Immunological Evidence on Relationships of Some Australian Terrestrial Frogs (Anura, Hylidae, Pelodryadinae)

Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships of ground-dwelling hylid frogs have been studied by micro-complement fixation comparisons of serum albumin. These analyses show that this group of frogs is not monophyletic. Two distantly related species-complexes are identified: a lesueuri complex, containing the lesueuri and booroolongensis species-groups of Tyler and Davies; and a freycineti complex, consisting of the freycineti, coplandi, latopalmata and nigrofrenata species-groups. Among the frogs studied, the nearest relative of the lesueuri complex is L. serrata, whereas the closest relatives of the freycineti complex include the L. meiriana and L. ewingi species-groups. Within each complex the species are very closely related to one another, suggesting that both lineages recently have undergone adaptive radiations. These relationships correlate well with some of the morphological characters used by Tyler and Davies to establish species- groups within Litoria. Our results are at variance with the conclusions of Tyler and Davies who used features of biology and body proportions to establish possible evolutionary lineages within Litoria.