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| Typhlomys huangshanensis Hu & Zhang in Hu, Cheng, Xu, ... et Zhang, 2021. |
Abstract
In this study, we reassessed the taxonomic position of Typhlomys (Rodentia: Platacanthomyidae) from Huangshan, Anhui, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. Results suggested that Typhlomys is comprised of up to six species, including four currently recognized species (Typhlomys cinereus, T. chapensis, T. daloushanensis, and T. nanus), one unconfirmed candidate species, and one new species (Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov.). Morphological analyses further supported the designation of the Huangshan specimens found at mid-elevations in the southern Huangshan Mountains (600 m to 1 200 m a.s.l.) as a new species.
Keywords: Morphology, Phylogenetics, Species delimitation, Taxonomy
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| Figure 1. Phylogenetic tree, species delimitation, and principal component and discriminant function analysis of Typhlomys, with skulls and dorsal views of Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov. and molar comparisons of five species A: Bayesian phylogenetic trees derived from cyt b (a), GHR (b), IRBP (c), and concatenated nuclear and mitochondrial (d) sequences. Letters near branches correspond to different species: A: T. chapensis; B: T. nanus; C: T. daloushanensis; D: T. sp. 2; E: T. cinereus; F: T. sp. 1. B: Species delimitation using PTP (a) and BPP (b), and nuclear gene species trees reconstructed with *BEAST. Node numbers are posterior probabilities (upper) and median ages of divergence times (lower). C: Results of principal component analysis (PCA) (a) and discriminant function analysis (DFA) (b). D: Right upper and lower molars of Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov. (holotype, AE1902HS03) (a), T. nanus (KIZ 033585) (b), T. chapensis (KIZ 033593) (c), T. daloushanensis (KIZ 033556) (d), and T. cinereus (USNM 141495) (e). E: Ventral, dorsal, and lateral views of skull and lingual side of mandibles of Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov. a: Female (paratype, AE1901HS01); b: male (holotype, AE1902HS03). F: Dorsal views of skin of holotype (upper) and paratype (lower). Except for Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov., cheek teeth figures of above species were obtained from Cheng et al. (2017). |
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| A: Bayesian phylogenetic trees derived from cyt b (a), GHR (b), IRBP (c), and concatenated nuclear and mitochondrial (d) sequences. Letters near branches correspond to different species: A: T. chapensis; B: T. nanus; C: T. daloushanensis; D: T. sp. 2; E: T. cinereus; F: T. sp. 1. B: Species delimitation using PTP (a) and BPP (b), and nuclear gene species trees reconstructed with *BEAST. Node numbers are posterior probabilities (upper) and median ages of divergence times (lower). C: Results of principal component analysis (PCA) (a) and discriminant function analysis (DFA) (b). |
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| D: Right upper and lower molars of Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov. (holotype, AE1902HS03) (a), T. nanus (KIZ 033585) (b), T. chapensis (KIZ 033593) (c), T. daloushanensis (KIZ 033556) (d), and T. cinereus (USNM 141495) (e). E: Ventral, dorsal, and lateral views of skull and lingual side of mandibles of Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov. a: Female (paratype, AE1901HS01); b: male (holotype, AE1902HS03). F: Dorsal views of skin of holotype (upper) and paratype (lower). Except for Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov., cheek teeth figures of above species were obtained from Cheng et al. (2017). |
Typhlomys huangshanensis Hu & Zhang, sp. nov.
Type locality: Monkey Valley of Huangshan Mountains (N30.119, E118.306, 710 m a.s.l.), Tangkou Township, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, China. The specimen was deposited in the Biological Museum of Anhui University, Anhui, China.
Diagnosis: The new species can be distinguished by a flattened braincase rather than the domed braincases of T. nanus and T. chapensis. It has a shorter skull than T. daloushanensis and a narrower interorbital breadth than T. chapensis. Its hind feet are covered with black hair, differing from the yellowish-white hair of T. daloushanensis. It has a longer upper molar than T. cinereus. In the new species, the anterofossettes on M1 are narrower than those in T. cinereus, and the anterofossettid of M2 is missing or inconspicuous.
Ecology and habitat: The specimens were captured from a mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest belt. Other sympatric small mammals included Apodemus agrarius, Apodemus draco, Callosciurus erythraeus, Micromys minutus, and Crocidura anhuiensis (Wang, 1990; Zhang et al., 2019).
Distribution: Typhlomys huangshanensis sp. nov. is currently known from the Huangshan and Qingliangfeng mountains, Anhui Province, China. The known elevational range is 710–1 303 m a.s.l.. It might occur in other mountain areas in southern Anhui and western Zhejiang.
Etymology: The specific name refers to its type locality, i.e., Huangshan Mountains, Anhui Province, China. We suggest the English common name as “Huangshan Blind Mouse” and the Chinese common name as “黄山猪尾鼠”.
Ting-Li Hu, Feng Cheng, Zhen Xu, Zhong-Zheng Chen, Lei Yu, Qian Ban, Chun-Lin Li, Tao Pan and Bao-Wei Zhang. 2021. Molecular and Morphological Evidence for A New Species of the Genus Typhlomys (Rodentia: Platacanthomyidae). Zoological Research. 42(1); 100-107. DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.132
