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Herein, we provided a morphological description combined with a phylogenetic analysis of the northernmost Thai Tylototriton population, which was found in Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park (DPHPNP), Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. Three adult males were collected from a small breeding pond during our survey in July 2020. Based on molecular (two specimens) and morphological (three specimens) evidence, all three specimens from DPHPNP were identified as Tylototriton verrucosus Anderson, 1871, and were characterized by having a blackish background, orange to light orange-brown color markings, segmented vertebral ridge, prominent rib nodules ranging from 13–15 warts, and a rough skin with granules. Hence, this second record of T. verrucosus populations in Thailand confirms a range extension of this species in northern Indochina. Additionally, the morphological variation and conservation status are discussed for the populations from Thailand.

The jaws of vertebrates display a striking diversity in form and function, but they typically open and close like a trapdoor rather than sliding like a saw. Here, we report unique feeding behaviour in the blunt-headed snail-eating snake, Aplopeltura boa (family Pareidae), where the snake cuts off and circumvents the indigestible part (the operculum) of its prey in the mouth using long sliding excursions of one side of the mandible, while the upper jaws and the mandible on the other side maintain a stable grasp on the prey. This behaviour, which we call ‘mandibular sawing’, is made possible by extraordinarily independent movements of the jaw elements and is a surprising departure from usual feeding behaviour in vertebrates., ヘビが顎をノコギリのように使うことを発見 --ボルネオ島での爬虫両生類の生態調査で--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2020-07-31.

A new species of salamander, Hynobius mikawaensis, is described from the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. It is a lentic breeder of the so-called H. lichenatus species group, and is phylogenetically closest to H. nigrescens and H. takedai. Morphologically, it differs greatly from H. nigrescens, but is very similar to H. takedai, from which it could be differentiated by some morphological traits such as shorter forelimbs and hindlimbs, but longer axilla-groin length, all relative to snout-vent length. The new species from the southern Pacific side of central Japan is completely separated geographically from H. nigrescens and H. takedai, both from the northern, Japan Sea side, by the intervening high mountains. This north/south disjunctive distributional pattern is highly unique among Japanese fauna. The range of the species is so small that immediate measure of conservation is necessary.

Andrias japonicus, the Japanese giant salamander, is the second largest amphibian species in the world. The biology of this long-lived, fully aquatic salamander is still incompletely known, and studying the threats it experiences is important for conservation management. We used 16S amplicon sequencing to provide the first data on the composition and diversity of the cutaneous microbiome of this species. Skin bacterial communities of adult and larval giant salamanders were composed primarily of taxa belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, and, their community structure differed significantly from that of two other syntopic amphibians (Cynops pyrrhogaster and Glandirana rugosa). We also found differences between wild A. japonicus and captive individuals, with the latter having an increased bacterial diversity. The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was detected only in captive individuals (40% prevalence), and did not correlate with a particular bacterial community structure. We identified eight bacteria that were significantly more abundant on A. japonicus compared to syntopic amphibians, one of which was Janthinobacterium lividum, a bacterial species known to exert Bd-inhibiting effects. Our study provides baseline data for future in-depth studies on the microbial ecology of cutaneous bacteria and the contribution of cutaneous bacteria to Bd resistance in giant salamanders.

Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, we surveyed genetic features of 12 individuals of Cynops pyrrhogaster introduced into Hachijojima Island, in order to estimate their possible origin in the main islands of Japan. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 12 examined newts of the introduced population display no genetic diversity and share characteristics with the conspecific population of Shikoku and thus belong to the WESTERN Clade proposed by earlier studies. Our results suggest that the Hachijojima population, having experienced a drastic founder effect, stems from very few individuals from the Shikoku District approximately 650 km to the west.

