A revision of the genus Leopoldamys is presented, and both the species composition and distribution in Indochina and Sundaic regions is reinvestigated. The phylogeny of the genus is recovered based on Cyt b, COI, and IRBP gene analyses. Five basal and 16 secondary monophyletic phylogenetic lineages were identified. A taxonomic reassessment of the continental and Sundaic populations is performed based on morphological verification of the genetically defined clades. Six clades were recovered in the phylogenetic analyses and correspond to morphologically defined species: L. revertens (distributed in lowlands of eastern and central Indochina), L. herberti (western and central Indochina, northward to northern Vietnam), L. edwardsi (China and northern Vietnam, northward of 21 degrees N), L. milleti (endemic of Dalat Plateau, southern Vietnam), L. sabanus (Borneo), and L. vociferans (lowlands of the Malacca Peninsula, northward to southwestern Thailand). The absence of proper L. sabanus in continental Indochina is revealed. The substitute name for the species known from the majority of Indochina under the name of L. sabanus should be L. revertens. The name L. neilli, which has been ascribed to populations from Thailand and Vietnam, is a junior synonym of L. herberti. Two related but rather divergent clades are found in Sumatra and the Malacca Peninsula. Based on their considerable genetic distances, these forms should be regarded as separate species from the L. sabanus type-bearing populations of Borneo, or as the members of L. sabanus polytypic superspecies. The substitute name for the lineage-bearing taxon from Malacca should be L. vociferans. The continental populations of Leopoldamys can be distinguished from each other by external and cranial characters and may be subdivided into four species. Two of these species (L. revertens and L. milleti) are well distinguished by external and cranial morphology, whereas the other two species (L. herberti and L. edwardsi) may be treated as sibling species that are difficult to distinguish based on morphological characters.
We analyzed the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene and fragments of four nuclear loci: ApoB, RAG2, IRBP1 and BRCA1. These data allowed us to provide new insights into the diversity of the Asiatic water shrews of Indochina. A new, highly divergent genetic lineage of Chimarrogale was found in southern Vietnam, and this lineage included specimens from the provinces of Kon Tum, Dak Lak, and Lam Dong. Such finding represents the newest and southernmost records of Chimarrogale in Indochina. Morphological analysis classified the specimens from southern Vietnam as C. varennei proper, which is restricted to that region, whereas the polymorphic C. himalayica, which contained at least four cytochrome b haplogroups, occurred in central and northern Vietnam and southern China. This distinct C. varennei lineage closely related to the C. platycephalus + C. leander clade suggests the existence of an unknown glacial refuge in Tay Nguyen Plateau, southern Vietnam. Because the Bornean C. phaeura (i) was sister-group of the rest of Chimarrogale sensu lato and (ii) had a high genetic divergence (~15% for cytochrome b) and geographical isolation, we suggest that C. phaeura be placed into a separate genus, Crossogale Thomas, 1921. This genus should also include C. sumatrana (Sumatra) and C. hantu (Peninsular Malaysia). On those grounds, we propose a new classification system for Asiatic water shrews.
Aichi Target 11 committed governments to protect ≥17% of their terrestrial environments by 2020, yet it was rarely achieved, raising questions about the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework goal to protect 30% by 2030. Asia is a challenging continent for such targets, combining high biodiversity with dense human populations. Here, we evaluated achievements in Asia against Aichi Target 11. We found that Asia was the most underperforming continent globally, with just 13.2% of terrestrial protected area (PA) coverage, averaging 14.1 ± SE 1.8% per country in 2020. 73.1% of terrestrial ecoregions had <17% representation and only 7% of PAs even had an assessment of management effectiveness. We found that a higher agricultural land in 2015 was associated with lower PA coverage today. Asian countries also showed a remarkably slow average annual pace of 0.4 ± SE 0.1% increase of PA extent. These combined lines of evidence suggest that the ambitious 2030 targets are unlikely to be achieved in Asia unless the PA coverage to increase 2.4-5.9 times faster. We provided three recommendations to support Asian countries to meet their post-2020 biodiversity targets: complete reporting and the wider adoption "other effective area-based conservation measures"; restoring disturbed landscapes; and bolstering transboundary PAs.