Xing-Chao Zhang’s scientific contributions

We present the results from a series of herpetological surveys conducted in the Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China between April 2014 and November 2018. A total of 59 species of amphibians and reptiles (one salamander, 30 batrachians, four lizards, and 24 snakes) were recorded during the surveys including three newly described amphibian species and 17 new records for Tengchong, 10 of which also represent new generic records for the area. Natural history notes of some little-known species are presented. Our survey results clearly demonstrate that the herpetofauna diversity of this mountain range is still underestimated and warrants further systematic study.

We summarised the results of a four-year ornithological survey in the Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve and its immediate vicinity, and compiled an inventory of the present avifauna. In total, 387 bird species were recorded in Tengchong from 2014 to 2018, including 116 which were hitherto undocumented. The birds of Tengchong represented 48.9% of avifauna in Yunnan province, with a particularly rich elements of the Himalayan avifauna. This immense bird species richness suggests that Tengchong is an important site for the preservation of Asian montane forest birds. Although the current protected area system covered most of the intact forests in mid- to high-elevations, more conservation intervention should be allocated to lower elevation habitats below 2000m, which are largely outside the reserve boundaries and facing intensive development pressures.

We conducted field surveys on the mammalian diversity in the Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan Province, China, using camera trap and transect method between April 2014 and May 2018. A total of 46 identifiable mammal species were recorded, including one new record for China and nine new species for the Tengchong County. Of the 46 species, nine are globally threatened (three Endangered and six Vulnerable) and six are Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Species richness of most mammal groups in Tengchong remains high compared to similar sites in neighbouring countries; however, encounter rates for species vulnerable to high hunting pressures were quite low and large carnivores, except the Asiatic Black Bear, were either extirpated or at critically low numbers. Future surveys should cover a wider elevation range and a variety of microhabitats to increase the probability of detecting the species not yet recorded. To enhance the conservation value of the reserve for the diverse mammalian community, poaching and livestock grazing should be further controlled; in addition, protection and restoration of low-altitude forests should be encouraged. Monitoring and research on selected flagship species should also be conducted.

In order to understand the male calls characteristics of the poorly known Leptobrachium tengchongense, field survey was conducted on 27th February 2018 in Dahetou Ranger Station of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Tengchong City of Yunnan, China, aiming to obtain the records of male calls during its breeding season. A total of 78 male calls, belonging to six adult male individuals, were recorded using a digital recorder (TASCAM DR-40); the calls were analyzed using the Raven Pro © v.1.5 software. The results show that, adult males of Leptobrachium tengchongense could make two different types of calls during the breeding season, namely advertisement call and combat call. Both are single-note calls, and all have a dominant frequency of 1.31﹣1.50 kHz. The combat calls are normally emitted when there are other males calling nearby, and its call duration is comparatively longer than those of advertisement calls (610 ± 187.0 ms vs. 147 ± 30.1 ms), and contains more pulses (28 ± 10.7 pulses/s vs. 15 ± 2.4 pulses/s). There are variations on the call duration and intercall-interval among six individuals, and these variation may correlate with body size; however, due to the limited sample size, more records are needed in order to clarify the relationship between the body size and its call characteristics. Based on the survey result, we also discuss the current two major threats, habitat degradation and human consumption on tadpoles, to the species and propose relevant conservation actions.