Mark P. Miller
Susan M. Haig
R.S. Wagner
2006
<p><span>Newly discovered populations of Rhyacotritonidae were investigated for taxonomic identity, hybridization, and sympatry. Species in the genus </span><span class="genus-species">Rhyacotriton</span><span> have been historically difficult to identify using morphological characters. Mitochondrial (mtDNA) 16S ribosomal RNA sequences (491 bp) and allozymes (6 loci) were used to identify the distribution of populations occurring intermediate between the previously described ranges of </span><span class="genus-species">R. variegatus</span><span> and </span><span class="genus-species">R. cascadae</span><span> in the central Cascade Mountain region of Oregon. Allozyme and mitochondrial sequence data both indicated the presence of two distinct evolutionary lineages, with each lineage corresponding to the allopatric distribution of </span><span class="genus-species">R. cascadae</span><span> and </span><span class="genus-species">R. variegatus</span><span>. Results suggest the Willamette River acts as a phylogeographic barrier limiting the distribution of both species, although we cannot exclude the possibility that reproductive isolation also exists that reinforces species' distributions. This study extends the previously described geographical ranges of both </span><span class="genus-species">R. cascadae</span><span> and </span><span class="genus-species">R. variegatus</span><span> and defines an eastern range limit for </span><span class="genus-species">R. variegatus</span><span> conservation efforts.</span></p>
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10.1655/04-52.1
en
BioOne
Phylogeography and genetic identification of the newly-discovered populations of torrent salamanders (Rhyacotriton cascade and R. variegatus) in the central Cascades (USA)
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