Browse publications by year: 2014

Fulltext Evaluation of the cardiotoxicity of mitragynine and its analogues using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

Lu J, Wei H, Wu J, Jamil MF, Tan ML, Adenan MI, et al.

PLoS One, 2014;9(12):e115648.
PMID: 25535742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115648

INTRODUCTION: Mitragynine is a major bioactive compound of Kratom, which is derived from the leave extracts of Mitragyna speciosa Korth or Mitragyna speciosa (M. speciosa), a medicinal plant from South East Asia used legally in many countries as stimulant with opioid-like effects for the treatment of chronic pain and opioid-withdrawal symptoms. Fatal incidents with Mitragynine have been associated with cardiac arrest. In this study, we determined the cardiotoxicity of Mitragynine and other chemical constituents isolated using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs).
METHODS AND RESULTS: The rapid delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr), L-type Ca2+ current (ICa,L) and action potential duration (APD) were measured by whole cell patch-clamp. The expression of KCNH2 and cytotoxicity was determined by real-time PCR and Caspase activity measurements. After significant IKr suppression by Mitragynine (10 µM) was confirmed in hERG-HEK cells, we systematically examined the effects of Mitragynine and other chemical constituents in hiPSC-CMs. Mitragynine, Paynantheine, Speciogynine and Speciociliatine, dosage-dependently (0.1∼100 µM) suppressed IKr in hiPSC-CMs by 67%∼84% with IC50 ranged from 0.91 to 2.47 µM. Moreover, Mitragynine (10 µM) significantly prolonged APD at 50 and 90% repolarization (APD50 and APD90) (439.0±11.6 vs. 585.2±45.5 ms and 536.0±22.6 vs. 705.9±46.1 ms, respectively) and induced arrhythmia, without altering the L-type Ca2+ current. Neither the expression, and intracellular distribution of KCNH2/Kv11.1, nor the Caspase 3 activity were significantly affected by Mitragynine.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that Mitragynine and its analogues may potentiate Torsade de Pointes through inhibition of IKr in human cardiomyocytes.

MeSH terms: Action Potentials/drug effects; Cell Line; Humans; Apoptosis/drug effects; Rubiaceae/chemistry*; Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology; Myocytes, Cardiac/drug effects*; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism; Myocytes, Cardiac/pathology*; Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids/isolation & purification; Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids/toxicity*; Secologanin Tryptamine Alkaloids/chemistry; Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels/metabolism; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells/cytology; HEK293 Cells; Cardiotoxicity/etiology; Cardiotoxicity/metabolism*; Cardiotoxicity/pathology
Fulltext Knowledge about the availability of the pharmacist in the Nuclear Medicine Department: A questionnaire-based study among health-care professionals

Parasuraman S, Mueen Ahmed KK, Bin Hashim TS, Muralidharan S, Kumar KJ, Ping WY, et al.

J Basic Clin Pharm, 2014 Dec;6(1):19-23.
PMID: 25538467 DOI: 10.4103/0976-0105.145773

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze the knowledge about the availability of the pharmacist in the nuclear medicine department among health-care professionals through a prospective cohort study.
METHODS: A total of 741 health-care professionals participated in the study by answering 10 simple questions about the role of the pharmacist in the nuclear medicine department and the availability of pharmacist in the nuclear medicine department. An online questionnaire system was used to conduct the study, and participants were invited to participate through personal communications and by promoting the study through social websites including Facebook, LinkedIn and Google (including Gmail and Google+). The study was conducted between April 2013 and March 2014 using the http://www.freeonlinesurveys.com/Webserver. Finally, the data provided by 621 participants was analyzed. Group frequency analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 (SPSS Inc. USA).
RESULTS: The participants were from Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE and Nepal. In total, 312 (50.2%) female health-care professionals and 309 (49.8%) male health-care professionals participated in the study. Of the 621 participants, 390 were working in hospitals, and 231 were not working in hospitals. Of the participants who were working in hospitals, 57.6% were pharmacists. The proportion of study participants who were aware of nuclear pharmacists was 55.39%. Awareness about the role of the pharmacist in nuclear medicine was poor.
CONCLUSION: The role of the pharmacist in a nuclear medicine unit needs to be highlighted and promoted among health-care professionals and hence that the nuclear medicine team can provide better pharmaceutical care.
Fulltext False Negative (99m)Tc-Hydroxymethane Diphosphonate Three-phase Bone Scintigraphy and (99m)Tc-besilesomab Scan in Detecting Tibia Osteomyelitis Concomitant with Necrotizing Fasciitis

