颈槽蛇属分类学和系统地理学研究

The genus Rhabdophis（Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes: Colubridae）was first established by Fitzinger (1843), with Tropiddonotus subminiatus as the type species. Malnate (1960), in his revision of the genus Natrix s.l., divided it into five genera and assigned the genus Rhabdophis to the resurrected genus Rhabdophis (Fitzinger, 1843). According to the reptile database records, there are about 20 species widely distributed in South and East Asia. As recorded in the “Fauna Sinica Reptilia Vol. 3 Sequamata Serpentes”, nine species of Rhabdophis are distributed throughout China. . The classification for the genus Rhabdophis is enormously controversial. Debates center around the following issues: 1) Whether or not the division of the two subspecies R. s. subminiatus and R. s. helleri of R. subminiatus is valid. 2) Whether R. leonardi is a valid species or whether it is only a synonym of R. nuchalis, and whether R. pentasupralabialis is a valid species. The exact relationship between these three closely related species (R. pentasupralabialis, R. leonardi and R. nuchalis,) is unknown. 3) R. tigrinus is currently classified into three subspecies: R. t. lateralis, R. t. formosanus and R. t. tigrinus. However, it is unclear whether R.t. tigrinus, which is widely distributed throughout mainlan China, has further branched into other cryptic species.4)It is unclear whether R. nuchalis, of wide geographicdistribution, has further branched into other cryptic species or have some subspecies differentiation.. In the past several decades, considerable progress has been made on resolving the systematics of the genus Rhabdophis complex using morphological, chromosomal, and molecular studies. Yet, there has not been any systematic or comprehensive research conducted on the classification, evolution and intraspecific relationships for the Rhabdophis species distributed in China. There are still considerable problems about this genera that need to be resolved..

颈槽蛇属被确立以来，在属的有效性、一些分布种及种下的分类等方面均存在较多的争议和疑问，但迄今为止，尚未采取有效的手段进行进一步深入的探讨和论证。以形态研究和分子研究相结合，对该属我国境内一些广布种进行全面、系统的研究，不仅有助于解决我国物种的分类问题，而且对解决整个类群的分类和系统问题具有重要的意义。同时，该属在我国海南和台湾等岛屿均有分布，探讨它们的分类、系统演化，以及分析历史形成原因，不仅对了解整个属的起源和演化研究具有重要意义，同时，还会对岛屿（海南和台湾）生物区系的形成和演化研究有所启迪。中国地大物博，颈槽属的不少类群在我国是广布物种，是不是还有其它的、在当时尚未被记载的物种也具有他所提出的属征，这对于我国物种多样性研究具有重要意义，有助于以这些物种为材料的各项基础和应用工作的开展，而且也能够为物种的保护和管理提供资料和证据。

颈槽蛇属被确立以来，在属的有效性、广布种及种下的分类等方面均存在较多的争议和疑问，但迄今为止，尚未采取有效的手段进行进一步深入的探讨和论证。以形态研究和分子研究相结合，对该属我国境内一些广布种进行全面、系统的研究，不仅有助于解决我国物种的分类问题，而且对解决整个类群的分类和系统问题具有重要的意义。本项目对颈槽蛇属中国境内所获得物种进行了详细的外部形态研究和分子系统学研究，结果表明我国现记载的颈槽蛇属 10种蛇中，R. himalayanus、R. subminiatus、 R. tigrinus、R. nigrocinctus、R. adleri、R. guangdongensis、R. swinhonis、R. pentasupralabialis形成明显的聚群；R. leonardi种是有效性的；广布种R. nuchalis具有很明显的种下隐种、新种和亚种分化。中国地大物博，厘清这些混乱的种系关系，对于我国物种多样性研究具有重要意义，有助于以这些物种为材料的各项基础和应用工作的开展，而且也能够为物种的保护和管理提供资料和证据。