Evolutionary history of the Chilean frog genus Telmatobufo (Leptodactylidae): an immunological approach

Abstract

The quantitative micro-complement. xation technique was used to estimate degrees of relatedness and times of divergence between Caudiverbera and Telmatobufo. The data suggest that the lineages leading to Caudiverbera and Telmatobufo diverged about 35 million years ago. The divergence time among the three species of Telmatobufo was estimated to be 20-25 million years. Ouchterlony tests did not show immunological identity among T. australis and T. bullocki with Caudiverbera, while T. venustus showed partial identity. These analyses suggest that two groups can be recognized within the genus Telmatobufo. The molecular weights of albumins were similar among the Telmatobufo species and slightly lower in C. caudiverbera.