A new, critically endangered species of softshell turtle, Pelodiscusvariegatussp. n. is described from north-central Vietnam and Hainan Island, China, distinguished by a unique set of genetic and morphological traits from all other congeners (P.axenaria, P.maackii, P.parviformis, P.sinensis, and unnamed genetic lineages). Morphologically, P.variegatus is characterized, among others, by its strong ventral ornamentation in all age classes.

Strongyluris calotis is a heterakid nematode in the large intestine of agamid lizards (Reptilia: Sauria: Agamidae) from the Oriental Region. The standard light microscopic definition of the species counts the "caudal papillae" as 10 pairs on male worms. However, previous work from our group using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) on the heterakid from agamid lizards in Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore revealed that this counting contained a pair of phasmids and that two pairs of postcloacal papillae were completely fused to form a pair of united papillae, thus resulting in "10 pairs." In the present study, we examined S. calotis specimens from the Emma Gray's forest lizard, Calotes emma (Agamidae), living in the plain forest at low altitude, and the Vietnam false bloodsucker, Pseudocalotes brevipes (Agamidae), living in the mountainous forest at high altitude in the northern part of Vietnam. Using SEM, the arrangement of caudal papillae in male worms from an Emma Gray's forest lizard was found to be comparable to classical S. calotis specimens from agamid lizards collected in Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore. However, male worms from Vietnam false bloodsuckers did not have a pair of united papillae but had 10 pairs of independent caudal papillae with a pair of phasmids. Molecular genetic analyses of the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) of worms of the classical S. calotis morphotype from Japan and Singapore and two S. calotis morphotypes from Vietnam demonstrated absolutely identical nucleotide sequences of partial 18S rDNA (at least 1764 base pairs (bp)) and 5.8S rDNA (158 bp). However, intraspecific differences were detected in other regions of the rDNA, related to the geographical distribution of hosts regardless of morphotype: 97.8-98.5 % identity (443-446 bp/453 bp) in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1 region, 96.6-98.0 % identity (425-431 bp/440 bp) in the ITS-2 region, and 99.6-99.7 % identity (1149-1151 bp/1154 bp) in the 28S rDNA. Thus, in the future, taxonomic relationships of S. calotis distributed widely in the Oriental Region as well as other nominal Oriental Strongyluris spp., currently six in number, need to be extensively explored based on molecular genetic analyses in addition to intensive morphological characterization.

We report a new record of Leptobotia pellegrini Fang, 1936 from the Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam, based on 25 specimens collected in the Kien stream (Ca River), Tuong Duong district, Nghe An province. Morphological features of these specimens were confirmed against the description of this species by Fang (1936). Our new data extend the species’ geographic range southward by approximately 650 km from the Gam River (Na Hang, Tuyen Quang province), Vietnam.

We provide a taxonomic update of the herpetofauna of the Ke Go Nature Reserve, Ha Tinh province, north-central Vietnam, 20 years after the book release “The amphibians and reptiles of a lowland forest reserve in Vietnam”. In this work, Ziegler (2002) recorded 31 amphibians and 57 reptiles. Since then 30 changes in the generic assignment of species took place, five of six unnamed identifications could be solved, three unclear identifications clarified, and 12 taxa were newly described. This review has not only significance for updated names of taxa listed in the book and follow-up papers, but also for conservation. Reviews and descriptions resulted in taxa with more restricted distributions, such as, e.g., Gekko reevesii (formerly G. gekko, listed on CITES Appendix II and in the Red Data Book) and Pelodiscus variegatus (formerly P. sinensis, listed in the IUCN Red List, and split off taxa on CITES Appendix II). More species meanwhile are listed as threatened (in total 25), and for some of them, the threat status has increased in the meantime. In addition to the 88 amphibian and reptile species recorded by Ziegler (2002), three further records are added herein, resulting in 91 proven species. There is also evidence for the occurrence of 10 further reptile species, which would increase the herpetofauna list to 101. One half of these 10 additional reptile species are threatened which would increase the threatened herpetofauna to 30 species. This highlights the need for improved conservation, both concerning the official protection status of so far not yet officially listed threatened taxa and IUCN’s One Plan Approach conservation, covering in situ conservation measures and ex situ conservation breeding approaches. Representing one of Vietnam’s last remaining lowland forests with a high biodiversity and conservation value, the Ke Go Nature Reserve highly deserves reinforced conservation measures.

Based on morphological and molecular analyses, we herein describe a new species of Achalinus from northern Vietnam. Achalinus quangi sp. nov. differs from its sister taxon, A. emilyae, and other members of the genus Achalinus by at least 4% in terms of genetic divergence based on fragments of the mitochondrial COI and Cytb genes and a combination of the following morphological characters: (1) maxillary teeth 27–29; (2) suture between the internasals distinctly longer than that between the prefrontals; (3) loreal not fused with prefrontal, extending from the nasal to the eye; (4) supralabials six; (5) infralabials five; (6) postocular absent, temporals 2+2, only the upper one in broad contact with eye; (7) dorsal scales in 25(23)–23–23(21) rows, keeled; (8) ventrals 139–141 in males, 141–154 in females; (9) subcaudals 75–84 in males, 69 in the female, all unpaired; (10) cloacal entire; (11) dorsum reddish brown to brown. Achalinus quangi sp. nov. consists of two subclades, the first one occurring on the northern side of the Da River in Son La and Tuyen Quang provinces and another subclade found on the southern side in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh provinces. These two subclades are separated from each other by 1.8 to 2.3% genetic divergence and are slightly differing in ventral scalation.