A new species of the genus Tylototriton is described in this article based on morphological and genetic evidence. The new species is identified belonging to the T. asperrimus group and is similar to T. wenxianensis. T...A new species of the genus Tylototriton is described in this article based on morphological and genetic evidence. The new species is identified belonging to the T. asperrimus group and is similar to T. wenxianensis. The diagnostic characters of the new species are as follows: dorsal ridge broad and thick,its width approximately equal to eye diameter(P < 0.001); tail height greater than width at base of tail(P < 0.001); no villous genital papilla found inside the male anal fissure; nodule-like warts,along lateral margin of the trunk,bulge and forming tubercles,and thin and transverse striae present between the tubercles.展开更多
AmphibiaChina, an open-access, web-based database, is designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on Chinese amphibians. It offers an integrated module with six major sections. Compared to other known...AmphibiaChina, an open-access, web-based database, is designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on Chinese amphibians. It offers an integrated module with six major sections. Compared to other known databases including AmphibiaWeb and Amphibian Species of the World, AmphibiaChina has the following new functions： （1） online species identification based on DNA barcode sequences; （2） comparisons and discussions of different major taxonomic systems; and （3） phylogenetic progress on Chinese amphibians. This database offers a window for the world to access available information of Chinese amphibians. AmphibiaChina with its Chinese version can be accessed at http：// www.amphibiachina.org.展开更多
We report on the discovery of a new genus of microhylid subfamily Asterophryinae from northern and eastern Indochina, containing three new species. Vietnamophryne （3en. nov. are secretive miniaturized frogs （SVL〈21...We report on the discovery of a new genus of microhylid subfamily Asterophryinae from northern and eastern Indochina, containing three new species. Vietnamophryne （3en. nov. are secretive miniaturized frogs （SVL〈21 mm） with a mostly semi-fossorial lifestyle. To assess phylogenetic relationships, we studied 12S rRNA - 16S rRNA mtDNA fragments with a final alignment of 2 591 bp for 53 microhylid species. Morphological and osteological characters were analyzed using micro-CT scanning and used to describe the new genus. Results of phylogenetic analyses assigned the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus Siamophryne from southern Indochina. The three specimens collected from Gia Lai Province in central Vietnam, Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam, and Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand proved to be separate species, different both in morphology and genetics （genetic divergence 3.1%〈P〈5.1%）. Our work provides further evidence for the ＂out of Indo-Eurasia＂ scenario for Asterophryinae, indicating that the initial cladogenesis and differentiation of this group of frogs occurred in the Indochina Peninsula. To date, eachof the three new species of Vietnamophryne Gen. nov. is known only from a single specimen; thus, their distribution, life history, and conservation status require further study.展开更多
DEAR EDITOR,We report on a new species,Micryletta dissimulans sp.nov.,from the lowland forests of southern Thailand,which is described based on molecular and morphological evidence.The new species is characterized by ...DEAR EDITOR,We report on a new species,Micryletta dissimulans sp.nov.,from the lowland forests of southern Thailand,which is described based on molecular and morphological evidence.The new species is characterized by a combination of the following characters:small body size (20.3-22.4 mm in males,24.4-26.7 mm in females);slender body habitus.展开更多
We present the first herpetological checklist for the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Cambodia, with records of 22 species of amphibians and 33 species of reptiles belonging to 44 genera in 22 families. T...We present the first herpetological checklist for the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Cambodia, with records of 22 species of amphibians and 33 species of reptiles belonging to 44 genera in 22 families. The checklist includes three species （Ingerophrynus macrotis, Micryletta inornata, Scincella melanosticta） which in Cambodia were formerly only known to occur in the Cardamom Mountains in the southwest of the country. Our findings highlight the importance of countrywide herpetological baseline surveys in lowland habitats.展开更多
