Taxonomic assessment and distribution of common toads (<i>Bufo bufo</i> and <i>B. verrucosissimus</i>) in Turkey based on morphological and molecular data

Özdemir N., Dursun C., Uzum N., Kutrup B., Gül S.

AMPHIBIA-REPTILIA, vol.41, no.3, pp.399-411, 2020 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 41 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.1163/15685381-bja10009
  • Journal Name: AMPHIBIA-REPTILIA
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Animal Behavior Abstracts, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, Environment Index, Geobase
  • Page Numbers: pp.399-411
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The Bufo bufo species group includes four species distributed in the western Palearctic: B. bufo. B. eichwaldii, B. spinosus and B. verrucosissimus. Both B. bufo and B. verrucosissimus are known to occur in Turkey, but their range boundaries and the taxonomic status of B. verrucosissimus are still uncertain. In this study, we analyzed the variation in a set of morphological characters and in two mitochondrial and two nuclear DNA markers to address these questions. Phylogenetic analyses of sequence data support two main Blades of common toads in Turkey, corresponding to B. bufo and B. verrucosissimus. The latter is subdivided into two allopatric subclades including populations along the Mediterranean and Black Sea coast, respectively. Discriminant analysis of morphological data showed separation among groups as defined by molecular analyses. We discuss these results and their implications for the evolutionary history of common toads in Turkey.