Abstract
In this work, a new species of the genus Tylototriton is described from Guangdong, southern China. Tylototriton sini sp. nov. was recorded as T. asperrimus for decades, and was indicated to represent an independent lineage based on recent molecular phylogenetic analyses. After detailed molecular analysis and morphological comparisons, Tylototriton sini sp. nov. is recognized as a distinct species which can be clearly distinguished from all known congeners by a combination of morphological characteristics and the significant divergence in the mitochondrial gene. Because the genus Tylototriton is of high conservation concern and all formally described members are protected by law, we also provide first data on the conservation status and recommendations for IUCN categorization for Tylototriton sini sp. nov. A suggestion on the species groups division of the genus Tylototriton is also provided based on their morphological differences and phylogenetic relationships.
Highlights
The newt genus Tylototriton Anderson, 1871 contains 32 known species distributed in the mountain areas of southern and eastern Himalaya, southern and central China, and northern Indochina Peninsula (Frost 2021)
This lineage is phylogenetically distant from T. asperrimus from Guangxi, China and T. ziegleri from northern Vietnam, but forms the sister taxon to T. hainanensis from Hainan, China (BPP 1.00, bootstrap supports (BS) 97)
Our phylogenetic result from the sole mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) segment is consistent with the topology revealed in the above studies, suggesting that the ND2 gene is adequate for settling the phylogeny in the genus Tylototriton
Summary
The newt genus Tylototriton Anderson, 1871 contains 32 known species distributed in the mountain areas of southern and eastern Himalaya, southern and central China, and northern Indochina Peninsula (Frost 2021). The approach of integrative taxonomy combining morphological and molecular data has revealed that the recognition of T. asperrimus should be a species complex with multiple paraphyletic lineages, and the populations from northern Vietnam have been described as different new species, T. ziegleri Nishikawa, Matsui & Nguyen, 2013, T. pasmansi Bernardes, Le, Nguyen, Pham, Pham, Nguyen & Ziegler, 2020, and T. sparreboomi Bernardes, Le, Nguyen, Pham, Pham, Nguyen & Ziegler, 2020, respectively (Nishikawa et al 2013a; Wang et al 2018; Bernardes et al 2020) After these taxonomic revisions, T. asperrimus is currently known only from southern China (Frost 2021). This population was surprisingly reported as T. ziegleri after a rough phylogenetic analysis without including any data of T. hainanensis and other recently-described congeners from Vietnam (Li et al 2020)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