The complete mitochondrial genome of Nanorana pleskei from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was sequenced. It includes 17,660 base pairs, containing 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs and 23 tRNAs. A tandem duplication of tR...The complete mitochondrial genome of Nanorana pleskei from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was sequenced. It includes 17,660 base pairs, containing 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs and 23 tRNAs. A tandem duplication of tRNAu^t gene was found in this mitochondrial genome, and the similarity between the two tRNAMet genes is 85.8%, being the highest in amphibian mitochondrial genomes sequenced thus far. Based on gene organization, 24 types were found from 145 amphibian mitochondrial genomes. Type 1 was present in 108 species, type 11 in 11 species, types 5, 16, 17, and 20 each in two species, and the others each present in one species. Fifteen types were found in Anura, being the most diversity in three orders of the Lissamphibia. Our phylogenetic results using 11 protein-coding gene sequences of 145 amphibian mitochondrial genomes strongly support the mo- nophyly of the Lissamphibia, as well as its three orders, the Gymnophiona, Caudata, and Anura, among which the relationships were （（Gymnophiona （Caudata, Anura））. Based on the phylogenetic trees, type 1 was recognized as the ancestral type for am- phibians, and type 11 was the synapomorphic type for the Neobatrachia. Gene rearrangements among lineages provide meaning- ful phylogenetic information. The rearrangement of the LTPF tRNA gene cluster and the translocation of the ND5 gene only found in the Neobatrachia support the monophyly of this group; similarly, the tandem duplication of the tRNAMet genes only found in the Dicroglossidae support the monophyly of this family展开更多
Individual age and population age composition are the major concerns of ecologists,evolutionary biologists and conservation biologists.In amphibians,skeletochronology-counting the number of lines of arrested growth de...Individual age and population age composition are the major concerns of ecologists,evolutionary biologists and conservation biologists.In amphibians,skeletochronology-counting the number of lines of arrested growth deposited in the bone tissue,is the dominant method to determine actual age of an individual.Since 1970s,age data of the ectothermic taxa have been accumulated and increasingly used in comparative studies.Here we make a global assessment for the availability of the data,based on a collection of 369 published papers.For a specific species,more males than females were sampled.Among the extant 8146 amphibian species,only 266(3.3%)have been skeletochronologically investigated.Of these studied species,2(0.9%of 214)belong to caecilians,56(7.6%of 740)salamanders and 208(2.9%of 7192)anurans.A complete paucity of data was seen in 80%,50%,and 54%of families in the corresponding orders.More temperate species than tropical species were sampled,while the proportion of Palearctic species studied was higher than that in the other 5 biogeographical realms.Species inhabiting semi-aquatic niche were more likely to be studied than fossorial or plant dwellers.Age information of multiple populations(2-48)was available for species with a broad distribution,accounts for 61%of salamander and 43%of anuran species studied.Because these gaps in demographic knowledge can limit our understanding of questions ranging from life history evolution,population dynamics to conservation,we encourage herpetologists to pay more efforts on filling them.展开更多
Allozymes of eleven species of Megophryinae in China were examined electrophoretically to investigate genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Fourteen enzymes, presumptively coded by 24 loci were detected to...Allozymes of eleven species of Megophryinae in China were examined electrophoretically to investigate genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Fourteen enzymes, presumptively coded by 24 loci were detected to be variable. Gene frequencies of each population at each locus were presented. The commonly used measure of genetic diversity, the average heterozygosity (H) were calculated based on gene frequencies. The results indicated that Megophryinae had a high level of genetic