title: DNA barcoding and the identification of tree frogs (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae).
abstract: The DNA barcoding gene COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) effectively identifies many species. Herein, we barcoded 172 individuals from 37 species belonging to nine genera in Rhacophoridae to test if the gene serves equally well to identify species of tree frogs. Phenetic neighbor joining and phylogenetic Bayesian inference were used to construct phylogenetic trees, which resolved all nine genera as monophyletic taxa except for Rhacophorus, two new matrilines for Liuixalus, and Polypedates leucomystax species complex. Intraspecific genetic distances ranged from 0.000 to 0.119 and interspecific genetic distances ranged from 0.015 to 0.334. Within Rhacophorus and Kurixalus, the intra- and interspecific genetic distances did not reveal an obvious barcode gap. Notwithstanding, we found that COI sequences unambiguously identified rhacophorid species and helped to discover likely new cryptic species via the synthesis of genealogical relationships and divergence patterns. Our results supported that COI is an effective DNA barcoding marker for Rhacophoridae.
authors.affiliation: a Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Chengdu , China .|b College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University , Chengdu , China .
authors.forename: Ning-Xin
authors.initials: NX
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: c School of Medical Laboratory Science, Chengdu Medical College , Chengdu , China .
authors.forename: Feng-Hui
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: a Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Chengdu , China .
authors.forename: Yun-Yun
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: a Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Chengdu , China .|b College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University , Chengdu , China .
authors.forename: Bo-Han
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: d Department of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology , College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University , Haikou , China .
authors.forename: Ji-Chao
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: e Department of Conservation Biology , Royal Ontario Museum , Toronto , Ontario , Canada , and.
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: f State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Kunming , China.
authors.forename: Wen-Zhi
authors.initials: WZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: a Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Chengdu , China .
authors.forename: Jia-Tang
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic / Q000379:methods*; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV
keywords: Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene; cryptic species; molecular identification; rhacophorid