Guinevere O.U.Wogan

Research: The main focus of my research centers on the phylogenetics of Asian frogs.

Species Delimitation within the Rana limnocharis species complex: Ranid frogs of the Rana limnocharis complex occur across southern Asia from Pakistan to Japan and the Philippines. In most areas, these frogs are abundant and have readily adapted to human -modified habitats, as their common name, the paddy frogs, indicates. Until the 1970s, all populations of this complex were simply identified as Rana limnocharis, although amphibians systematists had long recognized that R. limnocharis consisted of multiple species. A few of these populations were described, but owing to the high morphological similarity, it was simpler to call them all R. limnocharis. Dubois (1974, 1975, 1984), working in Nepal, was the first modern systematist to highlight the diversity and local differentiation of these frogs. He showed the co-occurrence of four species in south-central Nepal using reproductive vocalization characters.

With the use of molecular tools in the 1990s, the complexity of speciation patterns within limnocharis populations has been increasingly revealed but not resolved, because researchers have confined their analyses within political or limited geographic regions, e.g., the presence of three species on Japan, Taiwan, and Ryukyus (Toda et al., 1997). Rana limnocharis sensu stricto is confined to Sumatra and Java; Java also has an endemic limnocharis species (Veich et al., 2001). Speciation in Myanmar is certainly more complex than has been revealed elsewhere. My research is examining the genetic structure of the R. limnocharis complex throughout its range with special emphasis on the genetic differentiation among the Myanmar populations.

In conjunction with this research I have become interested in the methods by which molecular data is used to determine species boundaries. I am applying five different methodologies of species delimitation to R. limnocharis sequence data in order to evaluate them in a comparative framework. At present, the methodologies by which species are delimited are inadequately defined. Because there are a variety of methods, different methods or combinations of methods have been applied to datasets without apriori knowledge of the effects of the methodology choosen.

Rana cf. limnocharis Photos by Hla Tun

The Myanmar Project to Survey the Herpetofauna

Bufo crocus Photo by Hla Tun

1. Field work in Myanmar to inventory amphibian and reptile fauna throughout the country. I have been on five expeditions to Myanmar since 2001. My primary goal is to ensure that amphibian related field work is being carried out. Some of my responsibilities include teaching Myanmar scientists frog identifications, recording frog calls and showing others the method by which this should be carried out, collection and identification of tadpoles and recording of behavioral, reproductive and microhabitat data.
2. Once back at CAS, I primarily focus on alpha-level taxonomy of Myanmar frogs belonging to the families Ranidae, Bufonidae and Megophryidae which involves the analysis of molecular, morphometric and morphological variation as well as the analysis of call variation. In some instances I find a species new to science, thus far there are close to 30 new frog species in Mynamar, most of which are awaiting description. I recently published a description of a new toad- Bufo crocus.

Long Term Monitoring
Two monitoring sites have been established in Myanmar through a combination of a DAPTF/CI seed grant I was awarded, and private funds raised by George Zug. Both of these sites seek to gather information regarding the 1) seasonal variation of faunal composition 2) a thorough inventory of the herpetofauna at each site 3) natural history of each species 4) seasonal variation of frog calls 5) market sales and usage of amphibian and reptile products.

Publications

Guinevere O.U.Wogan, Jeffery A.Wilkinson, Htun Win, Thin Thin, Kyi Soe Lwin, Awan Khwi Shein, Hla Tun. Natural History Notes, Amolops viridimaculatus Arboreal Activity. Herpetological Review (in press)

Amolops viridimaculatus Photo by D. Kavanaugh

Guinevere O.U. Wogan. Natural History Notes, Fejevarya limnocharis. Ophiophagy. Herpetological Review (in press)

M. S. Koo, J. V. Vindum and G.O.U.Wogan. 2003. comp. The Myanmar Herpetological Survey Project. Department of Herpetology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco CA

G.R. Zug, A.E. Leviton, J.V.Vindum, G.O.U.Wogan and M.S.Koo. 2003. comp. Checklist of the Myanmar Herpetofauna. Myanmar Herpetological Survey Project website.

A. E. Leviton, G. O. U. Wogan, M. S. Koo, G. R. Zug, J. V. Vindum. 2003. The dangerously venomous snakes of Myanmar. Illustrated checklist with keys. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 54: 407-460

Guinevere O.U.Wogan, Htun Win, Thin Thin, Kyi Soe Lwin, Awan Khwi Shein, Syi Wunna Kyi. and Hla Tun. 2003. Description of a new species of Bufo (Anura: Bufonidae) from Myanmar (Burma), and redescription of the little known species Bufo stuarti Smith 1929 Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 54 : 141-153

Guin Wogan and George Zug (2002) Amphibian Research in Myanmar. FrogLog, Newsletter of the Declining Amphibian Population Task Force 51: 3

Zug, G. R.., J. Slowinski, and G. Wogan. 2001. Checklist--Amphibians and Reptiles of Myanmar. Myanmar herpetofauna website. www.calacademy.org/research/herpetology/myanmar.

L.Thomas and Guinevere O.U. Wogan 1999. Natural History Notes. Rana catesbiena (bullfrog) Record Size. Herpetological Review 30: 223-224

Grants

SFSU College of Sciences and Engineering Student Project Funds Award, Species delimitation of the Rana limnocharis complex. Spring 2002
SFSU College of Sciences and Engineering Student Project Funds Award, Species delimitation of the Rana limnocharis complex. Fall 2002
DAPTF/Conservation International Seed Grant, Implementation of Long Term Monitoring and Continued Surveys of the Amphibian Fauna of Myanmar February 2002-February 2003
California Academy of Sciences G. Lindsay Grant for Field Research, Mangrove and Coastal Montane Rain Forest Survey of Myanmar. 2001
SFSU College of Science and Engineering Student Project Funds Award, Herpetofaunal Surveys of Coastal Myanmar. Spring 2001

Useful Frog Links
Amphibian Species of the World
AmphibiaWeb

 

Last revised: November 2003