Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the genus Gloydius (Squamata, Viperidae, Crotalinae), with description of two new alpine species from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.

We provide a molecular phylogeny of Asian pit vipers (the genus Gloydius) based on four mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, ND4, and cytb). Sequences of Gloydiushimalayanus, the only member of the genus that occurs south of the Himalayan range, are included for the first time. In addition, two new species of the genus Gloydius are described based on specimens collected from Zayu, Tibet, west of the Nujiang River and Heishui, Sichuan, east of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The new species, Gloydiuslipipengi sp. nov., can be differentiated from its congeners by the combination of the following characters: the third supralabial not reaching the orbit (separated from it by a suborbital scale); wide, black-bordered greyish postorbital stripe extending from the posterior margin of the orbit (not separated by the postoculars, covering most of the anterior temporal scale) to the ventral surface of the neck; irregular black annular crossbands on the mid-body; 23-21-15 dorsal scales; 165 ventral scales, and 46 subcaudal scales. Gloydiusswild sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the narrower postorbital stripe (only half the width of the anterior temporal scale, the lower edge is approximately straight and bordered with white); a pair of arched stripes on the occiput; lateral body lakes black spots; a pair of round spots on the parietal scales; 21 rows of mid-body dorsal scales; zigzag dark brown stripes on the dorsum; 168-170 ventral scales, and 43-46 subcaudal scales. The molecular phylogeny in this study supports the sister relationship between G.lipipengi sp. nov. and G.rubromaculatus, another recently described species from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, more than 500 km away, and indicate the basal position of G.himalayanus within the genus and relatively distant relationship to its congeners.

Neotype designation and redescription of Tropidophorus guangxiensis Wen, 1992 (Squamata: Sauria: Scincidae), with description of a new subspecies from central South China.

The genus Tropidophorus consists of small semi-aquatic lizards that dwell in lowland forest steams (Barbour, 1921; Bauer & Jackman, 2008). Here, we designate the neotype and re-describe T. guangxiensis Wen, 1992 based on newly collected topotypic specimens. We also describe a new subspecies from Xuefeng Mountain, Hongjiang County, Hunan Province, central South China. Based on two mitochondrial genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), the phylogenetic position of T. guangxiensis is allocated for the first time. Additionally, our data strongly support that the new subspecies is phylogenetically closely related to T. g. guangxiensis. We also present a morphological identification key for known species and subspecies of Tropidophorus in China.

DNA metabarcoding provides insights into seasonal diet variations in Chinese mole shrew (Anourosorex squamipes) with potential implications for evaluating crop impacts.

Diet analysis of potential small mammals pest species is important for understanding feeding ecology and evaluating their impact on crops and stored foods. Chinese mole shrew (Anourosorex squamipes), distributed in Southwest China, has previously been reported as a farmland pest. Effective population management of this species requires a better understanding of its diet, which can be difficult to determine with high taxonomic resolution using conventional microhistological methods. In this study, we used two DNA metabarcoding assays to identify 38 animal species and 65 plant genera from shrew stomach contents, which suggest that A. squamipes is an omnivorous generalist. Earthworms are the most prevalent (>90%) and abundant (>80%) food items in the diverse diet of A. squamipes. Species of the Fabaceae (frequency of occurrence [FO]: 88%; such as peanuts) and Poaceae (FO: 71%; such as rice) families were the most common plant foods identified in the diet of A. squamipes. Additionally, we found a seasonal decrease in the diversity and abundance of invertebrate foods from spring and summer to winter. Chinese mole shrew has a diverse and flexible diet throughout the year to adapt to seasonal variations in food availability, contributing to its survival even when food resources are limited. This study provides a higher resolution identification of the diet of A. squamipes than has been previously described and is valuable for understanding shrew feeding ecology as well as evaluating possible species impacts on crops.

[Characteristics of soil seed bank and their correlations with soil factors in the early restoration period of Populus deltoides cutting slash in Lake South Dongting, China.] / å—æ´žåº­æ¹–æ¨æ ‘æ¸ ç†è¿¹åœ°æ¢å¤åˆæœŸåœŸå£¤ç§å­åº“ç‰¹å¾åŠå ¶ä¸ŽåœŸå£¤å› å­çš„å ³ç³».

