MORPHOLOGY AND PHYLOGENETIC POSITION OF THE WEST AFRICAN DIDYNAMIPUS SJOESTEDTI ANDERSSON, 1903 (ANURA BUFONIDAE)

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
SUMMARY From a comparison of the skull, vertebral column, pectoral girdle, certain myological and external morphological features and aspects of reproductive biology of Didynamipus sjoestedti Andersson, 1903 (Anura) with other African bufonids it is deduced that the African bufonids belong to at least three evolutionary lineages. One of these comprises Didynamipus, Nectophrynoides, Nectophryne, Werneria, Wolterstoffina, Laurentophryne and two South African species that were until recently referred to Bufo. The characteristics distinguishing this assemblage from the others are stated and a diagnosis of Didynamipus given. For each of 24 characters the evolutionary direction of change is inferred. From an analysis of the derived character states a phylogenetic hypothesis is constructed that suggests that Didynamipus is more closely related to West African Nectophrynoides than to any of the Cameroun genera. Nectophryne is considered the most advanced genus in the assemblage. It is further suggested that the assemblage to which Didynamipus belongs is no more distant from Australian myobatrachids than from other African bufonids.

This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit: