Speciation and historical invasions of the Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus)

Christophe Dufresnes (), Daniel Jablonski, Johanna Ambu, Vishal Kumar Prasad, Kumudani Bala Gautam, Rachunliu G. Kamei, Stephen Mahony, Sylvia Hofmann, Rafaqat Masroor, Bérénice Alard, Angelica Crottini, Devin Edmonds, Annemarie Ohler, Jianping Jiang, Janak R. Khatiwada, Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Amaël Borzée, Leo J. Borkin, Dmitriy V. Skorinov, Daniel A. Melnikov, Konstantin D. Milto, Evgeny L. Konstantinov, Sven Künzel, Tomasz Suchan, Dmitriy V. Arkhipov, Alexei V. Trofimets, Tan Van Nguyen, Chatmongkon Suwannapoom, Spartak N. Litvinchuk and Nikolay A. Poyarkov
Additional contact information
Christophe Dufresnes: Nanjing Forestry University
Daniel Jablonski: Comenius University in Bratislava
Johanna Ambu: Nanjing Forestry University
Vishal Kumar Prasad: Nanjing Forestry University
Kumudani Bala Gautam: Wildlife Institute of India
Rachunliu G. Kamei: The Field Museum of Natural History
Stephen Mahony: The Natural History Museum
Sylvia Hofmann: Museum Koenig
Rafaqat Masroor: Shakarparian
Bérénice Alard: Universidade do Porto
Angelica Crottini: Universidade do Porto
Devin Edmonds: Association Mitsinjo
Annemarie Ohler: CP 51
Jianping Jiang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Janak R. Khatiwada: Lakehead University
Sandeep Kumar Gupta: Wildlife Institute of India
Amaël Borzée: Nanjing Forestry University
Leo J. Borkin: Universitetskaya nab. 1
Dmitriy V. Skorinov: Tikhoretsky prosp. 4
Daniel A. Melnikov: Universitetskaya nab. 1
Konstantin D. Milto: Universitetskaya nab. 1
Evgeny L. Konstantinov: Kaluga State University named after K.E. Tsiolkovski
Sven Künzel: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
Tomasz Suchan: 46
Dmitriy V. Arkhipov: 10 GSP–1
Alexei V. Trofimets: 10 GSP–1
Tan Van Nguyen: Duy Tan University
Chatmongkon Suwannapoom: University of Phayao
Spartak N. Litvinchuk: Tikhoretsky prosp. 4
Nikolay A. Poyarkov: 10 GSP–1

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract Animal translocations provide striking examples of the human footprint on biodiversity. Combining continental-wide genomic and DNA-barcoding analyses, we reconstructed the historical biogeography of the Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), a toxic commensal amphibian that currently threatens two biodiversity hotspots through biological invasions (Wallacea and Madagascar). The results emphasize a complex diversification shaped by speciation and mitochondrial introgression that comprises two distinct species. One species (true D. melanostictus) is distributed in the Indian subcontinent and is invasive in Wallacea. The other species, whose nomenclature remains unsettled, diverged from D. melanostictus in the Miocene era (~7 Mya) and diversified across Southeast Asia, from where it was introduced to Madagascar. Remarkably, the Indonesian population of D. melanostictus was recently established from India, which suggests historical, possibly human-assisted dispersal across the Bay of Bengal, reflecting the centuries-old connection between these regions.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54933-4

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