Peng Guo

• Dr.
• Yibin University

Habitat quality and availability are crucial for the survival and reproduction of animal species. Intraspecific and seasonal differences in habitat selection reflect adaptations to changing biological requirements and environmental factors. To investigate the effects of season (breeding and non-breeding) and sex on microhabitat selection in snakes,...

Habitat selection in animals results from a careful balance of individual requirements, environmental conditions, and ecological disturbances. Preferences can vary across sexes and ages due to differences in survival and reproductive priorities. Despite this variability, most studies have traditionally focused on isolated aspects of either sex or a...

The gut microbiota contributes to host health by facilitating nutrient uptake, digestion, energy metabolism, intestinal development, vitamin synthesis, and immunomodulation, and plays an important role in the growth and reproduction of the animal itself. Considering the paucity of research on the gut microbiota of wild snakes, this study focused on...

The interactions between hosts and the gut microbiota are intricate and can significantly affect the ecology and evolution of both parties. Various host traits, including taxonomy, diet, social behaviour, and external factors such as prey availability and the local environment, all play an important role in shaping composition and diversity of the...

Habitat is fundamental for facilitating various life activities in animals, for instance, snakes procure essential energy for survival and reproduction by selecting ambush microhabitats. While there has been extensive research on the selection of microhabitat for feeding in terrestrial and aquatic snakes, little is known about arboreal snakes. In t...

Lycodon gammiei (Blanford, 1878), a rarely encountered species of Asian snake, is characterized by ambiguous systematics and biology. Based on a sole specimen of L. gammiei rediscovered in southeastern Xizang, China, we conduct a detailed morphological examination and description, and investigate the systematic position of this species. Morphologic...

Although several phylogeographic studies of Asian snakes have been conducted, most have focused on pitvipers, with non‐venomous snakes, such as colubrids or natricids, remaining poorly studied. The Chinese keelback water snake ( Trimerodytes percarinatus Boulenger) is a widespread, semiaquatic, non‐venomous species occurring in China and southeaste...

Introduction The gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity of animal species harbor complex microbial communities, the composition of which is indicative of the behavior, co-evolution, diet, and immune system of the host. Methods This study investigated the microbial composition in snakes from varying altitudinal ranges by assessing the fecal and ora...

A new species of Xenophrys is described from Yadong County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial genes 16S rRNA and COI indicated that this new species represents an independent lineage and the minimum p -distance based on 16S rRNA between this species and its...

The elucidation of species diversity and distribution is critical within the fields of evolution, genetics, and conservation. The genus Sibynophis contains rare snakes that have historically received little attention. In this study, we conducted comprehensive sampling and use both mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers to explore Sibynophis spec...

Illumination of species diversity and their distribution is key to evolution, genetics and conservation. The genus of Sibynophis is a group of rare snakes with less attentions. Based on more extensive sampling, we use both mitochondrial fragments and nuclear gene to explore the species diversity of the species of Sibynophis occurring in China. The...

Wild animals are considered reservoirs for emerging and reemerging viruses, such as the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Previous studies have reported that bats and ticks harbored variable important pathogenic viruses, some of which could cause potential diseases in humans and livestock, while viruses carried by...

DNA barcoding has greatly facilitated studies of taxonomy, biodiversity, biological conservation, and ecology. Here, we establish a reliable DNA barcoding library for Chinese snakes, unveiling hidden diversity with implications for taxonomy, and provide a standardized tool for conservation management. Our comprehensive study includes 1638 cytochrom...

Achalinus yangdatongi Hou, Wang, Guo, Chen, Yuan & Che, 2021 was described based on single specimen. After morphological examination of recently collected specimens from the type locality and close region, several specimens (3 females and 1 male) were identified as this species. Genetic distances (p-distance) calculated from a fragment of the mtDNA...

The Asian pitviper genus Ovophis is a group of venomous snakes widely distrib-uted in mid to high elevation mountains in Asia, and presently five species are recognised. However, its systematics, species diversity and species distribution boundaries remain poorly understood. We reconstructed the phylogenetic rela-tionships and explored species dive...

The Asian pitviper genus Ovophis is a group of venomous snakes widely distributed in mid to high elevation mountains in Asia, and presently five species are recognised. However, its systematics, species diversity and species distribution boundaries remain poorly understood. We reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships and explored species divers...

