It is important to understand the dynamics of population size to accurately assess threats and implement conservation activities when required. However, inaccurate estimates are harming both the threat estimation process, and the resulting conservation actions. Here, we address the extinction threats to Scincella huanrenensis, a species described in the People’s Republic of China, but also occurring on the Korean peninsula. Estimating the threats to the species is not an easy task due to its unknown population status in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Here we analysed the literature to acquire the known presence point for the species, along with datapoints originating from opportunistic field surveys, and employed habitat suitability models to estimate the range of the species. We then followed the categories and criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to assess the extinction risk of the species. We found the species not to be fitting the threatened category at the global scale based on the range size, the only category for which enough data was available. We recommend the status of the species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to be updated as it is now listed as critically endangered (CR), a listing fitting a national assessment for the People’s Republic (PR) of China. While this species is possibly less threatened than currently listed, this is not a genuine improvement, and specific conservation aspects should not be neglected due to its specialisation to medium to high elevation habitat.

A new species of the genus Hebius is described from Yunnan Province, China. The new species was previously identified as H. boulengeri, but it can be separated from H. boulengeri and other species of this genus by a combination of the following characters: 19-19-17 dorsal scale rows, 148–155 ventrals, 90–105 subcaudals, one preocular, three postoculars, 23–25 maxillary teeth, a distinct continuous white streak from posteroventral margin of eye extending backward and upward to nape to connect with dorsolateral stripe on each side, and white venter. The genetic divergence between the new species and H. boulengeri was 6.6% and the genetic divergences between the new species and other congeners ranged from 6.8% to 15.9% in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene.

This study describes a novel species of Diploderma (Squamata, Agamidae) from the lower valley of the Dadu River of the Sichuan Province of Western China based on its distinct morphological features and molecular evidence. D. daduense sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by its tympanum concealed; head mainly green-yellow, supplemented by black; skin folds under the nuchal and dorsal crest obviously present in adult males only, its vertebral crest discontinuous between nuchal and dorsal sections with a distinct gap; transverse gular fold present but not obvious in some individuals; gular spot absent in both sexes; dorsolateral stripes green-yellow anteriorly, cyan in the center and blurry off-white posteriorly in adult males, the upper edge of dorsolateral stripes strongly jagged in adult males; no radial stripes around the eyes; inner-lip coloration smoky-white, and the coloration of the tongue and oral cavity as a light-flesh color in life; bright green-yellow transverse stripes on dorsal body in males; black patches are evenly distributed along the vertebral line between the dorsolateral stripes from the neck to the base of the tail in males; beech-brown or gray-brown line along the vertebral line with heart-shaped or diamond-shaped black patches on the dorsal body in females; and supratemporals fewer than four on at least one side. The phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial ND2 sequences indicates that D. daduense sp. nov. forms an independent clade with strong support 1/100 in ML bootstrap/Bayesian posterior probability and is the sister group to D. splendidum. At the inter-species level, the p-distance is at least 6.95%, further confirming that an independent species had been identified. Our work raises the number of species within the genus Diploderma to 47.

Theloderma pyaukkya is recorded for the first time in China based on a specimen collected from western Yunnan. Morphologically, the specimen shows good agreement with the original description of T. pyaukkya, and phylogenetically is clustered with the type specimens and holotype of T. pyaukkya from Kachin State (northern Myanmar) with strong support. The taxonomic status of T. pyaukkya from Chin State (western Myanmar) needs further examination. In addition, Theloderma moloch is also recorded in Yunnan for the first time. This brings the number of Theloderma species recorded in Yunnan, China, to seven, namely, T. albopunctatum, T. baibungense, T. bicolor, T. gordoni, T. moloch, T. pyaukkya, and T. rhododiscus.

Based on molecular and morphological data of four specimens of Pareas Wagler, 1830 collected from the type locality of P. yunnanensis (Vogt, 1922), along with examination of the type specimens of P. yunnanensis, we revalidate this poorly known, secretive species. Furthermore, based on molecular and morphological lines of evidence we also describe a new species of Pareas from Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Morphologically, the new species closely resembles its sister species P. nigriceps Guo & Deng, 2009. However, the new species is divergent from the latter in cytochrome b mtDNA gene sequences, and can be distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of morphological characteristics: single preocular, postocular fused with subocular, loreal not bordering orbit, vertebral scales enlarged, 3–5 rows of mid-dorsal scales keeled at the middle of the body, ventral scales 160–171; subcaudals 62–64, dorsal surface of head solid black or reddish-brown, dark nuchal band present, iris brownish-black or reddish-brown.

The taxonomic status of Kalophrynus menglienicus Yang & Su, 1980 was evaluated based on newly collected topotype specimens. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this species should be assigned to the genus Micryletta Dubois, 1987. In addition, morphological diagnosis and descriptions based on the newly collected topotype specimens were provided.