MSGID: 1:317/3 6272019f   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Researchers discover new species of salamander from Gulf Coastal plains   
   hotspot    
    Discovery sheds light on a region that is understudied, but species-rich   
      
      
     Date:   
         May 3, 2022   
     Source:   
         George Washington University   
     Summary:   
         There are approximately 750 species of salamander known to science,   
         a third of which reside in North America. Now, a team of researchers   
         has discovered a new species of swamp-dwelling dusky salamander   
         from the Gulf Coastal Plain of southeastern Mississippi and   
         southwestern Alabama.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   There are approximately 750 species of salamander known to science,   
   a third of which reside in North America. Now, a team of researchers   
   led by R. Alexander Pyron, the Robert F. Griggs Associate Professor   
   of Biology at the George Washington University, has discovered a new   
   species of swamp-dwelling dusky salamander from the Gulf Coastal Plain   
   of southeastern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   The discovery increases knowledge of the biodiversity in the southeastern   
   United States Coastal Plain, a candidate region meeting the global   
   criteria for a biodiversity hotspot. According to the researchers,   
   the region has been studied intensively for hundreds of years, but   
   nonetheless still contains abundant undescribed diversity.   
      
   "This discovery shows us how much more there is to learn even in our   
   own backyards," Pyron said. "The famed naturalist E.O. Wilson called   
   this region 'America's Amazon,' where ivory-billed woodpeckers and red   
   wolves once lived.   
      
   We are losing biodiversity at a dramatic rate, while still discovering   
   how much was originally there. Salamanders are among the most imperiled   
   animals globally, and we've yet to understand their true biodiversity."   
   The researchers determined that the new species of salamander, known   
   as Desmognathus pascagoula, is similar to another recently discovered   
   species known as Desmognathus valentinei.However, certain morphological,   
   genetic and geographic aspects of the new species differ. The researchers   
   sequenced the genomes from D. valentinei and D. pascagoulaspecimens,   
   revealing genetic variations in 881 different genes. They also compared   
   the body structure of D.   
      
   pascagoula with D. valentineiand Desmognathus conanti,another species   
   that occurs in the area, using collections from the Smithsonian's   
   National Museum of Natural History. They found subtle but significant   
   differences: D.   
      
   pascagoulahas a longer, more slender body and a narrower head and   
   nostrils.   
      
   "Many of these dusky salamanders are cryptic, meaning they can't   
   easily be told apart with the naked eye, which is one reason they went   
   undiscovered for so long," Pyron said. "Only with genome sequencing can   
   we see how different they really are. Then, precise measurements of   
   preserved specimens reveal tiny differences in things like the width   
   of the head, which are otherwise imperceptible."  According to the   
   researchers, additional work will be needed to provide insight both   
   into the biology of D. pascagoula, as well as its former and current   
   geographical extent. Pyron encourages other researchers in the field or   
   citizen scientists searching for the species to focus on images of the   
   lateral surfaces of the body and head, such that "portholes," postocular   
   stripes, and snouts are clearly visible. Future research may also reveal   
   the presence of other undescribed species of Desmognathus in the Coastal   
   Plain of the southeastern U.S.   
      
   The National Science Foundation (DEB-1655737, DEB-1656111 and DGE-0947944)   
   supported this research.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by George_Washington_University. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. R. Alexander Pyron, Kyle A. O'connell, Jennifer Y. Lamb, David   
      A. Beamer.   
      
         A new, narrowly endemic species of swamp-dwelling dusky salamander   
         (Plethodontidae: Desmognathus) from the Gulf Coastal Plain   
         of Mississippi and Alabama. Zootaxa, 2022; 5133 (1): 53 DOI:   
         10.11646/zootaxa.5133.1.3   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220503102856.htm   
      
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