Mitochondrial uniformity in populations of the treefrog Hyla molleri across the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Based on DNA sequences of fragments of the mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA genes we provide a first assessment of genetic variability of Iberian treefrog populations that have been historically allocated to Hyla arborea, partly as subspecies H. a. molleri. Our data from 147 specimens and 33 populations confirm strong divergence between these frogs and Central European H. arborea but relatively low differentiation across their range, supporting their status as a separate species, H. molleri. Preliminary phylogeographic data indicate a possible weak genetic differentiation of populations from the northern coast of the region of Galicia. We suggest inclusion of nuclear markers and an extension of the sampling into the coastal regions of Asturias and Cantabria, as well as the identification of the contact zone between H. molleri and H. arborea in either the Spanish Basque country or in France, as priorities for future research on this species. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011.