A new species of chameleon (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) from the Aberdare Mountains in the central highlands of Kenya

We describe a new species of chameleon, Trioceros kinangopensis sp. nov., from Kinangop Peak in the Aberdare moun-tains, central highlands of Kenya. The proposed new species is morphologically and genetically distinct from other mem-ber of the bitaeniatus-group. It is morphologically most similar to T. schubotzi but differs in the lack of sexual sizedimorphism, smaller-sized females, smoother, less angular canthus rostrales, smaller scales on the temporal region and abright orange gular crest in males. Mitochondrial DNA indicates that the proposed new taxon is a distinct lineage that isclosely related to T. nyirit and T. schubotzi. The distribution of T. kinangopensis sp. nov. appears to be restricted to the afroalpine zone in vicintiy of Kinangop Peak and fires may pose a serious threat to the long-term survival of this species.

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A new ovoviviparous rat snake species of the genus Elaphe (Squamata: Colubridae) from western Sichuan, China

10.3897/arphapreprints.e77314 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

JiaJun Wang ◽

YaYong Wu ◽

Qin Liu ◽

Guocheng Shu ◽

Peng Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

New Species ◽

Body Size ◽

Bayesian Inference ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

New Taxon ◽

Western Sichuan ◽

Rat Snake ◽

A New Species

The genus Elaphe is a highly diverse snake group with wide distribution in Eurasia. Here, based on morphological comparisons and molecular data, we describe a new species of this genus from western Sichuan, China. Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood analyses of two mitochondrial DNA fragments (CO1 and 12S) showed that the new taxon differs from its congeners (CO1-based p-distance ≥ 4.1%). Morphologically and ecologically, the new species can be diagnosed from other species by a combination of the following characters: 1) medium body size, < 780 mm in total length; 2) midbody dorsal scales in 23 rows generally, not keeled; 3) ventrals 169–180 and subcaudal pairs 56–63; 4) first preocular docked with frontal; 5) internasal scales approximately trapezoidal; 6) length of gap between internasals more than 3/5 that between prefrontal; 7) length of tip of snout to frontal slightly larger than length of frontal; 8) ovoviviparous. Currently, the new species is known only from the Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces in China. This new species brings the total number of species in the genus Elaphe to 18.

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A new species of Crocodile Newt Tylototriton (Caudata: Salamandridae) from Shan State, Myanmar (Burma)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4500.4.5 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4500 (4) ◽

pp. 553 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

L. LEE GRISMER ◽

PERRY L. JUNIOR WOOD ◽

EVAN S. H. QUAH ◽

MYINT KYAW THURA ◽

ROBERT E. ESPINOZA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

The West ◽

Term Survival ◽

Closely Related Species ◽

Taxonomic Analysis ◽

Nodule Morphology ◽

A New Species ◽

Dark Coloration

A phylogenetic taxonomic analysis of a monophyletic subgroup of the salamandrid genus Tylototriton revealed that a newly discovered population from Ngar Su Village, 1 km south of Ywangan, Shan State, Myanmar is a new species and most closely related to T. shanorum from approximately 80 km to the west in the vicinity of Taunggyi, Shan State. Tylototriton ngarsuensis sp. nov. differs from other closely related species of Tylototriton on basis of varying combinations of characteristics associated with it shorter head, larger size, rib nodule morphology, and overall drab, very dark, coloration, along with its genetic differentiation. Tylototriton ngarsuensis sp. nov. also appears to breed later in the year than most other species. Unfortunately, this species like many other Asian newts, is being harvested for the pet and medicinal trade and given its restricted distribution, this could pose a serious threat to its long-term survival.

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A new species of Obba (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) from Thailand

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.309.2.5 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 309 (2) ◽

pp. 143

Author(s):

GUANG-JUAN REN ◽

ANAN THAWTHONG ◽

KEVIN-DAVID HYDE ◽

FANG WU

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Smooth Tube ◽

New Taxon ◽

Northern Thailand ◽

Pine Wood ◽

Distinct Lineage ◽

Thin Walled ◽

A New Species

Obba thailandica sp. nov. is described and illustrated from northern Thailand based on evidence from morphological characteristics and molecular data. The species produces annual, resupinate, white and waxy fresh basidiocarps, which become bone hard when dry, and has a very thin subiculum (< 0.1 mm), tomentose tube openings, weakly dextrinoid hyphae, variably shaped cystidioles, thin-walled and subglobose to globose basidiospores (4.8–5.8 × 4–4.9 μm) mostly with a large guttule and grows on charred pine wood. The new taxon is rather similar to O. rivulosa in both morphology and ecology, but O. rivulosa has fragile tubes when dry, a thick subiculum (up to 1 mm wide), smooth tube openings, indextrinoid hyphae, rhomboidal to irregular rosettes crystals on the tramal hyphae and long basidia (16–27 × 6–9.5 µm). In the phylogeny inferred from an ITS dataset, the new species forms a distinct lineage in the Obba clade and is closely related to O. rivulosa.

