Until recently, the agamid species, Japalura flaviceps was recognized to have the widest geographic dis- tribution among members of the genus occurring in China, from eastern Tibet to Shaanxi Province. However, recent...Until recently, the agamid species, Japalura flaviceps was recognized to have the widest geographic dis- tribution among members of the genus occurring in China, from eastern Tibet to Shaanxi Province. However, recent studies restricted the distribution of J. flaviceps to the Dadu River valley only in north- western Sichuan Province, suggesting that records of J. flaviceps outside the Dadu River valley likely represent undescribed diversity. During two herpeto- faunal surveys in 2013 and 2015, eight and 12 specimens of lizards of the genus Japalura were collected from the upper Nujiang （=Salween） Valley in eastern Tibet, China, and upper Lancang （=Mekong） Valley in northwestern Yunnan, China, respectively. These specimens display a unique suite of diagnostic morphological characters. Our robust comparisons of phenotype reveal that these populations can be distinguished readily from J. flaviceps and all other recognized congeners. Herein, we describe the two Japalura lineages as new spe- cies, Japalura laeviventris sp. nov. and Japalura iadina sp. nov.. In addition, we provide updated con- servation assessments for the new species as well as imperiled congeners according to the IUCN crite- ria for classification, discuss the importance of color patterns in the diagnosis and description of species in the genus Japalura, and discuss directions for future taxonomic studies of the group.展开更多
A new species of the agamid genus Japalura is described based on 15 specimens from the upper Lancang（Mekong） Valley of eastern Tibet, PR China. Populations of the new species, Japalura vela sp. nov., were previously...A new species of the agamid genus Japalura is described based on 15 specimens from the upper Lancang（Mekong） Valley of eastern Tibet, PR China. Populations of the new species, Japalura vela sp. nov., were previously recognized as J. flaviceps. The new species is morphologically most similar to J. batangensis, J. micangshanensis, J. variegata, and J. zhaoermii, but is distinguished from the four species and all remaining congeners by the following combination of morphological characters： 1） small adult size（SVL 56–69 mm in males, 59–66 mm in females）; 2） ratio of tail TAL/SVL 1.85–2.06; 3） ratio of hind limb HLL/SVL 0.72–0.81; 4） T4 S 24 or 25; 5） concealed tympanum; 6） transverse gular fold present; 7） gular pouch present; 8） axillary fold present; 9） a pronounced, continuous, sail-like vertebral crest along length of body in males; 10） ground dorsal coloration black in males; 11） distinct gray transverse streaks on dorsal surface of head; 12） black radiated streaks around eyes; 13） distinct, black vermiculate stripes on ventral surface of head in both sexes; 14） a strongly jagged dorsolateral stripe from neck to base of tail on each side of vertebral crest in males; and 15） absence of gular spots in both sexes. General distribution patterns of the genus in the Hengduan Mountains region are also discussed.展开更多
We report amphibian and reptile distribution records based on recent biodiversity surveys conducted at the Angat Watershed Reservation, Bulacan Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. This watershed constitutes the princ...We report amphibian and reptile distribution records based on recent biodiversity surveys conducted at the Angat Watershed Reservation, Bulacan Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. This watershed constitutes the principal water source for Manila, the Philippines＇ largest metropolitan area. As virtually nothing is known of the herpetological diversity of the immediate area and the surrounding Bulacan Province, all species recorded as part of our surveys constitute major geographical records and/or significant range extensions. Our data result in a total of 63 new records of amphibian （19 frogs） and reptile （22 lizards, 2 turtles, and 20 snakes） species for this protected area （and immediate vicinity） that serves as a watershed for the major metropolitan area of Manila and surrounding cities. Together with the few previous literature records, our new records bring the total number of amphibian and reptile species for Bulacan Province to 68. We discuss several strategies for future survey work （focusing on habitat type, seasonal variation, and elevational variability） that we anticipate will result in increased knowledge of diversity within the Angat Watershed Reserve. The impressive level of herpetological diversity within such a small area, so close to Metro Manila, emphasizes that the diversity and distribution patterns of amphibians and reptiles from Luzon are still poorly known and in need of further study.展开更多
Although landscape features such as mountains and rivers are recognized often as limiting factors to amphibian dispersal and gene flow, a limited number of studies have investigated such patterns across Southeast Asia...Although landscape features such as mountains and rivers are recognized often as limiting factors to amphibian dispersal and gene flow, a limited number of studies have investigated such patterns across Southeast Asia. A perfect example of this is Thailand, located in one of the world＇s biodiversity hotspot regions. Thailand represents the corridor between mainland Asia and the Sunda Shelf, a famous and widely recognized biogeographic region, and yet there are few studies on the genetic structure among populations of amphibian species distributed across Thailand. The Southeast Asian tree frog, Chiromantis hansenae has been reported to possess a geographic range that is restricted to Thailand and, presumably, Cambodia~ Here, we investigate phylogenetic relationships among C. hansenae populations using partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and nuclear POMC gene. Our results reveal two distinct evolutionary lineages within C. hansenae populations in Thailand. The genetic divergence among populations between these two clades is considerable, and results support inter-population divergence, and high genetic differentiation （pairwise FsT = 0.97）, between two localities sampled in western Thailand （TK1 and TK2）, separated from each other by 40 kilometers only. The results suggest that landscape features across Thailand may have a profound impact on patterns of diversification in the country, underscoring the urgent need for fine-scale investigations of genetic structure of endemic and ＂widespread＂ species.展开更多
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2014FY210200,2011FY120200)the Animal Branch of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species of Chinese Academy of Sciences(the Large Research Infrastructure Funding)
文摘Until recently, the agamid species, Japalura flaviceps was recognized to have the widest geographic dis- tribution among members of the genus occurring in China, from eastern Tibet to Shaanxi Province. However, recent studies restricted the distribution of J. flaviceps to the Dadu River valley only in north- western Sichuan Province, suggesting that records of J. flaviceps outside the Dadu River valley likely represent undescribed diversity. During two herpeto- faunal surveys in 2013 and 2015, eight and 12 specimens of lizards of the genus Japalura were collected from the upper Nujiang （=Salween） Valley in eastern Tibet, China, and upper Lancang （=Mekong） Valley in northwestern Yunnan, China, respectively. These specimens display a unique suite of diagnostic morphological characters. Our robust comparisons of phenotype reveal that these populations can be distinguished readily from J. flaviceps and all other recognized congeners. Herein, we describe the two Japalura lineages as new spe- cies, Japalura laeviventris sp. nov. and Japalura iadina sp. nov.. In addition, we provide updated con- servation assessments for the new species as well as imperiled congeners according to the IUCN crite- ria for classification, discuss the importance of color patterns in the diagnosis and description of species in the genus Japalura, and discuss directions for future taxonomic studies of the group.
