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Gong Y, Wu J, Huang S, Xu Y, Yang D, Liu Y, Liang S, Lee P. A New Species of Pareas (Squamata, Pareidae) from Guangxi Province, China. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2233. [PMID: 37444031 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We described a new species of genus Pareas from Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. Pareas baiseensis sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by the combination of (1) Yellowish-brown body colouration; (2) Frontal subhexagonal to diamond-shaped with its lateral sides converging posteriorly; (3) The anterior pair of chin shields is longer than it is broad; (4) Loreal not in contact with the eye, prefrontal in contact with the eye, two or three suboculars; (5) Rows of 15-15-15 dorsal scales, five rows of mid-dorsal scales keeled at the middle of the body, one vertebral scale row enlarged; (6) 187-191 ventrals, 89-97 subcaudals, all divided, cloacal plate single; (7) Two postocular stripes, the nuchal area forming a dark black four-pointed fork collar with the middle tines shorter than the outside tines. The genetic divergence (uncorrected p-distance) between the new species and other representatives of Pareas ranged from 13.9% to 24.4% for Cytochrome b (Cyt b) and 12.1% to 25.5% for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4). Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA gene data recovered the new species from being the sister taxon to (P. boulengeri + P. chinensis) from China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Gong
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
- Huangshan Noah Biodiversity Institute, Huangshan 245000, China
| | - Jiaxiang Wu
- Huangshan Noah Biodiversity Institute, Huangshan 245000, China
| | - Song Huang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
- Huangshan Noah Biodiversity Institute, Huangshan 245000, China
| | - Yuhao Xu
- Huangshan Noah Biodiversity Institute, Huangshan 245000, China
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Diancheng Yang
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
- Huangshan Noah Biodiversity Institute, Huangshan 245000, China
| | - Yongjin Liu
- Nanning Municipal Public Security Bureau, Nanning 530012, China
| | - Shengming Liang
- Huangshan Noah Biodiversity Institute, Huangshan 245000, China
| | - Pingshin Lee
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
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Microhabitat preferences and guild structure of a tropical reptile community from the Western Ghats of India: implications for conservation. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467422000190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Microhabitat characteristics can be used as a proxy to predict the community structure of associated organisms and evaluate their vulnerability to habitat degradation. Microhabitat-specific and ectothermic taxa (like many reptiles) are among the best models to study responses to changing habitats and climate. We examined the niche breadth and guild structure of reptiles from Agasthyamalai Hills in the southern Western Ghats of India based on microhabitat use data. We recorded a total of 47 reptile species from 1,554 observations comprising two major orders and 11 families. Niche breadth analysis revealed that 45% of reptiles are microhabitat specialists, indicating the importance of protecting their habitats with all structural attributes. Cluster analysis grouped reptile species into four major guilds based on microhabitat preferences. The forest floor-dwelling guild was the largest group with 25 species, followed by the semi-arboreal guild with 12 species. The floor-dwelling guild also exhibited both the highest number of microhabitat specialists (n = 11) and globally threatened species (n = 3), highlighting the need for preserving ground cover characteristics such as leaf litter, boulders, and open ground for conserving reptiles in the region. Considering the microhabitat specializations within the community, we recommend a dynamic approach to monitor abundance, diversity, and habitat quality across the Agasthyamalai landscape to better conserve its rich reptile diversity.
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Poyarkov NA, Nguyen TV, Pawangkhanant P, Yushchenko PV, Brakels P, Nguyen LH, Nguyen HN, Suwannapoom C, Orlov N, Vogel G. An integrative taxonomic revision of slug-eating snakes (Squamata: Pareidae: Pareineae) reveals unprecedented diversity in Indochina. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12713. [PMID: 35047234 PMCID: PMC8757378 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Slug-eating snakes of the subfamily Pareinae are an insufficiently studied group of snakes specialized in feeding on terrestrial mollusks. Currently Pareinae encompass three genera with 34 species distributed across the Oriental biogeographic region. Despite the recent significant progress in understanding of Pareinae diversity, the subfamily remains taxonomically challenging. Here we present an updated phylogeny of the subfamily with a comprehensive taxon sampling including 30 currently recognized Pareinae species and several previously unknown candidate species and lineages. Phylogenetic analyses of mtDNA and nuDNA data supported the monophyly of the three genera Asthenodipsas, Aplopeltura, and Pareas. Within both Asthenodipsas and Pareas our analyses recovered deep differentiation with each genus being represented by two morphologically diagnosable clades, which we treat as subgenera. We further apply an integrative taxonomic approach, including analyses of molecular and morphological data, along with examination of available type materials, to address the longstanding taxonomic questions of the subgenus Pareas, and reveal the high level of hidden diversity of these snakes in Indochina. We restrict the distribution of P. carinatus to southern Southeast Asia, and recognize two subspecies within it, including one new subspecies proposed for the populations from Thailand and Myanmar. We further revalidate P. berdmorei, synonymize P. menglaensis with P. berdmorei, and recognize three subspecies within this taxon, including the new subspecies erected for the populations from Laos and Vietnam. Furthermore, we describe two new species of Pareas from Vietnam: one belonging to the P. carinatus group from southern Vietnam, and a new member of the P. nuchalis group from the central Vietnam. We provide new data on P. temporalis, and report on a significant range extension for P. nuchalis. Our phylogeny, along with molecular clock and ancestral area analyses, reveal a complex diversification pattern of Pareinae involving a high degree of sympatry of widespread and endemic species. Our analyses support the "upstream" colonization hypothesis and, thus, the Pareinae appears to have originated in Sundaland during the middle Eocene and then colonized mainland Asia in early Oligocene. Sundaland and Eastern Indochina appear to have played the key roles as the centers of Pareinae diversification. Our results reveal that both vicariance and dispersal are responsible for current distribution patterns of Pareinae, with tectonic movements, orogeny and paleoclimatic shifts being the probable drivers of diversification. Our study brings the total number of Pareidae species to 41 and further highlights the importance of comprehensive taxonomic revisions not only for the better understanding of biodiversity and its evolution, but also for the elaboration of adequate conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay A. Poyarkov
