A new frog species from rapidly dwindling cloud forest streams of Sri Lanka—Lankanectes pera (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae)

The monotypic genus Lankanectes, considered an evolutionary long branch with India’s Nyctibatrachus as its sister lineage, is represented by L. corrugatus, a species widely distributed within the wet zone of Sri Lanka up to 1500 m asl, where it inhabits a variety of lotic and lentic habitats. Here, following an integrative taxonomic approach using DNA-based phylogenies, morphology, morphometry, and ecological niche models, we describe a new species—Lankanectes pera sp. nov. The new species is distinguished from its sister species mainly by its tuberculated throat and absence of dark patches on venter, throat, manus and pes. The uncorrected genetic distances between the two Lankanectes species for a fragment of the non-coding mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene is 3.5–3.7%. The new species has a very restricted climatic distribution with a total predicted area of only 360 km2 (vs. 14,120 km2 for L. corrugatus). Unlike L. corrugatus, which prefers muddy substrates and marshy areas, the new species is observed inhabiting only pristine streams flowing through canopy covered montane forests in the highest reaches of the Knuckles Mountain range. The specialized new species will need immediate conservation attention due to its restricted distribution (montane isolate), specialized habit of inhabiting clear mountain streams, and small population size.

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A new species of leaf-litter inhabiting Georissus from Borneo (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea: Georissidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3316.1.7 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3316 (1) ◽

pp. 63 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

MARTIN FIKÁČEK

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Leaf Litter ◽

National Park ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Riparian Zones ◽

Terrestrial Habitats ◽

Republic Of The Congo ◽

Forest Leaf Litter ◽

A New Species

Georissus (Neogeorissus) smetanai sp. nov. is described from Mt. Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia. Long series of thisspecies has been sifted from cloud forest leaf litter in contrast to most species of the genus, which are most frequently collectedin riparian zones. The species is compared with G. lateralis Delève, 1967 and G. inflatus Delève, 1972, which were collected under similar circumstances and the leaf-litter habits of the three species are briefly discussed.Keywords. Georissus, new species, leaf litter, terrestrial habitats, aptery, Malaysia, Borneo, Sri Lanka, Republic of the Congo

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Description of a new shrew of the genus Cryptotis (Mammalia: Soricomorpha: Soricidae) from the Sierra de Aroa, an isolated mountain range in northwestern Venezuela, with remarks on biogeography and conservation

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3441.1.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3441 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

MARCIAL QUIROGA-CARMONA ◽

JESÚS MOLINARI

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Global Climate ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Large Body ◽

Morphological Differentiation ◽

Mountain Range ◽

Large Body Size ◽

Posterior Element ◽

Exclusive Or ◽

Upper Molar

In South America, shrews of the genus Cryptotis have a primarily Andean distribution. Based on specimens from the non-Andean Sierra de Aroa in Venezuela, we name Cryptotis aroensis sp. nov., which we assign to the C. thomasi group of thegenus owing to its possession of characters that include a relatively large body size, luxuriant fur, moderately enlargedforefeet with elongated and narrow claws, unicuspid teeth relatively narrow and concave on the posteroventral margin,ectoloph of first upper molar with the anterior element reduced relatively to the posterior element, and mandible with thearticular process not robust, high, and broad, and with the coronoid process joining the ramus at a low angle. The newspecies can be differentiated from other members of the C. thomasi group on the basis of its possession of a uniquecombination of characters, that include a rich grayish brown pelage, a narrow palate at the level of the second upper molars(no overlap in this measurement observed with 146 specimens of 10 other species of the group), nasal cavity and ethmo-turbinals partially visible in occlusal view of palate, lacrimal foramina wide and deep, tympanic process of petromastoidsshowing a minute foramen, unicuspid teeth with posterolingual cuspules, fourth unicuspid tooth labially placed, thirdupper molar complex and nearly as wide as the second upper molar, and bicuspulate lower incisors. The new species isknown from only 3 specimens obtained at the type locality, which is in a pristine patch of cloud forest at elevation 1730m, and represents the first mammalian taxon known to be endemic to the Sierra de Aroa, a small and isolated mountainrange that was previously reported to possess numerous biotic elements that are either exclusive, or shared with the muchlarger Cordillera de la Costa to the east. The clear morphological differentiation of the new species with respect to itsAndean relatives suggests that its ancestors colonized the Sierra de Aroa several glacial maxima ago, when montanevegetation belts were lower than today. The presumably optimal habitat of the new species (cloud forests of the Sierra deAroa above 1500 m) covers less than 40 km2 , and is threatened by deforestation and global climate change. Therefore, thenew species can be categorized as endangered by application of criteria B2a and E of the current “Red List Categories and Criteria” of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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A new species of Rhinophis Hemprich, 1820 (Reptilia: Uropeltidae), from cloud forest of the Knuckles massif of Sri Lanka

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4810.1.3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4810 (1) ◽

pp. 65-80

Author(s):

L.J. MENDIS WICKRAMASINGHE ◽

DULAN RANGA VIDANAPATHIRANA ◽

NETHU WICKRAMASINGHE ◽

DAVID J. GOWER

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Lateral Body ◽

A New Species

A new species of uropeltid snake is described from the Knuckles Conservation Forest, Matale District, Sri Lanka. Rhinophis gunasekarai sp. nov. is superficially most similar to Rhinophis phillipsi in having yellow lines on the dorsum, blotches on the lateral body, and a relatively small tail shield, but it differs from that species in having substantially fewer ventrals, and a unique number and disposition of the dorsal yellow lines and lateral blotches. The new description brings the uropeltid fauna of Sri Lanka to 17 currently recognized species, all Rhinophis.

