LAHATNANGURI, Brown & Siler & Richards & Diesmos & Cannatella, 2015

Brown, Rafe M., Siler, Cameron D., Richards, Stephen J., Diesmos, Arvin C. & Cannatella, David C., 2015, Multilocus phylogeny and a new classification for Southeast Asian and Melanesian forest frogs (family Ceratobatrachidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 174 (1), pp. 130-168 : 145

LAHATNANGURI SUBGEN. NOV.

Type species

Platymantis levigatus Brown & Alcala, 1974 .

Diagnosis

Individual species of the subgenus Lahatnanguri differ from other members of Platymantis by characters related to their general classification as arboreal tree frogs ( Pl. banahao , Pl. cornutus , readily distinguished from all Philippine Platymantis except members of the subgenus Tahananpuno ), distinctive mottled-coloured limestone specialist species ( Pl. insulatus , readily diagnosed from all Philippine Platymantis except Platymantis bayani , Platymantis biak , and Platymantis speleaus ), miniaturized species ( Platymantis pygmaeus, SVL 13– 15 mm, readily distinguished from all Philippine Platymantis except possibly Platymantis naomiae ), and a unique Romblon Province semi-aquatic species Pl. levigatus (vs. all remaining Philippine species terrestrial, scansorial, or arboreal). The wide range of morphological and ecological variation in this clade renders an unambiguously exclusive diagnosis of Lahatnanguri impossible. We are unaware of morphological synapomorphies for this group, although our phylogenetic analysis provides very strong support for this clade (Clade O, Fig. 2).

Phylogenetic definition

Lahatnanguri ( NCN) is a maximum crown-clade name referring to the crown clade (O) originating with the most recent common ancestor of Platymantis (Lahatnanguri) levigatus and all extant species that share a more recent common ancestor with Pl. levigatus than with Pl. corrugatus , Pl. hazelae, Pl. guentheri , or Pl. dorsalis .

Content

Platymantis banahao , Pl. biak , Pl. cornutus , Pl. insulatus , Pl. levigatus , and Pl. pygmaeus ( Table 3).

Comment

Several unrecognized terrestrial species eventually will be assigned to the subgenus Lahatnanguri , including at least three from Mindanao Island (species 20, 21, and 40), a miniature ground frog from the Romblon Province islands of Sibuyan and Tablas ( R. M. Brown, A. C. Diesmos & C. D. Siler, unpubl. data), and at least one arboreal species from Luzon Island (species 10) ( Fig. 2). Although some species ( Pl. banahao , Pl. insulatus ) of the subgenus Lahatnanguri (Clade O) are phenotypically very similar to some species ( Platymantis diesmosi , Pl. bayani, Pl. guentheri , Pl. rabori , Pl. negrosensis ) of the subgenus Tahananpuno ( Fig. 2, Clade Q) and were, in fact, grouped in a nonphylogenetic taxonomy as the Pl. guentheri group ( Brown et al., 1997a, b; Alcala & Brown, 1999), this phenotypic similarity appears to be a case of ecomorphological convergence.

Etymology

From the Tagalog (Filipino) phrase lahat ng uri, meaning ‘all kinds’ or ‘every type’ in reference to the full range of morphological and ecological variation within this clade, including miniature semifossorial species, large terrestrial ground frogs, semiaquatic species, limestone cave specialists, and high-elevation tree canopy frogs. The name is masculine in gender. Suggested common name: variable Philippine forest frogs.