湖北省两栖动物新纪录——尾突角蟾

2003年7月,在湖北后河国家级自然保护区采集到一批两栖动物标本,经鉴定其中一只为尾突角蟾(Megophrys caudoprocta),系湖北省新纪录种,分类上隶属于两栖纲无尾目角蟾科角蟾属。     

角蟾科三亚科蝌蚪角质颌的显微结构比较(两栖纲,无尾目)

采用扫描电镜技术研究了角蟾科8种蝌蚪角质颌的显微结构特征和形态特点,阐述了角质颌对蝌蚪觅食方式的影响。实验结果表明:角蟾科蝌蚪的角质颌属于两个不同的类型。拟髭蟾亚科和掌突蟾亚科的蝌蚪具有相似的显微结构特征:角质颌呈厚重的U型,角质化程度高。颌鞘呈基部宽、顶端尖的圆锥形;角蟾亚科的蝌蚪角质颌呈纤弱的弓型,角质化程度低。颌鞘呈基部窄、长而顶端略弯曲的象牙型。进一步的分析发现,8种蝌蚪的颌鞘直径和密度呈显著负相关。这种显微结构的变化趋势也反映出蝌蚪对栖息环境和觅食方式的适应性。     

中国小鲵属一新种(两栖纲:有尾目:小鲵科)

对采自我国河南省商城的一种小鲵标本进行了研究,认为与我国产小鲵科巳知属、种及日本产小鲵属相近种均不相同,被确定为新种,即豫南小鲵Hynobius yunanicus sp.nov.。     

中国湖南角蟾科一新种——桑植角蟾

对采集于湖南桑植县天平山的角蟾标本(CIB200078)与同域分布的相近种尾突角蟾(Megophrys caudoprocta Shen,1994)标本及其他相近种标本比较后发现,该角蟾标本在形态上明显不同于其他物种。其形态特征与尾突角蟾相比:体形小,体长54.7mm;上眼脸外缘三角形突起小;体腹面后部有斑点;犁骨棱弱,末端不膨大,也无犁骨齿;雄性第一、二指背面黑婚刺相对较大,有声囊。与棘指角蟾相比:肛孔上方有一个向后突出的尾突,腹面观可见;雄性第一、二指背面黑婚刺相对较小而密。故将其订为新种:桑植角蟾Megophrys sangzhiensis sp.nov.。     

关于中国角蟾属物种属称订正的建议(无尾目,角蟾科)

简要介绍了角蟾属和异角蟾属的研究历史;通过比较两属的形态学特征,并结合骨骼细胞核型资料和分子系统学的研究结果,证实异角蟾属为有效属;建议将我国的原角蟾属物种归入异角蟾属.     

中国角蟾属一新种(两栖纲:锄足蟾科)

采自贵州省水城县凤凰乡的一种大形角蟾,因其外部形态与角蟾属Ｍｅｇｏｐｈｒｙｓ已知种有一些特异之处,尤其是鼓膜显露;上颌内缘无栉齿状突;头后部有由痣粒组成的“Ｖ”形棕褐色斑;背部痣纹呈“＊”形;有犁骨棱;雄性无声囊等特征与大花角蟾Ｍ．ｇｉｇａｎｔｉｃａ明显不同。据此认为该角蟾为一新种,定名水城角蟾Ｍｅｇｏｐｈｒｙｓ ｓｈｕｉｃｈｅｎｇｅｎｓｉｓ Ｔｉａｎ,Ｇｕ ｅｔ Ｓｕｎ,ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．。     

中国云南树蛙科一新种(两栖纲,无尾目)

对中国云南屏边的白颊小树蛙Philautuspalpebralis的标本形态特征进行了深入研究,并与白颊小树蛙的原始描述以及相关文献资料作了对比,结果认为两者的形态特征有明显不同,中国云南屏边的标本应为1新种,并命名为抚华费氏树蛙Feihyla fuhua sp.nov..     

中国拟小鲵属(有尾目,小鲵科)一新种记述

在比较和研究拟小鲵属已知物种黄斑拟小鲵、水城拟小鲵后,确定贵州省绥阳县宽阔水所产拟小鲵为1新种,即宽阔水拟小鲵Pseudohynobius kuankuoshuiensis.新种与黄斑拟小鲵近似,但新种体尾背面黄斑近圆形,头长与头宽之比大于1.55,可与之区分.新种与水城拟小鲵P.shuichengensis相似,但新种体尾及四肢背面有黄色斑块,四肢贴体相向时掌、踱部前半不重叠,而极易与之相区别.     

中国蛙科一新种(两栖纲,无尾目)

对分布于广西龙胜和湖南宜章的龙胜臭蛙Odorrana(Odorrana)lungshengensis作了进一步比较研究,发现两者的形态特征有明显区别,并将湖南宜章的标本命名为新种--宜章臭蛙Odorrana(Odorrana)yizhangensis sp.nov..     

中国锄足蟾科角蟾属二新种的描述：（两栖纲：无尾目）

1975年和1987年分别在湖南宜章和云南景东采到角蟾属Megophrys标本2种。经与角蟾属已知种对比,特别是与相近种白颌大角蟾M.lateralis(Anderson)在外部形态和头骨特征方面的深入研究,其差异明显,被确定为2新种,即莽山角螗M.mangshanensis和腺角蟾M.glandulosa。本文对2新种的形态和生态资料作了记述。     

角蟾科一新亚种——炳灵角蟾梵净山亚种

报道了角蟾科一新亚种,该亚种具角蟾属特征,与峨眉角蟾种组中的炳灵角蟾(Megophrysbinlingensis)形态特征最为相近,但与该组成员又有明显区别,被命名为炳灵角蟾梵净山亚种(M.b.fanjingmontissubsp.nov.).本亚种主要鉴别特征为犁骨棱较弱,后端无犁骨齿,上颌有细齿;第一、二指上婚刺细密,趾侧缘膜窄;体腹面斑少,两侧黑褐色长形斑明显;体型较大,雄性头体长大于60.00mm;趾间具1/3蹼.     

