Latest news with #ShizeLi
Miami Herald
21-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Purple-throated creature with ‘horn-like' eyelids discovered in China mountains
In the mountains of southeastern China, researchers came upon several creatures with horned eyelids and shield-shaped snouts sitting in the middle of a stream. The unusual specimens have been identified as a new species of toad, according to a study published July 17 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. Boulenophrys changyangensis, or the Changyang horned toad, lives in the northeastern section of the Wuling Mountains, at elevations of about 2,000 feet, according to the study. Researchers said they were often found perched on stones in streams in the middle of evergreen broadleaf forests. The Changyang horned toad measures just over an inch and a half long. It has 'large' eyes, a wide head and 'horn-like' growths on the edge of each upper eyelid, giving it is name. The toad's body is mostly brown, but it has a dark purple throat, a white belly and 'purple-brown' skin under its slender limbs, according to the study. Researchers said the Changyang horned toad may have evolved into a new species through geographic isolation in the mountains. The team noted that while the Guizhou and Hunan sections of the Wuling Mountains are well studied, there is 'a serious lack of systematic research' in Hubei, where the Changyang horned toad was discovered. In June, researchers announced the discovery of a similar new toad species —the Yezhong horned toad — about 650 miles away in the mountains in Guizhou Province, McClatchy News previously reported. The Yezhong horned toad also had horn-like growths on its eyelids, a shield-like snout and purple coloration on its underside. Hubei province is about a 730 mile drive southwest from Beijing. The research team included Shize Li, Shengchao Shi, Jing Liu, Jingjing Zhao, Shuo Gao and Bin Wang.
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Mountain creature with ‘burly' fingers found in China park. It's a new species
On a humid night in the mountains of southern China, a 'slender'-limbed creature with 'burly' fingers emerged from its hiding place and perched on some 'moist rocks' near a stream. Its 'remote' home usually helped it go unnoticed but not on this night. Visiting scientists spotted the 'horned' animal — and discovered a new species. A team of researchers hiked into the mountains of Daxueshan Nature Reserve in June 2023 to survey amphibians. The nature reserve sat within 'a global hotspot for amphibian diversity,' so the team expected to find some interesting animals, according to a study published July 3 in the peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal. Sure enough, during their nighttime surveys, researchers found a few unfamiliar-looking frogs along a 'stream edge.' Intrigued, they took a closer look at the frogs, analyzed their DNA and realized they were a new species: Boulenophrys daxuemontis, or the Daxueshan horned toad. Daxueshan horned toads are considered 'moderate'-sized, reaching about 1.6 inches in length, the study said. They have 'flat' heads, 'pointed' snouts and 'large' eyes. Their eyelids have a 'single horn-like' bump on the edge. Their arms and legs are 'slender,' and their fingers are 'burly.' Photos show the 'rough' texture and coloring of the new species. Overall, the toads vary from light brown to orange-brown to yellow-brown but all have an upside-down triangle marking on their heads. Daxueshan horned toads were found 'on stones in the streams' of a mountain forest at elevations of about 4,600 to 5,000 feet, the study said. One area had 'a gravel-bottomed streambed with loud flowing water.' No female Daxueshan horned toads were found, and much about the new species remains unknown. Researchers said they named the new species after Daxue Mountain where it was first discovered and, so far, the only place where it has been found. The park sits on the border of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in southern China. The new species was identified by its body size, texture, finger and toe shape, limb length and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 4% genetic divergence from related toad species. The research team included Jing Liu, Shize Li, Yanlin Cheng, Gang Wei, Bin Wang and Gang Cheng.
