Re: Amphibians - the comeback kings of evolution

[Jeff Hecht <jeff.hecht@sff.net>]

At 3:27 PM -0200 1/9/07, Roberto Takata wrote:
>On 1/8/07, Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au> wrote:
>> Amphibians - the comeback kings of evolution
>> 08 January 2007, NewScientist.com news service
>> Catherine Brahic
>[...]
>> ...The work revealed that today's amphibians have three common ancestors,
>
>What did she means with "three common ancestors"? That species A, B
>and C gave rise to extant species D, and the same A, B and C gave rise
>to another extant species E, and so on?
>

The full article 
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn10910-amphibians--the-comeback-kings-of-evolution-.html
 says the three common ancestors " eventually gave rise to frogs and toads, 
salamanders, and caecilians (snake-like animals that live underground), 
respectively." In other words, three original lines of amphibians split about 
350 million years ago, each diversified after the Permo-Triassic extinction, 
and the lines that survived remain distinct today.  Other lines went extinct at 
various times.
-- 
Jeff Hecht