Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of West Indian toads (Anura : Bufonidae)

Toads of the Bufo peltocephalus Group (Anura: Bufonidae) occur throughout t he Greater Antilles (Cuba to the Virgin Islands), a geographic region of re latively high endemicity. Previous morphological and immunological studies suggested that the West Indian toads area monophyletic lineage derived from Neotropical Bufo but were unable to clarify relationships within the group . We examined the evolutionary relationships and biogeography of this group of frogs by collecting approximately 2 kb of mitochondrial DNA sequence da ta from eight West Indian species and selected non-West Indian species from the New World and the Old World. Our analyses support the monophyly of nat ive West Indian toads and a New World origin for the group. Relationships a mong the West Indian species are less certain, but a Cuban lineage is defin ed in most analyses. (C) 2001 Academic Press.