As an endangered animal group, mossy frog (genus Theloderma) has attracted the attention of biologists and wildlife conservationists. Clarifying the taxonomic status and distribution of each species in Theloderma is important to determine the conservation status for each species, establish appropriate conservation strategies and probe the speciation process. Recently, we discovered a medium-sized species of mossy frog of the genus Theloderma in April 2015 during municipal surveys of amphibians in Dayao Mountain of Jinxiu. It was collected from the water-filled tree cavities. However, there remains some uncertainty about the species determination of the mossy frog in the Yinshan station of Dayao Mountain in Guangxi Province, China. Previously, the mossy frog in Guangxi Province was recognized as Th. kwangsiense. In order to clarify the species status of the mossy frog obtained from Guangxi, we sequenced 2414 bp of the 12S and 16S genes in the sample collected from the Dayao Mountain. Combining all the sequence in NCBI, genetic analyses from the data suggest that the sample from the Dayao Mountain is Th. corticale rather than Th. kwangsiense. It is most likely that the most previous studies had wrong species identification. And, it is the first time we use DNA barcoding to prove that the species obtained from Guangxi is a new distribution of Th. corticale.
Intestinal microbiota play an important role in the life of amphibians and its composition may vary by developmental stage. In this study, 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing was used to profile the intestinal microbiota of Hynobius maoershanensis, which exclusively inhabit the Maoer Mountain swamp at an altitude of approximately 2,000 m. We characterized the bacterial composition, structure, and function of the microbiota of H. maoershanensis at different developmental stages. The alpha diversity was not markedly different for the Simpson, Shannon, Ace, and Sobs indices of microbes. The beta diversity revealed that there were age‐related differences in the structure of the intestinal microbes of H. maoershanensis, specifically, at the phylum level. Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were the dominant bacteria present in the adult stage, and the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was significantly higher compared with that of tadpoles. Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phylum during the tadpole stage and their relative abundance was significantly higher compared with the adult period. Functional analysis revealed that the pathways associated with organismal systems and metabolism were significantly enriched in the adults, whereas human diseases, genetic information processing, and cellular processes were more enriched in the hindlimb bud stage. Human diseases and environmental information processing were more enriched in the forelimb bud stage at KEGG pathway level 1. Possibilities for the observed discrepancies include the adaptation to eating habits and the remodeling of the intestines during development. We speculated that H. maoershanensis adults may be more suitable to a high‐fiber diet, whereas the tadpoles are associated with a carnivorous diet. Our study provides evidence of variations in the intestinal microbiota during development in amphibians, highlighting the influence of historical developments on the intestinal microbiota and an increased understanding of the importance of physiological characteristics in shaping the intestinal microbiota of amphibians. These data will help us formulate more effective protection measures for H. maoershanensis.
The Hynobius maoershanensis is a member of hynobiidae, endemic to Mountain Maoer in Guangxi province, China. It was first found and reported in 2006 and so far there is a little molecular research about it. The complete mitochondrial genome of H. maoershanensis has been obtained for the first time in this study. The circular genome (16,412 bp in length) consisted of 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes) and 1 control region. Overall base composition of the complete mitochondrial DNA was 33% A, 32% T, 21% C, and 14% G with AT (65%).
Information on the skin microbiota of amphibians can provide a solid basis for exploring the interactions between symbiotic microorganisms and hosts, thereby deepening our understanding of adaptation to the changing environment. Studies on the skin microbiota of amphibians in different disturbed habitats can clarify the relationships between skin microbiota composition and environmental factors and have practical implications for the conservation of endangered species. In this study, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was used to profile the skin microbiota of the Maoershan hynobiid (Hynobius maoershanensis). Our results illustrated that the alpha diversity of the skin microbiota significantly differed between individuals in disturbed and undisturbed habitats. The diversity of the skin microbiota in forelimb bud stage tadpoles from disturbed habitats was higher than that in their counterparts from undisturbed habitats (Shannon index: 2.244 ± 0.601 vs. 1.731 ± 0.688; Simpson index: 0.230 ± 0.129 vs. 0.407 ± 0.205). The richness of the skin microbiota in hindlimb bud stage tadpoles was greater in disturbed habitats than in undisturbed habitats (ACE: 366.303 ± 186.993 vs. 148.357 ± 66.579; Chao: 355.946 ± 177.974 vs. 146.026 ± 65.794). Furthermore, stepwise regression analysis indicated that the skin microbiota diversity and relative abundance of dominant bacteria decreased with both increasing temperature and pH; conversely, skin microbiota richness increased with increasing humidity. In addition, the diversity and richness of the skin microbiota increased with increasing anthropogenic disturbance, and the relative abundance of dominant bacteria was influenced by anthropogenic disturbance. We conclude that the skin microbiota of Maoershan hynobiids is affected by ecological factors and anthropogenic disturbance, highlighting the importance of the skin microbiota in response to habitat alteration and the need to develop more efficient measures to protect Maoershan hynobiids.
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