12/13/2023 0 Comments Average pupil distance maleMorphological terminologies follow Fei et al. Morphometric data were taken using digital calipers to the nearest 0.1 mm. Thus, we considered them to represent a new Amolops species. Molecular and morphological comparison supported that these specimens differ from other members of the genus Amolops. mantzorum group in that they lack a circummarginal groove on tip of the first finger and have folds formed by incomplete series of glands along the dorsolateral junction of the body (hereafter dorsolateral glandular folds). During recent field surveys in central Yunnan, China, we collected seven specimens of an Amolops species that morphologically resemble some members of the A. In recent years, a series of new species or new records of Amolops have been discovered intensively from southwestern China, suggesting that species diversity of Amolops in the region still remains underestimated and probably more species would be found. It has been known that there are four members of the A. Yunnan is located in southwestern China and harbors a rich amphibian fauna in terms of species count and endemism. minutus) are only known from northwestern Vietnam and seven are known from southwestern China. mantzorum species group contains 10 species, of which two ( A. It was comprised of 11 species, namely Amolops mantzorum (David, 1872), Amolops granulosus (Liu and Hu, 1961), Amolops loloensis (Liu, 1950), Amolops lifanensis (Liu, 1945), Amolops xinduqiao Fei, Ye, Wang, and Jiang, 2017, Amolops jinjiangensis Su, Yang, and Li, 1986, Amolops tuberodepressus Liu and Yang, 2000, Amolops sangzhiensis Qian, Xiang, Jiang, Yang, and Gui, 2023, Amolops shuichengicus Lyu and Wang, 2019, Amolops ottorum Pham, Sung, Pham, Le, Zieger, and Nguyen, 2019, and Amolops minutus Orlov and Ho, 2007. mantzorum species group was defined based on the absence of true dorsolateral folds (not formed by incomplete series of glands), circummarginal groove on the tip of first finger, tarsal fold and tarsal glands absent, and nuptial pad present on first finger in males. In China, a total of 50 Amolops species have been recorded and most of them have been assigned to eight species groups, namely Amolops chayuensis group, Amolops daiyunensis group, Amolops hainanensis group, Amolops mantzorum group, Amolops monticola group, Amolops marmoratus group, Amolops viridimaculatus group, and Amolops ricketti group, based on morphological and molecular evidence. So far, as the most speciose genus within the family Ranidae, the genus Amolops contains 79 species, which can be allocated 10 species groups. The species diversity in Amolops has been poorly understood owing to morphological conservation, and efforts relying on molecular data during the last decade have greatly improved our understanding of the taxonomy and species diversity of this genus, with a high number of new species having been discovered (e.g., ). The cascade frogs of genus Amolops Cope, 1865 inhabit rocky streams or waterfalls, enabled by abdominal suckers in larvae and enlarged digital discs in adults, and are widely distributed from Nepal and northern India eastwards to China and southwards to Malaysia. Among different subfauna and water systems in Yunnan, the species diversity of Amolops in northwestern Yunnan and Nu River Basin is highest. Combining findings in this study with the most recent taxonomic progress, we consider that there are 20 known Amolops species in Yunnan, China, accounting for the highest proportion of amphibian diversity of Yunnan, and five of them belong to the A. mantzorum group rapidly occurred from Pliocene 4.23 Mya to Pleistocene 1.2 Mya, coinciding with the recent intensive uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau since the Pliocene. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from known congeners by the combination of the following characters: true dorsolateral folds absent, but dorsolateral folds formed by series of glands present circummarginal groove on tip of first finger absent body size small (males SVL 33.0–35.1 mm and female SVL 41.3 mm) HW/SVL 0.32‒0.35 UEW/SVL 0.08‒0.10 THL/SVL 0.52‒0.56 vomerine teeth absent interorbital distance narrower than internarial distance tympanum distinct, less than half eye diameter supratympanic fold present, indistinct a pair of large tubercles on sides of cloaca tibiotarsal articulation reaching beyond anterior corner of eye and vocal sac absent. Genetically, the new species differs from A. Phylogenetic analyses based on the combination of mitochondrial 16S rRNA, COI, and cytb genes revealed that the new species is the sister taxon to Amolops ottorum with strong support. nov., is described from central Yunnan, China. A new species of the genus Amolops, Amolops ailao sp.
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