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A new species of Microhyla (Anura: Microhylidae) from Sumatra, Indonesia

TREUBIA ◽

10.14203/treubia.v45i0.3625 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 25-46

Author(s):

Vestidhia Yunisya Atmaja ◽

Amir Hamidy ◽

Tuty Arisuryanti ◽

Masafumi Matsui ◽

Eric N. Smith

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

The Body ◽

Medium Size ◽

Temporal Region ◽

New Taxon ◽

Adult Males ◽

Rrna Sequence ◽

16S Rrna Sequence ◽

A New Species

A new species of frog in the genus Microhyla is described from Sumatra, Indonesia based on molecular and morphological characters. This new species was previously confused with M. achatina, a Javan endemic. This new species is diagnosable from its congeners by possessing a medium size (SVL in adult males 18.20–21.32 mm, in adult females 20.37–25.51 mm), a stout body, a nostril–eyelid length being about half of the snout length, having a single outer palmar tubercle, a tibiotarsal articulation reaching the center of the eye (when the hindlimbs are stretched and adpressed to the body), having finger and toe tips dilated, having the dorsum with medial longitudinal grooves, and excibiting a very thin and short dark stripe on the temporal region above a wider cream stripe, extending from the postorbital area to insertion of forelimb. Additionally, the new species is characterized by possessing relatively little foot webbing. Uncorrected 16S rRNA sequence divergences between the new taxon and sequences for other congeneric species available ranged from 4.8 to 15.0%.

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A new species of dink frog, genus Diasporus (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae), from the Caribbean foothills of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4609.2.4 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4609 (2) ◽

pp. 269 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

ERICK ARIAS ◽

GERARDO CHAVES ◽

STANLEY SALAZAR ◽

JOSÉ ANDRÉS SALAZAR-ZÚÑIGA ◽

ADRIÁN GARCÍA-RODRÍGUEZ

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Costa Rica ◽

Dna Sequences ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

New Taxon ◽

Tropical Wet Forest ◽

Distinct Lineage ◽

Acoustic Analyses ◽

Cordillera De Talamanca ◽

A New Species

A new dink frog (Eleutherodactylidae: Diasporus) is described from the Tropical Wet Forest, in the northeastern foothills of Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica at an elevation of ca. 1000 m. Analysis of DNA sequences of the 16S rRNA (16S) and cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI) mitochondrial genes revealed a distinct lineage within the genus Diasporus. Additional morphological, morphometric, and acoustic analyses support the differences of this lineage, which we recognize as a new species. This new taxon is distinguished from other members of the genus Diasporus inhabiting Isthmian Central America by its unique coloration: dorsum brown to brown-grayish and venter gray-bluish with pale blotches. The new species is distinguished from other members of the genus Diasporus by very significant genetic distances (higher than 5.6 % in 16S and 16.7 % in COI). The new taxon is most closely related to D. vocator from the south pacific of Costa Rica and to an unnamed taxon from western Panama.

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A new species of the Achalinus rufescens complex (Xenodermidae: Achalinus) from Fujian Province, China

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.5026.2.5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5026 (2) ◽

pp. 239-254

Author(s):

KE LI ◽

YA-YONG WU ◽

RUI-YING XU ◽

FEI ZHU ◽

JIN-LONG REN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

New Species ◽

Bayesian Inference ◽

The Other ◽

New Taxon ◽

Fujian Province ◽

Single Row ◽

Dna Fragment ◽

Total Species ◽

A New Species

A new species of the xenodermid snake genus Achalinus Peters, 1869 is described from Fujian Province, China, based on six specimens. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses based on a mitochondrial DNA fragment (CO1) indicated the new taxon is different from its congeners (p–distance ≥ 18.5%). Morphologically, the new species can be diagnosed from the other species by a combination of following characters: (1) dorsal scales 23 rows throughout, strongly keeled, the most outer rows on both sides also keeled and slightly enlarged; (2) tail relatively longer, TaL/TL ratio 0.26–0.29 in males, 0.21–0.22 in females; (3) maxillary teeth 30–33; (4) length of suture between internasals significantly longer than that between prefrontals; (5) nasal divided into two sections by nasal cleft; (6) a single loreal; (7) SPO 1, seldom 2; (8) SPL 6, the fourth and fifth contacting eye; (9) IFL5, rarely 6, the first three touching the first pair of chin shields; (10) TMP 7–9, arranged in three rows; (11) VS 142–149 in males, VS 152–154 in females; (12) SC 74–81 in males, SC 63–65 in females, arranged in a single row; (13) cloacal entire; (14) greyish brown above, pale yellow beneath; (15) dorsum with an indistinct longitudinal vertebral stripe. The description of the new species brings the total species of Achalinus to 19.

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A new species of chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae) from the highlands of northwest Kenya JAN STIPALA (UK), NICOLA LUTZMÁNN (Germany), PATRICK K. MALONZA (Kenya), LUCA BORGH-ESIO (USA), PAUL WILKINSON (UK), BRENDAN GODLEY (UK), MATTHEW R. EVANS (UK)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3002.1.1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 3002 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

JAN STIPALA ◽

NICOLA LUTZMÁNN ◽

PATRICK K. MALONZA ◽

LUCA BORGHESIO ◽

PAUL WILKINSON ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

New Species ◽

Forest Edge ◽

Agricultural Landscapes ◽

New Taxon ◽

The North ◽

Afromontane Forest ◽

A New Species

A new species of chameleon, Trioceros nyirit sp. nov., is described from the northwest highlands of Kenya. It is morphologically similar to T. hoehnelii and T. narraioca, possessing a short rostral appendage, but differs from them by having a straight or weakly curved parietal crest and forward-pointing rostral projection. A phylogeny based on mitochondrial DNA shows that the proposed new taxon is a distinct clade within the bitaeniatus-group and a sister lineage to T. schubotzi. Its distribution appears to be restricted to the Cherangani Hills and adjacent Mtelo massif to the north. It is associated with afromontane forest edge, afroalpine ericaceous vegetation and also occurs in agricultural landscapes.

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