Cryptic Species of a Cascade Frog from Southeast Asia: Taxonomic Revisions and Descriptions of Six New Species

Megophrys are a group of morphologically conserved, primarily forest-dependent frogs known to harbour cryptic species diversity. In this study, we examined populations of small-sized Megophrys from mid- and high elevation locations in the Hoang Lien Range, northern Vietnam. On the basis of morphological, molecular and bioacoustic data, individuals of these populations differed from all species of Megophrys known from mainland Southeast Asia north of the Isthmus of Kra and from neighbouring provinces in China. Further, the newly collected specimens formed two distinct species-level groups. We herein describe two new species, Megophrys fansipanensis sp. nov. and Megophrys hoanglienensis sp. nov. Both new species are range restricted and likely to be highly threatened by habitat degradation. These discoveries highlight the importance of the Hoang Lien Range for Vietnam’s amphibian diversity.

Download Full-text

The ant genus Rhopalomastix (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae) in Southeast Asia, with descriptions of four new species from Singapore based on morphology and DNA barcoding

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4532.3.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4532 (3) ◽

pp. 301 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

WENDY Y. WANG ◽

GORDON W.J. YONG ◽

WEEYAWAT JAITRONG

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

Cryptic Species ◽

Dna Barcoding ◽

Integrated Approach ◽

Close Match ◽

Dna Evidence ◽

Asian Species ◽

True Diversity ◽

Worker Caste

The true diversity of the Asian ant genus Rhopalomastix Forel is poorly understood. We use an integrated approach to review the known species and subspecies of Rhopalomastix in Southeast Asia. Based on morphology and supporting DNA evidence, we recognize six species. We raise two subspecies of R. rothneyi Forel to species rank (R. johorensis Wheeler stat. n, R. javana Wheeler stat. n.), synonymize R. janeti Donisthorpe (syn. nov.) with R. johorensis, and describe four new species from Singapore: R. glabricephala sp. n., R. murphyi sp. n., R. striata sp. n., and R. tenebra sp. n. All six species found in Southeast Asia are distinct from each other based on morphology; morphological delimitation of these species is further supported by and congruent with mOTUs generated from objective clustering of short fragment COI barcodes using the best close match criteria. Different castes and sexes of most species are described, including redescriptions of the queen of R. javana and male of R. johorensis. A key to the Southeast Asian species based on the worker caste is also provided. Variation among sympatric and also geographically distant populations, and the possibilities of cryptic species, are discussed.

Download Full-text

The masked water snakes of the genus Homalopsis Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1822 (Squamata, Serpentes, Homalopsidae), with the description of a new species

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.3208.1.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3208 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

JOHN C. MURPHY ◽

HAROLD K. VORIS ◽

B. H.C.K. MURTHY ◽

JOSHUA TRAUB ◽

CHRISTINA CUMBERBATCH

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

Cryptic Species ◽

Aquatic Habitats ◽

The Status ◽

Water Snakes ◽

A New Species

Masked water snakes of the genus Homalopsis are abundant in the wetlands of Southeastern Asia. Currently, two speciesare recognized, the widespread H. buccata Linnaeus and the Mekong drainage endemic H. nigroventralis Deuve. On thebasis of morphology we resurrect H. hardwickii Gray and H. semizonata Blyth and describe a new species from Indochina.We establish a neotype for Coluber buccatus Linnaeus and examine the status of other names associated with this species.Homalopsis species can be distinguished from each other on the basis of dorsal scale row counts, the scales in the ocularring, and other head scale architecture. The new species, Homalopsis mereljcoxi, is distinguished from all others by itsone postocular and one postsubocular scale, and a higher dorsal scale row count (40–47 scale rows at midbody) that arereduced to more than 30 scale rows at the body’s posterior. The new species is heavily exploited for the skin trade at TonleSap, Cambodia. Homalopsis likely contains other cryptic species that have evolved in the changing aquatic habitats of Southeast Asia. A key to the species of Homalopsis is provided.

