A Taiwanese clade of Nidirana okinavana has been identified as a new species of music frog and named “Nidirana shyhhuangi,” a joint research by National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and the Ministry of Agriculture announced yesterday.
Nidirana okinavana, also known as the Yaeyama harpist frog, was previously thought to only be found in Nantou County and Japan’s Ryukyu Islands.
However, a joint research by the university, the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute (TBRI) and the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute showed that the Taiwanese clade of Nidirana okinavana should be recognized as a distinct species, as there is significant difference between the Taiwanese and Japanese clades.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute
The Taiwanese clade was named Nidirana shyhhuangi in honor of retired NTNU Department of Life Science professor Chen Shyh-huang (陳世煌), who first discovered the endemic species in the early 1980s while he as an assistant professor, the research team said.
Although Chen suspected the music frog was a new species that had not yet been described, his findings could not be published due to the lack of molecular evidence 40 years ago, it said.
The research team, led by NTNU Life Science Department professor Lin Si-min (林思民), continued Chen’s work several years ago, identifying distinct differences in body size, skin patterns and calls between the Taiwanese and Japanese clades of Nidirana okinavana through molecular, morphological and acoustic analyses, the team said.
The holotype specimens used to identify the new frog species were those preserved and stored by Chen in NTNU’s specimen room in 1984, the research team said.
Chen’s expertise in traditional biotaxonomy was evident in his ability to preserve Nidirana shyhhuangi specimens in optimal formalin and alcohol concentrations for more than four decades, the research team said, adding that the newly recognized species was named in honor of Chen’s contributions.
Nidirana okinavana is classified as a nationally critically endangered species on the Red List of Amphibians of Taiwan published by the TBRI last year.
However, after being differentiated from Nidirana okinavana, Nidirana shyhhuangi has become Taiwan’s latest endemic species classified as nationally critically endangered, with an estimated combined population of only 300 to 700 frogs in Nantou County’s Lianhuachi (蓮華池) and Sun Moon Lake (日月潭).
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
RSS