Failed Species, Innominate Forms, and the Vain Search for Species Limits: Cryptic Diversity in Dusky Salamanders (Desmognathus) of Eastern Tennessee

Authors

Stephen G. Tilley, Smith College
Joseph Bernardo, Texas A&M University
Laura A. Katz, Smith CollegeFollow
Lizmarie López, Agawam Public Schools
J. Devon Roll, E Squared Communications
Renáe L. Eriksen, University of New Hampshire Durham
Justin Kratovil, University of Kentucky
Noëlle K.J. Bittner, The University of Arizona
Keith A. Crandall, The George Washington University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2013

Publication Title

Ecology and Evolution

Abstract

Cytochrome B sequences and allozymes reveal complex patterns of molecular variation in dusky salamander (Desmognathus) populations in eastern Tennessee. One group of allozymically distinctive populations, which we refer to as the Sinking Creek form (SCF), combines morphological attributes of Desmognathus fuscus with cytB sequences characteristic of Desmognathus carolinensis. This form is abruptly replaced by D. fuscus just north of Johnson City, TN with no evidence of either sympatry or gene exchange. To the south, allozymic markers indicate a broad zone of admixture with populations characterized by distinct cytB sequences and that may or may not be ultimately referable to Desmognathus conanti. A third distinctive group of populations, which we refer to as the Lemon Gap form (LGF), occurs in the foothills of the Great Smoky and southern Bald Mountains and exchanges genes with Desmognathus santeetlah along the escarpment of the Great Smokies, D. carolinensis in the southern Bald Mountains, and populations of a different haplotype clade in the Ridge and Valley. We treat all these as innominate forms that may represent "failed species," recognizing that it may never be possible to reconcile species limits with patterns of phylogeny, morphology, and gene exchange in these salamanders. © 2013 The Authors.

Keywords

Allozymes, CytB, Desmognathus, Phylogeny, Phylogeography, Plethodontidae, Species

Volume

3

Issue

8

First Page

2547

Last Page

2567

DOI

10.1002/ece3.636

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights

© 2013 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Comments

Archived as published.

Recommended Citation

Tilley, Stephen G.; Bernardo, Joseph; Katz, Laura A.; López, Lizmarie; Devon Roll, J.; Eriksen, Renáe L.; Kratovil, Justin; Bittner, Noëlle K.J.; and Crandall, Keith A., "Failed Species, Innominate Forms, and the Vain Search for Species Limits: Cryptic Diversity in Dusky Salamanders (Desmognathus) of Eastern Tennessee" (2013). Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/bio_facpubs/112