Download Full-text

THÀNH PHẦN LOÀI VÀ ĐẶC ĐIỂM PHÂN BỐ CỦA ĐỘNG VẬT HAI MẢNH VỎ (BIVALVIA) Ở HỆ ĐẦM PHÁ TAM GIANG - CẦU HAI

HUE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT ◽

10.26459/jard.v119i5.2891 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 119 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Võ Văn Phú

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Species Composition ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

Distribution Characteristics ◽

Lagoon System ◽

Ecology And Environment

TÓM TẮT Đầm phá Tam Giang - Cầu Hai thuộc vào hệ đầm phá lớn nhất Đông Nam Á với diện tích 22.000 ha, đặc trưng cho vùng nhiệt đới gió mùa. Hệ đầm phá là vùng có giá trị về đa dạng sinh học, sinh thái và môi trường. Từ 08/2014 đến 07/2015 chúng tôi đã tiến hành thu thập vật mẫu, nghiên cứu và đã xác định được 24 loài động vật hai mảnh vỏ thuộc 19 giống, 11 họ, 7 bộ. Bổ sung thêm 6 loài thuộc 6 giống, 5 họ mới so với nghiên cứu trước đây. Đánh giá được đặc điểm phân bố về thành phần loài, mật độ cá thể động vật hai mảnh vỏ theo ba loại nền đáy (cát bùn, bùn cát và giá thể) và ba nhóm loài theo độ mặn (loài nước ngot, nước lợ và nước mặn). Abstract Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon is the largest in Southeast Asia. It is 22,000 hectares. Lagoon system is high of biodiversity, ecology and environment. According to a researcher from August 2014 to July 2015, we have identified 24 species of 19 genera of 11 families of 7 orders of bivalve (Bivalvia) to be living in Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon. The result added 6 new species of 6 genera of 5 orders compared with previous studies. We have appreciated distribution characteristics of species composition, density of individual animals bivalve in three categories substrata (silt, sand and substrate ) and three groups of species under salinity (species of freshwater, brackish and saltwater).

Download Full-text

New and little-known taxa of the tribe Diestramimini (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae: Aemodogryllinae) from Southeast Asia. Part 1

Zoosystematica Rossica ◽

10.31610/zsr/2015.24.1.48 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 48-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A.V. Gorochov ◽

S.YU. Storozhenko

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

New Subspecies ◽

New Subgenus ◽

New Material ◽

Unknown Male

A new subgenus, 19 new species and two new subspecies are described from Vietnam, Laos and China: Tamdaotettix (Tamdaotettix) aculeatus sp. nov., T. (T.) flexus sp. nov., T. (T.) laocai sp. nov., T. (Laotettix subgen. nov.) tarasovi sp. nov., T. (L.) curvatus sp. nov., T. (L.) minutus sp. nov., T. (L.) inflatus sp. nov., T. (L.) sympatricus sp. nov., T. (?) robustus sp. nov., Gigantettix laosensis sp. nov., G. maximus auster subsp. nov., Diestramima hainanensis sp. nov., D. bispinosa sp. nov., D. hamata sp. nov., D. propria sp. nov., D. yunnanensis sp. nov., D. champasak sp. nov., Adiestramima adunca sp. nov., A. bella sp. nov., A. elongata sp. nov., A. perfecta hue subsp. nov. Previously unknown male of G. maximus maximus Gorochov, 1998 and imago of D. palpata (Rehn, 1906) are described on the base of a new material. New distributional data for some species are given.

Download Full-text

New and little-known species of the genus Zhengitettix (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae: Scelimeninae) from Southeast Asia

Zoosystematica Rossica ◽

10.31610/zsr/2013.22.2.204 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 204-223

Author(s):

S.Yu. Storozhenko

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

The Philippines ◽

Check List ◽

Key To Species ◽

The Family

Seven new species of the genus Zhengitettix Liang, 1994 are described: Z. hosticus sp. nov., Z. mucronatus sp. nov. and Z. spinulentus sp. nov. from Vietnam; Z. albitarsus sp. nov. and Z. extraneus sp. nov. from Thailand; Z. palawanensis sp. nov. and Z. taytayensis sp. nov. from the Philippines. Two species, Z. curvispinus Liang, Jiang et Liu, 2007 and Z. obliquespicula Zheng et Jiang, 2005 are firstly recorded from Vietnam. An annotated check-list and key to species of the genus Zhengitettix are given. Position of Zhengitettix within the family Tetrigidae is briefly discussed.