Lycodon is a species-rich genus that currently contains 72 named species. Lycodon zayuensis Jiang, Wang, Jin & Che, 2020, was described from Lower Chayu Town, Chayu County, Tibet, China, based on a single female holotype. During our recent field work, three additional specimens, including two females and one male, were collected and identified as L...

Based on molecular evidence and morphological data, we describe a new species Raorchestes yadongensis sp. nov. from Yadong County, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. The new species can be distinguished based on a combination of the following characters: (1) small body size, SVL 17.8–24.1 mm in adult males; (2) head wider than long; (3) eye diameter...

Background Gut and oral microbes form complex communities and play key roles in co-evolution with their hosts. However, little is understood about the bacterial community in lizards. Results In this study, we investigated the gut and oral bacterial communities in Japalura sensu lato from Sichuan Province, China, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Res...

Dispersal plays a vital role in the geographical distribution, population genetic structure, quantity dynamics, and evolution of a species. Sex‐biased dispersal is common among vertebrates and many studies have documented a tendency toward male‐biased dispersal in mammals and female‐biased dispersal in birds. However, dispersal patterns in reptiles...

Sexual dimorphism and geographic variation are common in snakes. The white-lipped pitviper (Trimeresurus albolabris) is a common and widely distributed venomous snake species throughout the Southeast Asia. We report on the sexual dimorphism and geographic variation of T. albolabris in China. Ninety-nine specimens (57 females and 42 males) were exam...

Background According to the differences of antigen and genetic composition, canine coronavirus (CCoV) consists of two genotypes, CCoV-I and CCoV-II. Since 2004, CCoVs with point mutations or deletions of NSPs are contributing to the changes in tropism and virulence in dogs. Results In this study, we isolated a CCoV, designated HLJ-071, from a dead...

The genus Elaphe is a highly diverse snake group with wide distribution in Eurasia. Here, based on morphological comparisons and molecular data, we describe a new species of this genus from western Sichuan, China. Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood analyses of two mitochondrial DNA fragments (CO1 and 12S) showed that the new taxon differs fr...

The original description of Burbrink’s Keelback, Herpetoreas burbrinki was based on a sole damaged specimen collected from Zayu County, Xizang Autonomous Region, China in September 2007. On 16 August 2019, we collected a second live adult female specimen from the type locality. The identity of the species is established based on morphological and m...

We describe a new species of the genus Hebius and provide evidence for the validity of H. septemlineatus comb. nov.. Morphological and molecular analyses of Hebius specimens collected in Yunnan Province, China, revealed three distinct lineages, namely the newly described Hebius weixiensis sp. nov., as well as H. octolineatus (Boulenger, 1904), and...

A new species of the xenodermid snake genus Achalinus Peters, 1869 is described from Fujian Province, China, based on six specimens. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses based on a mitochondrial DNA fragment (CO1) indicated the new taxon is different from its congeners (p–distance ≥ 18.5%). Morphologically, the new species can be diag...

Background: Iflaviridae is a family of small non-enveloped viruses with monopartite, positive-stranded RNA genomes, which are identified in arthropod hosts, primarily infecting insect species. Herein, we firstly identify the sequence of an iflavirus (YB-PMP20) found in brown-spotted pitvipers in China. Results: The sequence of YB-PMP20 showed high...

en Integrative taxonomy based on multiple data sets plays an important role in species classification, especially in the case of cryptic species. Rhabdophis subminiatus is a colubrid snake with broadly geographical distribution, and two subspecies (Rhabdophis subminiatus subminiatus and Rhabdophis subminiatus helleri) are currently recognized withi...

Combining the results from morphological and molecular analyses, we explore the taxonomy of the genus Achalinus from Southwest China. As a result, we describe two new species, A. panzhihuaensis sp. nov. and A. yangdatongi sp. nov. from southern Sichuan and southern Yunnan provinces, respectively, and we record a new country record, A. emilyae, from...

The Asian snail-eating snakes Pareas is the largest genus of the family Pareidae (formerly Pareatidae), and widely distributed in Southeast Asia. However, potential diversity remains poorly explored due to their high-ly conserved morphology and incomplete samples. Here, on basis of more extensive sampling, interspecific phylogenetic relationships o...

Background According to differences in antigens and genetic composition, canine coronavirus (CCoV) consists of two genotypes, CCoV-Ⅰ and CCoV-Ⅱ. Recently, CCoVs with mutant variations have been found to be pantropic and pathogenic in dogs. Results In this study, we isolated a CCoV, designated HLJ-071, from a dead 5-week-old female Welsh Corgi with...