To understand the potential role of soil seed bank in natural vegetation restoration of Populus deltoides cutting slash in Lake Dongting, the structure and diversity of soil seed bank and its relationship with vegetation and soil parameters were observed and analyzed on the lake beach in the first two years after P. deltoides cutting, with P. deltoides lake beach as control (CK). A total of 65 plant species germinated in soil seed bank, belonging to 59 genera and 23 families. The density of soil seed bank and number of species ranked as 1-year cutting slash (11810 seeds·m-2, 49 species)> 2-year cutting slash (9686 seeds·m-2, 44 species)> CK (6735 seeds·m-2, 29 species). Compared with CK, species diversity of the perennial mesophytes and hygrophytes in the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation of cutting slash, as well as the similarity coefficient between soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation, increased. Soil water content and nutrient content increased, while the pH decreased. Soil water content and organic matter were closely related to the distribution of hydrophytes such as Polygonum hydropiper, while total potassium and phosphorus contents had a greater influence on the distribution of perennial species such as Phalaris arundinacea. In summary, during the natural restoration of P. deltoides cutting slash in Lake Dongting, with the changes of soil physicochemical properties, species richness and density of soil seed bank increased significantly, and the diversity of aboveground vegetation species therefore increased. Soil seed bank is an important propagule source for the restoration of wetland vegetation in cutting slash.

[Dynamics and spatial pattern prediction of lakes in the northern Tanggula Mountains, Tibet, China]. / è¥¿è—å”åŒ—åœ°åŒºæ¹–æ³ŠåŠ¨æ€åŠç©ºé—´æ ¼å±€é¢„æµ‹.

This study assessed the dynamics of lakes in the north Tanggula Mountains in Tibet (NT area) and predicted the spatial changes. We used object-oriented classification and a spectral-angle vector change detection method to generate ecosystem distribution data for the NT area at five-year interval between 2000 and 2015. Based on this dataset, we measured the spatial pattern of lake dynamics and related geophysical and meteorological factors. A boost regression tree model was used to examine the contribution of these variables to lake area change, which were further used in a GEOMOD model to predict the distribution of lakes in 2030. The results showed that the area of lakes increased by 14.2% between 2000 and 2015, which was one of the main forms of ecosystem change in the NT area. In the study region, the area of 10 lakes out of the total 15 lakes with an area greater than 10 km2 increased and that of another five lakes decreased with a relatively low shrinkage ratio. Both the mean site area and site number of lakes increased, and the percentage of large lake sites increased slightly. Lakes located in areas with high altitude, high slope, low tempe-rature, low precipitation, or near glaciers had a higher probability of size increase. Locales near the current lake sites with low temperature, precipitation, and slope tended to become new parts of extant lakes. Following the trend of the last 15 years, lakes in the NT area would increase by 119 km2 by 2030, with the main form of lake expansion changing from inundation of area around large lakes to area around smaller sites.

Complete mitochondrial genome of Procapra picticaudata, with phylogenetic implication.

The Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata is endemic to the Tibetan plateau. The species is listed as a Near Threatened (NT) species by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals and the Red List of China's Vertebrates. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of P. picticaudata and examined its phylogenetic position with other nine species in Artiodactyla. The complete mitochondrial genome is 16,620 bp in length and contained 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and 1 control region. Our data would provide reference information for further study of this species and be useful for evolutionary and phylogenetics studies for this NT species.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Semnopithecus schistaceus.

Semnopithecus schistaceus Hodgson, 1840 belongs to subfamily Colobinae, family Cercopithecidae. This species was once mixed with S. entellus. The conservation status of this species is Least Concern (LC) in IUCN. In China, this species has been considered as Critically Endangered (CR) by the Red List of China's vertebrates. In this study, the complete mitogenome of S. schistaceus was determined. The mitogenome is a circular molecule of 16,534 bp in length, containing 13 protein－coding genes, 2 ribosome RNA genes, 1 light strand replication origin (OL), 22 transfer RNA genes, and 1 non－coding region. We reconstructed a phylogenetic tree based on Bayesian inference for 19 primates species. The Cyt b p-distance is 0.029 between S. schistaceu and S. entellus. Thus, the taxonomic status of these two species remains to be further studied.