title: Polyphyly of Asian Tree Toads, Genus Pedostibes Günther, 1876 (Anura: Bufonidae), and the Description of a New Genus from Southeast Asia.
abstract: The Asian Tree Toad genus Pedostibes, as currently understood, exhibits a conspicuously disjunct distribution, posing several immediate questions relating to the biogeography and taxonomy of this poorly known group. The type species, P. tuberculosus and P. kempi, are known only from India, whereas P. hosii, P. rugosus, and P. everetti are restricted to Southeast Asia. Several studies have shown that these allopatric groups are polyphyletic, with the Indian Pedostibes embedded within a primarily South Asian clade of toads, containing the genera Adenomus, Xanthophryne, and Duttaphrynus. Southeast Asian Pedostibes on the other hand, are nested within a Southeast Asian clade, which is the sister lineage to the Southeast Asian river toad genus Phrynoidis. We demonstrate that Indian and Southeast Asian Pedostibes are not only allopatric and polyphyletic, but also exhibit significant differences in morphology and reproductive mode, indicating that the Southeast Asian species' are not congeneric with the true Pedostibes of India. As a taxonomic solution, we describe a new genus, Rentapia gen. nov. to accommodate the Southeast Asian species.
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Kin Onn
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: L Lee
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Grismer
authors.affiliation: Beagle, Chandakunnu, Wayanad, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zachariah
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Rafe M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Robin Kurian
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Abraham
mesh_terms: D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000818:Animals; D001210:Asia, Southeastern; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002025:Bufonidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny