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| Chodsigoa dabieshanensis Chen, Hu, Pei, Yang, Yong, Xu, Qu, Onditi & Zhang, 2022 and Chodsigoa hypsibia de Winton, 1899 (skull lower right) Dabieshan long-tailed shrew | 大别山缺齿鼩 || DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1083.78233 |
Abstract
Asiatic shrews of the genus Chodsigoa (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla) currently comprise nine species, mostly occurring in southwest China. From May 2017 to August 2020, 11 specimens of Chodsigoa were collected from the Dabie Mountains in Anhui Province, eastern China. Their morphology was compared with other species within the genus and one mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and two nuclear (apolipoprotein B and breast cancer 1) genes were sequenced to estimate the phylogenetic relationships of these specimens. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, these specimens are recognized as a distinct species, Chodsigoa dabieshanensis sp. nov., which is formally described here. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to Chodsigoa hypsibia, but it is distinguishable from all known congeners by the combination of dark brownish pelage, small size, and relatively short tail. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that C. dabieshanensis sp. nov. forms a phylogenetic lineage sister to the clade containing C. parva + C. hypsibia. The-Kimura 2-parameter genetic distances of the cytochrome b (CYT B) gene between the new species and other nominal Chodsigoa species ranged between 8.6 and 17.6%. The new species is distributed at elevations from 750 to 1250 m in the Dabie Mountains and is geographically distant from other species in the genus.
Keywords: Chodsigoa dabieshanensis, molecular analysis, morphology, new species, taxonomy
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| Dorsal, ventral, and lateral views of the skull and lateral views of the mandible of the holotype of Chodsigoa dabieshanensis sp. nov. (AHU2008FZL004; left) and Chodsigoa hypsibia (KIZ 016077; right). Scale bar: 10 mm. |
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| Dorsal and ventral view of Chodsigoa dabieshanensis sp. nov. |
Chodsigoa dabieshanensis sp. nov.
Suggested common name: Dabieshan long-tailed shrew;
大别山缺齿鼩 (Dabieshan Quechiqu)
Diagnosis: The new species is assigned to the genus Chodsigoa for having three upper unicuspid teeth, with the tips of the teeth lightly pigmented (Fig. 4). Chodsigoa dabieshanensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from the other known species of Chodsigoa by the following combination of characters: small to medium in size (HB = 67.22 mm; CIL = 19.08 mm), dark brownish pelage; tail shorter than the HB, nearly similar ventral and dorsal pelage color, a small tuft of longer hairs at the tip of the tail (Fig. 5); markedly flattened braincase; and the foramen magnum is relatively wider than C. hypsibia. Phylogenetic analyses show that the new species is monotypic, sister to C. hypsibia and C. parva (Fig. 3).
Etymology: The specific name dabieshanensis is derived from the Dabie Mountains, the type locality of the new species: -shan means mountain in Chinese, and the Latin adjectival suffix -ensis means “belonging to".
Distribution and habits: Chodsigoa dabieshanensis sp. nov. is currently known from Yaoleping National Nature Reserve, Bancang Natural Reserve, and Foziling Natural Reserve, all located in the Dabie Mountains, Anhui province, eastern China. Most specimens were collected from deciduous broad-leaf forests at 750–1250 m a.s.l.
Zhongzheng Chen, Tingli Hu, Xiaoxin Pei, Guangdao Yang, Fan Yong, Zhen Xu, Weiying Qu, Kenneth O. Onditi and Baowei Zhang. 2022. A New Species of Asiatic Shrew of the Genus Chodsigoa (Soricidae, Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) from the Dabie Mountains, Anhui Province, eastern China. ZooKeys. 1083: 129-146. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1083.78233
