Extant Feliformia species are one of the most diverse radiations of Carnivora (~123 species). Despite substantial recent interest in their conservation, diversification, and systematic study, no previous phylogeny contains a comprehensive species set, and no biogeography of this group is available. Here, we present a phylogenetic estimate for Feliformia with a comprehensive species set and establish a historical biogeography based on mitochondrial DNA. Both the Bayesian and maximum likelihood phylogeny for Feliformia are elucidated in our analyses and are strongly consistent with many groups recognized in previous studies. The mitochondrial phylogenetic relationships of Felidae were for the first time successfully reconstructed in our analyses with strong supported. When divergence times and dispersal/vicariance histories were compared with historical sea level changes, four dispersal and six vicariance events were identified. These vicariance events were closely related with global sea level changes. The transgression of sea into the lowland plains between Eurasia and Africa may have caused the vicariance in these regions. A fall in the sea level during late Miocene to Pliocene produced the Bering strait land bridge, which assisted the migration of American Feliformia ancestors from Asia to North America. In contrast with the ‘sweepstakes hypothesis’, our results suggest that the climate cooling during 30–27 Ma assisted Feliformia migration from the African mainland to Madagascar by creating a short-lived ice bridge across the Mozambique Channel. Lineages-through-time plots revealed a large increase in lineages since the Mid-Miocene. During the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum, the ecosystems and population of Feliformia rapidly expanded. Subsequent climate cooling catalyzed immigration, speciation, and the extinction of Feliformia.

Few studies have explored the role of Cenozoic tectonic evolution in shaping the patterns and processes of extant animal distributions in and around East Asia. In this study, we selected South Chinese brown frogs as a model to examine the phylogenetic and biogeographical consequences of Miocene tectonic events within South China and its margins. We used mitochondrial and nuclear molecular data to reconstruct phylogenetic interrelationships among Chinese brown frogs using Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses. The phylogeny results show that there are four main clades of Chinese brown frogs. Excepting the three commonly known Chinese brown frog species groups, R. maoershanensis forms an independent clade nearest to the R. japonica group. Phylogeny and P-distance analyses confirmed R. maoershanensis as a valid species. Among South Chinese brown frogs, there are four subclades associated with four geographical areas: (I) R. maoershanensis; (II) R. japonica; (III) R. chaochiaoensis; and (IV) other species of the R. longicrus species group. Divergence times, estimated using mitochondrial sequences, place the vicariance events among the four subclades in the middle to late Miocene epoch. Our results suggest that (1) South Chinese brown frogs originated due to a vicariance event separating them from the R. chensinensis species group at the time of the Geological movement (~18 million years ago, Ma) in southern Tibet and the Himalayan region; (2) the separation and speciation of R. maoershanensis from the R. japonica group occurred due to the dry climate at approximately 16 Ma; (3) South Chinese brown frogs migrated from South China to Japan at the time (~10.8 Ma) that the global sea-level fell and the East China Sea Shelf Basin was swamp facies, when a land gallery may have formed across the sea to connect the two areas; and (4) R. chaochiaoensis separated from other species of the R. longicrus species group during the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau at approximately 9.5 Ma.

We investigate the relationship between Rana coreana and Rana kunyuensis using morphological and molecular data. Morphological comparisons showed these two species to be identical in terms of body measurements and qualitative characteristics. Phylogenetic analyses found that R. kunyuensis and R. coreana are nested within a single clade and exhibited low divergence across several mitochondrial and nuclear genes. All evidence indicates that R. kunyuensis and R. coreana are the same species, making R. kunyuensis a junior synonym of R. coreana. This study stresses the importance of comprehensive taxon sampling, especially in neighboring countries.

Species are the constituent units of ecosystems, and even species that have severe conflicts with humans play irreplaceable and important roles in maintaining ecosystem stability. Spermophilus dauricus has long been considered a harmful animal because of its ability to damage grasslands and agriculture, as well as its status as a primary host of Yersinia pestis . Consequently, it has been subject to eradication areas in human activity areas, which may lead to a reduction in its genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is the core foundation for maintaining species continuity, yet this is precisely the aspect lacking in research on S. dauricus . In this study, we performed mitochondrial genome sequencing of 73 individuals sampled across an extensive geographic region of S. dauricus and conducted population genetic and species distribution model analyses. The results revealed that S. dauricus is primarily distributed in three fragmented yet connected regions: the Northeast China Plain distribution area, the Hulunbuir Plateau distribution area, and the Bashang Plateau distribution area. Populations across these three present regions exhibit genetic differences but do not display subspecific relationships. The populations in the Hulunbuir Plateau and Bashang Plateau likely originated from the population in the Northeast Plain. Furthermore, all three populations of S. dauricus have experienced a continuous population decline in the past few thousand years, which we hypothesize may be related to the development of human rice cultivation and nomadism over the past few thousand years. This study highlights the role of human production activities in the decline of the effective population of rodents.

The Jilin clawed salamander (Onychodactylus zhangyapingi) is an endemic, endangered, and level‐two protected amphibian species of China. In the context of serious threats to amphibians worldwide, conservation studies of this endangered species are urgently needed. In this study, mitogenomic conservation genetics and species distribution modeling analyses were performed for O. zhangyapingi. Sixty‐three samples were collected from nine different locations, and the complete mitochondrial genome was sequenced. Population genetic analyses revealed that O. zhangyapingi exhibits only one genetic structure with extremely low nucleotide diversity. Late Pleistocene climate cooling may have led to a reduction in effective population size and extremely low mitogenomic nucleotide diversity in this salamander, and the subsequent temperature increase (~20 kya to present) provided the opportunity for rapid population growth. The continuous highly suitable region for O. zhangyapingi is only approximately 3000 km² on the southeastern boundary of Jilin Province, China. Fortunately, there are three large forested national nature reserves within the distribution of O. zhangyapingi that can effectively protect endangered species. Our findings suggest that O. zhangyapingi is a vulnerable species with a narrow distribution and extremely low genetic diversity, and we should pay more attention to the conservation management of this species.