Nia Kurniawan

Genetic Divergence and Evolutionary Relationship in Fejervarya cancrivora from Indonesia and Other Asian Countries Inferred from Allozyme and MtDNA Sequence Analyses

To elucidate genetic divergence and evolutionary relationship in Fejervarya cancrivora from Indonesia and other Asian countries, allozyme and molecular analyses were carried out using 131 frogs collected from 24 populations in Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In the allozymic survey, seventeen enzymatic loci were examined for 92 frogs from eight representative localities. The results showed that F. cancrivora is subdivided into two main groups, the mangrove type and the large- plus Pelabuhan ratu types. The average Nels genetic distance between the two groups was 0.535. Molecular phylogenetic trees based on nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA and Cyt b genes and constructed with the ML, MP, NJ, and BI methods also showed that the individuals of F. cancrivora analyzed comprised two clades, the mangrove type and the large plus Pelabuhan ratu / Sulawesi types, the latter further split into two subclades, the large type and the Pelabuhan ratu / Sulawesi type. The geographical distribution of individuals of the three F. cancrivora types was examined. Ten Individuals from Bangladesh, Thailand, and the Philippines represented the mangrove type; 34 Individuals from Malaysia and Indonesia represented the large type; and 11 individuals from Indonesia represented the Pelabuhan ratu / Sulawesi type. Average sequence divergences among the three types were 5.78–10.22% for the 16S and 12.88–16.38% for Cyt b. Our results suggest that each of the three types can be regarded as a distinct species.

Conservation challenges regarding species status assessments in biogeographically complex regions: examples from overexploited reptiles of Indonesia

IUCN Red List assessments are important for conservation and management initiatives. However, status assessments are often challenging because of poor sampling between biogeographical regions. Researchers sometimes assess poorly known species, which can have unforeseen ramifications, including the trade of rare and cryptic species under common species names. Here, we address this issue in relation to economically important reptile species in Indonesia. We reviewed examples of single species categorized as Least Concern for which the assessments probably encompassed multiple closely related species. We also examined Red List assessments that utilized species distribution modelling techniques, and identified biogeography as a major barrier to using such methods. To test how biogeography may affect status assessments we used our own model lizard system from Indonesia, taking an integrative phylogeographical approach to quantify status assessments under contrasting scenarios. We show that failure to account for biogeographical breaks leads to significant variation in Red List status. Our model system fluctuates from Least Concern to Endangered, depending upon whether biogeographical boundaries are considered in taxonomic evaluations. We identify Sauria (lizards) and Serpentes (snakes) as major lineages requiring taxonomic and conservation attention in Indonesia. We also make the following recommendations: (1) Indonesias trade quotas should further subdivide management zones to account for gaps in taxonomic evaluations; (2) genetic sampling should be considered a high priority during wildlife exportation processes from poorly studied geographical areas; and (3) continuation of thorough biological inventory is critical for conservation initiatives across heterogeneous mountain and island landscapes.

Taxonomic Status of Three Types of Fejervarya cancrivora from Indonesia and Other Asian Countries Based on Morphological Observations and Crossing Experiments

Although the crab-eating frog Fejervarya cancrivora is one of the most widely distributed species in Asian region, taxonomic relationships among different populations remain unclarified. In this study, we attempted to elucidate the taxonomic status of F. cancrivora from Indonesian and other Asian populations. Five populations of F. cancrivora from Selangor (Malaysia), Cianjur (Java, Indonesia), Trat (Thailand), Khulna (Bangladesh), and Makassar (Sulawesi, Indonesia) were morphologically observed and subjected to crossing experiments. Principal component and clustering analyses revealed that these five populations could be organized into three groups corresponding to three observed morphological types: a Selangor and Cianjur group (large-type), a Trat and Khulna group (mangrove-type), and a Makassar group (Sulawesi-type). The limited crossing experiments revealed that hybrids between Selangor females and Cianjur and Trat males developed normally, whereas hybrids between Selangor females and Khulna males showed incomplete gametic isolation. Histological observations of the testes of mature males revealed the presence of pycnotic nuclei in the hybrids between Selangor females and Khulna males in addition to normal bundles of spermatozoa. In contrast, no pycnotic nuclei were observed in the Selangor controls. Although meiotic metaphases in the controls were normal, those in hybrids showed several abnormalities, such as the appearance of univalents and an increase in rod-shaped bivalents. Based on our findings from the morphological observations and crossing experiments, we conclude that each of three identified types represents a distinct species. We propose that the large-type is F. cancrivora, the mangrove-type is F. moodiei, and the Sulawesi-type represents an undescribed species.