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2014FY210200, 2011FY120200)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31090250)the Animal Branch of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species of Chinese Academy of Sciences (the Large Research Infrastructure Funding)
文摘A new species of the agamid genus Japalura is described based on 15 specimens from the upper Lancang（Mekong） Valley of eastern Tibet, PR China. Populations of the new species, Japalura vela sp. nov., were previously recognized as J. flaviceps. The new species is morphologically most similar to J. batangensis, J. micangshanensis, J. variegata, and J. zhaoermii, but is distinguished from the four species and all remaining congeners by the following combination of morphological characters： 1） small adult size（SVL 56–69 mm in males, 59–66 mm in females）; 2） ratio of tail TAL/SVL 1.85–2.06; 3） ratio of hind limb HLL/SVL 0.72–0.81; 4） T4 S 24 or 25; 5） concealed tympanum; 6） transverse gular fold present; 7） gular pouch present; 8） axillary fold present; 9） a pronounced, continuous, sail-like vertebral crest along length of body in males; 10） ground dorsal coloration black in males; 11） distinct gray transverse streaks on dorsal surface of head; 12） black radiated streaks around eyes; 13） distinct, black vermiculate stripes on ventral surface of head in both sexes; 14） a strongly jagged dorsolateral stripe from neck to base of tail on each side of vertebral crest in males; and 15） absence of gular spots in both sexes. General distribution patterns of the genus in the Hengduan Mountains region are also discussed.
基金Support for fieldwork was provided by the funding from the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute to DSM and RMB,and NSF grants(EF-0334952 and DEB 0743491)to RMBSupport for participation in Angat surveys by some of the 2011 field team members was provided by the California Academy of Science and the Hearst Foundation
文摘We report amphibian and reptile distribution records based on recent biodiversity surveys conducted at the Angat Watershed Reservation, Bulacan Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. This watershed constitutes the principal water source for Manila, the Philippines＇ largest metropolitan area. As virtually nothing is known of the herpetological diversity of the immediate area and the surrounding Bulacan Province, all species recorded as part of our surveys constitute major geographical records and/or significant range extensions. Our data result in a total of 63 new records of amphibian （19 frogs） and reptile （22 lizards, 2 turtles, and 20 snakes） species for this protected area （and immediate vicinity） that serves as a watershed for the major metropolitan area of Manila and surrounding cities. Together with the few previous literature records, our new records bring the total number of amphibian and reptile species for Bulacan Province to 68. We discuss several strategies for future survey work （focusing on habitat type, seasonal variation, and elevational variability） that we anticipate will result in increased knowledge of diversity within the Angat Watershed Reserve. The impressive level of herpetological diversity within such a small area, so close to Metro Manila, emphasizes that the diversity and distribution patterns of amphibians and reptiles from Luzon are still poorly known and in need of further study.
基金supported by Kasetsart University research grant (No. 28.56) from the Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute (KURDI)ScRF grant (No. S14/2555) from Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University+1 种基金Support for Cameron D. SILER to develop new international collaborations with the Amphibians and Reptiles Ecology LaboratoryKasetsart University was supported by international travel grants provided by the Department of Biology and College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma
文摘Although landscape features such as mountains and rivers are recognized often as limiting factors to amphibian dispersal and gene flow, a limited number of studies have investigated such patterns across Southeast Asia. A perfect example of this is Thailand, located in one of the world＇s biodiversity hotspot regions. Thailand represents the corridor between mainland Asia and the Sunda Shelf, a famous and widely recognized biogeographic region, and yet there are few studies on the genetic structure among populations of amphibian species distributed across Thailand. The Southeast Asian tree frog, Chiromantis hansenae has been reported to possess a geographic range that is restricted to Thailand and, presumably, Cambodia~ Here, we investigate phylogenetic relationships among C. hansenae populations using partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and nuclear POMC gene. Our results reveal two distinct evolutionary lineages within C. hansenae populations in Thailand. The genetic divergence among populations between these two clades is considerable, and results support inter-population divergence, and high genetic differentiation （pairwise FsT = 0.97）, between two localities sampled in western Thailand （TK1 and TK2）, separated from each other by 40 kilometers only. The results suggest that landscape features across Thailand may have a profound impact on patterns of diversification in the country, underscoring the urgent need for fine-scale investigations of genetic structure of endemic and ＂widespread＂ species.
