湖南生态环境有多好？这个“新物种伙伴”就能证明

Chinese researchers have discovered a new species of Leptobrachella in central China's Hunan Province and named it Leptobrachella yongshunensis.

近日，中国研究人员在位于中国中部的湖南省发现了掌突蟾属一新物种，并将其命名为永顺掌突蟾。    

Leptobrachella yongshunensis. Photo by xxnet.com.cn.

According to researchers, the Leptobrachella, belonging to the family Megophryidae within the order Anura, is widely distributed across southern China, northeastern India, and Southeast Asia. Species of this genus are characterized by their small body size and inhabit humid environments along stream banks.

研究人员介绍，掌突蟾隶属两栖纲无尾目角蟾科，广泛分布于中国南部、印度东北部和东南亚地区，该属物种体型较小，常栖息于溪流沿岸的湿润环境中。

"The discovery of the new species holds significant scientific and ecological importance," Wu Tao, a teacher from the College of Biology and Environmental Sciences at Jishou University, told Xinhua on Wednesday.

吉首大学生物资源与环境科学学院教师吴涛本周三接受新华社采访时表示：“这一新物种的发现具有重要科学生态意义。”

Wu, also the team manager, noted that the discovery offered new support for studying the evolutionary history, geographical distribution and ecological adaptability of Leptobrachella.

作为研究团队负责人的他指出，这一发现为研究掌突蟾的进化历程、地理分布和生态适应性提供了新的依据。

As amphibians serve as an indicator species for environmental health, their presence signifies the sound ecosystem in the region, which provides a favorable habitat for the survival of other rare species, Wu added.

吴涛补充道，两栖动物是环境健康状况的指示性物种，它们的存在标志着当地生态系统良好，这也为其他珍稀物种的生存提供了有利栖息地。

According to a biodiversity survey of Hunan's county-level regions, the province has so far recorded 1,068 species of vertebrates and 6,292 species of vascular plants. Among these, 179 species of wild animals and 160 species of wild plants are under national key protection.

根据湖南省县域生物多样性资源调查，目前该省已记录到1068种脊椎动物和6292种维管束植物，其中国家重点保护野生动物179种、野生植物160种。