Two new species of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Southern Bukit Barisan Range of Sumatra and an estimation of their phylogeny

We describe Cyrtodactylus psarops sp. nov. and C. semicinctus sp. nov., two new species of bent-toed geckos from montane forests in the southern Bukit Barisan Range of Sumatra, Indonesia. The new species are closely related to one another and to C. semenanjungensis, a lowland species currently known only from Peninsular Malaysia. Three characters of the new species immediately distinguish them from most congeners in the Sunda Region: they lack transversely enlarged subcaudals, have a precloacal depression, and have a greatly enlarged scale positioned at the apex of a continuous series of femoral and precloacal pore-bearing scales. They differ from one another in cephalic pattern, tuberculation of the brachium, and in numbers of cloacal tubercles, dorsal bands, and ventrals in a transverse row. The greatly enlarged scale at the apex of the precloacal pores appears to be a rare apomorphy of these two species and C. agamensis.

A Taxonomic Revision of the Philautus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) of Sumatra with the Description of Four New Species

Abstract: This paper is the first taxonomic treatment of Sumatran Philautus since the early 20th century. We redescribe P. cornutus and P. petersi from new specimens, restrict P. petersi to Great Natuna Island, and reinstate the name P. larutensis for the populations on Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra. We then synonymize P. similis with P. larutensis. We report Sumatran populations of P. kerangae and P. refugii, two species previously thought to be endemic to Borneo and discuss the presence of P. aurifasciatus on the island. We describe four new species of Philautus collected during large-scale herpetological surveys of Sumatra between 2013 and 2015 and propose a hypothesis of their relationship to the other Sunda Shelf Philautus on the basis of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid sequences. Additionally, we provide a key to the Philautus of Sumatra. In the course of this work we transfer P. vittiger from Java to the genus Chiromantis.

A New Genus and Two New Species of Arboreal Toads from the Highlands of Sumatra with a Phylogeny of Sundaland Toad Genera

Abstract: We describe a new genus and two new species of toads from the Sumatran volcanoes Gunung Sorikmarapi and G. Kunyit, in the provinces of Sumatera Utara and Jambi, respectively. The new taxa can be distinguished from other genera, and each other, based on genetic differentiation, morphology, and advertisement call structure. We employ both nuclear and mitochondrial data to provide a phylogenetic hypothesis of relationships for the bufonid genera of the Sunda Shelf. While broadly corroborating previous studies, our results also shed light on the phylogenetic position of Pseudobufo. The new genus, Duttaphrynus, and Pseudobufo are basal to other Sunda Shelf genera in our phylogenies.

Redescription Cyrtodactylus lateralis (Werner) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and Phylogeny of the Prehensile-tailed Cyrtodactylus.

We redescribe Cyrtodactylus lateralis (Werner) on the basis of new specimens. Cyrtodactylus lateralis is a prehensile-tailed species, known from scattered lowland to mid-elevation localities in northern Sumatra. The prehensile-tailed Cyrtodactylus are more speciose and have a wider distribution than previously thought. This group includes a mainland SE Asian clade consisting of C. elok, C. interdigitalis, and C. brevipalmatus and an insular clade containing C. durio, C. lateralis, C. nuaulu, C. serratus, C. spinosus, and C. stresemanni. However, a distinctive color pattern in the Wallacean and Papuan species and uncertainty surrounding the type locality of C. stresemanni raise unresolved questions about the inclusiveness of the insular clade. DNA sequence data supports a close relationship between C. elok and C. interdigitalis, but also reveals that C. lateralis and C. durio are not closely related to these species.