Tan TH, Lee BN

World J Nucl Med, 2014 Sep;13(3):190-2.
PMID: 25538491 DOI: 10.4103/1450-1147.144820

We described a case of 51-year-old female patient presented with a right calf necrotising fasciitis (NF) where osteomyelitis (OM) was suspected. (99m)Tc-hydroxymethane diphosphonate three-phase bone scintigraphy and (99m)Tc-besilosomab scan failed to demonstrate classical features of OM. The final diagnosis was only made by isolating Acinetobacter sp. in both intra-operative bone and tissue cultures from below-knee amputation. As conclusions, the detection of lower limb OM by (99m)Tc-besilosomab scan is not easy when there is concurrence overlying NF. The unusual three-phase bone scan finding of pericortical accumulation of tracer as an early sign of OM is highlighted in this case.

MeSH terms: Acinetobacter; Amputation; Bone and Bones; Diphosphonates; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Osteomyelitis; Radionuclide Imaging; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Fasciitis, Necrotizing; Lower Extremity
Fulltext Cross-cultural differences in crossmodal correspondences between basic tastes and visual features

Wan X, Woods AT, van den Bosch JJ, McKenzie KJ, Velasco C, Spence C

Front Psychol, 2014;5:1365.
PMID: 25538643 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01365

We report a cross-cultural study designed to investigate crossmodal correspondences between a variety of visual features (11 colors, 15 shapes, and 2 textures) and the five basic taste terms (bitter, salty, sour, sweet, and umami). A total of 452 participants from China, India, Malaysia, and the USA viewed color patches, shapes, and textures online and had to choose the taste term that best matched the image and then rate their confidence in their choice. Across the four groups of participants, the results revealed a number of crossmodal correspondences between certain colors/shapes and bitter, sour, and sweet tastes. Crossmodal correspondences were also documented between the color white and smooth/rough textures on the one hand and the salt taste on the other. Cross-cultural differences were observed in the correspondences between certain colors, shapes, and one of the textures and the taste terms. The taste-patterns shown by the participants from the four countries tested in the present study are quite different from one another, and these differences cannot easily be attributed merely to whether a country is Eastern or Western. These findings therefore highlight the impact of cultural background on crossmodal correspondences. As such, they raise a number of interesting questions regarding the neural mechanisms underlying crossmodal correspondences.

MeSH terms: China; Color; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Culture; Dysgeusia; Humans; India; Malaysia; Taste
Fulltext Functional validation of putative toxin-antitoxin genes from the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae: phd-doc is the fourth bona-fide operon

Chan WT, Yeo CC, Sadowy E, Espinosa M

Front Microbiol, 2014;5:677.
PMID: 25538695 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00677

Bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TAs) loci usually consist of two genes organized as an operon, where their products are bound together and inert under normal conditions. However, under stressful circumstances the antitoxin, which is more labile, will be degraded more rapidly, thereby unleashing its cognate toxin to act on the cell. This, in turn, causes cell stasis or cell death, depending on the type of TAs and/or time of toxin exposure. Previously based on in silico analyses, we proposed that Streptococcus pneumoniae, a pathogenic Gram-positive bacterium, may harbor between 4 and 10 putative TA loci depending on the strains. Here we have chosen the pneumococcal strain Hungary(19A)-6 which contains all possible 10 TA loci. In addition to the three well-characterized operons, namely relBE2, yefM-yoeB, and pezAT, we show here the functionality of a fourth operon that encodes the pneumococcal equivalent of the phd-doc TA. Transcriptional fusions with gene encoding Green Fluorescent Protein showed that the promoter was slightly repressed by the Phd antitoxin, and exhibited almost background values when both Phd-Doc were expressed together. These findings demonstrate that phd-doc shows the negative self-regulatory features typical for an authentic TA. Further, we also show that the previously proposed TAs XreA-Ant and Bro-XreB, although they exhibit a genetic organization resembling those of typical TAs, did not appear to confer a functional behavior corresponding to bona fide TAs. In addition, we have also discovered new interesting bioinformatics results for the known pneumococcal TAs RelBE2 and PezAT. A global analysis of the four identified toxins-antitoxins in the pneumococcal genomes (PezAT, RelBE2, YefM-YoeB, and Phd-Doc) showed that RelBE2 and Phd-Doc are the most conserved ones. Further, there was good correlation among TA types, clonal complexes and sequence types in the 48 pneumococcal strains analyzed.

