History of West Mediterranean newts,Pleurodeles (Amphibia: Salamandridae), inferred from old and recent DNA sequences

MtDNA sequences (396 bp cytochrome b and 369 bp 12S rRNA) from recent material and old museum specimens indicate Pleurodeles poireti and P. waltl form independent clades with 7.76% genetic divergence. Within P. poireti, populations from Djebel Edough, NE Algeria are very distinct with 6.12% genetic divergence from the remainder and may deserve separate species status. Away from Djebel Edough, P. poireti consists of three distinct clades (coastal NW Tunisia; central N Algeria; Constantine plus inland NW Tunisia) with a maximum genetic divergence of only 1%. P. waltl contains two clades with 2.96% genetic divergence, one in SE and E Spain plus north Morocco, the other in Portugal and SW and central Spain. Pleurodeles probably invaded NW Africa from SW Europe during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, when land contact was first established at 5.6 Ma, and then interrupted at 5.3 Ma. Molecular clocks, calibrated in the assumption that the latter event separated P. waltl and P. poireti, suggest that Pleurodeles diverged from its sister taxon, Tylototriton, at about 8.6–10 Ma. Djebel Edough P. poireti separated at about 4.2 Ma, perhaps through isolation on a temporary, now ‘fossil’, island initiated by the Messinian crisis. Differentiation in remaining P. poireti may have been caused by Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, while bifurcation in P. waltl appears to have taken place in the Pliocene approximately between 3.2 and 2 Ma. This species reached Morocco very recently, perhaps as a result of human introduction. Use in Pleurodeles of the slower divergence rates estimated in some other salamandrids results in a less parsimonious historical hypothesis that does not fit known geophysical events.     

大凉疣螈的骨骼系统

研究了大凉疣螈 Tylototriton taliangensis 的骨骼系统,对各部分的形态结构进行了详细的描述.胸骨、喙骨、耻骨的形状与已报道的贵州疣螈 Tylototriton kweichowensis 不同;腕骨、跗骨数目存在个体差异;前颌骨、鼻突等与无斑肥螈、尾斑瘰螈的亦不相同.     

贵州疣螈D-loop区和tRNAPhe序列变异及群体遗传多样性

贵州疣螈(Tylototriton kweichowensis)是我国特有的国家Ⅱ级保护动物,分布面积极为狭窄。为了解其遗传多样性现状,作者采获了几乎覆盖其分布范围的12群体的58个体的材料,测定了线粒体D-loop区(mtDNA控制区)及tRNAPhe基因全序列共808bp,发现16个变异位点,定义了26个单元型。遗传多样性检测显示,贵州疣螈种群具有高的单元型多样性和低的核苷酸多样性。Tajima’s D和Fuand Li’s D值检测结果均表明,贵州疣螈种群相对于中性进化的歧异度并没有明显的偏离。系统发育及网络进化分析没有显示出单元型和地理位置的对应关系,各群体的单元型都相互散布在不同的分布群中,呈现一种混杂的分布格局。水城群体与其他任一群体间基因流Nm1,有分化的迹象。总的来说,贵州疣螈各群体之间没有发生极显著的遗传分化,因此建议将贵州疣螈所有群体作为一个整体管理单元加以保护。     

红瘰疣螈的体温调节

红瘰疣螈(Tylototriton shanjing)为我国Ⅱ级重点保护野生动物。本实验测定了在不同环境温度条件下红瘰疣螈体温及代谢率变化。结果表明,在10～35℃环境温度范围内红瘰疣螈体温(Tb)与环境温度(Ta)呈正相关,其直线回归方程为:Tb=3.99+0.86Ta(R2=0.99,P0.01);其代谢率(MR)在15～30℃的环境温度范围内随环境温度的升高而升高,在35℃时,其代谢率由于体温过高而急剧降低;在15～35℃之间的6个温度条件下雄性代谢率的回归方程为:MR1=0.374 1-0.355 1Ta+0.113 9T2a-0.010 5T3a(R2=0.47,P0.01,df1=3,df2=46);雌性代谢率的回归方程为:MR2=0.478 8-0.420 3Ta+0.130 4T2a-0.011 8T3a(R2=0.40,P0.01,df1=3,df2=46)。不同于内热源动物的代谢特征,红瘰疣螈的体温调节表现出外热源动物的特点:其体温受环境影响较大,体温生理调节能力较弱。     

红瘰疣螈的繁殖生态

红瘰疣螈(Tylototriton shanjing)为国家Ⅱ级重点保护野生动物,对其繁殖生态尚无系统的研究。2007～2010年在云南省新平县哀牢山对红瘰疣螈形态、繁殖栖息地、求偶和交配行为、产卵及孵化等繁殖特征进行了研究。结果表明,红瘰疣螈雌雄两性在广泛的形态学度量特征上存在着差异;繁殖栖息地主要为稻田和潮湿的沟渠;参与繁殖的雌雄成体性比随繁殖时间的推移而不断变化,繁殖前期和后期雄性比例高,中期雌性比例高。求偶和交配主要在陆地潮湿的水沟中完成,也可在静水中进行。成体产卵活动从5月初持续至6月下旬,呈现出波浪式的产卵进程,个体完成产卵平均时间为(22.2±2.7)h。繁殖前期雌螈产卵于稻田,中后期产于多杂草的田埂草丛和泥壁,平均产卵数(126±18)枚(n=17)。平均孵化期(17.3±0.1)d(n=225),孵化率59.8%(n=79),孵化时幼体平均体长12.7mm(n=6)。     

