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Sunday, March 20th, 2022
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 3:24a | [Herpetology • 2022] Proceratophrys velhochico • A New Species of Proceratophrys (Anura: Odontophrynidae) from Boqueirão da Onça, Northern Bahia State, Brazil
Abstract The genus Proceratophrys currently comprises 40 species, of which five are distributed within the Caatinga domain and associated phytophysiognomies along northeastern Brazil. During field surveys at high altitudinal sites in Boqueirão da Onça region, northern Bahia state, we collected individuals of Proceratophrys that could not be assigned to any species currently known to occur within the Caatinga, which we describe herein. The new species can be diagnosed from remaining congeners based on vocalization, adult and tadpole morphology, and is also supported by molecular data (mitochondrial 16S, cytochrome b, and nuclear rhodopsin). We recovered the new species nested in the clade composed of species distributed within the Caatinga domain and associated phytophysiognomies, exhibiting a minimum of 7% of genetic divergence for the 16S gene in comparison to all its congeners. The new species seems to be restricted to high altitude locations (above 800 m) at the Boqueirão da Onça region, which represents the largest remaining contiguous Caatinga remnant (∼986,000 ha) being classified as of extreme biological importance.  Proceratophrys velhochico  Sarah Mângia, Felipe de Medeiros Magalhães, Felipe Sá Fortes Leite, Diego Gomiero Cavalheri and Adrian Antonio Garda. 2022. A New Species of Proceratophrys (Anura: Odontophrynidae) from Boqueirão da Onça, Northern Bahia State, Brazil. J. of Herpetology. 56(1); 120-136. DOI: 10.1670/20-070   | ||||||
| 3:26a | [Herpetology • 2021] Geophis cansecoi • A New Species of Geophis (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from Veracruz, Mexico, with Comments on the Validity of Related Taxa
Abstract A new species of the Geophis dubius group is described from the cloud forests in the mountains north of Xalapa, Veracruz. This new species is most similar to G. turbidus and G. lorancai, from which it differs genetically as well as by a very unique color pattern, morphological characters, and habitat use. The validity of G. fuscus, which was described from central Veracruz, is discussed. With the description of the new species and our assessment of G. fuscus, the number of species in the Geophis dubius group increases to 14 and the number of species of Geophis to 52. Keywords. Geophis dubius group, Geophis fuscus, Geophis lorancai, Geophis turbidus, montane cloud forest, new species, Sierra de Misantla, Sierra Madre Oriental
Geophis cansecoi sp. nov. Diagnosis. A member of the Geophis dubius group, as defned by Downs (1967) and expanded by Wilson and Townsend (2007), and characterized by the following combination of traits: eye relatively small; single supraocular and postocular present on each side (with one exception, see below); no anterior temporal scale, penultimate supralabial and parietal in contact; second infralabials small, broadly separated from each other; mental scale and anterior chinshields in contact; smooth dorsal scales throughout the body arranged in 17 rows; ventrals 134–142 in females (n = 7), and 125–131 in males (n = 7); subcaudals 28–35 in females (n = 7), and 34–37 in males (n = 7), with ventral + subcaudal totals 163–173 in females (n = 7) and 159–165 in males (n = 7); tail length 11.6–16.3% of TotL in females, 16.7–19.0% of TotL in males; dorsal pattern slate gray, with crimson red lateral stripe on each side, usually on frst three or four scale rows but occasionally occupying part of the ffth; venter pale cream, except on the ventral surfaces of the head and throat, which are gray; maxillary teeth 6–8. ... Distribution, habitat, and ecology. This species appears to be restricted to the immediate vicinity of the type locality in the Sierra de Misantla portion of the Sierra Madre Oriental of Veracruz, Mexico (Fig. 10). It has been collected between 1,550–1,763 m asl in mesic cloud forest. Specimens were found beneath a variety of decomposing logs, trash, and rocks, and also crossing the road at night. All specimens were collected in the month of June. Etymology. The specific epithet honors to Luis Canseco-Márquez, a Mexican herpetologist who has dedicated a portion of his career to the study of snakes of the genus Geophis.  Christoph I. Grünwald, Iván T. Ahumada-Carrillo, André J. Grünwald, Carlos E. Montaño-Ruvalcaba and Uri O. García-Vázquez. 2021. A New Species of Geophis (Dipsadidae) from Veracruz, Mexico, with Comments on the Validity of Related Taxa. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 15(2); Taxonomy Section: 289–310. (e294).  Resumen.—Se describe una nueva especie del grupo de Geophis dubius del bosque mesóflo de montaña al norte de Xalapa, Veracruz. Esta nueva especie es mas parecido a G. turbidus y G. lorancai, de cuales se diferencía geneticamente y por su coloración única, carácteres morfológicas y preferencia de hábitat particular. También disuctimos la valídez de G. fuscus, cual también fue descrito del centro de Veracruz. Con la descripción de la nuev especies, y nuestro análisis de G. fuscus, el numero de especies del grupo Geophis dubius se aumenta a 14 y el número de especies de Geophis a 52. Palabras clave. Bosque mesóflo de montaña, Geophis fuscus, Geophis lorancai, grupo de Geophis dubius, nueva especie, Sierra de Misantla, Sierra Madre Oriental | ||||||
| 2:46p | [Herpetology • 2022] From Gondwana to the Yellow Sea, Evolutionary Diversifications of True Toads Bufo sp. in the Eastern Palearctic and A Revisit of Species Boundaries for Asian Lineages
Abstract Taxa with vast distribution ranges often display unresolved phylogeographic structures and unclear taxonomic boundaries resulting in hidden diversity. This hypothesis-driven study reveals the evolutionary history of Bufonidae, covering the phylogeographic patterns found in Holarctic bufonids from the West Gondwana to the phylogenetic taxonomy of Asiatic true toads in the Eastern Palearctic. We used an integrative approach relying on fossilized birth-death calibrations, population dynamics, gene-flow, species distribution, and species delimitation modeling to resolve the biogeography of the clade and highlight cryptic lineages. We verified the near-simultaneous Miocene radiations within Western and Eastern Palearctic Bufo, c. 14.49–10.00 Mya, temporally matching with the maximum dust outflows in Central Asian deserts. Contrary to earlier studies, we demonstrated that the combined impacts of long dispersal and ice-age refugia equally contributed to the current genetic structure of Bufo in East Asia. Our findings reveal a climate-driven adaptation in septentrional Eastern Asian Bufo, explaining its range shifts toward northern latitudes. We resolve species boundaries within the Eastern Palearctic Bufo, and redefine the taxonomic and conservation units of the northeastern species: B. sachalinensis and its subspecies.
