{"title":"Ancient DNA integrates fossil and modern giant salamander taxonomy.","authors":"Masahiro Noda, Takushi Kishida, Hiroyuki Kitagawa, Ibuki Fukuyama, Kanto Nishikawa","doi":"10.1038/s41598-025-03496-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The genus Andrias includes the largest extant salamanders, and is comprised of one Japanese species A. japonicus and four Chinese species. The fossil record of the giant salamander is incomplete and modern giant salamanders are not differentiated osteologically among species, making it difficult to identify bones at the species level. In this study, we re-examined a fossil series of giant salamander discovered from a cave on Shikoku Island, Japan. We obtained ancient DNA from the fossil and confirmed that the partial sequence of mitochondrial DNA was identical to that of extant A. japonicus. These remains were dated to the Late Pleistocene, however, the result of carbon-14 dating in this study estimated the age as more recent, approximately 3,500-4,100 years ago. Currently, there is a small population of A. japonicus in Shikoku, but it is far removed from the fossil discovery area. Our findings suggest that wild A. japonicus in western Shikoku may have been extirpated very recently.</p>","PeriodicalId":21811,"journal":{"name":"Scientific Reports","volume":"15 1","pages":"18642"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12149308/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Scientific Reports","FirstCategoryId":"103","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-03496-5","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The genus Andrias includes the largest extant salamanders, and is comprised of one Japanese species A. japonicus and four Chinese species. The fossil record of the giant salamander is incomplete and modern giant salamanders are not differentiated osteologically among species, making it difficult to identify bones at the species level. In this study, we re-examined a fossil series of giant salamander discovered from a cave on Shikoku Island, Japan. We obtained ancient DNA from the fossil and confirmed that the partial sequence of mitochondrial DNA was identical to that of extant A. japonicus. These remains were dated to the Late Pleistocene, however, the result of carbon-14 dating in this study estimated the age as more recent, approximately 3,500-4,100 years ago. Currently, there is a small population of A. japonicus in Shikoku, but it is far removed from the fossil discovery area. Our findings suggest that wild A. japonicus in western Shikoku may have been extirpated very recently.
期刊介绍：
We publish original research from all areas of the natural sciences, psychology, medicine and engineering. You can learn more about what we publish by browsing our specific scientific subject areas below or explore Scientific Reports by browsing all articles and collections.
Scientific Reports has a 2-year impact factor: 4.380 (2021), and is the 6th most-cited journal in the world, with more than 540,000 citations in 2020 (Clarivate Analytics, 2021).
•Engineering
Engineering covers all aspects of engineering, technology, and applied science. It plays a crucial role in the development of technologies to address some of the world''s biggest challenges, helping to save lives and improve the way we live.
•Physical sciences
Physical sciences are those academic disciplines that aim to uncover the underlying laws of nature — often written in the language of mathematics. It is a collective term for areas of study including astronomy, chemistry, materials science and physics.
•Earth and environmental sciences
Earth and environmental sciences cover all aspects of Earth and planetary science and broadly encompass solid Earth processes, surface and atmospheric dynamics, Earth system history, climate and climate change, marine and freshwater systems, and ecology. It also considers the interactions between humans and these systems.
•Biological sciences
Biological sciences encompass all the divisions of natural sciences examining various aspects of vital processes. The concept includes anatomy, physiology, cell biology, biochemistry and biophysics, and covers all organisms from microorganisms, animals to plants.
•Health sciences
The health sciences study health, disease and healthcare. This field of study aims to develop knowledge, interventions and technology for use in healthcare to improve the treatment of patients.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
