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Mini Ature
''Mini ature'' is a species of very small microhylid frog endemic to Madagascar described in 2019. The scientific name of the species refers to its size, being a pun on the word ''miniature''. Although it measures only in snout–vent length, it is the largest species in its genus. The holotype of the species has a light brown back, beige sides, a dark brown underside with beige speckling that turns beige near the bottom, and a dark brown side and back of the head. It is known only from Andohahela National Park in Anosy, Madagascar. Like other species in its genus, it received media attention when first described due to the wordplay in its scientific name. Taxonomy and systematics ''Mini ature'' was described in 2019 by the herpetologist Mark Scherz and colleagues on the basis of an adult specimen collected in Andohahela National Park in Anosy in Madagascar in 2004. The name ''Mini ature'' is a pun on the word ''miniature'', referring to the extremely small size of the sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Microhylidae
The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family. Evolution A molecular phylogenetic study by van der Meijden, et al. (2007) has estimated the initial internal divergence of the family Microhylidae to have taken place about 66 million years ago, or immediately after the Cretaceous extinction event. The most recent common ancestor of the Microhylidae and their closest ranoid relatives is estimated to have lived 116 million years ago in Gondwana. Description As suggested by their name, microhylids are mostly small frogs. Many species are below in length, although some species are as large as . They can be arboreal or terrestrial, and some even live close to water. The ground-dwellers are often found under leaf litter within forests, occasionally venturing out at night to hunt. The two main shapes for the microhyli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sister Group
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and taxon B are sister groups to each other. Taxa A and B, together with any other extant or extinct descendants of their most recent common ancestor (MRCA), form a monophyletic group, the clade AB. Clade AB and taxon C are also sister groups. Taxa A, B, and C, together with all other descendants of their MRCA form the clade ABC. The whole clade ABC is itself a subtree of a larger tree which offers yet more sister group relationships, both among the leaves and among larger, more deeply rooted clades. The tree structure shown connects through its root to the rest of the universal tree of life. In cladistic standards, taxa A, B, and C may represent specimens, species, genera, or any other taxonomic units. If A and B are at the same taxonomic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhombophryne
''Rhombophryne'' is a genus of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. It is currently estimated to include more than 23 species, but only 20 of these are currently described. The common name 'diamond frog' has been proposed and used for members of this genus. Taxonomy The genus ''Rhombophryne'' was monotypic until 2005, containing just '' R. testudo'' Boettger, 1880. However, in 2005 Andreone et al. showed that the genus '' Plethodontohyla'' was paraphyletic with respect to this genus. Several species were therefore transferred to this genus by Frost et al. in 2006, Glaw and Vences in 2007, and Wollenberg et al. in 2008. In 2015/2016, Peloso et al. re-analysed the genetic relationships of the Microhylidae using partial genomic data. They proposed the synonymy of '' Stumpffia'' with ''Rhombophryne'' because these genera were found to be paraphyletic. However, in 2016 Scherz et al. re-analysed their data with new data—including osteology and external morphology. They found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anilany
''Anilany helenae'' is a species of frog in the microyhlid subfamily Cophylinae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Anilany'', and is endemic to central Madagascar. Taxonomy This species was originally described by Denis Vallan in 2000 as a member of the genus '' Stumpffia''. It was transferred to the genus '' Rhombophryne'' by Peloso et al. in 2016 when they synonymised ''Stumpffia'' with that genus, but was then moved to the newly erected genus ''Anilany'' by Scherz et al. due to its genetic relationships and because it differs significantly in aspects of its morphology (the shape of the vomer, clavicles, and terminal phalanges of the fingers and toes). Habitat and Ecology Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. It now occurs in a few strips of fragmented habitat Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), cau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platypelis
''Cophyla'' is a genus of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Cophyla'': * '' Cophyla alticola'' (Guibé, 1974) * '' Cophyla ando'' (Scherz, Köhler, Vences, and Glaw, 2019) * '' Cophyla barbouri'' (Noble, 1940) * '' Cophyla berara'' Vences, Andreone, and Glaw, 2005 * '' Cophyla cowanii'' (Boulenger, 1882) * '' Cophyla fortuna'' Rakotoarison, Scherz, Bletz, Razafindraibe, Glaw, and Vences, 2019 * '' Cophyla grandis'' (Boulenger, 1889) * '' Cophyla karenae'' (Rosa, Crottini, Noel, Rabibisoa, Raxworthy, and Andreone, 2014) *'' Cophyla laetus'' ( Rakotoarison, Scherz, Köhler, Ratsoavina, Hawlitschek, Megson, Vences & Glaw, 2020) * '' Cophyla maharipeo'' Rakotoarison, Crottini, Müller, Rödel, Glaw, and Vences, 2015 * ''Cophyla mavomavo'' (Andreone, Fenolio, and Walvoord, 2003) * ''Cophyla milloti'' (Guibé, 1950) * ''Cophyla noromalalae'' Rakotoarison, Crottini, Müller, Rödel, Glaw, and Vences, 2015 * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anodonthyla
