A species boundary within the Chinese Kurixalus odontotarsus species group (Anura: Rhacophoridae): New insights from molecular evidence

We construct the phylogeny of the Kurixalus odontotarsus species group using two mitochondrial (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) genes in an attempt to delimit species boundaries within the Chinese K. odontotarsus group. With strong support values, three major clades are obtained, and all phylogenetic analyses reject monophyly of K. odontotarsus. The Tibetan lineage of K. odontotarsus was clustered with Kurixalus verrucosus from Myanmar (labeled Clade I); K. odontotarsus haplotypes from the type locality and nearby regions formed a distinct clade (labeled Clade II), and K. odontotarsus haplotypes from other places, together with those from Kurixalus bisacculus, K. verrucosus from Vietnam, and Kurixalus hainanus, formed a distinct clade (labeled Clade III). Clade II is the sister taxon to Clade III. The average uncorrected p-distance of 16S rRNA sequences between these three major clades range from 3.11% to 7.88%, which is obviously higher than that within these three major clades (0.03–1.89%). We propose that K. odontotarsus, K. bisacculus, and K. verrucosus should be treated as three independent species. The Tibetan lineage of K. odontotarsus does not belong to K. odontotarsus, and we tentatively place it in K. verrucosus. Kurixalus hainanus is considered a synonym of K. bisacculus. The distribution range of K. bisacculus should be expanded widely to include most regions of South China, and in China the distribution of K. odontotarsus should be limited to its type locality and nearby regions.