MeSH terms: Animals; Antitoxins; Ants; Bacterial Toxins; Hungary; Operon; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Cell Death; Computational Biology
Fulltext Pediatric infectious diseases: getting research evidence into practice and generation of new evidence

Van Rostenberghe H

Front Pediatr, 2014;2:138.
PMID: 25538932 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2014.00138
Fulltext A comparison in mechanical properties of cermets of calcium silicate with Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V alloys for hard tissues replacement

Ataollahi Oshkour A, Pramanik S, Shirazi SF, Mehrali M, Yau YH, Abu Osman NA

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:616804.
PMID: 25538954 DOI: 10.1155/2014/616804

This study investigated the impact of calcium silicate (CS) content on composition, compressive mechanical properties, and hardness of CS cermets with Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V alloys sintered at 1200°C. The powder metallurgy route was exploited to prepare the cermets. New phases of materials of Ni16Ti6Si7, CaTiO3, and Ni31Si12 appeared in cermet of Ti-55Ni with CS and in cermet of Ti-6Al-4V with CS, the new phases Ti5Si3, Ti2O, and CaTiO3, which were emerged during sintering at different CS content (wt%). The minimum shrinkage and density were observed in both groups of cermets for the 50 and 100 wt% CS content, respectively. The cermets with 40 wt% of CS had minimum compressive Young's modulus. The minimum of compressive strength and strain percentage at maximum load were revealed in cermets with 50 and 40 wt% of CS with Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V cermets, respectively. The cermets with 80 and 90 wt% of CS showed more plasticity than the pure CS. It concluded that the composition and mechanical properties of sintered cermets of Ti-55Ni and Ti-6Al-4V with CS significantly depend on the CS content in raw cermet materials. Thus, the different mechanical properties of the cermets can be used as potential materials for different hard tissues replacements.

MeSH terms: Bone Cements/chemistry*; Nickel/chemistry*; Titanium/chemistry*; Calcium Compounds/chemistry*; Silicates/chemistry*; Bone Substitutes/chemistry*; Elastic Modulus*
Fulltext Confirmatory factor analysis of the Malay version comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire tested among mothers of primary school children in Malaysia

Shohaimi S, Wei WY, Shariff ZM

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:676174.
PMID: 25538958 DOI: 10.1155/2014/676174

Comprehensive feeding practices questionnaire (CFPQ) is an instrument specifically developed to evaluate parental feeding practices. It has been confirmed among children in America and applied to populations in France, Norway, and New Zealand. In order to extend the application of CFPQ, we conducted a factor structure validation of the translated version of CFPQ (CFPQ-M) using confirmatory factor analysis among mothers of primary school children (N = 397) in Malaysia. Several items were modified for cultural adaptation. Of 49 items, 39 items with loading factors >0.40 were retained in the final model. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the final model (twelve-factor model with 39 items and 2 error covariances) displayed the best fit for our sample (Chi-square = 1147; df = 634; P < 0.05; CFI = 0.900; RMSEA = 0.045; SRMR = 0.0058). The instrument with some modifications was confirmed among mothers of school children in Malaysia. The present study extends the usability of the CFPQ and enables researchers and parents to better understand the relationships between parental feeding practices and related problems such as childhood obesity.

MeSH terms: Adult; Child; Female; Food Preferences/ethnology*; Humans; Malaysia/ethnology; Male; Models, Biological*; Mothers*; Surveys and Questionnaires*
Fulltext Artificial neural network modelling of photodegradation in suspension of manganese doped zinc oxide nanoparticles under visible-light irradiation

Abdollahi Y, Zakaria A, Sairi NA, Matori KA, Masoumi HR, Sadrolhosseini AR, et al.