Coalescent species delimitation of a Sumatran parachuting frog

We conduct species delimitation of the widespread parachuting frog species Rhacophorus catamitus using samples from across the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. We use mitochondrial, genomic and morphological data, and find that R. catamitus is composed of three lineages corresponding to northern, central and southern lineages. Mitochondrial and genomic data show admixture or incomplete lineage sorting between the central and southern lineages, but deep divergence from the northern lineage. Coalescent species delimitation supports a three species model for this complex, and we recommend that the northern lineage be described as a new species. Our study highlights the power of coalescent species delimitation in an integrative framework for identifying unrecognised diversity in understudied tropical species complexes. We also emphasise the evolutionary importance of northern Sumatra, a region that harboured montane refugia during Pliocene–Pleistocene climate change, but has also been heavily affected by volcanic activity.

Endemic Dragons of Sumatra's Volcanoes: New Species of Dendragama (Squamata: Agamidae) and Status of Salea rosaceum Thominot

Abstract: We discovered new populations of Dendragama at the northern and southern ends of Sumatra. High genetic distances and concordance of multiple, apparently independent diagnostic characters support our descriptions of these two populations as new species. We define new characters of the sublabial, tympanic, dorsal crest, and dorsolateral crest scales. The three species of Dendragama undergo remarkable color change in response to time of day and stress. Females lay 2–4 ovoid eggs, reach sexual maturity at about 60 mm snout–vent length, and likely produce multiple clutches each year. We remove Salea rosaceum Thominot from the synonymy of Dendragama boulengeri and argue that the unique holotype of S. rosaceum is a specimen of Pseudocalotes tympanistriga with incorrect locality information.

Taxonomic Status of the Sumatran Pitviper Trimeresurus (Popeia) toba David, Petri, Vogel & Doria, 2009 (Squamata: Viperidae) and Other Sunda Shelf Species of the Subgenus Popeia

Abstract The pitviper Trimeresurus (Popeia) toba was described on the basis of slight morphological differences between six specimens collected in northern Sumatra and the other recognized species of Trimeresurus (Popeia) from the Sunda Shelf. In January 2014, we collected two additional specimens of T. (P.) toba from Sumatra and located a third unexamined specimen at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense. We compared molecular and morphological data generated from these specimens with existing data for T. (P.) toba and the other Sunda Shelf Trimeresurus (Popeia). Our findings indicate that T. (P.) toba is indistinguishable from T. (P.) barati, the other species that occurs on Sumatra. Additionally, with the exception of T. (P.) nebularis, all currently recognized species of Trimeresurus (Popeia) from the Sunda Shelf are minimally divergent and the morphological characters used to diagnose the individual species broadly overlap. For these reasons, we conclude that all should be considered a single species, T. (P.) sabahi. Abstrak Ular bandotan toba, Trimeresurus (Popeia) toba telah dideskripsikan berdasarkan perbedaan kecil pada morfologi antara enam spesimen dari Sumatera Utara dan spesies lain yang dikenali sebagai Trimeresurus (Popeia) dari Paparan Sunda. Pada bulan Januari 2014, kami mengumpulkan dua spesimen tambahan T. (P.) toba, dan satu spesimen ketiga yang belum diperiksa di Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense. Kami membandingkan data molekuler dan morfologi yang dihasilkan dari spesimen-spesimen baru terhadap data yang ada dari Trimeresurus (Popeia) Paparan Sunda lainnya. Temuan kami menunjukkan bahwa T. (P.) toba tidak dapat dibedakan terhadap T. (P.) barati, spesies lain yang diketahui dari Sumatera. Selain itu, dengan pengecualian pada T. (P.) nebularis, saat ini semua spesies Trimeresurus (Popeia) dari Paparan Sunda berbeda sedikit dan karakter morfologi yang digunakan untuk menentukan individu spesies secara luas tumpang tindih. Untuk alasan ini, kami menyimpulkan bahwa semuanya harus dianggap merupakan spesies tunggal, T. (P.) sabahi.