Global climatic transitions and Tibetan Plateau uplifts are hypothesized to have profoundly impacted biodiversity in southeastern Asia. To further test the hypotheses related to the impacts of these incidents, we investigated the diversification patterns of the newt genus Tylototriton sensu lato, distributed across the mountain ranges of southeastern Asia. Gene-tree and species-tree analyses of two mitochondrial genes and two nuclear genes revealed five major clades in the genus, and suggested several cryptic species. Dating estimates suggested that the genus originated in the early-to-middle Miocene. Under different species delimitating scenarios, diversification analyses with birth-death likelihood tests indicated that the genus held a higher diversification rate in the late Miocene-to-Pliocene era than that in the Pleistocene. Ancestral area reconstructions indicated that the genus originated from the northern Indochina Peninsula. Accordingly, we hypothesized that the Miocene Climatic Transition triggered the diversification of the genus, and the reinforcement of East Asian monsoons associated with the stepwise uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau promoted the radiation of the genus in southeastern Asia during the Miocene-to-Pliocene period. Quaternary glacial cycles likely had limited effects on speciation events in the genus, but mainly had contributions on their intraspecific differentiations.

A cryptic Bornean torrent frog of the genus Meristogenys, which is divergent genetically and morphologically from all known congeners, is described from mountain streams of western Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo). The species occurs sympatrically with the type species of the genus, M. jerboa, but apparently differs from it in adult coloration and larval morphology, such as keratodont formulae and glands in tail fins. Females of the new species possess much larger and fewer eggs than in sympatric M. jerboa, suggesting significantly different reproductive traits between these species. A key to larvae of known species of the genus is provided.

We estimated the phylogenetic relationships of an enigmatic small toad Parapelophryne scalpta from Hainan Island, China to nine other bufonid genera from Southeast and East Asia using ca. 2000 bp sequences of the mitochondrial DNA genes 12S rRNA, tRNAval, and 16S rRNA using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods. The East and Southeast Asian bufonid genera formed a clade in which seven lineages with unresolved relationships to each other were recognized. Monophyly was supported only for (A) Parapelophryne and Bufo, (B) Phrynoidis and Pedostibes, and (C) Leptophryne and Ansonia. All genera were genetically divergent from each other and Parapelophryne, erected purely based on morphology, could be recognized as a distinct genus. On the other hand, it was found to be the sister genus of East Asian Bufo, an unexpected result given their great morphological difference and discontinuous distribution.

Animals communicating by sound face interference from biotic and abiotic sources. Contrasting strategies have been reported in different taxa in the presence of prolonged noise. Some torrent-living frogs of the genera Odorrana and Huia emit ultrasounds to avoid masking by environment noise. That strategy, however, might not be the only mode of acoustic communication for inhabiting along fast-flowing streams. To examine this possibility, we analyzed call structures of two horned toads, Megophrys kuatunensis and M. huangshanensis, which inhabit along streams in eastern China. We investigated variation in call properties within and between the two species and found that the two species show similar call structures but significantly differ in note duration and inter-note interval. Both of the two species concentrate energy on a single, wide harmonic band, and this might be an acoustic strategy against environmental noise.

We describe a new species of Tylototriton from northwestern Vietnam and northern Thailand based on morphological and molecular evidence. Tylototriton anguliceps sp. nov. is distinguishable from all the other congeners by the bright to dark orange markings on the head, body, and tail, prominent dorsal and dorsolateral ridges (crests) on the head, skeletal connection between maxillary and pterygoid, and unique mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Our molecular data show that the new species is nested within the clade comprising T. uyenoi, T. shanjing, T. verrucosus, and T. yangi. The new species is expected to be recorded from other countries in the Indochina region such as southern China, western Myanmar and northern Laos in the future.

A new small, semi-arboreal toad of the genus Pelophryne is described from western Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, on the basis of molecular and morphological evidence. Of the two morphotypes recognized in the genus, the new species belongs to the one in which the tips of the fingers are expanded into truncate discs. Among the species in the morphotype, the new species is most similar to P. murudensis, but differs from it by body size, relative hindlimb length, and dorsal coloration. The new species is currently known only from a limited area on Gunung (= Mt.) Penrissen, and future measures of its habitat conservation are necessary.

A new species of Asian rock gecko, genus Cnemaspis , is described from Padawan, western Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The new species forms a clade with C . paripari and C . nigridia of the C . nigridia group in a mitochondrial DNA phylogeny and is similar to them morphologically in some characters such as caudal scalation. It differs from the other Asian Cnemaspis species in its unique combination of snout–vent length (up to 62.7 mm), 4–9 precloacal pores in males, keeled subcaudals with an enlarged, smooth, median row, presence of ventrolateral caudal tubercles, and coloration (head and upper flanks dark-yellow; anterior portion of tail black; posterior portion of tail white with black, paravertebral blob). Phylogenetic relationships within the C. nigridia group and the distributional ranges of species within the group suggest allopatric speciation by geographic isolation.

