This study explores the critical issue of understanding the potential impacts of climate change on the habitat suitability of the highly endangered forest-dwelling Mangshan pit viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis) in China. Through the application of the MaxEnt model, high-resolution bioclimatic datasets, and species occurrence data, the research aims to elucidate the spatial and temporal dynamics of P. mangshanensis distribution from the present to the years 2050 and 2070. Through the integration of three climate models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) and exploring different shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenarios (SSP126, SSP370, and SSP585), the study seeks to provide comprehensive insights into the potential variations in habitat suitability under diverse future climate conditions. The methodology employed involves the construction of the MaxEnt model utilizing the BioClim dataset and 83 species occurrence points. The SSP scenarios mentioned above represent future climate change scenarios, and the accuracy of the model is evaluated using the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). Key findings reveal that the MaxEnt model exhibits high accuracy (AUC = 0.998), pinpointing the current suitable habitat for P. mangshanensis to be confined to the Mangshan area within the Nanling Mountains, covering an approximate area of 1023.12 km2. However, projections based on future climate scenarios suggest notable shifts in habitat suitability dynamics. While potential suitable habitats may emerge in the northwest of the current range, the existing suitable habitats are anticipated to undergo significant reduction or even complete disappearance. Notably, precipitation during the driest month emerges as a critical determinant influencing the distribution of the species. In conclusion, the study underscores the exacerbating impact of climate change on habitat deterioration and survival risks for P. mangshanensis, emphasizing the urgent need for conservation measures to safeguard the remaining suitable habitats for this endangered species. The implications of these findings are far-reaching, with the anticipated contraction of the snake’s range potentially leading to its disappearance and increased habitat fragmentation. By shedding light on the potential distributional changes of P. mangshanensis in Mangshan, the research provides valuable insights for informing targeted conservation strategies and policy interventions aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on endangered species. © 2024 by the authors.

This study focuses on understanding the behavior and activity patterns of the critically endangered Protobothrops mangshanensis in China in order to better provide scientific data for upcoming artificial breeding and propagation efforts. We conducted a long-term observation of 15 Mangshan pit vipers at different sites in Hunan Province during the summer and autumn of 2021. Our methods involved analyzing the influence of environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, and light condition on the snakes' day and night activity and behaviors. The results revealed that the wild behaviors of Protobothrops mangshanensis include resting, sunbathing, crawling, and exploring, with distinct rhythms in their diel behavior. The snakes' diel activity exhibits three peak periods which may be related to food activity and sunbathing. This study also highlights the complex interplay of environmental factors on the activity of Protobothrops mangshanensis. Relative humidity was identified as a critical factor accounting for the difference in activity between observation groups. There was little inter-individual variation among the 15 Protobothrops mangshanensis, even though these snakes used terrestrial and arboreal habitats under different environmental conditions. These findings enhance our understanding of Protobothrops mangshanensis behavior and provide a basis for effective conservation measures for this rare and critically endangered species.

We describe the advertisement call of the Nanling horned frog, Boulenophrys nanlingensis for the first time, based on recordings obtained from four individuals. One of these individuals, which was identified using its dorsum pattern, was recorded twice after nine months. Distinct shifts in the temporal parameters and call rate were observed from calls of the re-captured individual, which was suspected to be related to temperature and social context. However, due to the limited sample size, further research is needed to confirm these findings. We highlight the potential of mark-recapture method using dorsum pattern for studying and monitoring the Nanling horned frog and other megophyinid frogs.

We described a new species of the Amolops mantzorum group (Anura: Ranidae) from northwestern Hunan Province, China based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species differs from its congeners by a combination of the following characteristics: moderate body size of SVL 40.3-40.9 mm in adult males (N=3), and 52.6-57.7 mm in adult females (N=3); head length about equal to or larger than head width (HDL/HDW 1.01-1.03); skin on dorsum smooth; dorsolateral folds absent, but developed a series of elongated glands forming an incomplete line; dense small spiny tubercles on lower flanks, and sparse flat tubercles on upper flanks; skin on belly slightly granular, posterior half of ventral surface of thigh glandular; tympanum indistinct, small, covered by glandular skin; presence of dense spiny tubercles around the mouth corner; vomerine teeth present, attached on two oblique ridges; presence of supernumerary tubercles below the bases of fingers II, III and IV; several protruding tubercles around the cloacal region, with a pair of larger tubercles on sides of the anus; webs on each side of toe IV reaches the region between third subarticular tubercle and digit; and absence of vocal sacs and linea masculine in males.

