Designation of the Lectotype for Tropidophorus laotus(Reptilia:Scincidae)and Description of A New Closely Related Species from Southern Yunnan Province, China  

作　　者：Kai WANG Ling LI VDEEPAK Somphouthone PHIMMACHAK Stéphane GROSJEAN Nicolas VIDAL Zhongxiong FU Fenfei WANG Guojin SHEN Bryan LSTUART Jing CHE 

机构地区：[1]Key Laboratory of Genetic Evolution and Animal Models,and Yunnan Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Ecological Conservation of Gaoligong Mountain,Kunming Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Kunming 650223,Yunnan,China [2]Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Yezin 05282,Nay Pyi Taw,Myanmar [3]School of Ecology and Environmental Science,Yunnan University,Kunming 650500,Yunnan,China [4]Newcastle University,Newcastle upon Tyne NE17RU,United Kingdom [5]Science Group,The Natural History Museum,London SW75BD,United Kingdom [6]Department of Biology,Faculty of Natural Sciences,National University of Laos,Vientiane 01000,Laos [7]Muséum national d′Histoire naturelle,Paris 75005,France [8]Yunnan Senye Biotechnology Co.,Ltd.,Xishuangbanna 666100,Yunnan,China [9]Bulong Provincial Nature Reserve,Xishuangbanna 666100,Yunnan,China [10]North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences,Raleigh 27601,USA

出　　处：《Asian Herpetological Research》2025年第1期95-109,共15页亚洲两栖爬行动物研究(英文版)

基　　金：support by the National Science Foundation of China (32130015);Yunnan Revitalization Talent Support Program Yunling Scholar Project;the Animal Branch of the Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Chinese Academy of Sciences (the Large Research Infrastructure Funding) to Jing CHE,Biological Resources Programme, Chinese Academy of Sciences;Yunnan Revitalization Talent Support Program Young Talent Project;CAS Special Research Assistant (SRA) Program;Program of Yunnan Forestry and Grassland Administration (2022GF258D-10);Small Grant Program for New Records and Rediscoveries of Rare Species by Tencent Foundation;Shanshui Conservation Center to Kai WANG;U.S. National Science Foundation (grant DEB1145922);the Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Science program (grant PGA-2000003545), which is a partnership between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. National Science Foundation to Bryan L. STUART。

摘　　要：Despite continuous progress made on the taxonomy of the genus Tropidophorus, the Lao Water Skink, T. laotus, is only known from brief descriptions of its syntypes in historical literature. Here we designate a lectotype and paralectotype of the species, redescribe the species based on the type series and newly collected topotypes, provide the first colored photographs of taxonomically-verified individuals, and estimate its phylogenetic position using mitochondrial DNA data for the first time.Using these comparable data, we confirm that the previously identified “T. berdmorei” population from southern Yunnan Province, China, represents a distinct new species that is closely related and morphologically similar to T. laotus, but differs from true T. laotus by having considerable genetic divergence(4.7%–4.8% for 12S, 3.2%–4.2% for 16S)and distinct morphological characters(e.g., undivided frontonasal scales and a distinct color pattern of the throat). The southern Yunnan population is therefore described as a new species. With the above newly acquired data, we update the checklist and the provincial-level distribution of the genus Tropidophorus in China and compile an updated key to all recognized species of the genus from China and Indochina.

关 键 词：cross-border distribution MISIDENTIFICATION SCINCIDAE taxonomy 

分 类 号：F42[经济管理—产业经济]