Using preserved specimens, we studied the basic life history of the topotypic population of the unique Asian plethodontid salamander, Karsenia koreana. Of 51 individuals examined, 11 males and 13 females were judged as mature from the development of gonads. The ovarian eggs were large (diameter 3.7–4.8 mm) and yellow to orange in color, and the clutch size was about 8–10. These values approximate those of actually spawned eggs recently reported. Skeletochronological analyses revealed the average age of males (5.3 years) to be lower than females (7.3 years). The age at maturity and maximum observed longevity were four and nine years in males and five and 10 years in females, respectively. In the growth curves estimated by a von Bertalanffy growth model, the growth coefficient and asymptotic SVL did not differ between the sexes, although males (40.6 mm) were smaller than females (45.3 mm) in the average snout-vent length. The time and place of courtship behavior, oval development, hatching, and especially, whether the species shows aquatic larval stage or direct development, are important topics to be resolved in future.

A new megophryid species is described from southwestern Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. In appearance, Leptolalax marmoratus sp. nov. is most similar to L. hamidi also from southwestern Sarawak, but differs from it by mtDNA sequence, larger body size, and higher dominant frequency of advertisement call. The assumption that more than one species of Leptolalax coexist at one locality in Borneo is supported. The finding of the new species raises the species number of Leptolalax known from Borneo to nine, and the island is thought to be one of the diversification centers of the genus.

A review of the systematic study of Japanese amphibians, especially focusing on recent taxonomic changes, phylogeographic study, conservation, and future prospects, is presented here. The number of known amphibian species and the degree of their endemism has been greatly revised, then increased, in Japan, especially in this decade. However, the systematic study of Japanese amphibians is far from complete and many new species are still waiting to be described. The recent development of genetic analysis has promoted the systematic study of Japanese amphibians. Presently, new analyses by the use of DNA reveal fine-scale, population- and species-level phylogeny and phylogeographic relationships in Japanese amphibians, and this trend will continue also in the next decade. The recent taxonomic changes urge us to modify conservation laws and the Red Data Book (RDB), a list of species that are endangered, at governmental and regional levels. For these purposes, we need more researchers majoring in the taxonomy, morphology, life history, and conservation of Japanese amphibians. To increase these numbers, we must train younger students engaged in such studies on amphibians.

We assessed the taxonomic relationship of Pachytriton changi Nishikawa, Matsui et Jiang, 2012 and P. xanthospilos Wu, Wang et Hanken, 2012 using partial mitochondrial DNA sequence and found them to be so closely related as to be regarded as conspecific. This result, together with available morphological information, strongly indicates that P. xanthospilos is a subjective junior synonym of P. changi. By this synonymization, southern Hunan and northern Guangdong provinces are shown to be a part of the natural distribution range of P. changi, whose type locality is known only as China. However, known localities in this range are restricted and endangered status of the species is not changed.

The Tohoku salamander, Hynobius lichenatus Boulenger, 1883, is a lentic breeding species widespread throughout montane regions of northeastern Japan. To explore intraspecific genetic variation and infer evolutionary history of H. lichenatus, we performed mitochondrial DNA analysis (complete 1141 bp sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene) using 215 adult and larval individuals collected from 75 localities, encompassing known distributional range of the species. Hynobius lichenatus proved to be monophyletic, including three well-supported and geographically structured clades (Clade I from northern Kanto, Clade II from southern Tohoku, and Clade III from northern Tohoku). These clades, respectively, comprise several subclades, and show genetic distances as large as those seen between different species of Hynobius. Results of population statistic analyses indicate that all clades and most subclades have maintained high genetic diversity and demographic stability over long periods. Molecular dating indicates divergence in H. lichenatus concords with topographic evolution of northeastern Japan from late Miocene to early Pleistocene, suggesting that paleogeographic events in this region, such as orogenesis, sea level change, and volcanic activity, have been crucial for shaping genetic patterns and diversity in this species. Hynobius lichenatus greatly differs from many other animal species from northeastern Japan in its much older periods and the pattern of genetic differentiation, and is suggested as an old faunal element in this region.

