Morphological and molecular characters reveal the status of Pedesta rubella (Devyatkin, 1996) stat. n. and P. similissima (Devyatkin, 2002) syn. n. (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae).

To clarify the relationships of Pedesta submacula (Leech, 1890), P. submacula rubella (Devyatkin, 1996) and P. similissima (Devyatkin, 2002), specimens from various localities in China and Vietnam, including the type materials of P. submacula rubella and P. similissima were examined. A neighbor-joining (NJ) tree was also reconstructed based upon partial COI sequences of 24 ingroup specimens and 4 outgroup species. The result shows that P. similissima is a synonym of P. submacula, and P. submacula rubella belongs to a separate species. The mean Kimura-2-Parameter genetic distance between P. submacula and P. rubella stat. n. is 4.4%. Wing patterns and genitalic structures of these taxa are illustrated and compared. A distribution map of both species is provided.

Dietary adaptations of Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) in limestone forests in Southwest China.

Limestone hills are an unusual habitat for primates, prompting them to evolve specific behavioral adaptations to the component karst habitat. From September 2012 to August 2013, we collected data on the diet of one group of Assamese macaques living in limestone forests at Nonggang National Nature Reserve, Guangxi Province, China, using instantaneous scan sampling. Assamese macaques were primarily folivorous, young leaves accounting for 75.5% and mature leaves an additional 1.8% of their diet. In contrast, fruit accounted for only 20.1%. The young leaves of Bonia saxatilis, a shrubby, karst-endemic bamboo that is superabundant in limestone hills, comprised the bulk of the average monthly diet. Moreover, macaques consumed significantly more bamboo leaves during the season when the availability of fruit declined, suggesting that bamboo leaves are an important fallback food for Assamese macaques in limestone forests. In addition, diet composition varied seasonally. The monkeys consumed significantly more fruit and fewer young leaves in the fruit-rich season than in the fruit-lean season. Fruit consumption was positively correlated with fruit availability, indicating that fruit is a preferred food for Assamese macaques. Of seventy-eight food species, only nine contributed >0.5% of the annual diet, and together these nine foods accounted for 90.7% of the annual diet. Our results suggest that bamboo consumption represents a key factor in the Assamese macaque's dietary adaptation to limestone habitat.

Niche separation of sympatric macaques, Macaca assamensis and M. mulatta, in limestone habitats of Nonggang, China.

Comparative studies of sympatric species are essential in understanding those species' behavioral and ecological adaptations as well as the mechanisms that can reduce resource competition enough to allow coexistence. We collected data on diet, activity budget and habitat use from two sympatric macaque species, the Assamese macaque (Macaca assamensis) and the rhesus macaque (M. mulatta), in a limestone seasonal rainforest of Nonggang Nature Reserve, southwestern Guangxi, China. Our results show that the two sympatric macaques differ in diet, activity budget, and habitat use: (1) out of the 131 plant species that were used by both macaque species as food over the year, only 15 plant species (11 %) were shared. Rhesus macaques used more plant species as major foods, and had higher dietary diversity and evenness indexes than Assamese macaques. (2) Assamese macaques fed predominantly on leaves, whereas rhesus macaques fed more selectively on fruits. The rhesus macaques' diet varied according to season, and was significantly correlated to season fluctuation in fruit availability. (3) Assamese macaques devoted more time to resting, and less time to feeding than rhesus macaques (4) Assamese macaques were present mostly on the cliff, and tended to stay on the ground, whereas rhesus macaques were present mostly on the hillside, and showed preference to lower and middle canopy. The observed differences in diet and habitat use between the two macaque species represent behavioral patterns enabling their coexistence.

A new species of Kaloula (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae) from southern Guangxi, China.

A new species of narrow-mouthed frog of Kaloula is described in the Nonggang National Nature Reserve, Sino-Vietnamese border region of southern China. Kaloula nonggangensis sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: medium size (SVL 41.4-52.7 mm in 18 adult males, 52.2 mm in 1 female); smooth or slightly rough olive dorsum with irregular dark-green marks and brown spots; tips of the fingers widely dilated and truncated; males with nearly fully webbed toes; males with two side protuberant osseous tubercles on the upper surface of the tips of fingers and chest beige with small lemon-colored spots. K. nonggangensis sp. nov. is found in habitats ranging from cultivated fields adjacent to the forest to primary evergreen forest in karst habitats. Based upon a 16S ribosomal RNA mitochondrial gene fragment, K. nonggangensis sp. nov. is embedded within the K. verrucosa group (including K borealis, K. rugifera and K. verrucosa), and displays a low genetic distance to these species (< 3%). Considering the distinct morphology and karyotype we nevertheless suggest a status as separate species for these allopatrically distributed lineages.