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A new species of salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae, Bolitoglossa) from Sierra Nevada de Mérida, Venezuela

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3620.1.9 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3620 (1) ◽

pp. 179-191 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

JAVIER GARCÍA-GUTIÉRREZ ◽

MOISÉS ESCALONA ◽

ANDRÉS MORA ◽

AMELIA DÍAZ DE PASCUAL ◽

GUSTAVO FERMIN

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Nucleotide Sequence ◽

16S Rrna ◽

Sierra Nevada ◽

Cloud Forest ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Cytb Gene ◽

Hind Limbs ◽

A New Species ◽

The 16S Rrna Gene

In this article, a new species of salamander of the genus Bolitoglossa (Eladinea) from the cloud forest near La Mucuy in Sierra Nevada de Mérida, Venezuelan Andes, is described. Bolitoglossa mucuyensis sp. nov. differs from all Venezuelan salamanders, except B. orestes, by a larger SVL/TL ratio, and from La Culata salamander B. orestes by a reduced webbing extension of the front and hind limbs. Additionally, B. mucuyensis sp. nov. and B. orestes diverge 3.12% in terms of the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene, as previously reported, and in 8.1% for the cytb gene as shown in this study.

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Psychrophrynella glaucasp. n., a new species of terrestrial-breeding frogs (Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae) from the montane forests of the Amazonian Andes of Puno, Peru

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4444 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4444 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alessandro Catenazzi ◽

Alex Ttito

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

16S Rrna ◽

Leaf Litter ◽

Geographic Distribution ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Montane Forest ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

Mountain Range ◽

Morphological Similarity ◽

A New Species

We describe a new species of small strabomantid frog (genusPsychrophrynella) from a humid montane forest in the Peruvian Department of Puno. Specimens were collected at 2,225 m a.s.l. in the leaf litter of primary montane forest near Thiuni, along the Macusani–San Gabán road, in the province of Carabaya. The new species is assigned toPsychrophrynellaon the basis of morphological similarity, including presence of a tubercle on the inner edge of the tarsus, and call composed of multiple notes. We also include genetic distances for 16S rRNA partial sequences between the new species and other strabomantid frogs. The species with lowest genetic distances arePsychrophrynella chirihampatuandPsychrophrynella usurpator. Psychrophrynella glaucasp. n. is readily distinguished from the three other species ofPsychrophrynella(Psychrophrynella bagrecito,P. chirihampatu, andP. usurpator) by its small size, and by having belly and ventral surfaces of legs reddish-brown or red, and chest and throat brown to dark brown with a profusion of bluish-gray flecks. The new species is only known from its type locality. With the discovery ofP. glauca, the geographic distribution ofPsychrophrynellais extended to the Department of Puno, where it was no longer represented after the description of the genusMicrokayla. Furthermore, the Cordillera de Carabaya is the only mountain range known to be home to four of the seven genera of Holoadeninae (Bryophryne,Microkayla,Noblella, andPsychrophrynella), suggesting an intriguing evolutionary history for this group in southern Peru.

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Phylogeny and biogeography of Sumatra´s cloud forest lizards of the genus Dendragama and status of Acanthosaura schneideri

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.995.49355 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 995 ◽

pp. 127-153

Author(s):

Kyle J. Shaney ◽

Michael B. Harvey ◽

Amir Hamidy ◽

Nia Kurniawan ◽

Eric N. Smith

Keyword(s):