- Laboratory of Tropical Ecology, Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center, Hanoi, Vietnam,Faculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Tan Van Nguyen
- Department of Species Conservation, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
| | - Parinya Pawangkhanant
- Division of Fishery, School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand
| | - Platon V. Yushchenko
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Linh Hoang Nguyen
- Department of Zoology, Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Hung Ngoc Nguyen
- Department of Zoology, Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Chatmongkon Suwannapoom
- Division of Fishery, School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand
| | - Nikolai Orlov
- Department of Herpetology, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Gernot Vogel
- Society for Southeast Asian Herpetology, Heidelberg, Germany
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Rai D, Pokharel M, Rai TP. Range extension of the Common Slug Snake Pareas monticola (Cantor, 1839) (Reptilia: Squamata: Pareidae): a new family record for Nepal. JOURNAL OF THREATENED TAXA 2021. [DOI: 10.11609/jott.7335.13.9.19373-19375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we present the first evidence of the snake Pareas monticola in Nepal. An individual snake belonging to the species was recorded in eastern Nepal, about 25 km southwest of Darjeeling in India, where the species is known to occur.
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Narayanan S, Mohapatra PP, Balan A, Das S, Gower DJ. A new species of Xylophis Beddome, 1878 (Serpentes: Pareidae) from the southern Western Ghats of India. VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/vz.71.e63986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
We reassess the taxonomy of the Indian endemic snake Xylophis captaini and describe a new species of Xylophis based on a type series of three specimens from the southernmost part of mainland India. Xylophis deepakisp. nov. is most similar phenotypically to X. captaini, with which it was previously confused. The new species differs from X. captaini by having a broader, more regular and ventrally extensive off-white collar, more ventral scales (117–125 versus 102–113), and by lack of flounces on the body and proximal lobes of the hemipenis. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial 16S DNA sequences strongly indicates that the new species is most closely related to X. captaini, differing from it by an uncorrected pairwise genetic distance of 4.2%. A revised key to the species of Xylophis is provided.
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Vogel G, Nguyen TV, Zaw T, Poyarkov NA. A new species of the Pareas monticola complex (Squamata: Serpentes: Pareidae) from Chin Mountains with additions to the Pareas fauna of Myanmar. J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1856953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Vogel
- Department of Herpetological Systematics, Society for Southeast Asian Herpetology, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tan Van Nguyen
- Department of Species Conservation, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife Center, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
| | - Than Zaw
- Department of Zoology, University of Mandalay, Maha Aung Myae, Mandalay, Myanmar
| | - Nikolay A. Poyarkov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Laboratory of Tropical Ecology, Joint Russian–Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Center, Hanoi, Vietnam
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Kalki Y, Gowda S, Agnivamshi M, Singh K, Patel H, Mirza ZA. On the taxonomy and systematics of the recently described Lycodon deccanensis Ganesh, Deuti, Punith, Achyuthan, Mallik, Adhikari, Vogel, 2020 (Serpentes, Colubridae) from India. EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.4.60570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lycodon deccanensis Ganesh, Deuti, Punith, Achyuthan, Mallik, Adhikari, Vogel, 2020 was recently described from the Mysore plateau of Karnataka based solely on morphology but lacking in-depth descriptions and comparisons. A scrutiny of the description reveals that the type series, of two specimens, comprise specimens of two different species along with discrepancies throughout the paper. Surveys conducted near the type locality of the species led to the discovery of additional specimens, which allow us to provide an elaborate description of the species and present data on its phylogenetic relationship with members of the genus and comments on the systematics of Lycodon of India. Results from molecular phylogenetics suggest that Lycodon deccanensis is a member of the L. aulicus clade based on molecular data for mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and shows an un-corrected p-distance (sequence divergence) of 14–17% from other members of the Lycodon aulicus clade.
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Jins VJ, Panigrahi M, Jayapal R, Bishop TR. Elevational gradients of reptile richness in the southern Western Ghats of India: Evaluating spatial and bioclimatic drivers. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- V. J. Jins
- Department of Zoology Sikkim University Gangtok India
| | | | - Rajah Jayapal
- Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History Coimbatore India
| | - Tom R. Bishop
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
- Department of Zoology and Entomology Centre for Invasion Biology University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
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