A population of Japalura from Yunnan Province, China, previously assigned to Japalura splendida, is described as a new species. The new species has been recorded between 1 138–2 500 m in the Nu River drainage between...A population of Japalura from Yunnan Province, China, previously assigned to Japalura splendida, is described as a new species. The new species has been recorded between 1 138–2 500 m in the Nu River drainage between the towns of Liuku and Binzhongluo, and on the lower western slopes of the Nushan and eastern slopes of the Goaligongshan. The new species can be distinguished from other species of Japalura, except J. dymondi, by the following combination of characters： exposed tympani, prominent dorso-lateral stripes, and small gular scales. It is very similar with but differs from J. dymondi by having smooth or feebly keeled dorsal head scales, three relatively enlarged spines on either side of the post-occiput area, strongly keeled and mucronate scales on occiput area and within the lateral stripes, back of arm and leg green, higher number of dorsal-ridge scales（DS） and fourth toe subdigital scales（T4S）. A principal component analysis of body measurements of adult male specimens of the new species and J. dymondi showed principal component 1 loading highest for upper arm length, fourth toe length and snout to eye length and principal component 2 loading highest for head width, head length and fourth toe length.展开更多
Previous studies have shown that reptiles are capable of spatial learning and learn to locate important environmental resources so that they can return to those locations at a future time, when needed. Lizards improve...Previous studies have shown that reptiles are capable of spatial learning and learn to locate important environmental resources so that they can return to those locations at a future time, when needed. Lizards improve their adaptability and survival by learning the position of their shelter in a complex environment. This behavior raises the question, whether lizards can sense danger, such as a trap, in their surroundings, by determining the location of the trap and avoiding it. In the present study, we used a pitfall trap to test if steppe toad-headed agama, Phrynocephalus frontalis, can learn to recognize the position of the trap and avoid it. Our results revealed that the percentage of activity time in the trap area was significantly reduced （P 〈 0.001） and the time of drop trap was also significantly reduced （P = 0.00631）. The number of burrows dug by lizards distributed in the trap area was the least. Reduced activity time in the trap area was observed to have no obvious relationship with the drop in the number of burrows. The present study, therefore, demonstrates that P. frontalis are capable of learning the avoidance of a trap by locating its position. The findings offer significant insight in the understanding of reptilian behavior, which is important in the study of the role of reptiles in global ecology, especially because they are often very sensitive to environmental changes.展开更多
基金provided by funds from the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to D. Q. RAO (NSFC-39570090)the National Science Foundation grant DEB-0103795 to the late Joseph B. SLOWINSKI and Peter FRITSCH+1 种基金the National Geographic Society Grant for Research and Exploration (7340-02)from the contributors to the California Academy of Sciences’ China Natural History Project
文摘A population of Japalura from Yunnan Province, China, previously assigned to Japalura splendida, is described as a new species. The new species has been recorded between 1 138–2 500 m in the Nu River drainage between the towns of Liuku and Binzhongluo, and on the lower western slopes of the Nushan and eastern slopes of the Goaligongshan. The new species can be distinguished from other species of Japalura, except J. dymondi, by the following combination of characters： exposed tympani, prominent dorso-lateral stripes, and small gular scales. It is very similar with but differs from J. dymondi by having smooth or feebly keeled dorsal head scales, three relatively enlarged spines on either side of the post-occiput area, strongly keeled and mucronate scales on occiput area and within the lateral stripes, back of arm and leg green, higher number of dorsal-ridge scales（DS） and fourth toe subdigital scales（T4S）. A principal component analysis of body measurements of adult male specimens of the new species and J. dymondi showed principal component 1 loading highest for upper arm length, fourth toe length and snout to eye length and principal component 2 loading highest for head width, head length and fourth toe length.
基金approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences(IOZ14001)College of Life Sciences,Inner Mongolia Normal University(31660615)
文摘Previous studies have shown that reptiles are capable of spatial learning and learn to locate important environmental resources so that they can return to those locations at a future time, when needed. Lizards improve their adaptability and survival by learning the position of their shelter in a complex environment. This behavior raises the question, whether lizards can sense danger, such as a trap, in their surroundings, by determining the location of the trap and avoiding it. In the present study, we used a pitfall trap to test if steppe toad-headed agama, Phrynocephalus frontalis, can learn to recognize the position of the trap and avoid it. Our results revealed that the percentage of activity time in the trap area was significantly reduced （P 〈 0.001） and the time of drop trap was also significantly reduced （P = 0.00631）. The number of burrows dug by lizards distributed in the trap area was the least. Reduced activity time in the trap area was observed to have no obvious relationship with the drop in the number of burrows. The present study, therefore, demonstrates that P. frontalis are capable of learning the avoidance of a trap by locating its position. The findings offer significant insight in the understanding of reptilian behavior, which is important in the study of the role of reptiles in global ecology, especially because they are often very sensitive to environmental changes.