A new species of the Rhinella margaritifera species group (Anura,Bufonidae) from the montane forest of the Selva Central,Peru

We describe a new species of the bufonid toad genus Rhinella from transition montane forest of the buffer zones of the Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park and the Pui Pui Protected Forest (eastern slopes of Andes, Selva Central, Peru). The new species belongs to the Rhinella margaritifera species group (confirmed by mtDNA data) and differs from all its members by the absence of tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus. It is characterized by medium size (SVL 57.5–65.5 mm, n = 5), moderately developed cranial crests, absence of neural crest of vertebrae, absence of bone protrusion at angle of jaw, presence of lateral rows of enlarged tubercles, and absence of subgular vocal sac and vocal slits in males. In addition, based on the molecular phylogenetic analyses of selected Rhinella species we propose the monophylum containing R. chavin, R. festae, R. macrorhina, R. manu, R. nesiotes, R. rostrata, and R. yanachaga as a new species group under the name Rhinella festae species group.     

Multilocus species tree analyses resolve the radiation of the widespread Bufo bufo species group (Anura, Bufonidae)

New analytical methods are improving our ability to reconstruct robust species trees from multilocus datasets, despite difficulties in phylogenetic reconstruction associated with recent, rapid divergence, incomplete lineage sorting and/or introgression. In this study, we applied these methods to resolve the radiation of toads in the Bufo bufo (Anura, Bufonidae) species group, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa to Siberia, based on sequences from two mitochondrial and four nuclear DNA regions (3490 base pairs). We obtained a fully-resolved topology, with the recently described Bufo eichwaldi from the Talysh Mountains in south Azerbaijan and Iran as the sister taxon to a clade including: (1) north African, Iberian, and most French populations, referred herein to Bufo spinosus based on the implied inclusion of populations from its type locality and (2) a second clade, sister to B. spinosus, including two sister subclades: one with all samples of Bufo verrucosissimus from the Caucasus and another one with samples of B. bufo from northern France to Russia, including the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas and most of Anatolia. Coalescent-based estimations of time to most recent common ancestors for each species and selected subclades allowed historical reconstruction of the diversification of the species group in the context of Mediterranean paleogeography and indicated a long evolutionary history in this region. Finally, we used our data to delimit the ranges of the four species, particularly the more widespread and historically confused B. spinosus and B. bufo, and identify potential contact zones, some of which show striking parallels with other co-distributed species.     

A challenge for miRNA: multiple isomiRs in miRNAomics

Accumulating evidence suggests that a single microRNA (miRNA) locus can generate a series of sequences during miRNA maturation process. These multiple sequences, called miRNA variants, or isomiRs, have different lengths and different 5′ and 3′ ends. Some of these isomiRs are detected as varied nucleotides and 3′ additional non-template nucleotides. As physiological miRNA isoforms, they have drawn attention for possible regulatory biological roles. The present work mainly reviews miRNA/isomiR biogenesis, isomiR expression patterns, and functional and evolutionary implications, especially between isomiRs from homologous and clustered miRNA loci. The phenomenon of multiple isomiRs and their biological roles indicates that analysis performed at the miRNA and isomiR levels should be included in miRNA studies. This may enrich and complicate miRNA biogenesis and coding–non-coding RNA regulatory networks.     

Influence of Concomitant Pratylenchus brachyurus and Meloidogyne spp. on Root Penetration and Population Dynamics

Populations of Pratylenchus brachyurus on cotton were increased significantly in the presence of either Meloidogyne incognita or M. arenaria.This occurred with either simultaneous inoculation or prior invasion by M. incognita. P. brachyurus penetrated cotton roots previously invaded by, or simultaneously inoculated with, M. incognita, as well as, or better than, in the absence of M. incognita. Prior invasion by M. incognita, however, suppressed P. brachyurus populations on tomato, while it had no effect on alfalfa and tobacco. Populations of M. incognita on cotton were generally inhibited by the presence of P. brachyurus. Simultaneous inoculation with, or previous invasion by, P. brachyurus also inhibited root penetration by M. incognita. These findings emphasize the importance of host susceptibility in the study of concomitant nematode populations.     

Seasonal changes in the thermoregulatory strategies of Rhinella arenarum in the Monte desert, Argentina

We determined and compared the efficiency of thermoregulation of Rhinella arenarum in the Monte desert (Argentina) in two seasons, dry and wet. In the field, we measured body temperatures, micro-habitat temperatures and operative temperatures; while in the laboratory; we measured the selected body temperatures. Our results show a change in the thermoregulatory strategy of R. arenarum that is related to environmental constraints on their thermal niche. R. arenarum has the ability to be plastic and combine two strategies: (i) a moderate thermoregulator in the wet season, where thermal resources are available such that body temperature is maintained within the set points and physiologicial and behavioral processes are optimized; and (ii) a thermoconformer in the dry season where the thermal environment is more homogeneous and there is greater time invested in searching for food.