diversity in amphibians, an average H of 0.18, ranging from 0.058 to 0.28. Nei's (1978) genetic distances(Nei's D) were calculated for all possible population pairs. A dendrogram of 13 populations representing 11 species, 3 genera of Megophryinae were derived and presented by using UPGMA, based on Nei' s D. The assignment of Ophryophryne as a distinct genus were supported by an average Nei's D of 1.4067 which separated O. microstoma from all other populations.Subdivision of Brachytarsophrys from Megophrys was not supported by this study. Within Megophrys, three groups were recognized: (1)M. lateralis, M. giganticus and M. longipes; (2)M. palpebralespineosa, M. boettgeri and M. parva;(3) M. minor and M. kuatunensis. Three populations of M. omeimontis were closely related and share a clade independent from all other Megophrys, and B. feae as well.展开更多
The chromosomes of three odor frogs, Luetuosae- group of Rana were analyzed by conventional, as well as Obanding and silver staining techniques. The three species here examined all had 26 chromosome karyotypes encompa...The chromosomes of three odor frogs, Luetuosae- group of Rana were analyzed by conventional, as well as Obanding and silver staining techniques. The three species here examined all had 26 chromosome karyotypes encompassing 5 large and 8 small homologous pairs. Differences among them were found in gross shapes of chromosomes and positions of secondary constrictions. Generally speaking, karyotypes of R. andersonii and R. grahami resembled each other, while the karyotype of R. tiannanensis differed from the former two in several respects.Analyses of karyotypes by C-banding technique indicated that, centromeric areas of every chromosome and interstitial parts of some chromosomes of each species were hetero-chromatinized, and differences of distribution of heterochromatin were found among species. In early metaphase plates of R. andersonii, much more heterochromatinized areas were observed, and when it reached late metaphase, the numbers of heterochromatin sections in each chromosome pair reduced to a limited level, e. g. centromeres and a few interstitial parts.The active nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were localized in long arms of pair No. 10, in connection with secondary constrictions for R. andersonii and R. grahami as in other odor frogs previously reported, but in the long arm of pair No. 6 for R. tiannanensis.The cytogenetic and taxonomic implications of the findings were discussed based on comparisons with each other, and with published literature.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC-30770316,31071906)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KSCX2-EW-J-22)to Jianping JIANG
文摘A new species of the genus Tylototriton is described in this article based on morphological and genetic evidence. The new species is identified belonging to the T. asperrimus group and is similar to T. wenxianensis. The diagnostic characters of the new species are as follows: dorsal ridge broad and thick,its width approximately equal to eye diameter(P < 0.001); tail height greater than width at base of tail(P < 0.001); no villous genital papilla found inside the male anal fissure; nodule-like warts,along lateral margin of the trunk,bulge and forming tubercles,and thin and transverse striae present between the tubercles.
基金Foundation items： The development of the AmphibiaChina has benefitted from the data accumulated through the programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China （31090252）, the Chinese Academy of Sciences （KSCX2-YW-Z-0807, KSCX2-EW-Z-2）, Ministry of Science and Technology of China （MOST2011FY120200）, and the Animal Branch of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species of CAS （the Large Research Infrastructure Funding）.
文摘AmphibiaChina, an open-access, web-based database, is designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on Chinese amphibians. It offers an integrated module with six major sections. Compared to other known databases including AmphibiaWeb and Amphibian Species of the World, AmphibiaChina has the following new functions： （1） online species identification based on DNA barcode sequences; （2） comparisons and discussions of different major taxonomic systems; and （3） phylogenetic progress on Chinese amphibians. This database offers a window for the world to access available information of Chinese amphibians. AmphibiaChina with its Chinese version can be accessed at http：// www.amphibiachina.org.