A fanged frog Limnonectes kuhlii was once thought to be wide-ranging in Southeast Asia, but is now confined to its type locality Java through recent phylogenetic studies, which clarified heterospecific status of non-Javanese populations, and monophyly of Bornean populations. However, large genetic differences among Bornean populations suggest occurrence of cryptic species, which we test using dense geographic sampling. We estimated the phylogenetic relationships among samples of Bornean populations together with their putative relatives from the continental Southeast Asia, using 2517bp sequences of the 12S rRNA, tRNA(val), and 16S rRNA of mitochondrial DNA, and 2367bp sequences of the NCX1, POMC, and RAG1 of nuclear genes. In the mtDNA trees, Bornean L. kuhlii-like frogs formed a monophyletic group split into 18 species lineages including L. hikidai, with the deepest phylogenetic split separating L. cintalubang from the remaining species. Almost all of these lineages co-occur geographically, and two to three lineages were found syntopically in each locality. Co-occurrence of more than one lineage may be maintained by differential morphology and microhabitat selection. These syntopic lineages should be regarded as distinct species. Our results clearly indicate that taxonomic revision is urgent to clarify many evolutionary problems of Bornean L. kuhlii-like frogs.

A new unstriped Ichthyophis is described based on one adult male and five larval specimens collected from the northwestern slope of Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The new species is distinguished from all other unstriped congeners by a combination of characters that includes position of tentacles and number of annuli, scale rows, splenial teeth, and vertebrae. The anterior phallodeum morphology is described for the new species. The evolution of large larvae of unstriped Ichthyophis is discussed briefly.

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships and estimated the history of species diversification and character evolution in two ichthyophiid genera: Caudacaecilia and Ichthyophis. We estimated the phylogenetic relationships of 67 samples from 33 localities in Southeast Asia from 3840-bp sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cyt b genes using Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony methods. The Southeast Asian samples formed a well-supported clade differentiated from a South Asian sample. The Southeast Asian clade was divided into two subclades, one containing samples from South China, Indochina, Malay Peninsula, and Java. The other consisted of samples from Borneo and the Philippines. Neither Caudacaecilia nor Ichthyophis was monophyletic, nor did samples with or without light stripes lateral to the body form clades. We found several distinct sympatric lineages and undescribed species, especially from Sundaland.

Two new species of the salamandrid genus Pachytriton are described from Anlui and Guangxi, China, based on molecular and morphological analyses. One of them from Huangshan, Anhui, has smaller body, longer limbs, and larger eye than the remaining congeners. The other from northeastern Guangxi possesses a larger body and head, and longer snout and tooth series than the remaining congeners. Also, we have found that two individuals of Pachytriton obtained from pet shops in Japan can represent an unnamed species, but do not describe them as new because we have no exact information on their original localities. The distribution patterns and ecological relationships among species of Pachytriton are discussed.

On the basis of allozyme and mtDNA sequence variation, we elucidated genetic relationships between two sympatric genetic types of Onychodactylus japonicus in Kinki and adjacent districts, and investigated their phylogeography. Allozymic analysis revealed the presence of two distinct genetic types (the SW-Honshu and Kinki groups) in this area, and their sympatric occurrence in three of 10 sampling sites. Fixed or nearly fixed allele differences in several loci strongly suggested reproductive isolation between the two types, although one hybrid specimen was found in a locality. Analyses of mtDNA using 194 specimens from 22 localities also demonstrated two genetic types. From phylogeographic and population genetic analyses, it was surmised that these two types diverged allopatrically, and secondarily contacted to become sympatric by the Pleistocene uplift of mountains. Our results indicate different specific status for these two types and separation of the Kinki group from O. japonicus, to which the SW-Honshu group belongs.

