摘要: This study provides an updated checklist of snake species in China, building upon the 2020 checklist and incorporating comprehensive review of relevant literature published from 2020 to December 2024, as well as pre-2020 sources that may have been overlooked. As of the end of 2024, the Chinese Serpents fauna included 19 families, 71 genera, and 355 species of snakes. Significant progress has been made in the past five years, including the description of one new family, one new genus, and 60 new species. One subfamily and seven subspecies were elevated to full status, and 12 species were resurrected as valid species. Four genera and 27 species were newly recorded, three genera and four species were synonymized, and one family, four genera, and 12 species were excluded from the documented herpetofauna. This updated list highlights the presence of significant snake diversity and unresolved taxonomic challenges, emphasizing the potential for further discoveries. It also identifies under-researched groups, stressing the urgent need for focused taxonomic and ecological efforts to enhance our understanding of snake biodiversity in China.

摘要: The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau presents an extreme environment characterized by high altitude,low oxygen availability,and harsh living conditions.High-altitude-residing amphibians,such as Rana kukunoris,have evolved specific physiological adaptations to survive in these habitats.However,the composition and functional significance of their gut microbiota with regard to these adaptations remain poorly explored.This study utilized 16S rR NA gene sequencing to characterize and compare the gut microbiota of Rana kukunoris with that of two low-altitude frogs,Rana amurensis and Rana dybowskii,to investigate potential microbial contributions to high-altitude adaptation.Results revealed significant differences in gut microbiota diversity and composition between high-and lowaltitude frogs.Notably,Akkermansia muciniphila and Desulfovibrio species were significantly enriched in Rana kukunoris.Functional predictions indicated significant enrichment of arginine biosynthesis pathways and associated metabolic processes in the high-altitude frog,which may enhance oxygen utilization and vascular homeostasis under hypoxic conditions.These findings provide insights into the gut microbiota of Rana kukunoris and suggest a potential crucial role in facilitating physiological adaptations to extreme environments through enhanced metabolic flexibility and stress resistance.

摘要: The anuran family Ceratobatrachidae is one of the most speciose groups of amphibians,but the geographic distributions of many genera and species await documentation.During the field survey of Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve in southwestern Yunnan Province,China,at the China-Myanmar border region,we collected several frogs that resemble the genus Alcalus,which was previously known from Indochina only.Based on mitochondrial phylogeny,our newly collected specimens are sister to Alcalus fontinalis Boruah,Narayanan,Gerard,Das,and Deepak,2023 from Northeast India,but it differs from the latter by a suit of characters,including in differences in body size,head length,snout length,tympanum diameter,eye diameter,forearm length,toe webbing formula,relative length of fingers and toes,and dorsal pattern and coloration.Herein,based on the integration of morphological and genetic data,we report the genus Alcalus from China for the first time and describe a new species from China-Myanmar border region.Our study further demonstrates that southern section of the Gaoligong Mountain has a rich diversity of amphibians that warrant continuous survey efforts.Future fieldwork in these mountains is needed to better understand and fully uncover the species richness in this border region.

摘要: Two new species of Leptobrachella are described from Vietnam based on morphological differences and genetic divergences in 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene sequences. The new taxa are distinguished from each other and from other species of the genus Leptobrachella in body size, head width/length ratio, tympanum morphology, dorsal skin texture, the presence/absence of fringes on toes, color of dorsal and ventral body, and iris color. The two new species are also divergent from each other and from other congeners by a 4.14% or greater uncorrected genetic distance. Leptobrachella batxatensis sp. nov. is genetically closest to L. shiwandashanensis and L. wuhuangmontis from China. Leptobrachella duyenae sp. nov. is genetically closest to L. bidoupensis from Vietnam with strong nodal support from both BI and ML analyses(1.0/99%).

摘要: Advertisement calls are essential for communication among anuran amphibians, with their production influenced by a range of environmental factors and morphological traits. To understand the primary sources of variation of advertisement calls in male Leptobrachium liui, we recorded their advertisement calls during the breeding season and analyzed two primary acoustic parameters: call duration(CD) and dominant frequency(DF), along with their within-individual coefficients of variation. Additionally, we collected nest-related environmental parameters and morphological traits to investigate how these factors influence the variation in advertisement calls. Our analyses revealed that both nest-related environmental parameters(particularly water temperature) and individual morphological traits(especially head morphology) significantly influenced advertisement call characteristics in male L. liui. Water temperature showed a negative relationship with CD, while head morphology was positively associated with both CD and DF. These findings enhance our understanding of the factors shaping acoustic communication in L. liui during the breeding season and highlight the importance of both environmental and morphological factors in anuran vocalization.

