{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T20:40:12Z","timestamp":1782247212554,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760659200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012166","name":"National Key Research and Development Program of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2024YFC2607500"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024YFC2607500"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012166","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003995","name":"Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["2025BFAFZ02069-2"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2025BFAFZ02069-2"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003995","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>China is a global hotspot for amphibian biodiversity, yet under-explored montane regions harbor undiscovered cryptic species. Using integrative taxonomy, we describe a new salamandrid species, Pachytriton cheni sp. nov., from Qingliangfeng Nature Reserve, Anhui. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial (ND2, cytb) and nuclear (RAG1, POMC) genes strongly support it as a monophyletic sister lineage to P. granulosus, with significant mitochondrial p-distances (4.39\u201310.22%) and unique nuclear haplotypes. Bayes factor species delimitation under the multispecies coalescent model (MSC) decisively rejects conspecificity with P. granulosus (2lnBF = 24.52). Morphologically, it is diagnosed by its small size; oval, narrow head (length &gt; width); nearly black dorsum lacking bright orange spots; smooth skin; occipital V-shaped ridge; orange-red abdomen with brown markings; prominent neck folds; and minimal digit gap when limbs are adpressed. This discovery increases Pachytriton species to ten, highlights high-elevation montane ecosystems as key biodiversity refuges in East China, and underscores the need for further surveys to clarify the genus\u2019s phylogeny.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15203018","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]],"date-time":"2025-10-17T13:07:22Z","timestamp":1760706442000},"page":"3018","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["A New Species of Pachytriton (Amphibia: Caudata: Salamandridae) from Anhui, China"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Zhirong","family":"He","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Security in the Yangtze River Basin, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Siyu","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Security in the Yangtze River Basin, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shanqing","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shexian Management Station of Anhui Qingliangfeng National Nature Reserve, Huangshan 245200, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Li","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Ecology, Lishui University, Lishui 323000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Na","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Security in the Yangtze River Basin, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaobing","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Security in the Yangtze River Basin, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9522-9005","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Supen","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Security in the Yangtze River Basin, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"308","DOI":"10.1038\/s41586-023-06578-4","article-title":"Ongoing declines for the world\u2019s amphibians in the face of emerging threats","volume":"622","author":"Luedtke","year":"2023","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"150","DOI":"10.5358\/hsj.32.150","article-title":"Taxonomic relationship of two newt species of Pachytriton recently described from China (Amphibia: Urodela: Salamandridae)","volume":"32","author":"Nishikawa","year":"2013","journal-title":"Curr. 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