   Siti N. Othman, Spartak N. Litvinchuk, Irina Maslova, Hollis Dahn, Kevin R. Messenger, Desiree Andersen, Michael J Jowers, Yosuke Kojima, Dmitry V Skorinov, Kiyomi Yasumiba, Ming-Feng Chuang, Yi-Huey Chen, Yoonhyuk Bae, Jennifer Hoti, Yikweon Jang and Amael Borzee. 2022. From Gondwana to the Yellow Sea, Evolutionary Diversifications of True Toads Bufo sp. in the Eastern Palearctic and A Revisit of Species Boundaries for Asian Lineages. eLife. 11:e70494. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.70494  Editor's evaluation Othman et al., resolve the phylogeography of Bufo at global, continental and regional scales. The strengths of the paper reside in the extreme detail, the inclusive nature of the ideas, and insightful reconstructions of the evolutionary history of Bufo species. Furthermore, taxonomic treatments are a strong part and a nice addition of the paper. The manuscript can be of interest to herpetologists, but also biogeographers and evolutionary biologists interested in the geologic history of Asia. eLife digest The east Asian Asiatic toad (also known by the latin name Bufo gargarizans) lives in a wide range of habitats across East Asia including forests, meadows and cultivated land. However, it remains unclear how these toads evolved and became so widespread – partly because it has proved difficult for researchers to clearly define the species and what distinguishes it from other closely-related species of toads (collectively known as Bufo toads). Othman et al. combined several bioinformatics techniques to study Asiatic toads and 38 other species of bufonid toads from across the globe. This approach found that Bufo toads first emerged in eastern Asia between 14 and 10 million years ago. This coincides with a point in time when large swathes of land in central Asia turned from adequate to sustain toad populations into desert, suggesting the change in climate prompted the toads to migrate eastwards from central Asia. The Bufo toads then divided into two groups of species: one in mainland East Asia and the other in Japan. Furthermore, the study revealed there is more genetic diversity – that is, more variety in the DNA of individuals – in Asiatic toads than previously thought. The findings also help to define several other species of Bufo toads more clearly and describe a new toad species restricted to the Korean Peninsula, northeastern China and the Russian Primorye region: the Sakhalin toad (Bufo sachalinensis). This work demonstrates that a large-scale study of many species across the globe can be used to understand how the species evolved and more clearly distinguish one species from another. The findings of Othman et al. will be of interest to both professional and citizen scientists interested in the natural history of Asia. Furthermore, as several species of Bufo toads are in decline in the wild, they provide evidence that may aid future efforts to conserve them. | ||||||
| 2:48p | [PaleoMammalogy • 2022] Miophyseter chitaensis • A New Physeteroid (Cetacea, Physeteroidea) from the Lower Miocene of Japan
Abstract We describe a new specimen of physeteroid from the lower Miocene (Burdigalian) of Japan. This specimen was recovered from the Toyohama Formation, Chita County, Aichi Prefecture, Japan in 1984 and includes a finely preserved cranium with detached teeth and ear bones (periotic, tympanic bulla, and malleus). Here we refer this specimen to a new genus and species of the Physeteroidea, Miophyseter chitaensis gen. et sp. nov. Our phylogenetic analysis suggests that Miophyseter is a physeteroid more closely related to the crown Physeteroidea (Physeteridae and Kogiidae) than the macroraptorial physeteroids that flourished in middle and late Miocene times. A deep and large excavation on the ventral surface of the palatine and pterygoid in Miophyster suggests an adaptation for deep dives and/or the development of robust pterygoid muscles for active biting.  Miophyseter chitaensis gen. et sp. nov. Toshiyuki Kimura and Yoshikazu Hasegawa. 2022. A New Physeteroid from the Lower Miocene of Japan. Paleontological Research. 26(1):87-101. DOI: 10.2517/PR200021 「知多クジラ」マッコウの新種と判明 ３８年前に発掘の化石  |
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