树蛙属(Rhacophorus)目前有80种，分布区域广泛，主要分布于东亚包括中国和日本，南亚包括印度和斯里兰卡以及东南亚包括越南、老挝、柬埔寨、缅甸、泰国、马来西亚、印度尼西亚和菲律宾。由于分布区域的广泛性和该类群个体生活习性的特殊性（大部分物种生活于树林中），该类群的物种一直缺乏系统深入的研究，部分物种的地位备受争议。
借用现代分子生物学手段，基于生物大分子所携带的遗传和物种进化的信息，中科院成都生物所李家堂博士在昆明动物所张亚平研究员的指导下完成了树蛙属内大部分物种的分子系统学和进化研究。该研究以物种为单位，运用分子系统学和形态学的理论和方法，探测了树蛙属内物种的系统发育关系和相关的进化问题，并在此基础上解析了一些长期备受争议的“同类型蛙体体色和体斑非单系性”的科学问题。
该研究结果近期发表在国际主流期刊 Zoologica Scripta. （生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2012.00557.x
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Phylogenetic resolution and systematics of the Asian tree frogs, Rhacophorus (Rhacophoridae, Amphibia)
Jia-tang Li, Yang Li, Robert W. Murphy, Ding-qi Rao & Ya-ping Zhang
The treefrog genusRhacophorus , a large genus with 80 species, has a wide range, occurring eastward from India to China, Japan, South-east Asia, the Greater Sunda Islands and the Philippines. The phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic recognition of many species are very controversial. To stabilize the taxonomy, the phylogenetic relationships among about 52 species are investigated from 96 samples using mtDNA sequence data. Matrilineal rela-tionships based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods resolve three well-supported lineages (A, B and C), although the phylogenetic relationships among three lineages remain ambiguous. Analyses support recognition of two previously assigned sub-genera, Leptomantis and Rhacophorus , and these correspond to lineages A and B, respec-tively. Given that we have three strongly supported lineages, that these lineages are morphologically distinct, and the constrained geographic distributions of these groups, we recognize each lineage as a taxon. Subgenus Leptomantis includes species mainly from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. SubgenusRhacophorus contains a mix of species occurring in India, Indochina and southern China. Lineage C accommodates species dis-tributed mostly in East Asia, including Japan and China. Based on genetic and morpholog-ical data from type localities, the taxonomic recognition of some species needs to be reconsidered. Rhacophorus pingbianensis and Polypedates spinusare considered as junior syn-onyms of Rhacophorus duboisi . Specimens of Rhacophorus rhodopus from Vietnam and Hainan, China likely represent an undescribed, cryptic species.
