Four new species of Diploderma are described from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, southwestern China, based on an integrative taxonomic approach, combining morphological and genetic data. The first new species from Danba County, Sichuan Province, is morphologically most similar and phylogenetically closely related to D.flaviceps, but it can be diagnosed from the latter by having a relatively much shorter tail and by a genetic distance of 4.4% in the ND2 gene; the second new species from Muli County, Sichuan Province, is phylogenetically closely related to D.daochengense, D.yongshengense, and D.yulongense, but it can be diagnosed from the latter three species by having a pale yellow gular spot and by genetic distances of 5.6-6.7% in the ND2 gene; the third new species from Jiulong County, Sichuan Province, is morphologically most similar and phylogenetically closely related to D.angustelinea, but it can be diagnosed from the latter by having a relatively much longer tail and by a genetic distance of 2.8% in the ND2 gene; and the last new species from Weixi County, Yunnan Province, is phylogenetically closely related to D.aorun, but it can be diagnosed from the latter by having a pale yellow gular spot and by a genetic distance of 2.9% in the ND2 gene. Our work brings the number of species within the genus Diploderma to 46.
Keywords: Hengduan Mountain Region; ND2; Sichuan; Yunnan; systematic; taxonomy.
Shuo Liu, Mian Hou, Natalia B. Ananjeva, Dingqi Rao.