyletic lineage derived from Neotropical Bufo but were unable to clarify relationships within the group. We examined the evolutionary relationships and biogeography of this group of frogs by collecting approximately 2 kb of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from eight West Indian species and selected non-West Indian species from the New World and the Old World. Our analyses support the monophyly of native West Indian toads and a New World origin for the group. Relationships among the West Indian species are less certain, but a Cuban lineage is defined in most analyses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Kansas Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7561, USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Pramuk
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hass
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Hedges
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002025:Bufonidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005843:Geography; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C075526:RNA, ribosomal, 12S