title: Inter- and intra-specific genetic divergence of Asian tiger frogs (genus Hoplobatrachus), with special reference to the population structure of H. tigerinus in Bangladesh.
abstract: The five frog species of the genus Hoplobatrachus are widely distributed in Asia and Africa, with Asia being considered the genus' origin. However, the evolutionary relationships of Asian Hoplobatrachus species remain ambiguous. Additionally, genetic diversity and fundamental differentiation processes within species have not been studied. We conducted molecular phylogenetic analysis on Asian Hoplobatrachus frogs and population genetic analysis on H. tigerinus in Bangladesh using the mitochondrial CYTB gene and 21 microsatellite markers. The resultant phylogenetic tree revealed monophyly in each species, notwithstanding the involvement of cryptic species in H. chinensis and H. tigerinus, which are evident from the higher genetic divergence between populations. Bayesian inference of population structure revealed genetic divergence between western and eastern H. tigerinus populations in Bangladesh, suggesting restricted gene flow caused by barriers posed by major rivers. However, genetic distances among populations were generally low. A discrete population is located in the low riverine delta region, which likely reflects long-distance dispersal. These results strongly suggest that the environment specific to this river system has maintained the population structure of H. tigerinus in this region.
authors.affiliation: Institute for amphibian Biology, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University.
authors.forename: Nasrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sultana
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Igawa
authors.forename: Mohammed Mafizul
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.forename: Mahmudul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasan
authors.forename: Mohammad Shafiqul
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: Shohei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komaki
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Md Mukhlesur Rahman
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sumida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D001459:Bangladesh; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D051456:Gene Flow; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D010802:Phylogeny; D011898:Ranidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods*; D013045:Species Specificity