基金supported by the programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31501843,31622052)Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute,Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)(Y4ZK111B01:2017CASSEABRIQG002)+2 种基金Animal Branch of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species,CAS(Large Research Infrastructure Funding)Thailand Research Fund(TRF)(DBG6180001)Molecular experiments,phylogenetic analyses,specimen storage,examination and micro CT-analysis were carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation(RSF14-50-00029)
文摘We report on the discovery of a new genus of microhylid subfamily Asterophryinae from northern and eastern Indochina, containing three new species. Vietnamophryne （3en. nov. are secretive miniaturized frogs （SVL〈21 mm） with a mostly semi-fossorial lifestyle. To assess phylogenetic relationships, we studied 12S rRNA - 16S rRNA mtDNA fragments with a final alignment of 2 591 bp for 53 microhylid species. Morphological and osteological characters were analyzed using micro-CT scanning and used to describe the new genus. Results of phylogenetic analyses assigned the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus Siamophryne from southern Indochina. The three specimens collected from Gia Lai Province in central Vietnam, Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam, and Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand proved to be separate species, different both in morphology and genetics （genetic divergence 3.1%〈P〈5.1%）. Our work provides further evidence for the ＂out of Indo-Eurasia＂ scenario for Asterophryinae, indicating that the initial cladogenesis and differentiation of this group of frogs occurred in the Indochina Peninsula. To date, eachof the three new species of Vietnamophryne Gen. nov. is known only from a single specimen; thus, their distribution, life history, and conservation status require further study.
基金supported by the Unit of Excellence2020 on Biodiversity and Natural Resources ManagementUniversity of Phayao(UoE63005)+9 种基金Thailand Research Fund(TRFDBG6180001)Plant Genetic Conservation Project under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,University of Phayao(RD61017)to C.S.partially supported by Chiang Mai University to S.C.International Partnership Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)(152453KYSB20170033)Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research InstituteCAS(Y4ZK111B012017CASSEABRIQG002)to J.C.Russian Science Foundation(19-14-00050samplingmolecularand phylogenetic analyses)to N.A.P。
文摘DEAR EDITOR,We report on a new species,Micryletta dissimulans sp.nov.,from the lowland forests of southern Thailand,which is described based on molecular and morphological evidence.The new species is characterized by a combination of the following characters:small body size (20.3-22.4 mm in males,24.4-26.7 mm in females);slender body habitus.
基金partially funded by the Alexander Koenig Gesellschaft(AKG)the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity(ACCB)+4 种基金financially supported by the ACCB and the European Association of ZoosAquaria(EAZA)Shellshock Campaign,provided through the Turtle Conservation Fund(TCF)funded by the Schildkr tenInteressengemeinschaft Schweiz(SIGS)the Fonds zum Schutz weltweit bedrohter Amphibien und Reptilien of the Zoological Society for the Conservation of SpeciesPopulations(ZGAP)and the German Society for Herpetology and Herpetoculture(DGHT)
文摘We present the first herpetological checklist for the Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Cambodia, with records of 22 species of amphibians and 33 species of reptiles belonging to 44 genera in 22 families. The checklist includes three species （Ingerophrynus macrotis, Micryletta inornata, Scincella melanosticta） which in Cambodia were formerly only known to occur in the Cardamom Mountains in the southwest of the country. Our findings highlight the importance of countrywide herpetological baseline surveys in lowland habitats.
文摘The complete mitochondrial genome of Nanorana pleskei from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was sequenced. It includes 17,660 base pairs, containing 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNAs and 23 tRNAs. A tandem duplication of tRNAu^t gene was found in this mitochondrial genome, and the similarity between the two tRNAMet genes is 85.8%, being the highest in amphibian mitochondrial genomes sequenced thus far. Based on gene organization, 24 types were found from 145 amphibian mitochondrial genomes. Type 1 was present in 108 species, type 11 in 11 species, types 5, 16, 17, and 20 each in two species, and the others each present in one species. Fifteen types were found in Anura, being the most diversity in three orders of the Lissamphibia. Our phylogenetic results using 11 protein-coding gene sequences of 145 amphibian mitochondrial genomes strongly support the mo- nophyly of the Lissamphibia, as well as its three orders, the Gymnophiona, Caudata, and Anura, among which the relationships were （（Gymnophiona （Caudata, Anura））. Based on the phylogenetic trees, type 1 was recognized as the ancestral type for am- phibians, and type 11 was the synapomorphic type for the Neobatrachia. Gene rearrangements among lineages provide meaning- ful phylogenetic information. The rearrangement of the LTPF tRNA gene cluster and the translocation of the ND5 gene only found in the Neobatrachia support the monophyly of this group; similarly, the tandem duplication of the tRNAMet genes only found in the Dicroglossidae support the monophyly of this family
基金funded by National Sciences Foundation of China(No.31272308 and 31872216).