红瘰疣螈皮肤的显微结构观察

对我国Ⅱ级重点保护野生动物红瘰疣螈(Tylototriton shanjing)成体的皮肤结构进行了显微观察。观察结果表明,其皮肤厚薄、微血管、色素分布,以及腺体的分布和大小等方面在身体的不同部位存在差异:头和背部的皮肤厚于腹部;黑色素细胞多分布于真皮浅层,以腹部及背侧无瘰粒处多见;真皮层富含黏液腺和颗粒腺,但分布不均匀;头嵴棱部及背部瘰粒下方颗粒腺的数量多、体积大,并充满分泌物;表皮下腺体外突,其表皮细胞层数减少,形成分泌物有效通道。同时,将红瘰疣螈皮肤与其他两栖类相比可知,其以上皮肤结构特征均体现了红瘰疣螈对山区阴湿环境中陆栖生活的重要适应。     

大凉疣螈栖息地现状调查及其保护

大凉疣螈Tylototriton taliangensis为四川省特有物种,国家二级重点保护动物。2009年3月～2010年2月,通过野外调查和对管理部门、当地居民的访问以及市场调查,发现大凉疣螈仅分布在昭觉县、冕宁县、美姑县、峨边县及石棉县等8个县,海拔2000～3500m之间的植被丰茂、环境潮湿的山间凹地静水中,分布区域狭窄。由于人类活动范围的扩大等诸多因素导致湿地减少,种群数量下降。通过信息收集,进行相关分析,提出了对大凉疣螈的有效保护对策。     

后河自然保护区周边地区细痣疣螈资源及夏季生境选择

2010年7-8月在后河国家级自然保护区及周边地区,运用样方法对细痣疣螈(Tylototriton asperrimus)的种群数量、分布及栖息生境进行了调查,并利用生境喜好系数和主成分分析法对细痣疣螈的夏季生境选择进行了分析.结果发现:细痣疣螈主要分布于与后河自然保护区毗邻的长乐坪镇及其附近区域,栖息地海拔450 ～ 1400 m,分布面积约550km2;在调查的103个样方中,有18个样方共发现细痣疣螈68条,种群数量较少;通过生境偏好系数分析发现,细痣疣螈偏好选择的微生境为:距小型静水塘(水体面积≤20 m2)51～100 m、距居民点101 ～500 m、距农田≤50 m、距道路≤100 m、草本盖度61％ ～80％、草本高度21 ～40 cm、地表湿度61％ ～80％、地表温度24℃～27℃的枯枝腐叶和草地生境;主成分分析表明,温度、植被、水体类型、人为干扰和食物是影响细痣疣螈夏季生境选择的主要因子.     

基于线粒体基因对细痣疣螈种组系统发育关系的探讨及物种修订建议

该文基于两段线粒体基因COI和ND1 -ND2部分序列片段构建了细痣疣螈种组的系统发育关系,结果显示该单系群内包含了四个明显的进化支系(A、B、C、D).A支系与B、C支系构成姐妹群关系;A支系包含了细痣疣螈、海南疣螈、老挝疣螈和“越南疣螈”以及另外两个来自越南未被命名的种群;C支系代表了一个新的独立进化支,可能是一个隐存种;C支系与B支系构成姐妹群关系.此外,来自模式产地的越南疣螈单独构成支系D.该文结果不支持以往细痣疣螈种组部分物种的划分,建议对该种组进行新的分类修订.该文强调了在分类研究中应该重视使用来自模式产地的样品并进行广泛的地理居群采样.     

A New Species of the Genus Tylototriton （Urodela： Salamandridae） from Northeastern Hunan Province,China

We describe a new species from the family Salamandridae from northeastern Hunan Province of China based on morphological and molecular genetic evidences.The new species,Tylototriton liuyangensis,is a member of the T.asperrimus group,and shares a number of similarities with T.wenxianensis and T.broadoridgus.The dorsal surface of the new Tylototriton species is completely black,with nodule-like warts distributed evenly along the lateral margin of dorsal body,and there is no transverse striae between the warts.There are several diagnostic characters of the new species that differ from those of T.wenxianensis and T.broadoridgus as follows：（1）the interorbital space（IOS）is comparatively wide;（2）there is a bony ridge present on the dorsal head surface,running along the upper eyelids;（3）the space between axilla and groin（AGS）is comparatively large,with the mean male AGS approximately equal to 50%of the snout-vent length（SVL）and the mean female AGS being 53%of SVL;and（4）there is a small genital armature on the anterior angle of labial folds present inside the anal fissure of adult males during the breeding season.The result from the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the genus Tylototriton（including the type specimen of the new species）based on the complete DNA sequence of the mitochondrial ND2 gene（1035 bp）indicated that the new species was similar to T.wenxianensis,T.dabienicus,and T.broadoridgus,but formed an independent clade.This result was consistent with the morphological analysis above,supporting that the Liuyang Population represented a distinct species.