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:726101.
PMID: 25538962 DOI: 10.1155/2014/726101

The artificial neural network (ANN) modeling of m-cresol photodegradation was carried out for determination of the optimum and importance values of the effective variables to achieve the maximum efficiency. The photodegradation was carried out in the suspension of synthesized manganese doped ZnO nanoparticles under visible-light irradiation. The input considered effective variables of the photodegradation were irradiation time, pH, photocatalyst amount, and concentration of m-cresol while the efficiency was the only response as output. The performed experiments were designed into three data sets such as training, testing, and validation that were randomly splitted by the software's option. To obtain the optimum topologies, ANN was trained by quick propagation (QP), Incremental Back Propagation (IBP), Batch Back Propagation (BBP), and Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithms for testing data set. The topologies were determined by the indicator of minimized root mean squared error (RMSE) for each algorithm. According to the indicator, the QP-4-8-1, IBP-4-15-1, BBP-4-6-1, and LM-4-10-1 were selected as the optimized topologies. Among the topologies, QP-4-8-1 has presented the minimum RMSE and absolute average deviation as well as maximum R-squared. Therefore, QP-4-8-1 was selected as final model for validation test and navigation of the process. The model was used for determination of the optimum values of the effective variables by a few three-dimensional plots. The optimum points of the variables were confirmed by further validated experiments. Moreover, the model predicted the relative importance of the variables which showed none of them was neglectable in this work.

MeSH terms: Cresols/chemistry*; Light; Manganese/chemistry*; Models, Chemical*; Zinc Oxide/chemistry*; Neural Networks (Computer)*; Photochemical Processes*
Fulltext Cadmium and lead in blood cockle (Anadara granosa) from Asajaya, Sarawak, Malaysia

Hossen MF, Hamdan S, Rahman MR

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:924360.
PMID: 25538965 DOI: 10.1155/2014/924360

The concentrations were ranged from 1.35 ± 0.16 to 2.22 ± 0.34 µg/g (dry weight) and 2.65 ± 0.34 to 4.36 ± 0.53 µg/g (dry weight) for Cd and Pb, respectively, in blood cockle Anadara granosa from four sites of Sabang River, namely, Kampung Sambir, Kampung Tambirat, Beliong Temple, and Kampung Tanjung Apong, which are located at Asajaya, Sarawak, Malaysia. All values exceeded safety limits set by Malaysian Food Regulation (1985). It may be the cause of serious human health problems after long term consumption. Thus, consumer should have consciousness about such type of seafood from mentioned sites and need further investigation.

MeSH terms: Animals; Cadmium/analysis*; Food Analysis*; Humans; Lead/analysis*; Malaysia; Seafood/analysis*; Rivers/chemistry*; Arcidae/chemistry*
Fulltext Imaging of skin birefringence for human scar assessment using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography aided by vascular masking

Gong P, Chin L, Es'haghian S, Liew YM, Wood FM, Sampson DD, et al.

J Biomed Opt, 2014 Dec;19(12):126014.
PMID: 25539060 DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.19.12.126014

We demonstrate the in vivo assessment of human scars by parametric imaging of birefringence using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). Such in vivo assessment is subject to artifacts in the detected birefringence caused by scattering from blood vessels. To reduce these artifacts, we preprocessed the PS-OCT data using a vascular masking technique. The birefringence of the remaining tissue regions was then automatically quantified. Results from the scars and contralateral or adjacent normal skin of 13 patients show a correspondence of birefringence with scar type: the ratio of birefringence of hypertrophic scars to corresponding normal skin is 2.2 ± 0.2 (mean ± standard deviation ), while the ratio of birefringence of normotrophic scars to normal skin is 1.1 ± 0.4 . This method represents a new clinically applicable means for objective, quantitative human scar assessment.

MeSH terms: Adult; Birefringence; Cicatrix/pathology*; Equipment Design; Female; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*; Male; Middle Aged; Skin/blood supply; Skin/pathology*; Skin/chemistry; Tomography, Optical Coherence/instrumentation; Tomography, Optical Coherence/methods*
Fulltext Whole genome amplification approach reveals novel polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases (PhaCs) from Japan Trench and Nankai Trough seawater

Foong CP, Lau NS, Deguchi S, Toyofuku T, Taylor TD, Sudesh K, et al.

