PONE-D-19-31052

A reference DNA barcode library for Austrian amphibians and reptiles

PLOS ONE

Dear Mr Zangl,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

Your paper was read by one referee and myself. We both consider your paper as a valuable and important contribution to European / Austrian herpetology.

The referee has pointed out some critics including the question about morphological ID of species studied (especially relevant in green frogs) among others; please see below.

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Kind regards,

Stefan Lötters

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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'Financial support was provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy in the frame of the ABOL (Austrian Barcode of Life; www.abol.ac.at) pilot project on vertebrates and an ABOL associated project within the framework of the “Hochschulraum-Strukturmittel” Funds. '

We note that one or more of the authors are employed by a commercial company: Consultants in Aquatic Ecology and Engineering, Austria.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

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Reviewer #1: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: The authors present a data release on the DNA barcoding campaign of Austrian reptiles and amphibians. The manuscript follows a standard structure of similar data releases and, by this, fits neatly into the existing body of literature. Consequently, the focus of the manuscript is on publishing the barcoding data. The overall presentation, writing, and language are good. I just have some minor questions and comments that should be clarified prior to publication.

Kind regards

Oliver Hawlitschek

General comments:

- How was morphological identification of species accomplished? This is particularly crucial for Pelophylax and Triturus. Please list the references / methods (and possibly the identifiers) by which / who the specimens were identified.

- Entire text: check writing: "DNA barcodes" vs. "DNA-barcodes"

- Is this the first publication of P. bergeri mtDNA in Austrian green frog samples? If yes, this should be highlighted more. If no, please cite the appropriate references.

Specific:

l. 65: Change "biodiversity assessments" to "studies on biodiversity". This facilitates understanding the entire sentence.

l. 68: Delete "singule".

l. 81: Change "V. ursinii rakosiensisi" to "V. ursinii rakosiensis". Change order: "the in Austria putatively extinct V. ursinii rakosiensisi" to "the putatively extinct in Austria V. ursinii rakosiensis".

l. 119: Change "L. helvetica" to "L. helveticus".

l. 142: Remove period / full stop "." after "BOLD".

l. 145 onwards: "Austrian Pelophylax formed three clades…" Were species names assigned based on morphological identification of specimens or on DNA barcodes? I assume this is morphological ID, but please specify.

l. 168: "Imax": Explain the abbreviation.

l. 173, Table 1: Change "Natrix tesselate" to "Natrix tesselata".

l. 197: See comment to l. 81.

l. 338: Change "personal" to "staff".

Check reference list for correct format. E.g., l. 356: change "2003; 12: 5–12." to "2003;12: 5–12."

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Reviewer #1: Yes: Oliver Hawlitschek

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A reference DNA barcode library for Austrian amphibians and reptiles

PONE-D-19-31052R1

Dear Dr. Zangl,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it complies with all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you will receive an e-mail containing information on the amendments required prior to publication. When all required modifications have been addressed, you will receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will proceed to our production department and be scheduled for publication.

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With kind regards,

Stefan Lötters

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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Reviewers' comments: