Integrative species delimitation uncovers hidden diversity within the Pithecopus hypochondrialis species complex (Hylidae, Phyllomedusinae) and its phylogeography reveals Plio-Pleistocene connectivity among Neotropical savannas

Abstract

Despite their limited vagility and pronounced habitat heterogeneity in the tropics, many anuran species have unexpectedly extensive geographic ranges. One prominent example of this phenomenon is Pithecopus hypochondrialis, which is found in the Cerrado, Guianan savanna, and Llanos domains, as well as isolated tracts of savanna and open habitat within the Amazon Forest. The present study employs an integrative species delimitation approach to test the hypothesis that P. hypochondrialis is in fact a species complex. We also reconstruct the relationships among the lineages delimited here and other Pithecopus species. In this study, we employ Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) and spatiotemporal phylogeographic reconstruction approaches to evaluate a multitude of scenarios of connectivity across the Neotropical savannas. We identified three divergent lineages, two of which have been described previously. The lineages were allocated to a lowland Pithecopus clade, although the relationships among these lineages are weakly supported. Both the ENM and the phylogeographic reconstruction highlight the occurrence of periods of connectivity among the Neotropical savannas over the course of the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. These processes extended from eastern Amazonia to the northern coast of Brazil. The findings of the present study highlight the presence of hidden diversity within P. hypochondrialis, and reinforce the need for a comprehensive taxonomic review. These findings also indicate intricate and highly dynamic patterns of connectivity across the Neotropical savannas that date back to the Pliocene.