We studied variation in morphometric and meristic characters and color pattern in the salamander Hynobius kimurae, examining 282 males from 24 localities encompassing the whole distributional range of the species in Honshu, the mainland of Japan. Multivariate analyses of 24 morphometric characters resulted in the separation of two groups, (1) eastern populations from the Kanto District to Shizuoka Prefecture of the Chubu District, and (2) central-western populations from Aichi Prefecture of the Chubu District westwards. Similar groups were recognized in meristic characters and color pattern. These geographic patterns of morphological variation coincided with the pattern of genetic differentiation inferred from allozymes in this species, except for the position of one population from the intermediate region. Some of the morphometric and meristic characters significantly correlated with environmental parameters of sampling sites, and suggested effects of differential habitat conditions among populations on the geographic morphological variation in this species.

We compared larval life history between two populations of Hynobius boulengeri from Kyushu, Japan, one from Takachiho on the Sobo-Katamuki Mountains and the other from Kinko on the Osumi Peninsula. They showed variation in life history which seems to be induced partially by differences in water temperature and food availability, but may also reflect differences at the genetic level. Larvae from Takachiho, where the water temperature was lower in winter, developed more slowly but grew more quickly under higher summer temperatures and by eating larger prey than larvae from Kinko. In Takachiho, most larvae overwintered once or twice, and in one case, three times. In contrast, larger numbers of larvae metamorphosed without overwintering in Kinko. Takachiho larvae were larger at metamorphosis (SVL=ca 39 mm in average) than Kinko larvae (ca. 31 mm), and this difference is thought to affect the body size difference in adults. The relatively large mouth in Takachiho larvae is thought to be an adaptation not to cannibalism, but to larger prey. The relatively small mouth in Kinko larvae, unique among larvae of H. boulengeri populations and its ally, H. hirosei, seems to be also constrained by genetic factors.

We conducted an electrophoretic survey to examine systematic relationships of a lotic-breeding salamander Hynobius okiensis endemic to Dogo Island of the Oki Islands, Japan, with several lentic and lotic-breeding Japanese species. Genetically H. okiensis with 2n=56 chromosomes was closer to the lentic-breeding H. nebulosus group (H. nebulosus and H. dunni) with the same chromosome number than to the lotic-breeding H. naevius group (H. naevius and H. kimurae) and H. boulengeri with 58 chromosomes. Chromosome number reduction from 58 to 56, possibly accompanied with a change in breeding environment from streams to still waters, is estimated to have first occurred in the nebulosus group of Hynobius. A reversal only in breeding habits then seems to have followed in steep, montane environments of the small island of Dogo, resulting in the speciation of H. okiensis.

Sawyer (1986) included three species in the nasal leech genus Limnatis Moquin-Tandon 1827: Limnatis nilotica (Savigny 1822), Limnatis bacescui Manoleli 1972 and Limnatis paluda (Tennent 1859). The first and last species have mainly been identified in Middle Eastern countries (e.g. Kinzelbach and Rückert 1985). The second species has been identified only in Romania Dobruja (Manoleli 1972). Although Limnatis leeches are well known species of endoparasitic leeches, Limnatis nilotica was recorded only once in Kazakhstan (Lukin 1976). Specimens of the genus Limnatis from Almaty Province, Kazakhstan are identified as Limnatis paluda. This is the first record of Limnatis paluda from Kazakhstan. Mitochondrial COI and 12S data demonstrated that the present specimens are genetically close to an Israeli specimen identified as Limnatis nilotica. In addition, molecular data suggest that some Limnatis specimens whose DNA sequences have been reported were misidentified. According to the observed phylogenetic relationships, the taxonomic status of the known Limnatis species should be revisited.

Using starch gel electrophoresis, geographical enzyme variation was surveyed in 46 populations of the Japanese salamander Hynobius nebulosus, which occurs widely in western Japan. This species exhibits substantial local genetic differentiation and is more diverse in inland regions than on small islands. In several different analyses, two groups of populations, one from Kyushu Island to the westernmost part of Chugoku district, Honshu (western group), and another from Shikoku through Kinki to Chubu district, Honshu (eastern group), were consistently recognized. Most of the remaining populations were placed in two less clearly-defined groups: the montane group from the Chugoku Mountains and the Chugoku group from the coastal regions of Chugoku district. The divergence patterns of H. nebulosus are thought to be related to the geological history of its range. The populations near the boundary of the western group were found to share several alleles that were predominant on both sides of the boundary, indicating past secondary contact. Differentiation in the montane group did not follow the isolation by distance model, probably because several populations included were genetically mixed with lowland populations of the Chugoku group. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2006, 89, 311–330.

