2. Relationships of the amphibian clades
Gymnophiona
Caudata
Anura
Gymnophiona
Caudata
Anura
Gymnophiona
Caudata
Anura
Morphology
(e.g., Milner 1988)

3. Molecular evidence shakes up the amphibian tree
Hay et al. 1995
1995
One mtDNA gene
850 bp
28 of 40 Families sampled
Parsimony and distance analyses
Feller and Hedges 1998
1998
Four mtDNA genes
2700 bp
Parsimony, distance (neighbor joiningj), and Bayesian analyses

4. 2005 Full mitochondrial genomes
(~15000 bp)
Parsimony, distance (nj), and Bayesian analyses
2005

5. 522 species
2400 bp mtDNA
2300 bp nDNA
156 morph characters
Parsimony analysis
Gymnophiona
Caudata
Anura

6. 3 genes mtDNA
9 genes nDNA
likelihood

8. Caudata: node-based name for salamanders
Urodela: stem-based name for salamanders
10 families, 695 species

10. Salamander characteristics
Tailed, most with four limbs of approximately equal length, four digits on front limbs, five digits on hindlimbs
Aquatic, terrestrial/fossorial, arboreal
Breathe through lungs, gills, and/or skin
Sprawling gait
Large genome
15-90 pg (humans: 3pg)
Diverse life cycles,
reproductive modes
Skull: absence of postorbital,
supratemporal, jugal, supraoccipital,
basioccipital, ectopterygoid
Limb regeneration

12. Sprawling gait
Long tail
Hindlimbs = forelimbs
Loss of limbs
Tail reduced
Cylindrical body
Upright posture
Loss of tail
Hindlimbs > forelimbs
Sprawling gait
Long tail
Hindlimbs = forelimbs

13. digimorph

16. Salamander reproduction
Internal (spermatophore) or external fertilization
Most oviparous
Most breed, lay eggs in water
Most have larval stage
(tadpole)
Few have parental care
Complex courtship,
pheromones
spermatophore

17. Courtship in Ambystoma talpoideum

18. Mating behavior...

19. Salamander
diversity

20. Variable characters within Caudata
External/internal fertilization (w spermatophore)
Costal grooves
Ribs unicapitate/bicapitate
Paedomorphic characters
Gills
Absence of eyelids
Tailfin, webbed feet
Chromosome number, amount of DNA

21. Sirenidae two genera, 4 species SE USA elongate, paedomorphic
external gills, lack eyelids
nonpedicellate teeth
lack pelvic girdle, hindimbs
aquatic
external fertilization

22. Sirenidae two genera, 4 species SE USA elongate, paedomorphic
external gills, lack eyelids
nonpedicellate teeth
lack pelvic girdle, hindimbs
aquatic
external fertilization

23. Cryptobranchidae
Andrias (2 sp: China, Japan), Cryptobranchus alleganiensis (E USA)
paedomorphic
lidless eyes, (internal) gills, absence of tongue pad
aquatic
largest amphibians (1.8 m)
external fertilization

24. Cryptobranchidae

25. Amphiumidae one genus, 3 species SE USA elongate, paedomorphic:
lack eyelids, tongue; have (internal) gills
retain both pairs of limbs (and girdles), but small limbs
aquatic
up to 1.1 m long
internal fertilization
female parental care
Two-toed amphiuma
Amphiuma means

26. Ambystomatidae One genus, 32 species North America some paedomorphic
hybrids, unisexual forms
most terrestrial as adults,
some aquatic

27. Dicamptodontidae one genus, four species NW USA large, up to 17 cm SVL
eats terrestrial vertebrates
facultative metamorphosis

28. Proteidae two genera, six species Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Eastern USA
aquatic
paedomorphic,
external gills, tail fin

29. Plethodontidae 27 genera, 458 species Americas, Italy, S Korea
nasolabial groove
lack lungs
diverse
Fossorial, terrestrial, aquatic, arboreal
Webbed feet, ballistic tongue, prehensile tail
well-studied for speciation

30. Plethodontidae 27 genera, 433 species Americas, Italy, S Korea
Nasolabial groove
lack lungs
diverse
Fossorial, terrestrial, aquatic, arboreal
Webbed feet, ballistic tongue, prehensile tail
well-studied for speciation

31. Plethodontidae

33. Salamandridae 21 genera, 115 spp N America, Europe, Asia, N Africa
Newts
poisonous skin, aposematic coloration
some with terrestrial eft stage

35. Rhyacotritonidae Hynobiidae One genus, four species Pacific NW USA
old growth coniferous forests
internal fertilization
Hynobiidae
Nine genera, 43 species
Asia
external fertilization
lungs reduced to absent

36. Caudata phylogeny Duellman & Trueb (1986) Larson and Dimmick (1993)
Parsimony, 30 morph characters
Larson and Dimmick (1993)
29 morph characters, 177 nDNA, parsimony
Gao and Shubin (2001)
60 morph characters, 177 nDNA, parsimony; incl. fossil taxa
Weisrock et al. (2005)
mtDNA, nDNA (~1300 chars); parsimony, ML, Bayesian
Wiens et al. (2005)
Morph chars (~300), nDNA, mtDNA; parsimony, ML, Bayesian
Frost et al. (2006), Pyron and Wiens (2011)

37. Pyron and Wiens 2011

39. Anura (Salientia): Frogs

40. Anura (Salientia): Frogs
6728 species

42. Synapomorphies of Anura
urostyle
lack tail
fused tibia and fibula
fused ulna and radius
hindlimbs > forelimbs
Nine (or fewer) presacral vertebrae