Three new species of the gekkonid lizard genus Hemiphyllodactylus are described from Hainan Island, China, based on morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based the ND2 gene. This brings the total number of the known species from one to four, revealing the previously underestimated diversity of Hainan’s herpetofauna. The three new species, along with Hemiphyllodactylus typus, are placed into three different clades, suggesting multiple colonization events and independent evolutionary histories of the genus on Hainan Island. The known distribution of H. typus was further expanded in this study, and its current status on this island was examined, highlighting the cryptogenic nature of the species with unclear native and introduced ranges. These findings emphasize the need for detailed molecular studies using sensitive genetic markers and extensive geographical sampling to clarify its origins.

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus), one of the largest extant amphibian species, has dramatically declined in the wild. As an ectotherm, it may be further threatened by climate change. Therefore, understanding the thermal physiology of this species should be the priority to formulate related conservation strategies. In this study, the plasticity in metabolic rate and thermal tolerance limits of A. davidianus larvae were studied. Specifically, the larvae were acclimated to three temperature levels (7 °C, cold stress; 15 °C, optimum; and 25 °C, heat stress) and two diet items (red worm or fish fray) for 20 days. Our results indicated that cold-acclimated larvae showed increased metabolic capacity, while warm-acclimated larvae showed a decrease in metabolic capacity. These results suggested the existence of thermal compensation. Moreover, the thermal tolerance windows of cold-acclimated and warm-acclimated larvae shifted to cooler and hotter ranges, respectively. Metabolic capacity is not affected by diet but fish-fed larvae showed superiority in both cold and heat tolerance, potentially due to the input of greater nutrient loads. Overall, our results suggested a plastic thermal tolerance of A. davidianus in response to temperature and diet variations. These results are meaningful in guiding the conservation of this species.

Chemical communication is an important mode of communication in the courtship and breeding processes of amphibians. In caudates, multiple components of sexual pheromones have been identified and functionally verified. One of these pheromone systems is plethodontid modulating factor (PMF). In anurans, the pheromone called amplexin was found in nuptial pads of ranids and was considered a member of the PMF system, yet its bio-function has not been tested. In this study, we obtained 18 amplexin transcript sequences from nuptial pads of Nidirana pleuraden (Amphibia, Ranidae) by transcriptome sequencing and found that the proteins translated by these transcripts are diversified, hydrophilic, and relatively stable. We also acquired a N. pleuraden amplexin isoform with the highest expression level in the transcriptome analysis through the prokaryotic expression system. Using two different animal behavioral experimental settings, we have tested the bio-function of the recombinant PMF protein (rPMF) in N. pleuraden’s reproduction and found that the rPMF does not attract females but shortens the duration of amplexus significantly. This is the first study to verify the function of the PMF pheromone in Anura, indicating the pervasiveness of chemical communication during breeding in amphibians.

With the development of network technology and the enrichment of learning resources, the combination of teaching and technology subverts the traditional education mode and learning mode. Under COVID-19 epidemic, it is impossible to teach face-to-face and gather on a large scale. In order to avoid the spread of the epidemic to the campus, at the request of the State Council and the Ministry of Education, all kinds of schools across the country have postponed the opening of their classes and implemented the "suspension of classes without stopping learning". During COVID-19 epidemic, colleges and universities changed their teaching methods from traditional classroom teaching to online teaching. In the process of college students' participation in online learning, colleges and universities should take the initiative to pay attention to the effect of online teaching mode and analyze the influencing factors of college students' participation in online learning, so as to better carry out online teaching and complete teaching tasks and plans. Based on the teaching theory of distance education, this paper analyzes the students' learning satisfaction and influencing factors of online courses in colleges and universities, and provides ideas for improving and perfecting online teaching methods and enhancing the subject consciousness of college students.