ABSTRACT. As a proven tool, DNA barcoding can identify species rapidly and unambiguously. In this study, we used mtDNA cyt b, COI, and 16s rRNA sequences of six species of Pseudohynobius, Protohynobius puxiongensis, Liua shihi, Ranodon sibiricus, and Pachyhynobius shangchengensis, to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods. Approximate lineage divergence times were also estimated, the divergence between them was calculated to have taken place mainly in Miocene. Our results showed that: 1) Ps. guizhouensis is an independent and valid species that is a sister species to Ps. kuankuoshuiensis; 2) five Pseudohynobius species formed a monophyletic group; 3) Ps. tsinpaensis is different from L. shihi, and should be classified as belonging to the Liua genus; and 4) Pr. puxiongensis is the sister lineage to all Pseudohynobius species, and should therefore be named Pseudohynobius puxiongensis.
ABSTRACT. The evolutionary significant units (ESUs) of the salamander Pachyhynobius shangchengensis (Hynobiidae) in the Dabieshan mountains, southeastern China, were identified based on mitochondrial DNA data. We used methods for detecting cryptic species, such as the minimum spanning tree, the automatic barcode gap discovery, and the generalized mixed Yule-coalescent model; geographical partitioning was also used to identify the ESUs. A total of four ESUs were identified.
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