We surveyed allozymic variation among Hynobius naevius from 11 localities of central Kyushu, Japan. The results revealed the presence of two genetic groups (I and II) that exhibited a great difference in allelic frequency and a large genetic distance. Specimens from seven of the 11 localities invariably belonged to Group I, and those from three other localities belonged to Group II. In the remaining one locality, representatives of both of these two groups were found just as in northern Kyushu. The two genetic groups also differed in morphological (Group I larger than Group II in body size) and ecological characters (breeding sites located in open streams in Group I, but possibly in underground water in Group II). These differences might have been enabling them to coexist.

We found a salamander of the genus Hynobius on Kamishima of the Amakusa Islands, Japan, which is new to this island group. From the characteristics of larval habitat and morphology, this salamander is considered to be a lotic breeder. Until the discovery of this species, only a lentic breeding species (Hynobius nebulosus) was known from the Amakusa Islands. Morphologically the present salamander is well differentiated from other lotic breeding Hynobius of nearby regions and is closest to the southernmost population of H. boulengeri from the Osumi Peninsula among the species or populations examined. In order to determine its taxonomic position, however, genetic analyses using a larger number of comparative specimens are needed. The biogeographic significance of the present finding is briefly discussed.

We assessed the taxonomic relationships of an endangered Japanese small salamander, Hynobius hidamontanus Matsui, 1987, and its close relative H. tenuis Nambu, 1991 electrophoretically and found that they were not clearly distinguished from each other. This result, together with available morphological and ecological information, strongly indicates that H. tenuis Nambu, 1991 is a subjective junior synonym of H. hidamontanus Matsui, 1987. By this conclusion, the total distribution range of H. hidamontanus is greatly expanded, but its endangered status and the necessity of its conservation is not be changed since the habitats of this species are fragmented and not continuous. The distribution pattern of this species is interesting from the viewpoint of biogeography.

Taxonomic status of a salamander now identified as Hynobius tokyoensis from Aichi Prefecture, Japan, was assessed by allozymic comparisons with its relatives. All three populations of H. tokyoensis from Aichi formed a monophyletic group with populations of H. nebulosus; this group is substantially diverged from a conspecific population from Kanagawa that formed another group with H. lichenatus. In the former group, the population of H. nebulosus from near the type locality was more divergent from the other conspecific populations than were three populations of H. tokyoensis from Aichi. It is quite clear that the salamander from Aichi now identified as H. tokyoensis is genetically much closer to H. nebulosus than to H. tokyoensis from Kanagawa, which is closest geographically to its type locality. This result conforms well to reported results of morphological and genetic studies, and the salamander from Aichi, now called H. tokyoensis, should be identified as H. nebulosus, which is sufficiently diverged from H. tokyoensis to be considered a distinct species.

Based on morphological and molecular analyses, Xiong et al. (2007) synonymized Hynobius yunanicus Chen et al. with Pachyhynobius shangchengensis Fei et al., both from continental China. Their study, however, was not substantial enough in that morphology of types of neither species was compared, only a partial mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) sequence was employed, and data for H. chinensis was lacking. In order to reassess their conclusion, we morphologically examined type specimens of both species, and compared their complete cyt b (1141 bp) sequences, together with all the six recognized continental Hynobius species and some congeners from Japan and South Korea.

