Data from: Molecular phylogenetics of desmognathine salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae): a reevaluation of evolution in ecology, life history, and morphology

Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed for salamanders of the
plethodontid subfamily Desmognathinae to examine evolution of morphology,
ecology, and life history. Mitochondrial DNA sequences encoding 12S and
16S ribosomal RNA and the valine transfer RNA provided 259
phylogenetically informative sites from approximately 1,200 nucleotide
positions for 21 specimens representing 15 species and subspecies. These
data were analyzed in conjunction with 13 morphological and reproductive
characters to generate phylogenetic hypotheses. The directly developing
terrestrial desmognathines Phaeognathus hubrichti and Desmognathus wrighti
represent, respectively, the first and second phylogenetic branching
events within the subfamily, and the remaining terrestrial lineage, D.
aeneus, also branches near the base of the phylogenetic tree. These
results challenge earlier hypotheses that within Desmognathus the small
nonmetamorphosing species, D. aeneus and D. wrighti, represent the end of
a graded phylogenetic decrease in size and decrease in use of aquatic
habitats. In contrast to previous hypotheses, our results suggest that
desmognathine evolution includes transformations in the direction of
larger body sizes, lengthened larval periods, and greater use of aquatic
habitats.