identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
57D6BDAA02E956B2BAD6098AB62CD520.text	57D6BDAA02E956B2BAD6098AB62CD520.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Andrias yaoluopingensis Jiang, Huang, Zhao & Huang 2026	<div><p>Andrias yaoluopingensis Jiang, Huang, Zhao &amp; Huang sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 4, 5</p><p>Notes.</p><p>Integrative taxonomic approaches were used in this study to describe the new species Andrias yaoluopingensis sp. nov. combining mitochondrial genomes and morphological evidences. Meanwhile, potential biogeographic mechanisms (i. e. historical river capture or anthropogenic translocation) were discussed in the Discussion section below.</p><p>Type material.</p><p>Holotype. • HSA 25201, adult male from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=116.08&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=31.0" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 116.08/lat 31.0)">Macao River</a>, Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve (31.00°N, 116.08°E; elevation 948 m), Yuexi County, Anqing City, Anhui Province, China, collected by Kai ZHAO on 20 September 2017 . Paratype. • An adult female HSA 25202. Same collection date and locality as the holotype .</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific name yaoluopingensis refers to the type locality of the new species in Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve, Anhui, China. For the English common name, we suggest “ Yaoluoping Giant Salamander ” and for the Chinese name, 鹞落坪大鲵 (yào luò píng dà ní).</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>An Andrias species having: (1) head and trunk flat, head slightly longer than wide; (2) tubercles above the orbit few and irregularly distributed; (3) eye diameter longer than naris diameter; (4) lateral neck fold discontinuous with body fold at fore-limb insertion; (5) interdigital webbing slightly present; (6) finger length formula FIII&gt; FII&gt; FI&gt; FIV; and (7) dorsum tan in life, darker blotches present on trunk.</p><p>Description of the holotype.</p><p>HSA 25201 (Figs 4, 5), adult male, body flat (TTL 650.69 mm, SVL 420.54 mm). Head large, flat; snout truncate dorsally, obtusely protruding in lateral view; naris rounded and conspicuous; eyes rounded, dorsolaterally positioned, lacking lids; eye diameter longer than naris diameter; internarial distance subequal to interorbital distance; interorbital space between tip of snout flat; large rounded temporal protuberance behind each eye; labial fold indistinct; gular fold present; costal folds on both sides of specimen; dorsolateral folds distinct; lateral neck fold discontinuous with body fold at fore-limb insertion; tubercles above the orbit few and irregularly distributed; ventral surface of trunk smoother than dorsum; four short fingers, interdigital webbing slightly present, finger length formula FIII&gt; FII&gt; FI&gt; FIV; posterior edge of FIV with dermal fold which is continuous with dermal fold on arm; toe length formula TI &lt;TV &lt;TII &lt;TIV &lt;TIII; callous present on plantar surface below FI and TI; vent slit-like; tail muscular, thick at base, gradually flattening posteriorly and distally.</p><p>Colouration of the holotype.</p><p>Dorsum tan in life, darker blotches present on trunk, gradually decreasing and broken from mid-body to head, limbs and tail, a few black spots scattered between large patches; ground colour of the ventral surface greyish-brown, darker blotches present, anterior venter of head black. In preservative, dorsum and ventral surface faded, with black patches and spots remaining distinct; horny epidermis on tips of fingers and toes as well as palms and soles greyish-white.</p><p>Variation.</p><p>No significant differences in morphology and colouration were found amongst all adult specimens in this study. The paratype (female, TAL / SVL 0.50) is smaller than the holotype (male, TAL / SVL 0.67). However, the number of specimens in this study is limited.</p><p>Comparisons.</p><p>Pure A. davidianus and A. sligoi have not been genetically identified and farm-bred individuals exhibit genetic contamination because of translocated animals or hybrids of Andrias spp. (Yan et al. 2018; Chai et al. 2022). As a result, morphological comparisons in recent studies are often based on holotypes (Chai et al. 2022; Gong et al. 2023).</p><p>Andrias yaoluopingensis sp. nov. is phylogenetically close to A. sligoi, which is distributed in southern China. However, the new species differs from A. sligoi by its eye diameter longer than naris diameter (vs. eye diameter equal to naris diameter), finger lengths formula FIII&gt; FII&gt; FI&gt; FIV (vs. FII&gt; FI = FIII&gt; FIV) and interdigital webbing slightly present (vs. interdigital webbing absent) (Turvey et al. 2019).</p><p>In addition, A. yaoluopingensis sp. nov. further differs from the remaining congeners (Chai et al. 2022; Gong et al. 2023), as follows:</p><p>A. yaoluopingensis sp. nov. differs from A. davidianus (holotype MNHN -RA-0.7613, images posted on: http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/ra/0.7613) by its tubercles above the orbit being few and irregularly distributed (vs. head and lower jaw rough, with distinct, regularly arranged tubercles) and FIII longer than FII (vs. FIII shorter than FII).</p><p>A. yaoluopingensis sp. nov. differs from A. jiangxiensis by its tubercles above the orbit being few and irregularly distributed (vs. smooth skin on the snout and around eyes) and FIII longer than FII (vs. FIII shorter than FII).</p><p>A. yaoluopingensis sp. nov. differs from A. cheni by its interdigital webbing slightly present (vs. interdigital webbing absent) and FIII longer than FII (vs. FIII shorter than FII).</p><p>A. yaoluopingensis sp. nov. differs from A. japonicus by its smoother head with indistinct tubercles (vs. dense, distinct, large tubercles).</p><p>Distribution and habitat.</p><p>Based on the phylogenetic analysis, A. yaoluopingensis sp. nov. is currently known from the type locality in the Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve in western Anhui, northern Guangxi and Hunan Province. The specimens were caught in a river at 948 m a. s. l., with many crevices between the stones (Fig. 6).</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/57D6BDAA02E956B2BAD6098AB62CD520	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Jiang, Zhihao;Huang, Ruyi;Yang, Jingjing;Zhao, Kai;Zhang, Yixue;Zhang, Tierui;Zhang, Yucai;Chu, Jun;Chen, Jinmin;Huang, Song	Jiang, Zhihao, Huang, Ruyi, Yang, Jingjing, Zhao, Kai, Zhang, Yixue, Zhang, Tierui, Zhang, Yucai, Chu, Jun, Chen, Jinmin, Huang, Song (2026): A new species of the Giant Salamander genus Andrias (Amphibia, Urodela, Cryptobranchidae) from Yuexi, Anhui, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 102 (2): 649-658, DOI: 10.3897/zse.102.179377