文摘Individual age and population age composition are the major concerns of ecologists,evolutionary biologists and conservation biologists.In amphibians,skeletochronology-counting the number of lines of arrested growth deposited in the bone tissue,is the dominant method to determine actual age of an individual.Since 1970s,age data of the ectothermic taxa have been accumulated and increasingly used in comparative studies.Here we make a global assessment for the availability of the data,based on a collection of 369 published papers.For a specific species,more males than females were sampled.Among the extant 8146 amphibian species,only 266(3.3%)have been skeletochronologically investigated.Of these studied species,2(0.9%of 214)belong to caecilians,56(7.6%of 740)salamanders and 208(2.9%of 7192)anurans.A complete paucity of data was seen in 80%,50%,and 54%of families in the corresponding orders.More temperate species than tropical species were sampled,while the proportion of Palearctic species studied was higher than that in the other 5 biogeographical realms.Species inhabiting semi-aquatic niche were more likely to be studied than fossorial or plant dwellers.Age information of multiple populations(2-48)was available for species with a broad distribution,accounts for 61%of salamander and 43%of anuran species studied.Because these gaps in demographic knowledge can limit our understanding of questions ranging from life history evolution,population dynamics to conservation,we encourage herpetologists to pay more efforts on filling them.
基金This work was financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘Allozymes of eleven species of Megophryinae in China were examined electrophoretically to investigate genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Fourteen enzymes, presumptively coded by 24 loci were detected to be variable. Gene frequencies of each population at each locus were presented. The commonly used measure of genetic diversity, the average heterozygosity (H) were calculated based on gene frequencies. The results indicated that Megophryinae had a high level of genetic diversity in amphibians, an average H of 0.18, ranging from 0.058 to 0.28. Nei's (1978) genetic distances(Nei's D) were calculated for all possible population pairs. A dendrogram of 13 populations representing 11 species, 3 genera of Megophryinae were derived and presented by using UPGMA, based on Nei' s D. The assignment of Ophryophryne as a distinct genus were supported by an average Nei's D of 1.4067 which separated O. microstoma from all other populations.Subdivision of Brachytarsophrys from Megophrys was not supported by this study. Within Megophrys, three groups were recognized: (1)M. lateralis, M. giganticus and M. longipes; (2)M. palpebralespineosa, M. boettgeri and M. parva;(3) M. minor and M. kuatunensis. Three populations of M. omeimontis were closely related and share a clade independent from all other Megophrys, and B. feae as well.
文摘The chromosomes of three odor frogs, Luetuosae- group of Rana were analyzed by conventional, as well as Obanding and silver staining techniques. The three species here examined all had 26 chromosome karyotypes encompassing 5 large and 8 small homologous pairs. Differences among them were found in gross shapes of chromosomes and positions of secondary constrictions. Generally speaking, karyotypes of R. andersonii and R. grahami resembled each other, while the karyotype of R. tiannanensis differed from the former two in several respects.Analyses of karyotypes by C-banding technique indicated that, centromeric areas of every chromosome and interstitial parts of some chromosomes of each species were hetero-chromatinized, and differences of distribution of heterochromatin were found among species. In early metaphase plates of R. andersonii, much more heterochromatinized areas were observed, and when it reached late metaphase, the numbers of heterochromatin sections in each chromosome pair reduced to a limited level, e. g. centromeres and a few interstitial parts.The active nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were localized in long arms of pair No. 10, in connection with secondary constrictions for R. andersonii and R. grahami as in other odor frogs previously reported, but in the long arm of pair No. 6 for R. tiannanensis.The cytogenetic and taxonomic implications of the findings were discussed based on comparisons with each other, and with published literature.