Systematic relationships of fanged frogs usually associated with Limnonectes kuhlii are assessed using 15 samples from Japan, Chinese Mainland and Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia (Borneo), and Indonesia. Phylogenetic relationship inferred from the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, tRNA val , and 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that fanged frogs sampled are not monophyletic with the topotypic L. kuhlii from Java. Samples from Yunnan of southern China (L. bannaensis), northern Laos and central Vietnam, and those from Jiangxi of eastern China (L. fujianensis), Taiwan and Japan (L. namiyei), respectively, form monophyletic groups, and are collectively sister to the Thai sample (L. megastomias). All these samples, L. fragilis from Hainan of southern China, and a group of Bornean samples show unresolved relationships with Javanese L. kuhlii. From the resultant phylogeny and genetic distances found among samples, L. "kuhlii" from Taiwan and L. fujianensis, and L. "kuhlii" from northern Laos and central Vietnam and L. bannaensis, respectively, are surmised to be conspecific. These fanged frogs are morphologically similar to, but phylogenetically distant from, L. kuhlii sensu stricto. Limnonectes namiyei, L. fujianensis, and L. bannaensis are considered to have a common ancestor whose chromosome number was 2n=22, unlike L. fragilis, L. kuhlii and many other frogs with 2n=26 chromosomes.

Using the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, we investigated phylogenetic relationships between and within the Japanese clawed salamander, Onychodactylus japonicus, and its close continental relative O. fischeri. Monophyly of O. japonicus was well supported, and O. japonicus was clearly distinguished from O. fischeri. However, O. fischeri comprises genetically distinct populations from Russia, NE China, and Korea that do not form a monophyletic group. Within O. japonicus, four major clades were clearly recognized: Clade I from northern Tohoku district, Clade II from southern Tohoku district and the Tsukuba Mountains, Clade III from southwestern Honshu, and Clade IV from Kinki and Chugoku districts in Honshu and from Shikoku. Although genetic distances among these clades were large (5.5-9.6%), relationships among the clades were unresolved. All clades except Clade I contained two or three distinct subclades. In several localities in Kinki and Chugoku, Clades III and IV were sympatric. The estimated divergence times and available geohistorical data suggest that O. japonicus began to differentiate in the Upper Late Miocene and that the pattern of genetic differentiation of this species has been affected strongly by climate changes and geohistorical events such as volcanic activity and mountain formation. Our results suggest that both O. fischeri and O. japonicus comprise multiple cryptic species.

Falcaustra odaiensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercoidea: Kathlaniidae) is described from the Japanese clawed salamander, Onychodactylus japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782), and Ishizuchi salamander, Hynobius hirosei Lantz, 1931 (Caudata: Hynobiidae), in Japan. This nematode is characterized by having multiple pseudosuckers in the male. It resembles Falcaustra araxiana, Falcaustra duyagi, Falcaustra lambdiensis, Falcaustra pillaii, Falcaustra siamensis, and Falcaustra washingtonensis, but is readily distinguished by the spicule length and/or egg size. This is the first Falcaustra species described from Japanese salamanders.

We conducted molecular phylogenetic analyses to confirm taxonomic relationships and to delimit distributional ranges of Siberian salamanders, Salamandrella keyserlingii and Salamandrella schrenckii, and to elucidate the origin of the isolated population of this species complex on Hokkaido, Japan. Phylogenetic trees constructed by MP, NJ, ML, and Bayesian methods, using complete sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b genes, all indicated monophyly of Salamandrella and of each of the two species. Identical relationships were found on UPGMA, NJ, and CONTML trees derived from electrophoretic analysis of variation in 18 inferred allozyme loci. Populations from Hokkaido and northeastern China proved to be S. keyserlingii, while populations from Khabarovsk and Lazovsky are S. schrenckii. Genetic differentiations of S. keyserlingii within Sakhalin, and between Sakhalin and Hokkaido, are substantial. The Hokkaido population is hypothesized to have been isolated on the island since early Pleistocene, much earlier than isolation of sympatric anuran populations from their Sakhalin relatives. In contrast, the continental populations of S. keyserlingii are only slightly differentiated from some Sakhalin populations, and are thought to have expanded their ranges in the late Pleistocene.

