Re-evaluation of Amphibian Inventory in Sabah, Malaysia

2003年至2005年，我们在马来西亚沙巴州克罗克岭国家公园、斗湖国家公园、塔宾野生动物保护区和基纳巴鲁国家公园的成员的帮助下，对两栖动物资源进行了重新评估。通过深入的实地调查，我们在调查的所有地区发现了几个未记述的物种和许多分布的新记录。声学信息极大地促进了记录的增加，而学习蛙的声音被证明是记录当地分布的有力工具。利用声学信息，我们成功地发现了沙巴州Leptolalax的新种，并首次确定了该种的分布。生化方法在发现未被描述的Meristgenys隐名种和修订Staurois种的分类地位方面也做出了很大贡献。这种方法也有助于将长期处于混乱状态的分生孢子虫的幼虫和成虫联系起来。过去，可比材料的积累导致了神秘物种的发现，但现在我们可以应用声学和生物化学方法来重新评估无尾两栖动物名录。我们还在尾毛虫中有了新的发现，并首次观察到尾毛虫的卵孵化，并可以评估属的分类地位。考虑到我们在本研究中可以在广泛的公园和保护区范围内进行调查的非常有限的区域，沙巴州两栖动物物种多样性的期望很高。从已知的两栖类群积累曲线来看，沙巴州的物种/亚种数量有望进一步增加，近期不会进行全面清查。在沙巴动物的栖息地消失之前，应该利用本次调查中采用的方法，对沙巴进行更深入的清查。

From 2003 to 2005, we carried out re-evaluation of amphibian inventory in the Crocker Range National Park, Tawau Hills Park, Tabin Wildlife Reserve, and Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Malaysia, with the help of members of University Malaysia Sabah and Sabah Parks. As a result of our intensive field surveys, we found several undescibed species and many new records of distribution in all the regions surveyed. Acoustic information greatly contributed in increment of records, and learning frog voices proved to be a powerful tool to document local distributions. By the use of acoustic information, we succeeded in finding new Leptolalax species and ascertained distribution of a Megophrys from Sabah for the first time. Biochemical methods also contributed greatly in finding out undescribed cryptic species of Meristogenys and revising taxonomic status of Staurois species. This method also contributed in associating larvae and adults of Meristogenys, which has long been in confusion. Accumulation of comparable materials led to findings of cryptic species in the past, but we can apply acoustic and biochemical methods to re-evaluate anuran inventory now. We also made new findings in caecilians, and could observe egg brooding of Caudacaecilia for the first time, and could assess generic taxonomic status. Considering very limited areas we could survey within a wide range of the parks and reserve in the present study, much higher amphibian species diversity is highly expected in Sabah. From the accumulation curve of known amphibian taxa, the number of species/subspecies in Sabah is expected to further increase, and complete inventory will be not made in the near future. More intensive inventory of Sabah should be done by use of the methods employed in this survey, before habitats of these animals are lost.