Yong Huang

A new species of the genus Leptobrachella , L. guinanensis sp. nov. , is described in this study based on morphological, molecular, and bioacoustic data. The species was discovered in the Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve in Shangsi County, Guangxi, China. Phylogenetically, L. guinanensis sp. nov. is closely related to L. ventripunctata . Howeve...

Calotes wangi sp. nov. , a new species of the agamid genus Calotes Cuvier, 1817, from southern China and northern Vietnam, is described. This species can be distinguished from all known congeners by a combination of morphological characteristics and genetic divergence in the mitochondrial tRNA, ND2, and CO1 genes. Molecular phylogenetic analysis re...

Background Authenticity identification has always been one of the hot research issues in the identification of traditional Chinese medicine. Since the Chinese medicinal materials are usually processed and stored dry, the DNA degradation is serious, and the standard DNA barcoding length (648bp) or longer gene fragments are difficult to amplify, whic...

[Objectives] One specimen of Tropidophorus was collected from Yamugou Scenic Area, Jiangkou County, Guizhou Province during filed work in August 2019 and one specimen of Calotes was collected from Pandu Township, Lianjiang County, Fujian Provence in October 2019. [Methods] In order to identify these species, we conducted a morphological study on th...

The whole mitogenome can prove useful tools for phylogenetic reconstruction and efficiently recover with reasonable taxon sampling. Calotes emma is widely distributed and arboreal in habits. However, studies of C. emma are still very limited, including population genetics and evolutionary biology. In this study, we reported the complete mitochondri...

Nidirana guangxiensis sp. nov. , a new music frog species, is proposed, based on a series of specimens collected from Mt Daming, Guangxi, southern China. The new species is close to N. yeae , N. daunchina , N. yaoica , and N. chapaensis from southwestern and south-central China and northern Indochina, while the relationships among these species rem...

We described a new species of the genus Leptobrachella from Southern Guangxi, China, based on morphological characteristics, molecular analyses and bioacoustics. This new species, Leptobrachella shiwandashanensis sp. nov., occurs in sympatry with Leptobrachella shangsiensis. However, phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial 16S gene fragmen...

The identification of species primordium has been one of the hot issues in the identification of traditional Chinese medicine. Sea snake is one of the most valuable Chinese medicinal materials in China. In order to understand the origin and varieties of sea snake in the market, we studied the molecular identification of 46 sea snakes by cytochrome...

Rhacophorus yaoshanensis Liu & Hu, 1962 and Theloderma kwangsiensis Liu & Hu, 1962 were described by Liu & Hu (1962) based on two specimens and one specimen, respectively, from the Dayaoshan Ranges, Guangxi, China. Since these two species were described, no additional specimens have been collected from their type localities, presenting an issue for...

Patterns in the distribution of species richness have always been a central theme in macroecology. The karst landforms in Southwest China (mainly Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces) are among the largest of the global biodiversity hotspots. In this study, we sought to understand spatial patterns of amphibian species richness and its relationship...

Patterns of geographic variation in body size are predicted to evolve as adaptations to local environmental gradients. However, many of these clinal patterns in body size, such as Bergmann's rule, are controversial and require further investigation into ectotherms such as reptiles on a regional scale. To examine the environmental variables (tempera...

Substituted cyclopropyl compounds of the formula I: and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are disclosed as useful for treating or preventing type 2 diabetes and similar conditions. The compounds are useful as agonists of the G-protein coupled receptor GPR-119. Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment are also included.

The black-spotted tokay and the red-spotted tokay are morphologically distinct and have largely allopatric distributions. The black-spotted tokay is characterized by a small body size and dark skin with sundry spots, while the red-spotted tokay has a relatively large body size and red spots. Based on morphological, karyotypic, genetic, and distribu...

The Oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor) is one of the few non-gekkonid lizards that are geographically widespread in the tropics. We investigated its population dynamics on Hainan Island and the adjacent mainland of China and Vietnam, focusing on the impact of cyclic upheaval and submergence of land bridges during the Pleistocene. Our Bayes...

