Mitogenomic phylogeny of the Asian colobine genus Trachypithecus with special focus on Trachypithecus phayrei(Blyth, 1847) and description of a new species

Trachypithecus,which currently contains 20 species divided into four groups,is the most speciose and geographically dispersed genus among Asian colobines.Despite several morphological and molecular studies,however,its evolutionary history and phylogeography remain poorly understood.Phayre’s langur(Trachypithecus phayrei) is one of the most widespread members of the genus,but details on its actual distribution and intraspecific taxonomy are limited and controversial.Thus,to elucidate the evolutionary history of Trachypithecus and to clarify the intraspecific taxonomy and distribution of T.phayrei,we sequenced 41 mitochondrial genomes from georeferenced fecal samples and museum specimens,including two holotypes.Phylogenetic analyses revealed a robustly supported phylogeny of Trachypithecus,suggesting that the T.pileatus group branched first,followed by the T.francoisi group,and the T.cristatus and T.obscurus groups most recently.The four species groups diverged from each other 4.5-3.1 million years ago(Ma),while speciation events within these groups occurred much more recently(1.6-0.3 Ma).Within T.phayrei,we found three clades that diverged 1.0-0.9 Ma,indicating the existence of three rather than two taxa.Following the phylogenetic species concept and based on genetic,morphological,and ecological differences,we elevate the T.phayrei subspecies to species level,describe a new species from central Myanmar,and refine the distribution of the three taxa.Overall,our study highlights the importance of museum specimens and provides new insights not only into the evolutionary history of T.phayrei but the entire Trachypithecus genus as well.

Description of two new species of Hemiphyllodactylus(Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from karst landscapes in Yunnan, China, highlights complex conservation needs

Karst habitats are hotspots of diversity and endemism. Their naturally fragmented distributions across broad geographic landscapes have led to the complex array of smaller evolutionary ecosystems that present unique challenges from a conservation perspective.Comprehensivebiodiversity assessments of karst habitats have revealed that these ecosystems contain an almost unparalleled level of endemism, and many site-restricted species remain undescribed, thus posing considerable challenges for effective conservation management.Small rock-dwelling species, such as geckos, may be particularly prone to such isolation. In this paper, we discuss one such genus, i.e.,Hemiphyllodactylus, and explore its diversity across karst landforms in Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Based on morphological and genetic data, we describe two new species of Hemiphyllodactylus from karst habitats in Simao District and Yanshan County. A phylogenetic tree for Hemiphyllodactylus was constructed using 1?039 base pairs(bp) of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene(ND2). The Simao and Yanshan specimens can be distinguished from all other congeners within their respective subclades based on uncorrected genetic pairwise distances greater than 6.3% and 4.3%respectively, as well as significant morphological differences. The discovery and description of these two new species brings the total number of described Hemiphyllodactylus species in China to 14and indicates many more undescribed species from unsurveyed karst regions await discovery.Our findings suggest that karst ecosystems in Yunnan support a higher diversity of Hemiphyllodactylus than previously known.This study also highlights the importance of karst ecosystems as refugia for sitespecific endemic species and the need for heightened conservation efforts.