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

Author

Listed:
  • Christophe Dufresnes

    (Nanjing Forestry University
    CP 51)

  • Daniel Jablonski

    (Comenius University in Bratislava)

  • Johanna Ambu

    (Nanjing Forestry University)

  • Vishal Kumar Prasad

    (Nanjing Forestry University
    Wildlife Institute of India)

  • Kumudani Bala Gautam

    (Wildlife Institute of India
    Graphic Era (Deemed to be University) Clement Town Dehradun)

  • Rachunliu G. Kamei

    (The Field Museum of Natural History
    The Natural History Museum)

  • Stephen Mahony

    (The Natural History Museum
    Field Museum of Natural History)

  • Sylvia Hofmann

    (Museum Koenig)

  • Rafaqat Masroor

    (Shakarparian)

  • Bérénice Alard

    (Universidade do Porto)

  • Angelica Crottini

    (Universidade do Porto
    I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino
    Campus de Vairão)

  • Devin Edmonds

    (Association Mitsinjo
    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • 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
  • Dmitriy V. Arkhipov

    (10 GSP–1)

  • Alexei V. Trofimets

    (10 GSP–1)

  • Tan Van Nguyen

    (Duy Tan University
    Lien Chieu)

  • Chatmongkon Suwannapoom

    (University of Phayao)

  • Spartak N. Litvinchuk

    (Tikhoretsky prosp. 4
    ul. M. Gadzhiyeva 43-a)

  • Nikolay A. Poyarkov

    (10 GSP–1
    Cau Giay)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Christophe Dufresnes & Daniel Jablonski & Johanna Ambu & Vishal Kumar Prasad & Kumudani Bala Gautam & Rachunliu G. Kamei & Stephen Mahony & Sylvia Hofmann & Rafaqat Masroor & Bérénice Alard & Angelica, 2025. "Speciation and historical invasions of the Asian black-spined toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus)," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-54933-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-54933-4
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