Background Gut and oral microbial communities are complex and play a key role in their co-evolution with their hosts. However, little is understood about the bacterial community in lizards. In this study, we first investigated the gut and oral bacterial community in Diploderma splendidum from Sichuan Province, China. Metagenomic analysis of feces a...

A new species of the xenodermatid snake genus Achalinus Peters, 1869 is described from Yunnan Province, Southwest China, based on a single male specimen. The new species is assigned to the genus Achalinus on the basis of absence of preocular and postocular, subcaudals arranged in single row, and results of phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA...

The Asian water snake genus Trimerodytes (formerly Sinonatrix) is endemic to East and Southeast Asia. Although several species have been included in various phylogenetic studies previously, the evolution and relationships among members of this genus as a whole remain unexplored. In this study, we report the sequencing two protein-coding mitochondri...

The Asian snail-eating snakes Pareas is the largest genus of the family Pareidae (formerly Pareatidae), and widely distributed in Southeast Asia. However, potential diversity remains poorly explored due to their highly conserved morphology and incomplete samples. Here, on basis of more extensive sampling, interspecific phylogenetic relationships of...

We updated the checklists of extant, native amphibians and reptiles of China based on the previously published checklist of reptiles in 2015, the online checklist of amphibians on the database AmphibiaChina, newly published data as of December 2019, and previously uncollected literature prior to 2015. In total, the amphibian fauna of China consists...

A new species of Sinomicrurus Slowinski, Boundy, and Lawson, 2001 is described herein based on a series of specimens. The new species, Sinomicrurus peinani sp. nov., occurs in southern China and northern Vietnam. Sinomicrurus peinani sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) 30–35 black crossbands...

In this study, a total of 106 individuals of Oreocryptophis porphyraceus from mainland China were morphologically examined and recorded. Differences between populations were compared by combining data from this study and other published research. The skulls of three specimens representing three proposed subspecies (i.e., O. p. pulchra, O. p. vailla...

A new member of the natricine snake genus Sinonatrix Rossman & Eberle, 1977 is described from Yunnan Province, southwestern China, based on a single female specimen. The new species, Sinonatrix yapingi sp. nov., is distinguished from its congeners and related species by the following combination of characters: 1) large body size (maximum total leng...

The single prefrontal configuration has historically been used as an important diagnostic character for many natricine taxa. For example, the genus Trimerodytes Cope, 1895 was long been regarded as a junior synonym of Opisthotropis Günther, 1872 for their similar prefrontal configurations and the type species, T. balteatus Cope, 1895, has been assi...

Understanding the influence of geographical events and climate changes on genetic diversity is essential in explaining current patterns of genetic structure and geographic distribution of organisms. We inferred phylogenetic relationships, investigated historical demography, explored the evolutionary history, and clarified intraspecific taxonomy of...

A new species of the natricine snake genus Hebius Thompson, 1913 is described from Sichuan Province, Southwest China, based on a single male specimen. The new species is distinguished from its congeners found in China and adjacent regions by possessing the following combination of characters: 1) TL/SVL ratio 0.35; 2) three postoculars; 3) six tempo...

The Asian monotypic genus Pararhabdophis Bourret, 1934 has long been known from a single holotype of the type species Pararhabdophis chapaensis Bourret, 1934 only. The limited available information hampered the identification of the natricine species. On the basis of eight newly collected specimens of P. chapaensis from the type locality in Sa Pa,...

Based on molecular phylogeny of the Chinese white cross-band krait, Bungarus multicinctus, several individuals from southwestern and southern China were found to be nested within putative species B. candidus (Linnaeus, 1758) with high support values. Morphological examination also indicated these specimens were identical to B. candidus. We conclude...

Relative to the commonly used mitochondrial and nuclear protein-coding genes, the noncoding intron sequences are a promising source of informative markers that have the potential to resolve difficult phylogenetic nodes such as rapid radiations and recent divergences. Yet many issues exist in the use of intron markers, which prevent their extensive...

A new species of natricine snake of the Southeast Asian genus Opisthotropis Günther, 1872 is described from western Hunan Province of China based on both mitochondrial DNA and morphological data. The new species is morphologically most similar and genetically most closely related to O. cheni Zhao, 1999 and O. latouchii (Boulenger, 1899), but posses...

Aim Lizards are ancestrally diurnal, and most of them remain so. Nocturnality is common among lizards, but the environmental factors associated with lizard nocturnal activity are still unknown. Here, we contrasted the ambient temperature and productivity hypotheses, where we predicted that cold temperatures will pose a stonger limit to nocturnal sp...