BMC Microbiol, 2014;14:318.
PMID: 25539583 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-014-0318-z

Special features of the Japanese ocean include its ranges of latitude and depth. This study is the first to examine the diversity of Class I and II PHA synthases (PhaC) in DNA samples from pelagic seawater taken from the Japan Trench and Nankai Trough from a range of depths from 24 m to 5373 m. PhaC is the key enzyme in microorganisms that determines the types of monomer units that are polymerized into polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and thus affects the physicochemical properties of this thermoplastic polymer. Complete putative PhaC sequences were determined via genome walking, and the activities of newly discovered PhaCs were evaluated in a heterologous host.

MeSH terms: Acyltransferases/genetics*; Acyltransferases/isolation & purification*; Acyltransferases/metabolism; Cloning, Molecular; Hydroxybutyrates/metabolism; Japan; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Polyesters/metabolism; Seawater/microbiology*; Genetic Variation; Gene Expression; Cluster Analysis; Sequence Homology; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Cupriavidus necator/genetics; Cupriavidus necator/metabolism; Marinobacter/genetics; Metagenomics*
Fulltext Magnetic resonance image tissue classification using an automatic method

Yazdani S, Yusof R, Riazi A, Karimian A

Diagn Pathol, 2014;9:207.
PMID: 25540017 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-014-0207-7

Brain segmentation in magnetic resonance images (MRI) is an important stage in clinical studies for different issues such as diagnosis, analysis, 3-D visualizations for treatment and surgical planning. MR Image segmentation remains a challenging problem in spite of different existing artifacts such as noise, bias field, partial volume effects and complexity of the images. Some of the automatic brain segmentation techniques are complex and some of them are not sufficiently accurate for certain applications. The goal of this paper is proposing an algorithm that is more accurate and less complex).

MeSH terms: Algorithms*; Cerebrospinal Fluid; Computer Simulation; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods*; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*; Predictive Value of Tests; Reproducibility of Results; Models, Statistical; Automation, Laboratory; Support Vector Machine; White Matter/pathology*; Gray Matter/pathology*
Fulltext Marked colour divergence in the gliding membranes of a tropical lizard mirrors population differences in the colour of falling leaves

Klomp DA, Stuart-Fox D, Das I, Ord TJ

Biol Lett, 2014 Dec;10(12):20140776.
PMID: 25540157 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0776

Populations of the Bornean gliding lizard, Draco cornutus, differ markedly in the colour of their gliding membranes. They also differ in local vegetation type (mangrove forest versus lowland rainforest) and consequently, the colour of falling leaves (red and brown/black in mangrove versus green, brown and black in rainforest). We show that the gliding membranes of these lizards closely match the colours of freshly fallen leaves in the local habitat as they appear to the visual system of birds (their probable predators). Furthermore, gliding membranes more closely resembled colours of local fallen leaves than standing foliage or fallen leaves in the other population's habitat. This suggests that the two populations have diverged in gliding membrane coloration to match the colours of their local falling leaves, and that mimicking falling leaves is an adaptation that functions to reduce predation by birds.

MeSH terms: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Color*; Lizards/physiology*; Plant Leaves*
Fulltext Whole-Genome Analysis of Aeromonas hydrophila Strain 187, Exhibiting Quorum-Sensing Activity

Chan XY, Chua KH, Yin WF, Puthucheary SD, Chan KG

Genome Announc, 2014;2(6).
PMID: 25540357 DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.01360-14

Aeromonas hydrophila is a quorum-sensing (QS) bacterium that causes diarrhea in humans upon infection. Here, we report the genome of pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila strain 187, which possesses a QS gene responsible for signaling molecule N-acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) synthesis and has been found to be located at contig 36.

