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Ranitomeya benedicta | Blessed Poison Frog | Photo by John P. Clare

Convergent evolution, the independent development of similar phenotypic traits in different lineages, is a widespread phenomenon in nature. Examples range from image-forming eyes in diverse organisms to the repeated evolution of wings in tetrapods. Convergent evolution among close relatives is less-studied and often thought to be generated from shared (homologous) mechanisms, but this is not necessarily always the case. Twomey et al. (2023) studied color convergence in Ranitomeya, a relatively young, color-diverse group of Neotropical poison frogs. By combining phylogenetic analysis with examination of skin pigments and spectral reflectance data, they identified several instances of color convergence based on independent gains and losses of carotenoid and pterin pigments. In one case, red coloration evolved independently via distinct pathways: in one lineage through an increase in the red pterin pigment drosopterin, and in another lineage through red ketocarotenoids. These results demonstrate that convergent evolution can occur through “same” or “different” pathways even when the species involved are only recently diverged.

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Current number of amphibian species in our database

As of (Mar 19, 2024)

8,736

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Total Amphibian Species by Order

222 Caecilians 816 Salamanders 7,698 Frogs