The study of home range utilization of rewilded animals is important for informed reintroduction management. Sixteen Milu adult individuals (5 male 11 female) were reintroduced from Jiangsu Dafeng Milu National Nature Reserve to Hunan East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve on February 28, 2016, out of which 11 Milu individuals (1 male 10 female) were wearing GPS satellite tracking collars. Subsequently, with the aid of GPS collar technology, combined with on-ground tracking observations, we tracked the reintroduced Milu for one year from March 2016 to February 2017. We used the dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Model to estimate the individual home range of the 10 rewilded Milu (1 male 9 female, 1 female individual was eliminated because its collar fell off) and seasonal home range of 5 rewilded female Milu (all tracked for up to one year). 95% level represented the home range, and 50% level represented the core areas. Temporal variation in normalized difference vegetation index were used to quantify changes in food availability. We also quantified resource use of rewilded Milu by calculating the selection ratio for all habitats within their core areas. The results showed that: (1) a total of 52,960 coordinate fixes were collected; (2) during the early stage of rewilding, the average home range size of the rewilded Milu was 17.62 +/- 3.79 km(2) and the average core areas size was 0.77 +/- 0.10 km(2); (3) the annual average home range size of the female deer was 26.08 +/- 5.21 km(2) and the annual average core areas size was 1.01 +/- 0.14 km(2) at the early stage of rewilding; (4) during the early stage of rewilding, the home range and core areas of the rewilded Milu were significantly affected by season, and the difference between summer and winter was significant (home range: p = 0.003; core areas: p = 0.008); (5) home range and core areas of the rewilded female deer in the Dongting Lake area in different seasons showed significant negative correlation with NDVI (home range: p = 0.000; core areas: p = 0.003); (6) Most rewilded female Milu showed a high preference for farmland in all seasons except winter, when they focused on using lake and beach. The home range of the rewilded Milu in the Dongting Lake area at the early stage of rewilding experienced significantly seasonal changes. Our study reveals seasonal differences in the home ranges of rewilded Milu and the resource use strategies of individual Milu in response to seasonal changes. At last, we put forward the following management recommendations: (1) to establish habitat islands; (2) to implement community co-management; (3) to reduce human disturbance; (4) to strengthen population monitoring for formulating species conservation plans.

Sympatric distribution and potentially long larval development time make the assignment of tadpoles confusing in Asian-horned frogs of the subfamily Megophryinae. In this study, we used molecular data to identify four syntopic megophryinid tadpoles from Mangshan on the border between Hunan and brophila, and Bo. nanlingensis. A detailed re-description of the Br. popei tadpoles is provided as well as the first descriptions of three Boulenophrys tadpoles based on external morphology and coloration. An effort is attempted to distinguish these tadpoles by coloration patterns: the dorsal pattern, ventral pattern, and pattern on tail are useful for field identification of these tadpoles. However, the variation of color pattern could sometimes make species delineation difficult. Researchers are encouraged to document coloration in life with photographs and the collection of tadpoles of different development stages and sizes advocated in order to better understand how color may change during larval development.

Gut microbiota play important roles in the immunity, digestion, and energy metabolism of their reptile hosts. Mangshan pit viper (Protobothrops mangshanensis) is a critically endangered snake species that is a Class I national protected species in China. Little is known regarding the relationship between P. mangshanensis and their gut microbial communities. In this study, the gut microbiota of wild P. mangshanensis individuals, artificially hibernating captive individuals, and non-hibernating captive individuals were compared across nine samples. Comparative shotgun metagenomic analysis was used to investigate the taxonomic composition, diversity, and function of P. mangshanensis gut microbial communities and assess whether their gut microbiomes were affected by their living environments and captivity conditions. The dominant phyla within P. mangshanensis gut microbial communities were Proteobacteria (65.55%), Bacteroidetes (15.97%), and Firmicutes (8.11%). Enriched functional pathways within the gut microbiota included metabolism (54.9%), environmental information processing (9.67%), and genetic information processing (9.37%). Wild snake gut communities exhibited higher microbial diversity than the other two groups. The gut microbiomes of wild and hibernating captive snakes may be more reflective of healthy intestinal homeostasis than that in non-hibernating snakes. Specifically, non-hibernating snakes exhibited increased levels of potentially pathogenic populations and functional specialization within gut microbial communities. Thus, different living environments and captivity methods may correspond to major shifts in microbiota composition, diversity, and function within P. mangshanensis. This study provides important insights to help guide the conservation of P. mangshanensis, while also carrying broad implications for our understanding of the effects of living environments and non-hibernating captivity conditions on the gut microbiota of snakes.

A new species, Odorrana sangzhiensis sp. nov., is described, based on five specimens from Sangzhi County, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, China. Molecular phylogenetic analyses, based on mitochondrial 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA gene sequences, strongly support the new species as a monophyletic group nested into the O. schmackeri species complex. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: (1) body size medium (SVL: 42.1-45.1 mm in males, 83.3-92.7 mm in females); (2) dorsolateral folds absent; (3) tympanum diameter 1.53 times as long as the width of the disc of finger III in females; 2.3 times in males; (4) dorsal skin green with dense granules and sparse irregular brown spots; males with several large warts on dorsum; (5) two metacarpal tubercles; (6) relative finger lengths: I < II < IV < III; (7) tibiotarsal articulation beyond the tip of the snout; (8) ventral surface smooth in females; throat and chest having pale spinules in adult males; (9) dorsal limbs green or yellow green with brown transverse bands; and (10) paired external vocal sacs located at corners of the throat, finger I with light yellow nuptial pad in males. This discovery increases the number of Odorrana species to 59 and those known from China to 37.

A new species of Leptobrachella, Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from the Wuling mountains in Hunan Province, China The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of having a SVL body size range of 24.5-32.8 mm in four adult males and 29.9-38.5 mm in three adult females; dorsal surface brown to reddish brown with indistinct markings; ventral surface creamy white, often with pale brown speckling on chest and margins; flanks with small to moderate black spots; skin on dorsum shagreened with sparse large warts, sometimes with short longitudinal ridges; toes with rudimentary webbing and narrow lateral fringes; dermal ridges under toes interrupted at the articulations; and iris bicolored with a bright orange or golden upper half, fading to silver in the lower half. Uncorrected sequence divergence between L. wulingensis sp. nov. and homologous 16S rRNA sequences available for all known species in the genus are >= 2.3%-2.9%.