Cloud Forest ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

Mountain Range ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

Biogeographic Patterns ◽

Biogeographic History ◽

West Sumatra ◽

History Of ◽

North Sumatra

Lizards of the genus Dendragama are endemic to the highland cloud forests of Sumatra’s Barisan Mountain Range in western Indonesia, and recent studies have uncovered widespread diversity within the genus. Here, a suite of morphological characters and mitochondrial DNA are used to compare three geographically isolated populations of D. boulengeri from (1) Mount Kerinci in Jambi province, (2) Mount Marapi of west Sumatra, and (3) the Karo Highlands of north Sumatra. Additional phylogeographic analyses with two recently described sister species, D. australis and D. dioidema were conducted. Five genetically distinct clades of Dendragama, all distributed allopatrically of one another were identified and some are suspected to inhabit small distributions. Morphological and genetic data confirm the Karo Highlands population D. schneideri (previously Acanthosaura schneideri Ahl, 1926) should be revalidated from the synonymy of D. boulengeri. Dendragama schneideri is endemic to montane forests of the Karo Highlands surrounding Lake Toba in Sumatra Utara province. Pairwise genetic distances of 6–11% separate D. schneideri from congeners. Two distinct clades of D. boulengeri from Mount Kerinci and Mount Marapi were identified, which are 5.0% genetically distant from one another. Using morphological characters, we provide the first key for distinguishing between species of Dendragama. Based on biogeographic patterns and levels of genetic variation it is suspected that at least 18 other isolated cloud forest locations may hold new species or divergent populations of Dendragama but lack survey work. Collectively, these comparisons among populations of montane lizards further elucidate the complex biogeographic history of Sumatra’s montane forest species and the first phylogeny of the genus Dendragama.

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A new beautiful squeaker frog (Arthroleptidae: Arthroleptis) from West Africa

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3011.1.2 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 3011 (1) ◽

pp. 16 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MARK-OLIVER RÖDEL ◽

N’GORAN GERMAIN KOUAMÉ ◽

JOSEPH DOUMBIA ◽

LAURA SANDBERGER

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

16S Rrna ◽

West Africa ◽

Ventral Side ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

Colour Pattern ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Similar Species ◽

White Spots ◽

Mitochondrial 16S Rrna Gene

A new small Arthroleptis from western Guinea, West Africa, is described. The new species differs from all known congeners by the combination of small size and a peculiar red dorsal colour with irregular large black and small white, yellow or blue spots. The ventral side is almost uniform greyish black with a few, small white spots. Males lack hypertrophied third fingers, digital and inguinal spines. Fingers and toe tips are slightly enlarged. The new species differs in its colour pattern, smaller size, broader toe and finger tips, the lack of hypertrophied third fingers and digital spines in males, and a mean of 4.7% in the investigated part of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene to A. aureoli, which is morphologically and genetically the most similar species. Genetic comparisons of the new species with other available Arthroleptis sequences from species found across Africa revealed genetic distances of 16.0–23.4%.

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Williamsia maris sp. nov., a novel actinomycete isolated from the Sea of Japan

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY ◽

10.1099/ijs.0.02767-0 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 191-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

James E. M. Stach ◽

Luis A. Maldonado ◽

Alan C. Ward ◽

Alan T. Bull ◽

Michael Goodfellow

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Type Strain ◽

Gene Tree ◽

The Sea Of Japan ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Phenotypic Properties ◽

Phenotypic Data ◽

Marine Actinomycete ◽

Actinomycete Strain ◽

Taxonomic Approach

The taxonomic position of a marine actinomycete, strain SJS0289/JS1T, was determined using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The organism, which had phenotypic properties consistent with its classification in the genus Williamsia, formed a distinct clade in the 16S rRNA gene tree together with the type strain of Williamsia muralis, but was readily distinguished from this species using DNA–DNA relatedness and phenotypic data. The genotypic and phenotypic data show that the organism merits recognition as a new species of Williamsia. The name proposed for the new species is Williamsia maris; the type strain is SJS0289/JS1T (=DSM 44693T=JCM 12070T=KCTC 9945T=NCIMB 13945T).

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A new species of Microhyla (Anura: Microhylidae) from Sri Lanka: an integrative taxonomic approach

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4066.3.9 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4066 (3) ◽

pp. 331 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

NAYANA WIJAYATHILAKA ◽

SONALI GARG ◽

GAYANI SENEVIRATHNE ◽

NUWAN KARUNARATHNA ◽

S.D. BIJU ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Sri Lanka ◽

Taxonomic Approach ◽

A New Species

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A new species of Nanorana Günther, 1896 (Anura, Dicroglossidae) from Yunnan, China

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.1048.65620 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1048 ◽

pp. 49-67

Author(s):

Shuo Liu ◽

Peisong Zhang ◽

Dingqi Rao

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

Outer Side ◽

12S Rrna ◽

Molecular Evidence ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Adult Males ◽

Lateral Body ◽

Skin Smooth ◽

A New Species

A new species of Nanorana Günther, 1896 is described from Yunnan Province, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. Morphologically, Nanorana xuelinensissp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following diagnostic characters: body size large; adult males with keratinized spines on chest, belly, lateral body, posterior dorsum, buttocks, outer side of the fore limbs, the inner metacarpal tubercle, fingers I and II, and upper eyelids; no spines on the inner side of the lower and upper arm; forelimbs strongly hypertrophied in adult males; anterior dorsum skin smooth; dorsolateral folds absent; finger I longer than finger II; webbing deeply incurved between tips of toes; present outer metacarpal tubercle and absent outer metatarsal tubercle. The new species is separated from all other congeners by uncorrected genetic distances ranging from 5.2% to 7.3% based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and ranging from 3.9% to 7.6% based on mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene.

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