Sexual dimorphism (SD) and geographic variation (GV) are widespread in snakes. Protobothrops mucrosquamatus (Cantor 1839) is one of the most common Asian venomous snakes with a wide geographical distribution. We examined SD and GV patterns for this species by using multivariate statistical analyses of external morphological characters scored from s...

Viridovipera stejnegeri is one of the most common pitvipers in Asia, with a wide distribution in southern China and Vietnam. We investigated historical demography and explored how the environment and climatic factors have shaped genetic diversity and the evolutionary history of this venomous snake. A total of 171 samples from 47 localities were seq...

In China, there are about 37 species of vipers belonging to 12 genera in the family Viperidae. In the Herpetological Museum of the Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB), Chinese Academy of Sciences, the type specimens of snakes represent seven species in four genera. As a series of reports on the type specimens of Amphibians and Reptilies deposited in...

Despite the public health significance and potential applications to medical research, the evolutionary history of the Asian Lance-headed pitvipers (genus Protobothrops) remains inadequately studied. Previous research generally focused on a few selected species with no comprehensive molecular study of Protobothrops. Here, we conduct the first study...

Gloydius shedaoensis is an insular and vulnerable pitviper that is endemic to Snake Island, northeastern China. In this study, we successfully sequenced mitochondrial genomes of two individuals of G. shedaoensis. The complete mitochondrial genomes of G. shedaoensis are circular molecular with 17 222 and 17 221 bp in length respectively, which both...

The white-lipped tree viper (Trimeresurus albolabris) is one of the most common venomous snakes with medicine importance in South East Asia. To explore the genetic diversity, population structure and evolutionary history of Trimeresurus albolabris, we collected 98 samples from 27 localities covering its entire distribution. Two mitochondrial gene f...

DNA barcoding seeks to assemble a standardized reference library for rapid and unambiguous identification of species, and can be used to screen for potentially cryptic species. The 5′ region of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), which is a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene fragment, has been proposed as a universal marker for this purpose among anima...

Sinovipera sichuanensis is one of the Asian green pit vipers with less concern. It is endemic to China and only known in Hejiang, Sichuan Province and Jiangkou, Guizhou Province. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome and characterize each partition. The complete mitochondrial genome is 17 225 bp in length containing 2 rRNAs, 13...

Plagiopholis unipostocularis Zhao, Jiang & Huang, 1978 is a small snake endemic to Yunnan, southern China. Its validity is still controversial and unresolved. Based on extensive sampling in Yunnan, we conducted morphological comparison and molecular phylogenetics on the unidentified specimens of Plagiopholis from Yunnan. Based on a combination of m...

The biodiversity of Yunnan, which is located in the Hengduan Mountains region of South-west China, is still underestimated. Here, we explore species diversity of Asian green pitvipers occurring in this region. Based on four mtDNA gene fragments (cyt. b, ND4, 12S RNA, and 16S RNA), we inferred phylogenetic position and relationships of Yunnan green...

Lycodon gongshanVogel and Luo, 2011 is a newly described snake species that is endemic to southwestern China. Based on two mtDNA gene fragments and two nuclear genes, a molecular phylogeny for the genus Lycodonwas reconstructed and the systematic position of L. gongshanwas evaluated. The results revealed that L. gongshanformed a strongly supported...

The hot-spring snakes, Thermophis, were previously known only from the Tibet Autonomous Region and Western Sichuan, China. During the past two years, three adult hot-spring snakes (2 females, 1 male) were sampled in Shangri-La, northern Yunnan, China, thus expanding their known distribution region towards the southeast. This site is the southeaster...

The Asian keelback snakes (genus Amphiesma) are a widely distributed group of Old World natricines, inhabiting a variety of niches and exhibiting significant morphological variation. Recent molecular phylogenies suggest that this genus is not monophyletic, and that additional cryptic diversity is also likely present. We conducted a phylogenetic ana...

Three Asian green pit vipers were collected in August 2013 during a field trip in Fanjin Mt. National Conservation Area, Guizhou. These specimens were identified as Sinovipera sichuanensis, based on subsequent examination and comparison. This is a new record of the genus Sinovipera and S. sichuanensis in Guizhou, and the first time that male specim...

Protobothrops mangshanensis (Zhao, 1990) was first described based on the specimens from Mt. Mang, Yizhang, Hunan, China (Zhao and Chen, 1990). However, due to poor preservation, the holotype of P. mangshanensis is considerably damaged and cannot presently be used. Thus, according to Article 75 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (...

