Yanqing Wu

• Doctor of Ecology
• Research Director at Wenzhou University

Studies examining the oxygen dependency of embryonic survival, growth, and differentiation have been conducted for decades in a diverse array of animal taxa but including only one oviparous snake, the viperine water snake Natrix maura . Here, we describe a study incubating eggs of the tiger keelback Rhabdophis tigrinus lateralis (Colubridae) under...

Simple Summary We measured female reproductive traits of a colubrid snake (Lycodon rufozonatus) from Zhejiang, East China in four years (1999, 2010, 2011, and 2014). After removing the influence of female size, postpartum body mass was greater in 2010 than in 2014, clutch mass was greater in 2010 than in 2011 and 2014, and egg size was greater in 2...

Background: Various external and internal factors affect the gut microbiota of animals. The colonization and proliferation of gut microbes have been studied in a diverse array of animal taxa but remain poorly known in snakes. Here, we used the 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology on the Roach 454 platform to analyze the gut microbiota composition us...

Opisthotropis kuatunensis is classified in the family Natricidae and is widespread in southern China. In this study, we sequenced and analyzed the circular mitochondrial genome of O. kuatunensis from the Fujian Province, China. The complete mitogenome is 17,279 bp in length, and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNA, 1...

We sequenced the complete 17,209 bp mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Gonyosoma frenatum (Squamata: Colubridae) using next-generation sequencing. It consists of 13 PCGs, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, one non-coding region of an L-strand replication origin, and two control regions. The overall nucleotide composition was 34.7% of...

A new species of the frog genus Rana sensu lato from Wuyi Mountain, Fujian Province, China is described. Molecular phylogenetic analyses clustered the new species into the R. johnsi group and indicated that it was genetically divergent from its closely related species. The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of th...

Climate change influences species geographical distribution and diversity pattern. The Chinese fire-bellied newt (Cynops orientalis) is an endemic species distributed in East-central China, which has been classified as near-threatened species recently due to habitat destruction and degradation and illegal trade in the domestic and international pet...

Species monitoring, defined here as the repeated, systematic collection of data to detect long‐term changes in the populations of wild species, is a vital component of conservation practice and policy. We created a database of nearly 1200 schemes, ranging in start date from 1800 to 2018, to review spatial, temporal, taxonomic, and methodological pa...

A new species of the Asian horned toad genus Megophrys is described from Zhejiang Province, China, based on multiple data. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial DNA indicated the new species as an independent clade deeply clustered into the Megophrys clade. The new species is identified from its congeners by a combination of the fo...

Background The mutualistic symbiosis between the gut microbial communities (microbiota) and their host animals has attracted much attention. Many factors potentially affect the gut microbiota, which also varies among host animals. The native Chinese three-keeled pond turtle (Chinemys reevesii) and the invasive red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scr...

A new species of the genus Megophrys is described from Guizhou Province, China. Molecular phylogenetic analyses supported the new species as an independent clade nested into the Megophrys. The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: body size moderate (SVL 49.3-58.2 mm in males); vomerine...

The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Quasipaa exilispinosa (Anura: Dicroglossidae) we sequenced can provide critical information for mitogenome evolution. This mitogenome with 17,046 bp long contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and one non-coding regions. The overall AT content of 58....

The genus Rhabdophis is a group of widely distributed snakes with more than 20 species. Recent field msurveys uncovered a species in southwestern China, which has long been considered as R. pentasupralabialis. Combined molecular and morphological analyses revealed it as a new species Rhabdophis chiwen sp. nov. Based on 12 specimens, this new specie...

The Ussuri mamushi (Gloydius ussuriensis) is especially adapted to low temperature environments in the high latitude area and it is classified as least concern according to the China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals. In this study, ten microsatellite loci were isolated from G. ussuriensis. These markers revealed a high degree of genetic diversit...

A new species of the genus Megophrys from Zhejiang Province, China is described. Molecular phylo-genetic analyses supported the new taxon as an independent clade nested into the Megophrys clade and sister to M. lishuiensis. The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: (1)...

Background Species-specific advertisement calls are the main mechanism of transmitting information between individuals in anuran amphibians and are therefore indispensable for anuran survival and reproduction. Survey methods that monitor these calls can be used for rapid species recognition, behavioral experiments, and conservation monitoring. In t...

A new species of the genus Megophrys from Zhejiang Province, China is described. Molecular phylogenetic analyses supported the new taxon as an independent clade nested into the Megophrys clade and sister to M. lishuiensis . The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: (1)...

There is a lack of genomic information on Calidris tenuirostris, which can provide valuable resource for genetic diversity and conservation biology. The complete mitogenome of C. tenuirostris was 16,775 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and 1 control region (D-loop)...

A new species of white-toothed shrew, Crocidura anhuiensis Zhang, Zhang & Li, sp. nov. is described from Mount Huang, China. Genetic sequence (mtDNA Cyt b gene) and morphological (external and skull) data are used to distinguish this newly discovered species. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the materials of this work are monophyletic and allie...

Rana zhenhaiensis is a species of frog within the family Ranidae. In this study, its complete mitochondrial genome was characterized by high-throughput sequencing technology. It is 19,205 bp long with an overall AT content of 55.2% and includes 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region. Besides, a 26-bp-long...

Background: The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is the world's highest and largest plateau, but the role of its uplift in the evolution of species or biotas still remains poorly known. Toad-headed lizards of the reproductively bimodal genus Phrynocephalus are a clade of agamids, with all viviparous species restricted to the QTP and adjacent regions....

Background The oviparity-viviparity transition is a major evolutionary event, likely altering the reproductive process of the organisms involved. Residual yolk, a portion of yolk remaining unutilized at hatching or birth as parental investment in care, has been investigated in many oviparous amniotes but remained largely unknown in viviparous speci...

The Ussuri mamushi (Gloydius ussuriensis) is especially adapted to low temperature environments in the high latitude area and it is classified as least concern according to the China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals. In this study, ten microsatellite loci were isolated from G. ussuriensis. These markers revealed a high degree of genetic diversit...

The king ratsnakes (Elaphe carinata) is widespread in south-eastern China, North Vietnam, and Japan (Ryukyu Islands). The snake is listed as a vulnerable species according to the China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals. To develop effective conservation strategies for the snake, we need a better understanding of gene flow, population structure an...

Viviparity (live-bearing) is a reproductive mode that evolves from oviparity through gradual increases in the length of egg retention and thus intrauterine development. Squamate reptiles (lizards, snakes and amphisbaenians) provide a very useful model system for studying the evolutionary transition from oviparity to viviparity and the adaptive sign...