A New Species of the Genus Scincella Mittleman,1950(Squamata:Scincidae)from Sichuan Province,Southwest China  

作　　者：Ruwan JIA Zongyuan GAO Dihao WU Jinlong REN Dechun JIANG Wei WU 

机构地区：[1]CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization&Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province,Chengdu Institute of Biology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Chengdu 610213,Sichuan,China [2]University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China

出　　处：《Asian Herpetological Research》2024年第2期115-129,共15页亚洲两栖爬行动物研究（英文版）

基　　金：funded by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(STEP)(2019QZKK0501);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32300370,32200363);Sichuan Province Innovative Talent Funding Project for Postdoctoral Fellows(BX202323);Postdoctoral Fellowship Program of CPSF(GZC20232575);Biological Resources Programme,Chinese Academy of Sciences(KFJ-BRP-017-65).

摘　　要：The genus Scincella Mittleman,1950,within the family Scincidae,is a diverse group comprising 39 described species.The taxonomy of the genus is complex due to morphological similarities among species,which often obscures the true extent of biodiversity,resulting in several undescribed species requiring further exploration.In China,particularly within the unique ecosystems of the Hengduan Mountains,the diversity of Scincella is notably underestimated,with only 12 species currently recognized.In the present study,we describe a new species of the genus Scincella,Scincella liangshanensis sp.nov.,from Sichuan Province,Southwest China.Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the putative new species is distinct from all other known congeners.This discovery not only expands the known diversity of Scincella but also emphasizes the inadequacies in our current understanding of herpetological diversity in China.The addition of this species to the scientific record highlights the necessity for ongoing biodiversity assessments to uncover hidden species and enhance our understanding of the intricate web of life in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

关 键 词：morphology PHYLOGENY Scincella liangshanensis sp.nov. taxonomy the Hengduan Mountains 

分 类 号：Q959.62[生物学—动物学]