We collected a group of shrew moles from Puge County, Meigu County, Luding County, and Jiulong County, southwestern Sichuan, China. Morphologically, they were similar to other species of shrew moles in possessing the following suite of characteristics: body shrew-like; snout long and thin; ear present; forefeet small and not modified for digging; l...

Based on a molecular phylogeny and a comparison of maxillary dentition and morphology, the relationship between the genera Lycodon and Dinodon was investigated. Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood analysis of two mitochondrial genes (cyt b and ND4) and two nuclear genes (c-mos and Rag1) suggested that the two genera shared a most recent commo...

Effective and targeted conservation action requires detailed information about species, their distribution, systematics and ecology as well as the distribution of threat processes which affect them. Knowledge of reptilian diversity remains surprisingly disparate, and innovative means of gaining rapid insight into the status of reptiles are needed i...

In China, there are over 180 species of snakes in 57 genera and eight families (excluding the family Viperidae). In the Herpetological Museum of the Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB), Chinese Academy of Sciences, the snake type specimens represent 11 species in 10 genera and three families (Xenopeltidae, Xenodermatidae and Colubridae). As a series...

Based on morphological character comparisons and molecular phylogenetic reconstruction, we assessed the validity of the ratsnake subspecies Elaphe carinata deqenensis. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from fragments of two mitochondrial genes (ND2 and ND4) and one nuclear gene (c-mos) revealed a well-supported and minimally divergent sister rela...

The systematics of Oriental voles remains controversial despite numerous previous studies. In this study, we explore the systematics of all species of Oriental voles, except Eothenomys wardi, using a combination of DNA sequences and morphological data. Our molecular phylogeny, based on two mitochondrial genes (COI and cyt b), resolves the Oriental...

Based on two mitochondrial genes (cyt b, ND4) and one nuclear gene (c-mos), we explored the relationships within the Asian pit viper genus Gloydius. In total, 23 samples representing 10 species were analyzed. All phylogenetic analyses support a monophyletic Gloydius with two major clades, one comprising G. brevicaudus, G. blomhoffii, and G. ussurie...

During a faunal survey in southern Xizang, we collected 27 specimens of voles that could not be identified as any known species in the Arvicolinae. These specimens shared the following morphological characteristics, not corresponding with any other arvicoline species: the first lower molar possessed five closed triangles, the third upper molar exhi...

In order to assess the phylogenetic position of the recently described Protobothrops maolanensis Yang et al., 2011, we reconstructed relationships within the genus Protobothrops based on four mtDNA gene fragments (12S RNA, 16S RNA, ND4 and cyt b). Phylogeny reconstruction consistently recovered a sister relationship between P. maolanensis and P. el...

Aim To investigate the population history and demographics of Jerdon’s pitviper, Protobothrops jerdonii, and elucidate how the unique physical conditions and heterogeneous mountain environments resulting from the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau shaped the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of the species. Location China and Vietnam. Methods W...

A new genus and species of Asian green pitviper is described from Southwest China based on two female specimens. A new DNA phylogeny recovers the two specimens of the new species as a well-supported clade that is sister group to all sampled representatives of the genera Viridovipera and Cryptelytrops. The new genus is distinguished from other pitvi...

The snakes comprising the monophyletic group referred to as ratsnakes are found throughout Asia, Europe and the New World. Recently, three snake samples likely belonging to the ratsnakes were collected in Zoige County, Sichuan Province, China. Species identity was difficult to delimit morphologically because the specimens were juveniles and partial...

Guo, P., Jadin, R.C., Malhotra, A. and Li, C. 2009. An investigation of the cranial evolution of Asian pitvipers (Serpentes: Crotalinae), with comments on the phylogenetic position of Peltopelor macrolepis—Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91: 402–407. We investigated the evolution of 12 cranial characters of 31 species of Asian pitvipers by examining the...

Based on seven newly-collected specimens, we provide an expanded description for the rare Chinese snake Opisthotropis cheni. The new specimens are consistent with the type series in scale counts and body dimensions. However, two individuals lack yellow cross-bands that are apparent in the type specimens. A key to the ten Chinese species of Opisthot...

An investigation was conducted to identify the distribution of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne arboviruses in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China from July to August in 2007. A total of 8,147 mosquitoes representing six species from three genera (Aedes, Culex, and Anopheles) were collected in three locations (Geermu city, altitude of 2,780 m; Xining cit...