A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, China

The Gaoligong Mountains lie at the intersection of three global biodiversity hotspots. In recent years, with the continuous deepening of fieldwork in the region, studies have increasingly indicated that the amphibian diversity of this region remains poorly understood. During herpetological surveys i...

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Main Authors: Yun-He Wu, Zhong-Bin Yu, Felista Kasyoka Kilunda, Chen-Qi Lu, Jia-Hua Li, Yun-Peng Li, Yi-Juan Shi, Jing Che
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2025-02-01
Series:ZooKeys
Online Access:https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/131357/download/pdf/
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author Yun-He Wu
Zhong-Bin Yu
Felista Kasyoka Kilunda
Chen-Qi Lu
Jia-Hua Li
Yun-Peng Li
Yi-Juan Shi
Jing Che
author_facet Yun-He Wu
Zhong-Bin Yu
Felista Kasyoka Kilunda
Chen-Qi Lu
Jia-Hua Li
Yun-Peng Li
Yi-Juan Shi
Jing Che
author_sort Yun-He Wu
collection DOAJ
description The Gaoligong Mountains lie at the intersection of three global biodiversity hotspots. In recent years, with the continuous deepening of fieldwork in the region, studies have increasingly indicated that the amphibian diversity of this region remains poorly understood. During herpetological surveys in 2023, a series of Amolops specimens were collected from the Gaoligong Mountains of Yunnan Province, China. The integrated results of morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate the presence of a separate and previously unknown lineage in the A. viridimaculatus group, which we herein confirm as a new species, Amolops gudao Yu, Wu, Lu & Che, sp. nov. Our discovery increases the number of Amolops species recorded in China to 59, and the total number of Amolops species to 86. The discovery of a new species in the Gaoligong Mountains further highlights the underestimated amphibian diversity in the region, emphasizing the need for continued fieldwork and research. Furthermore, Amolops gudao Yu, Wu, Lu & Che, sp. nov. exhibits obvious intraspecific variation in color patterns, a phenomenon also reported in several species within the A. viridimaculatus group, such as A. viridimaculatus and A. kaulbacki. Future studies on the taxonomy of A. viridimaculatus group should be careful with the use of color patterns as a diagnostic characteristic.
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spelling doaj-art-1ea24bcc1f2c4d60bba16d161a9db2152025-08-20T03:12:38ZengPensoft PublishersZooKeys1313-29702025-02-01122734936710.3897/zookeys.1227.131357131357A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, ChinaYun-He Wu0Zhong-Bin Yu1Felista Kasyoka Kilunda2Chen-Qi Lu3Jia-Hua Li4Yun-Peng Li5Yi-Juan Shi6Jing Che7Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesSoutheast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of SciencesKunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesUniversity of the Chinese Academy of SciencesLongyang Branch of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Baoshan Management BureauLongyang Branch of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Baoshan Management BureauLongyang Branch of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Baoshan Management BureauKunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of SciencesThe Gaoligong Mountains lie at the intersection of three global biodiversity hotspots. In recent years, with the continuous deepening of fieldwork in the region, studies have increasingly indicated that the amphibian diversity of this region remains poorly understood. During herpetological surveys in 2023, a series of Amolops specimens were collected from the Gaoligong Mountains of Yunnan Province, China. The integrated results of morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses indicate the presence of a separate and previously unknown lineage in the A. viridimaculatus group, which we herein confirm as a new species, Amolops gudao Yu, Wu, Lu & Che, sp. nov. Our discovery increases the number of Amolops species recorded in China to 59, and the total number of Amolops species to 86. The discovery of a new species in the Gaoligong Mountains further highlights the underestimated amphibian diversity in the region, emphasizing the need for continued fieldwork and research. Furthermore, Amolops gudao Yu, Wu, Lu & Che, sp. nov. exhibits obvious intraspecific variation in color patterns, a phenomenon also reported in several species within the A. viridimaculatus group, such as A. viridimaculatus and A. kaulbacki. Future studies on the taxonomy of A. viridimaculatus group should be careful with the use of color patterns as a diagnostic characteristic.https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/131357/download/pdf/
spellingShingle Yun-He Wu
Zhong-Bin Yu
Felista Kasyoka Kilunda
Chen-Qi Lu
Jia-Hua Li
Yun-Peng Li
Yi-Juan Shi
Jing Che
A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, China
ZooKeys
title A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, China
title_full A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, China
title_fullStr A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, China
title_full_unstemmed A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, China
title_short A new species of the genus Amolops (Anura, Ranidae) from the Gaoligong Mountains, China
title_sort new species of the genus amolops anura ranidae from the gaoligong mountains china
url https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/131357/download/pdf/
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