The boundary of palaearctic and oriental realms in western China

In the world-wide zoogeographic division, there has been no consentaneous understanding about the delimitation between palaearctic and oriental realms in western China. In this study, we will discuss the division based on amphibian distribution in Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet according to species coefficient similarity between each zoogeographic province. The results show that the northern border lies from Qinling Mountains-Feng Xian (Shaanxi)-Debu (Gansu)-Aba (Sichuan)-Batang-Bomi (Tibet), to Linzhi districts, and the southern border is from Taibai-Feng Xian in Shaanxi-Wen Xian (Gansu)-Songpan-Kangding-Daocheng (Sichuan), to Zhongdian-Gongshan in Yunnan, and westward to Motuo and Bomi district in Tibet. (c) 2008 National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science in China Press. All rights reserved.

Quantitative analysis of land mammal zoogeographical regions in China and adjacent regions

Quantitative analysis of land mammal zoogeographical regions in China and adjacent regions. Zoological Studies 43(1): 142-160. In this paper, our aim was to determine, by means of quantitative analysis, the distribution patterns of the land mammals in China and, adjacent regions using physiographical regions as operative geographical units (OGUs). Based, on the pre-sence or absence of 11 orders, 42 families, 197 genera, and 577 species of land mammals in their zoogeographical regions, which were used as OGUs, we studied the biotic boundary between the Oriental Region (OR) and the Palaearctic Region (PR), as well as subregion boundaries. The boundary's statistical significance was tested by G-test as described by McCoy et al. A significantly strong biotic boundary was found to separate the PR from the OR, and there is a weak biotic boundary in the PR, which divides it into 2 subregions. We concluded that the biotic boundary which separates the PR and OR is a strong boundary. We suggest that the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau should be regarded as a subregion of the PR, which can embody its characteristics of high elevations and a frigid climatic, which is called the Qing-Zang subregion of the PR (QZSP).

Multiple invasions of europe by east asian cobitid loaches (Teleostei : Cobitidae)

While it has been widely suggested that freshwater fishes from East Asia invaded the western Palaearctic, details about this process are largely unknown. Here, using the cytochrome b gene, we evaluated the phylogenetic relationships of a small group of Eurasian primary freshwater fishes (Cobitidae), which are widely distributed and species rich in East Asia and Europe, with the purpose of inferring their invasion process of Europe from East Asia. Though phylogenetic relationships of cobitids were not well resolved, our analysis could identify three sister groups formed by the European and East Asian cobitids, which brought new insights into the biogeography of the genera Cobitis, Misgurnus, and Sabanejewia. The present results support the view that Asian cobitid fishes may have invaded Europe at least five times independently, and once reverse colonization of European cobitids to East Asia could also be found. Ancestral Sabanejewia might have been the first cobitids to cross Siberia and invade the EMZS (Euro-Mediterranean zoogeographic subregion) about 33.54 million years ago (MYA). One lineage of Cobitis and the ancestor of Misgurnus fossilis (Linnaeus) almost in the same time invaded the Europe, responding to 16.71 MYA and 16.59 MYA, respectively. Three different lineages of Cobitis were found to have invaded the EMZS from East Asia, and once reverse invasion to East Asia occurred to one subclade of European Cobitis. And our data also suggest that the diversity of East Asian cobitid fishes, especially of the genus Cobitis, is greatly underestimated.

小鲵属分子系统发育研究

小鲵属为亚洲特有的有尾两栖类，是小鲵科之模式属。现记载小鲵属动物有29种，占全科物种数一半以上（Frost, 2007），为小鲵科第一大属。该属分布跨越古北界和东洋界，分布于中国、朝鲜、韩国、日本等地区，其系统学研究一直以来颇为中外学者所关注。澄清该属的物种分类问题，阐明其种间的系统发育关系对整个小鲵科的系统演化与分布格局关系的研究具有关键性意义。 本论文以中国及周边地区的小鲵属物种为主要对象，主要利用分子生物学实验与生物信息学途径相结合的手段，运用支序系统学与分子进化生物学理论及分析方法，展开系统发育的研究。在此基础上诠释现存的分类问题，并探讨该属系统发育关系。 研究材料上，本研究采用野外采集与网络下载数据相结合的方法，获取了较为全面的小鲵属物种DNA序列资料。技术手段上，选取了线粒体DNA的Cytb、12S、16S、NADH 2、COI等多个基因部分片段序列，对小鲵属开展了较为全面系统的研究。分析方法上，针对小鲵属物种各类群的具体情况，运用了处于领域前沿的多种分析方法。应用PAUP、MrBayes、Modeltest、Mega等软件，采用了最大简约法（MP）、邻接法（NJ）、贝叶斯推断（BI）及K2P遗传距离分析等方法。 本研究对小鲵属进行了较为全面的系统发育研究，弥补了有关小鲵属系统发育研究的不足，并得出了以下结果： （1）关于豫南小鲵Hynobius yunanicus的有效性，基于细胞色素b序列的系统发育关系联合形态和染色体组型等证据证明了豫南小鲵是商城肥鲵的同物异名。 （2）获得了较为全面的小鲵属物种系统发育树，并以此解释了北海道滞育小鲵、东北小鲵、中国小鲵与义乌小鲵等存在的分类问题。 （3）本研究利用DNA条形码技术对小鲵属及小鲵科物种进行了鉴定，再次证明豫南小鲵为商城肥鲵的同物异名；并认为猫儿山小鲵与挂榜山小鲵为同物异名。 综上，本研究较为完整地勾勒了小鲵属的系统发育关系全貌，并对小鲵属物种的起源进行了推测。 Hynobius, the type genus of the Family Hynobiidae, is the only exclusively Asian salamander genus. This genus which contains 29 species (beyond half of total Family), is the key group in Hynobiidae. The genus distributed across Palaearctic and Oriental Realm, and was found in China, Korea, and Japan. Systematics of genus Hynobius draws attention of researchers all the times. Resolving the taxonomic and phynogenetic questions of Hynobius is very important to the evolutionary research of Family Hynobiidae. Firstly, studies on systematics of genus Hynobius based on morphology, karyotype and molecular phylogeny of Hynobius are reviewed along with existing questions of this genus. The sequential reaserch project of phylogenetics is perspectively outlined. Using molecular data, we compared Hynobius yunanicus with a sympatric species Pachyhynobius shangchengensis. Our cytb sequences associating with karyotypic and morphological data supportted that H. yunanicus is not a valid species, but a synonym of P. shangchengensis. Because of phenotypic plasticity, some morphological characters are not even suitable for identifying hynobiids. The taxonomy of hynobiids is still controversial to a certain extent (Zhao et al. 1993; Fei, 1999; Chen et al. 2001; Zeng et al. 2006) and needs to be resolved by a new method. Here we examined the utility of COI barcoding for the discrimination of hynobiids. Meantime, the taxonomy of this Family was looked-over again. Our result show that the DNA Barcoding based on COI is easier and more rapidly than classic methods. And the DNA Barcodes data supported the actual taxonomy of Hynobiidae. Based on the achievements of our research, the phylogeny of Hynobius was reconstructed including some new species (H. maoershanensis, H. guabangshanensis, etc). Besides the phylogenetics of Hynobius was outlined, some questions and the hypothesis about the origin of genus Hynobius was put out.