Systematics and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Mizoram University, Aizawl 796004, Mizoram, India..
Department of Zoology, Pachhunga University College, Mizoram University, Aizawl 796001, Mizoram, India..
Zootaxa. 2021 May 20;4974(2):383390. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4974.2.7.
Most studies on the diversity of amphibians in northeast India were based on classical morpho-taxonomy, which have a high probability of errors in species identification. DNA barcoding of amphibians using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene has been used successfully for the identification of species and detection of cryptic species. In the present study, we carry out DNA barcoding of two rhacophorid species of the genus Raorchestes and Kurixalus that are not readily identifiable to the species level based on their morphology. Our analysis on the 16S rRNA gene revealed that these species were Raorchestes cangyuanensis and Kurixalus yangi, species which were recorded for the first time and second time from India respectively. We discuss on the records of R. longchuanensis from Bangladesh and India, which were based on the misidentification of R. cangyuanensis. We therefore propose to delist this species from the faunal list of Bangladesh and India. We further raise a question as to why the population of Kurixalus from Motuo, Xizang province of China was assigned as K. naso and not the population described as K. yangi, which is morphologically similar to K. naso and is also recorded from a locality close to the type locality of K. naso.
大多数关于印度东北部两栖动物多样性的研究都是基于经典形态分类学,这种方法在物种鉴定中很容易出错。使用线粒体 16S rRNA 基因对两栖动物进行 DNA 条码分析已成功用于物种鉴定和隐种检测。在本研究中,我们对两种形态上不易识别到种水平的 Raorchestes 和 Kurixalus 属的雨蛙科物种进行了 DNA 条码分析。我们对 16S rRNA 基因的分析表明,这些物种分别是 Raorchestes cangyuanensis 和 Kurixalus yangi,这是它们在印度的首次和第二次记录。我们讨论了孟加拉国和印度记录的 R. longchuanensis,这是基于对 R. cangyuanensis 的错误鉴定。因此,我们建议将该物种从孟加拉国和印度的动物区系名单中删除。我们进一步提出了一个问题,即为什么来自中国西藏自治区墨脱的Kurixalus 种群被归为 K. naso,而不是形态上与 K. naso 相似且也在 K. naso 的模式产地附近记录的 K. yangi 种群。