The complete mitochondrial cytb gene and the partial nuclear c-mos gene of Oligodon ningshaanensis Yuan, 1983 were sequenced and used for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationship of this taxon amongst alethinophid...The complete mitochondrial cytb gene and the partial nuclear c-mos gene of Oligodon ningshaanensis Yuan, 1983 were sequenced and used for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationship of this taxon amongst alethinophidian snakes. Its strong affinity to the New World subfamily Dipsadinae and the Old World species Thermophis baileyi was inferred. Hemipenial morphology found by authors conflicts with the original description and its similarity with those of the dipsadid snakes is in accordance with our molecular results. Feeding tests show that O. ningshaanensis is a malacophagous predator, which is another matchless character for this species. This behavior is described and compared with other known slug- and snail-feeding snakes. The discovery of the particular position of our subject indicates that erecting a new genus is necessary accommodate this unique species.展开更多
The complete mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2(ND2) gene sequences of two species of Thermophis, T. baileyi and T. zhaoermii, were sequenced and compared to those of 86 sequences from other snakes(74 from Cae...The complete mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2(ND2) gene sequences of two species of Thermophis, T. baileyi and T. zhaoermii, were sequenced and compared to those of 86 sequences from other snakes(74 from Caenophidia and 12 from Henophidia). By using Bayesian inference(BI) and maximum likehood(ML) approaches, Thermophis was demonstrated as the sister group to the North American relicts of Dipsadinae, and rooted in Central and South American members of this subfamily. The results suggest that the closest relatives of Thermophis are the North American relicts, and thus support the hypothesis for an Asian-North American origin of xenodontine snakes as suggested by Vidal et al.(2000). Extensive sampling of Asian snakes and American dipsadines is needed to further test this hypothesis in the future.展开更多
文摘The complete mitochondrial cytb gene and the partial nuclear c-mos gene of Oligodon ningshaanensis Yuan, 1983 were sequenced and used for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationship of this taxon amongst alethinophidian snakes. Its strong affinity to the New World subfamily Dipsadinae and the Old World species Thermophis baileyi was inferred. Hemipenial morphology found by authors conflicts with the original description and its similarity with those of the dipsadid snakes is in accordance with our molecular results. Feeding tests show that O. ningshaanensis is a malacophagous predator, which is another matchless character for this species. This behavior is described and compared with other known slug- and snail-feeding snakes. The discovery of the particular position of our subject indicates that erecting a new genus is necessary accommodate this unique species.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(30870290,31071891)the Students Science Research Program of Huangshan University(2010xdkj012)
文摘The complete mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2(ND2) gene sequences of two species of Thermophis, T. baileyi and T. zhaoermii, were sequenced and compared to those of 86 sequences from other snakes(74 from Caenophidia and 12 from Henophidia). By using Bayesian inference(BI) and maximum likehood(ML) approaches, Thermophis was demonstrated as the sister group to the North American relicts of Dipsadinae, and rooted in Central and South American members of this subfamily. The results suggest that the closest relatives of Thermophis are the North American relicts, and thus support the hypothesis for an Asian-North American origin of xenodontine snakes as suggested by Vidal et al.(2000). Extensive sampling of Asian snakes and American dipsadines is needed to further test this hypothesis in the future.