''Anodonthyla'' is a genus of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. Molecular data suggest that it is the sister taxon to all other species in the subfamily Cophylinae Cophylinae is a subfamily of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. It has over 100 species in eight genera. Members of this subfamily range from minute ( 100 mm adult body size), and they are highly ecologically diverse. DNA barcode res .... Species The genus contains twelve recognized species: Description One of the most obvious morphological synapomorphies of the genus is the presence, in males only, of a large prepollex that runs along the first finger and generally is closely connected to the first finger over most of its length. Correlated to this character, in males and females, the first finger is very short compared to other cophylines. This is true even of the extremely miniaturised species '' Anodonthyla eximia'' described in 2019. Related pages * Amphibians of Madagascar References ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madecassophryne
''Madecassophryne'' is a monotypic genus of frogs in the family Microhylidae. It is represented by the single species, ''Madecassophryne truebae''. It is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rocky areas. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby .... References Cophylinae Amphibians described in 1974 Monotypic amphibian genera Endemic frogs of Madagascar Taxa named by Jean Marius René Guibé Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Microhylidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cophylinae
Cophylinae is a subfamily of Microhylidae, microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar. It has over 100 species in eight genera. Members of this subfamily range from minute ( 100 mm adult body size), and they are highly ecologically diverse. DNA barcoding, DNA barcode research has revealed a significant taxonomic gap in this subfamily, and an estimated 70+ candidate species were identified. Many of these have subsequently been described, as well as numerous new discoveries (e.g. 26 species of ''Stumpffia'' described in 2017). Genera As of December 2019, the following genera are recognised in the subfamily Cophylinae: * ''Anilany'' Scherz, Miguel Vences, Vences, Andolalao Rakotoarison, Rakotoarison, Andreone, Köhler, Frank Glaw, Glaw & Crottini, 2016 (Monotypic taxon, monotypic) * ''Anodonthyla'' Müller, 1892 (12 species) * ''Cophyla'' Oskar Boettger, Boettger, 1880 (21 species) * ''Madecassophryne'' Guibé, 1974 (Monotypic taxon, monotypic) * ''Mini (frog), Mini'' Scherz, Hutte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cophyla
''Cophyla'' is a genus of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric .... Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Cophyla'': * '' Cophyla alticola'' (Guibé, 1974) * '' Cophyla ando'' (Scherz, Köhler, Vences, and Glaw, 2019) * '' Cophyla barbouri'' (Noble, 1940) * '' Cophyla berara'' Vences, Andreone, and Glaw, 2005 * '' Cophyla cowanii'' (Boulenger, 1882) * '' Cophyla fortuna'' Rakotoarison, Scherz, Bletz, Razafindraibe, Glaw, and Vences, 2019 * '' Cophyla grandis'' (Boulenger, 1889) * '' Cophyla karenae'' (Rosa, Crottini, Noel, Rabibisoa, Raxworthy, and Andreone, 2014) *'' Cophyla laetus'' ( Rakotoarison, Scherz, Köhler, Ratsoavina, Hawlitschek, Megson, Vences & Glaw, 2020) * '' Cophyla maharipeo'' Rakoto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lumpers And Splitters
Lumpers and splitters are opposing factions in any discipline that has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper–splitter problem occurs when there is the desire to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature, biological taxa and so on. A "lumper" is a person who assigns examples broadly, assuming that differences are not as important as signature similarities. A "splitter" is one who makes precise definitions, and creates new categories to classify samples that differ in key ways. Origin of the terms The earliest known use of these terms was by Charles Darwin, in a letter to Joseph Dalton Hooker in 1857: ''It is good to have hair-splitters & lumpers''. They were introduced more widely by George G. Simpson in his 1945 work ''The Principles of Classification and a Classification of Mammals''. As he put it: A later use can be found in the title of a 1969 paper "On lumpers and splitters ..." by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic groups are typically characterised by shared derived characteristics ( synapomorphies), which distinguish organisms in the clade from other organisms. An equivalent term is holophyly. The word "mono-phyly" means "one-tribe" in Greek. Monophyly is contrasted with paraphyly and polyphyly as shown in the second diagram. A ''paraphyletic group'' consists of all of the descendants of a common ancestor minus one or more monophyletic groups. A '' polyphyletic group'' is characterized by convergent features or habits of scientific interest (for example, night-active primates, fruit trees, aquatic insects). The features by which a polyphyletic group is differentiated from others are not inherited from a common ancestor. These definitions have tak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phylogeny
A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological species or other entities based upon similarities and differences in their physical or genetic characteristics. All life on Earth is part of a single phylogenetic tree, indicating common ancestry. In a ''rooted'' phylogenetic tree, each node with descendants represents the inferred most recent common ancestor of those descendants, and the edge lengths in some trees may be interpreted as time estimates. Each node is called a taxonomic unit. Internal nodes are generally called hypothetical taxonomic units, as they cannot be directly observed. Trees are useful in fields of biology such as bioinformatics, systematics, and phylogenetics. ''Unrooted'' trees illustrate only the relatedness of the leaf nodes and do not require the ancestral root to be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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