Download Full-text

A new species of the montane lacewing genus Rapisma McLachlan (Neuroptera, Ithonidae) from northwestern Yunnan, China

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4763.3.9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4763 (3) ◽

pp. 439-443

Author(s):

XINGYUE LIU

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

East Asia ◽

South Asia ◽

The Family ◽

A New Species ◽

Northwestern Yunnan

The genus Rapisma McLachlan, 1866 (montane lacewings) is a rare and little known group of the family Ithonidae (Insecta: Neuroptera). There have been 21 described species of Rapisma, and all of them are distributed from East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Here I report a new species of Rapisma from northwestern Yunnan, China, namely Rapisma weixiense sp. nov. The new species belongs to a group of Rapisma species with very short antennae.

Download Full-text

Benchmarking DNA barcodes: an assessment using available primate sequences

Genome ◽

10.1139/g06-025 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 49 (7) ◽

pp. 851-854 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Mehrdad Hajibabaei ◽

Gregory AC Singer ◽

Donal A Hickey

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Cryptic Species ◽

Dna Barcoding ◽

Species Identification ◽

Dna Sequences ◽

Phylogenetic Relationships ◽

Primate Species ◽

Dna Barcodes ◽

Global Biodiversity ◽

Efficient Sequence

DNA barcoding has been recently promoted as a method for both assigning specimens to known species and for discovering new and cryptic species. Here we test both the potential and the limitations of DNA barcodes by analysing a group of well-studied organisms—the primates. Our results show that DNA barcodes provide enough information to efficiently identify and delineate primate species, but that they cannot reliably uncover many of the deeper phylogenetic relationships. Our conclusion is that these short DNA sequences do not contain enough information to build reliable molecular phylogenies or define new species, but that they can provide efficient sequence tags for assigning unknown specimens to known species. As such, DNA barcoding provides enormous potential for use in global biodiversity studies.Key words: DNA barcoding, species identification, primate, biodiversity.

Download Full-text

A review of the non-lyctine powder-post beetles of Yunnan (China) with a new genus and new species (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.5091.4.1 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 5091 (4) ◽

pp. 501-545

Author(s):

YI-FENG ZHANG ◽

LING-ZENG MENG ◽

ROGER A. BEAVER

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

Yunnan Province ◽

New Genus ◽

Southwest China ◽

Geological History ◽

Yunnan Region ◽

Palearctic Region ◽

History Of ◽

First Time

The powder post beetles (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) (except Lyctinae) of Yunnan Province in Southwest China are reviewed for the first time. Keys to twenty-six genera and fifty-two species from the Yunnan region are provided. One new genus and seven new species are described: Dinoderus (Dinoderastes) hongheensis sp. nov., Dinoderus (Dinoderastes) nanxiheensis sp. nov., Gracilenta yingjiangensis gen. nov., sp. nov., Calonistes vittatus sp. nov., Calophagus colombiana sp. nov., Xylodrypta guochuanii sp. nov. and Xylodrypta zhenghei sp. nov.. Fourteen species are recorded in China for the first time. The bostrichid fauna of Yunnan is compared with those of the neighbouring bio-geographically related Southeast Asian and Himalayan regions. The fauna has a close affinity with that of tropical Southeast Asia and a much weaker relationship with the Palearctic region. The differences with the Himalayas may reflect the separate evolutionary and complex geological history of the two areas.

Download Full-text

Pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Southeast Asia, with descriptions of five new species

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4963.3.8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4963 (3) ◽

pp. 545-562

Author(s):

TIANQI LAN ◽

PETER JÄGER ◽

WENHUI ZHU ◽

SHUQIANG LI

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Southeast Asia ◽

Male And Female ◽

First Time

Five new pholcid species belonging to Holocneminus Berland, 1942, Khorata Huber, 2005 and Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 are newly described from Southeast Asia: Holocneminus samanggi Lan & Li sp. nov. (Indonesia, male and female), Khorata kep Lan, Jäger & Li sp. nov. (Cambodia, male), Khorata musee Lan & Li sp. nov. (Thailand, male and female), Pholcus bat Lan & Li sp. nov. (China, male and female), and Pholcus phnombak Lan, Jäger & Li sp. nov. (Cambodia, male and female). Species from the genera Khorata and Pholcus are reported from Cambodia for the first time.

Download Full-text