摘要: The dependence of energy metabolism on temperature is universally recognized as a critical physiological hallmark for evaluating the susceptibility of ectothermic organisms to global warming.However,the underlying physiological and biochemical bases of this temperature dependence remain largely unknown.In this study,we conducted a simulated climate warming experiment under seminatural enclosure conditions and compared the differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) and key metabolic enzyme activities between the warming and control groups of Takydromus septentrionalis at various test temperatures.We found that the activities of hexokinase,lactate dehydrogenase,alanine aminotransferase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase of T.septentrionalis were not affected by climate warming,despite a decrease in RMR measured at high temperatures of 34°C and 38°C.Overall,these findings suggest that artificial warming simulating climate change can lead to a decline in RMR,but does not alter the activity of key metabolic enzymes.Our study provides insight into how climate warming influences the energy metabolism of lizards.

摘要: The Hengduan Mountains Region(HMR)in China, a globally significant biodiversity hotspot,has garnered attention for its potential to harbor cryptic species within the Asian pit viper genus Gloydius Hoge & Romano-Hoge, 1981. Based on comprehensive morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Gloydius strauchi complex, this study identified a previously unrecognized species of Asian pit viper. Discovered in the upper Lancang(Mekong) hot dry valley of Xizang,China, this species is geographically proximate to G.huangi but exhibits clear morphological distinctions from other members of the genus, representing the second Gloydius species identified along the upper Lancang River. We describe here this new species and highlight the significance of skull and hemipenis morphology, which were instrumental in its diagnosis and in resolving taxonomic boundaries and ambiguities within the G. strauchi complex. This study provides insights into the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of this newly described species, enhancing our understanding of diversification patterns in this genus.

摘要: Comprehensive surveys on the distribution of the endangered Chinting alpine toad(Scutiger chintingensis) were recently conducted, revealing important findings regarding its population characteristics. This study integrated morphological and molecular analyses to clarify the taxonomic status of these populations. Based on detailed morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses, the population from Wolong, Wenchuan County,Sichuan, China, is identified as a new species, which is formally described herein. The new species can be distinguished from all known congeners by a unique combination of following characteristics:(1) small body size, SVL 42.2–46.9 mm in adult males, SVL54.3–56.3 in adult females;(2) vomerine ridges and vomerine teeth absent, maxillary teeth present;(3)internasal distance and interorbital distance relatively large;(4) subarticular tubercle absent on fingers and toes;(5) dorsal and lateral skin rough with densely-distributed horny spines in males, smooth and lacking black horny spines in females;(6) vocal sac absent in males;(7) pair of pectoral glands and pair of axillary glands present on chest in males, axillary gland about two-thirds pectoral gland in size;(8) in breeding males, pectoral glands and axillary glands covered by dense spines, belly rough with horny spines, nuptial spines present on dorsal and lateral surface of first and second fingers and inner side of third finger,dense spines on inner forelimb aligned, extending from wrist to near axilla. This study highlights the critical importance of accurate taxonomic identification, particularly for endangered species, as misidentifications can misguide subsequent biological research and conservation efforts.

摘要: A new species of the Kukri snake genus Oligodon is described from Medog County in the eastern Himalayas of China. The species, named Oligodon zhangfujii sp. nov., can be distinguished from all known congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics:(1) 17-17-15 dorsal scale rows;(2) six supralabials, third and fourth entering orbit;(3) one loreal present;(4)seven infralabials, first to fourth in contact with anterior chin shields;(5) 173 ventral scales and 47 pairs of subcaudal scales;(6) cloacal plate divided;(7) hemipenis single, shallowly bilobed, with large calcareous spines and a calyx area, sulcus spermaticus single; and(8) eight maxillary teeth.Phylogenetic analyses based on two mitochondrial genes revealed that this species occupies an independent phylogenetic position, distinct from the eight recognized species groups within the genus, and represents a sister taxon to the clade comprising the O. theobaldi and O. cinereus groups.The description is based on a single road-killed individual. As such, ecological data for the species remain sparse, underscoring the need for additional field surveys across the eastern Himalayan region.

摘要: The Tien's Mountain Stream Snake,Opisthotropis daovantieni Orlov, Darevsky, and Murphy, 1998, has been represented solely by its type series, with no additional specimens reported in the past two decades. As a result, limited data exist and O. daovantieni remains one of the least studied members of its genus. Based on a re-examination of the type series, analysis of newly collected topotypic specimens, and a review of museum collections, this study provides an updated and comprehensive morphological characterization of O. daovantieni including detailed descriptions of hemipenial morphology, revised diagnostic characters,phylogenetic positioning, and ecological insights.Based on morphological comparisons with congeners, we also define the informal Opisthotropis spenceri group to facilitate future taxonomic work. In addition, this study documents a previously unreported defensive behavior involving tail-poking,observed in the field and thus far unique within the genus Opisthotropis.