Observed and expected mismatch distributions showing the frequencies of pairwise differences of Group I and Group II based on models of sudden expansion (a, b) and spatial expansion (c, d). (TIF)

Accession numbers for the outgroup sequences retrieved from GenBank and used for phylogenetic analyses of Fiure S1. (DOC)

Results of the principal components analysis of 19 bioclimatic variables. (DOC)

The complete time-calibrated Calotes versicolor phylogeny used for secondary calibrations. Branch lengths are in units of time. Node bars indicate 95% credible intervals of estimated divergence times. Red bars indicate fossil-calibrated nodes. Posterior probabilities above 0.50 are shown next to nodes. (TIF)

Principal-components analysis of climatic niche differences between Groups I and II (framed by circle and square, respectively). (a) X-axis indicates PC1, and Y-axis indicates PC2. (b) X-axis indicates PC2, and Y-axis indicates PC4. (TIF)

Lepobrachiun guangxiense Fei, Mo, Ye and Jiang, 2009 (Anura: Megophryidae), is presently thought to be endemic to Shangsi, Guangxi Province, China. A molecular phylogenetic analysis and morphological data were performed to gain insight into the phylogenetic position of this species. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference meth...

Bipiperidyl compounds of the formula: (I) are disclosed as useful for treating or preventing type 2 diabetes and similar conditions. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts and solvates are included as well. The compounds are useful as agonists of the g-protein coupled receptor GPR-119.

Among many hypotheses proposed to explain large-scale patterns of species richness, three alternative versions of ecological hypothesis, the species-energy, habitat heterogeneity and contemporary climate hypotheses have shown widespread empirical support as the primary determinants of species richness. The database of 26 environmental variables, in...

Understanding large-scale geographic patterns of species richness as well its underlying mechanisms are among the most significant objectives of macroecology and biogeography. The ecological hypothesis is one of the most accepted explanations of this mechanism. Here, we studied the geographic patterns of snakes and investigated the relationships be...

Study site located in southeast Tibetan Plateau, China. The area ranges from 3200 to 4500 m above sea level, characterized by extremely complex topography and climate. The nine winter range MAPs (minimum active polygons) are identified in the northeast corner of the map. (DOC)

The pattern of solar radiation from Nov. 1, 2006 to Feb. 10, 2007 (3A, KWH/m2) and sunshine duration in Dec. 22, 2006 (3B, min) throughout the monkey's winter range (represented by the 9 MAPs). Areas with red/green color indicate where there is high/low solar radiation and long/short sunshine duration respectively. Note that MAPs #8 and #9 are on o...

Environmental factors that affect spatiotemporal distribution patterns of animals usually include resource availability, temperature, and the risk of predation. However, they do not explain the counterintuitive preference of high elevation range in winter by the black-and-white snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti). We asked whether variation of...

Many ecological hypotheses have been widely used to explain species richness variation across the globe. We investigated lizard species richness patterns in China, and identified areas of high species richness. Furthermore, we tested hypotheses concerning the relationships between lizard richness and environmental variables. A large data including...

Screening of the Merck sample collection identified compound 1 as a weakly potent GPR119 agonist (hEC(50)=3600 nM). Dual termini optimization of 1 led to compound 36 having improved potency, selectivity, and formulation profile, however, modest physical properties (PP) hindered its utility. Design of a new core containing a cyclopropyl restriction...

Human impacts on the environment at local or regional scales largely depend on intrinsic characteristics of the population, such as household size, household number, and human population growth. These demographic factors can vary considerably among ethnic groups sharing similar ecological landscapes, yet the role of traditional cultural practices i...

Forest mapping over mountainous terrains is difficult because of high relief. Although digital elevation models (DEMs) are often useful to improve mapping accuracy, high quality DEMs are seldom available over large areas, especially in developing countries. In this study, a hierarchical approach coupled with topographic information derived from coa...

Black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecusbieti ) distribute in a restricted area of the TransHimalayas between the Mekong and Yangtze River, at 26°14’N-29°20’N and 99°15’E−99°37’E. There are about 1 700 individuals in 15 groups remained in the habitat between 4 200 (north) −2 600 m (south) asl. The Milaka group is the northernmost range of...