Genetic variation of the browm marsh frog, Hylarana Baramica in Sarawak, Malaysia

Hylarana baramica is a riverine and swamp forest inhabitant. The genetic structure and genetic divergence among the populations of H. baramica in across Sarawak were looked through the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COl) gene. The study sites of H. Baramica included the east (Similajau National Park) and west (Matang Wildlife Centre, Bako National Park and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak) parts of Sarawak. The COl fragments were amplified by PCR using COl Barcoding primers and produced a total 809bp of COl gene to be analyzed from 10 samples. Two clades were observed in both Neighbor-Joining and Maximum Parsimony con ensus trees however the clades did not show separation according to two major populations of Sarawak which are of the east and west parts. There were low level of genetic variation within the populations, indicates that H. baramica of all populations studied experience panmictic populations. All of the populations of H. baramica did not show isolation by distance. Therefore the hypothesis of isolation by distance is rejected for this species. The Lupar gap did not halt the dispersal of this species between the west and east parts of Sarawak, as H. baramica migrate easily across the swamps in Sarawak. This study can be an essential baseline towards conservasion planning of H. baramica, as well as other swamp inhabitants