MeSH terms: Bacteria; Diarrhea; Homoserine; Humans; Lactones; 4-Butyrolactone; Aeromonas hydrophila; Quorum Sensing
Fulltext A case of communicating rami between the median and musculocutaneous nerves passing through the substance of an accessory head of biceps brachii

Indrasingh I, Jacob TM, Pandurangan T, Padmavathy KM

J Neurosci Rural Pract, 2014 Nov;5(Suppl 1):S95-6.
PMID: 25540560 DOI: 10.4103/0976-3147.145229
Fulltext Optic disc topography in Malay patients with normal-tension glaucoma and primary open-angle glaucoma

Adlina AR, Alisa-Victoria K, Shatriah I, Liza-Sharmini AT, Ahmad MS

Clin Ophthalmol, 2014;8:2533-9.
PMID: 25540578 DOI: 10.2147/OPTH.S71136

There are limited data concerning the optic disc topography in normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients living in Southeast Asian countries. This study aims to compare optic disc parameters in patients with NTG and POAG in Malaysia and to discuss the results in comparison with studies of NTG and POAG in other Asian countries.

MeSH terms: Asia; Glaucoma, Open-Angle; Humans; Malaysia; Optic Disk; Low Tension Glaucoma
Eco-virological survey of Aedes mosquito larvae in selected dengue outbreak areas in Malaysia

Rohani A, Aidil Azahary AR, Malinda M, Zurainee MN, Rozilawati H, Wan Najdah WM, et al.

J Vector Borne Dis, 2014 Dec;51(4):327-32.
PMID: 25540966

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVESI: Transovarial transmission of dengue virus in the Aedes vectors is now a well-documented phenomenon reported from many parts of the endemic areas in the world, which played an important role in initiating and maintaining the outbreak in human populations. This study investigated the factors affecting breeding habitats and the relationship with transovarial dengue virus in larvae of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus.

MeSH terms: Aedes/growth & development*; Aedes/virology*; Animals; Dengue/epidemiology*; Dengue Virus/isolation & purification*; Insect Vectors*; Larva/growth & development; Larva/virology; Malaysia/epidemiology; RNA, Viral/analysis; RNA, Viral/genetics; Ecosystem; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Two new species of Paraneseuthia Franz (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae) from West Malaysia

Jałoszyński P

Zootaxa, 2014;3895(4):590-4.
PMID: 25543589 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3895.4.8

Two new species of Paraneseuthia are described from peninsular Malaysia: P. joeparkeri sp. n. from Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill) and P. titiwangsana sp. n. from the Genting Highlands. The new species are morphologically allied to species known so far only from Sumatra; they all share emarginate apex of the aedeagus bordered at each side by a subtriangular projection and a pair of setae. This is the first record of this eutheiine genus from the Malay Peninsula and extends the known diversity of Paraneseuthia species within the historical Sundaland area.

MeSH terms: Animals; Indonesia; Malaysia; Body Size; Sensilla; Animal Distribution
Two new species of fanged frogs from Peninsular Malaysia (Anura: Dicroglossidae)

Matsui M, Belabut DM, Ahmad N

Zootaxa, 2014;3881(1):75-93.
PMID: 25543621 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3881.1.6

Taxonomic status of fanged frogs from the Peninsular Malaysia, previously assigned to Limnonectes kuhlii, is assessed using genetic and morphological approaches. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from sequences of the mitochondrial and nuclear genes revealed that the fanged frogs from the Peninsula form a monophyletic group and are clearly divergent from other species previously, or even now, assigned to L. kuhlii from Mainland Southeast Asia. In both mtDNA and nuDNA phylogeny, the Malay Peninsula clade diverges into two lineages, one from north (Larut Hill, Perak, and Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu) and another from south (Genting Highlands, Pahang, and Gombak, Selangor). These lineages are separated by large genetic distances, comparable with those observed between some other species of L. kuhlii-like frogs. Although the two lineages are very similar morphologically, they are distinguishable in several morphological traits and are considered heterospecific. We therefore describe them as L. utara sp. nov. and L. selatan sp. nov. These new species differ from all other species of kuhlii-like frogs from Mainland Southeast Asia by the surface of tibia, which is densely covered by large warts.

MeSH terms: Animals; Anura; Asia, Southeastern; DNA, Mitochondrial; Malaysia; Mitochondria; Phylogeny; Ranidae; Tibia; Warts

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