A New Species of Lentic Breeding Salamander (Amphibia, Caudata) from Central Japan

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....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCurrent Herpetology Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 116 - 126
Main Authors Matsui, Masafumi, Misawa, Yasuchika, Nishikawa, Kanto, Shimada, Tomohiko
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kyoto UniBio Press 01.08.2017
The Herpetological Society of Japan
Subjects
Amphibians
Aquatic reptiles
Bayesian analysis
Biochemistry
Breeding
Conservation
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Distribution
DNA
Endemic species
Evolution
Geographical distribution
Hynobius lichenatus
Hynobius mikawaensis
Hynobius mikawaensis new species
Hynobius nigrescens
Hynobius takedai
Lentic breeder
Mitochondrial DNA
Morphology
Mountains
New species
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Physical characteristics
Range extension
Zoology
Japan
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1345-5834
1881-1019
DOI:10.5358/hsj.36.116