The Identification About One New Pit Viper Species Belong To Protobothrops From Dabie Mountain Area And The Mitochondrial Genome Evolution Of Protobothrops

During a biological survey in July2011, a pit viper (the type specimen, AHU2011-EE-Hp01) was collected from the Yaoluoping Nature Reserve in the Dabie Mountains (116°04’12" N,30°58’17" E,1210m asl), Anhui, China. Next year September, the same pit viper (the number is AHU2012-EE-Hp01) was collected from the same place. The pit viper’s the total length measured836mm with a dorsal ground color of yellowbrown, decorated by56dark-brown transverse bands. The4th supralabial squama of the type specimen is separated from subocular by two squamae, and the tip of tail is orange; these combinations of characters distinguish it from other species of the genus Protobothrops. Based on the body proportions, number of squamae, body color pattern, and comparing the data of its life history with those of other species of Protobothrops, we herein describe it as a new species, belonging to the genus of Protobothrops. On the other hand, phylogenic relationships of13species within Protobothrops based on four mtDNA gene fragments (12S RNA,16S RNA, ND4and Cyt b) were reconstructed. The result indicates a clade composed of P. dabieshanensis (AHU2011-EE-Hp01, AHU2012-EE-Hp01), P. jerdonii and P. xiangchengsis with strong support. The genetic distance among P. dabieshanensis, P. jerdonii and P. xiangchengsis was much lower than other congeners. The last but not the least, the complete mitochondrial genomes of nine species of Protobothrops have been sequenced to examine the gene features and arrangements and discuss the phylogeny of Protobothrops. The gene orders of the three species conform to other snake of Crotalinae sequenced, which included22tRNAs,2rRNAs,13protein-coding genes, as well as2control regions. Phylogenic analyses (maximum parsimony, neighbor joining, and Bayesian inference) based on the12mitochondrial protein-coding genes and the complete mitochondrial genome except ND6and2contral regins were performed among nine species of Protobothrops. Based on the all of above data from the phylogenetic analysis and morphological differences describe, we conclude that P. dabieshanensis is a valid species with close affinities to P. jerdonii and P. xiangchengsis.