The evolution of female parental care in poison frogs of the genus Dendrobates: Evidence from mitochondrial DNA sequences

We used nucleotide sequences from portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b, cytochrome oxidase I and 16s rRNA gene regions to evaluate phylogenetic relationships within the genus Dendrobates, a group of neotropical poison f rogs with complex parental behaviors. Mapping of parental care behaviors on the phylogenetic tree derived from the molecular analysis suggests that fe male-only care has evolved once within Dendrobates, after passing through a biparental stage involving male egg attendance and female tadpole transpor t and feeding. Phylogenetic analysis also suggests that female provisioning behaviors observed in some Amazonian species of poison frogs may have aris en independently from male care in this genus. Low levels of divergence bet ween groups from Central and South America may have speciated relatively re cently (after the formation of the current Panamanian land bridge in the Pl iocene).