Using mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA sequences, we investigated phylogenetic relationships among populations of the endemic Japanese salamander Hynobius naevius. Monophyly of this species was recovered only in the maximum parsimony tree and was unresolved in maximum likelihood and Bayesian trees. Instead the following four haplotype clades consistently emerged clearly: Clade 1 from northwestern Kyushu, Clade 2 from Chugoku and northeastern Kyushu, Clade 3 from western Shikoku and Kyushu, and Clade 4 from Chubu-Kinki and central-eastern Shikoku. Of these, Clades 1 and 2, and Clades 3 and 4, respectively, correspond to Groups A and B previously recognized from the analyses of allozyme data in this species, but monophyly of these groups was not strongly supported. Unlike the previous results, the western and eastern samples from Shikoku did not form a clade, and were grouped with Kyushu-B in Clade 3 and Chubu-Kinki in Clade 4, respectively. The reason for this conflict between mtDNA and allozyme results is unknown, but might be related to retention of ancestral mtDNA polymorphism in Shikoku populations. Nearly simultaneous divergence of as many as four lineages in wide-ranging H. naevius is inferred for the late Miocene-Pliocene history of this taxon.

We describe a small salamander from south Central Honshu, Japan, as a new species, Hynobius katoi. The genetic distances between this species and several named species, including sympatric H. kimurae, derived from allozyme data from a starch gel electrophoresis, proved to be sufficiently large to differentiate it at a specific rank. Distribution of this species is confined to the montane regions of Shizuoka and Nagano Prefectures, on the Akaishi Mountains of the Chubu District, central Japan. It is regarded as a member of the naevius group of Hynobius, characterized by small number of large, pigmentless ova. The species differs from the other species of the naevius group by the combination of relatively small body size, nearly spotless body, relatively few vomerine teeth forming moderately shallow series, and unique electrophoretic pattern of isozymes.

A survey to examine genetic variation among Hynobius naevius from four localities of Fukuoka Pref., northern Kyushu, Japan, resulted in the detection of two, sympatric, genetic types (A and B) that are clearly different in the allelic frequencies of four loci (ACOH-A, ACOH-B, ADH-A, and SOD-A) in each locality. Morphological investigations between the two genetic types also proved that they are clearly discriminated; the type A is about 75 mm in SVL, lacks mottling pattern on bluish purple dorsum, and possesses relatively short vomerine teeth series, while the type B is about 60 mm in SVL, and has light mottling on reddish purple ground color. These results strongly suggest that reproductive isolation occurs between these two types, and that they could be regarded as separate species. Populations from Toyota-cho, western Honshu, and Yabe-machi, central Kyushu, both close to Fukuoka Pref., were very similar to the types A and B, respectively. From these results, we consider that two evolutionary lineages that first evolved allopatrically in western Honshu and southern Kyushu secondarily contacted and became sympatric in the region of northern Kyushu.

Three new species of lotic breeding Hynobius, formerly assigned to H. boulengeri, are described from the Kyushu region, southwestern Japan. They differ from all the known congeners by a unique combination of body size, character ratios, coloration, mtDNA, and allozymic characteristics. Together with H. stejnegeri they form a clade, which is not a sister group of H. boulengeri, and their speciation in Kyushu is surmised to have occurred at the end of Miocene, accompanied by differentiations in larval period and metamorphosing size. Measures of conservation of these new species are discussed briefly.

A specimen of the Korean crevice salamander (Karsenia koreana) was found in the collection of the Institute for Amphibian Biol- ogy, Hiroshima University, Japan. The specimen was collected in 1971 from Mt. Gyeryong, South Korea by a Japanese-Korean research team. This finding indicates that this outstanding plethodon- tid species had actually been encountered but without appropriate recognition for more than 30 years before its official discovery in 2003 and original description in 2005. This fact suggests that old herpetological collections that have been kept unattended may yield taxonomically and biogeographically important findings.

Examination of the lectotype and paralectotypes of Pachytriton labiatus ( Unterstein, 1930 ) from southern China revealed that the specimens do not represent a member of Pachytriton, but are identical with a newt of another genus, Paramesotriton ermizhaoi Wu et al., 2009 also described from southern China. We suggest that Pac. labiatus should be transferred to Paramesotriton as a senior synonym of Par. ermizhaoi. We compared the morphology of the northeastern and southwestern groups of newts previously called Pac. "labiatus" with special reference to age and sexual variations. As a result, we confirmed that the two groups are differentiated sufficiently to be treated as different species. In this report, we revive the name Pac. granulosus Chang, 1933 to refer to the northeastern group of Pac. "labiatus," and at the same time, describe a new species representing the southwestern group.