A New Species of the Genus Leptolalax(Anura: Megophryidae) from Northern Thailand

A new species of the genus Leptolalax is described from Doi Saket, Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: 1) adult size large(male SVL 45.8-52.5 mm); 2) tympanum distinct; 3) skin of dorsal surface mostly smooth, with distinct tubercles on dorsal and lateral parts of the body; 4) ventrolateral glandular ridge distinct and complete; 5) lateral body and groin covered with dark brown or black spots; 6) throat, chest, and belly nearly immaculate white; and 7) bi-colored iris, upper onethird golden, and lower two-thirds gray. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial 16S rRNA further distinguishes it from its congeners for which sequences are available.     

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Thai Red Junglefowl(Gallus gallus) and phylogenetic analysis

正DEAR EDITOR,In this study,we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome(mitogenome)of the Thai Red Junglefowl(RJF;Gallus gallus)using the next-generation sequencing(NGS)platform of the Ion Torrent PGM.Samples were taken from Mae Wang District,Chiang Mai Province,northern Thailand.Our data showed the complete mitogenome to be 16 785bp in length,composed by 13 protein-coding genes,22tRNA genes,two rRNA genes,and one control region.The genome nucleotide composition was 30.3%A,23.7%T,32.5%C,and 13.5%G,resulting in a high percentage of A+T     

A new genus and three new species of miniaturized microhylid frogs from Indochina(Amphibia: Anura:Microhylidae: Asterophryinae)

We report on the discovery of a new genus of microhylid subfamily Asterophryinae from northern and eastern Indochina, containing three new species.Vietnamophryne Gen. nov. are secretive miniaturized frogs(SVL21 mm) with a mostly semi-fossorial lifestyle. To assess phylogenetic relationships, we studied 12 S rRNA – 16 S rRNA mt DNA fragments with a final alignment of 2 591 bp for 53 microhylid species. Morphological and osteological characters were analyzed using micro-CT scanning and used to describe the new genus. Results of phylogenetic analyses assigned the new genus into the mainly Australasian subfamily Asterophryinae as a sister taxon to the genus Siamophryne from southern Indochina. The three specimens collected from Gia Lai Province in central Vietnam, Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam, and Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand proved to be separate species, different both in morphology and genetics(genetic divergence 3.1%≤P≤5.1%). Our work provides further evidence for the "out of Indo-Eurasia"scenario for Asterophryinae, indicating that the initial cladogenesis and differentiation of this group of frogs occurred in the Indochina Peninsula. To date, each of the three new species of Vietnamophryne Gen. nov. is known only from a single specimen; thus,their distribution, life history, and conservation status require further study.     

Refining DNA Barcoding Coupled High Resolution Melting for Discrimination of 12 Closely Related Croton Species

DNA barcoding coupled high resolution melting (Bar-HRM) is an emerging method for species discrimination based on DNA dissociation kinetics. The aim of this work was to evaluate the suitability of different primer sets, derived from selected DNA regions, for Bar-HRM analysis of species in Croton (Euphorbiaceae), one of the largest genera of plants with over 1,200 species. Seven primer pairs were evaluated (matK, rbcL1, rbcL2, rbcL3, rpoC, trnL and ITS1) from four plastid regions, matK, rbcL, rpoC, and trnL, and the nuclear ribosomal marker ITS1. The primer pair derived from the ITS1 region was the single most effective region for the identification of the tested species, whereas the rbcL1 primer pair gave the lowest resolution. It was observed that the ITS1 barcode was the most useful DNA barcoding region overall for species discrimination out of all of the regions and primers assessed. Our Bar-HRM results here also provide further support for the hypothesis that both sequence and base composition affect DNA duplex stability.     

Chromosomes of Asian cyprinid fishes: Variable karyotype patterns and evolutionary trends in the genus Osteochilus (Cyprinidae, Labeoninae, “Osteochilini”)

The Cyprinidae family is a highly diversified but demonstrably monophyletic lineage of cypriniform fishes. Among them, the genus Osteochilus contains 35 recognized valid species distributed from India, throughout Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesian archipelago to southern China. In this study, karyotypes and other chromosomal characteristics of five Osteochilus species occurring in Thailand, namely O. lini, O. melanopleura, O. microcephalus, O. vittatus and O. waandersii were examined using conventional and molecular cytogenetic protocols. Our results showed they possessed diploid chromosome number (2n) invariably 2n = 50, but the ratio of uni- and bi-armed chromosomes was highly variable among their karyotypes, indicating extensive chromosomal rearrangements. Only one chromosome pair bearing 5S rDNA sites occurred in most species, except O. melanopleura, where two sites were detected. In contrast, only one chromosomal pair bearing 18S rDNA sites were observed among their karyotypes, but in different positions. These cytogenetic patterns indicated that the cytogenomic divergence patterns of these Osteochilus species were largely corresponding to the inferred phylogenetic tree. Similarly, different patterns of the distributions of rDNAs and microsatellites across genomes of examined species as well as their different karyotype structures indicated significant evolutionary differentiation of Osteochilus genomes.