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Wild animals are considered reservoirs for emerging and reemerging viruses, such as the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Previous studies have reported that bats and ticks harbored variable important pathogenic viruses, some of which could cause potential diseases in humans and livestock, while viruses carried by reptiles were rarely reported. Our study first conducted snakes' virome analysis to establish effective surveillance of potential transboundary emerging diseases. Consequently, Adenoviridae, Circoviridae, Retroviridae, and Parvoviridae were identified in oral samples from Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, Elaphe dione, and Gloydius angusticeps based on sequence similarity to existing viruses. Picornaviridae and Adenoviridae were also identified in fecal samples of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus. Notably, the iflavirus and foamy virus were first reported in Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, enriching the transboundary viral diversity in snakes. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis revealed that both the novel-identified viruses showed low genetic similarity with previously reported viruses. This study provided a basis for our understanding of microbiome diversity and the surveillance and prevention of emerging and unknown viruses in snakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrative taxonomy based on multiple data sets plays an important role in species classification, especially in the case of cryptic species. Rhabdophis subminiatus is a colubrid snake with broadly geographical distribution, and two subspecies (Rhabdophis subminiatussubminiatus and Rhabdophis subminiatushelleri) are currently recognized within this species. Based on external morphological comparison, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)‐based phylogeny, single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐based phylogeny, and population structure analysis, we explored the intraspecific taxonomy of R. subminiatus. Phylogenetic analysis based on mtDNA and SNPs consistently uncovered two highly supported lineages separated by a large genetic distance, with SNP‐based principal component analysis (PCA) and population structure analysis displaying similar results. Despite the fact that PCA based on morphological data did not show population differentiation, unlike the molecular data, we suggest that R. s. helleri should be elevated to the specific rank as Rhabdophishelleri based on all lines of evidence. The distributional boundary between the two species R. helleri and R. subminiatus is tentatively proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]