Wild-caught snakes are a popular and traditional food in China. However, little known to the public, snakes are also intermediate hosts of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei, a food- and water-borne pathogen of sparganosis. Therefore, we investigated the prevalence of S. erinaceieuropaei in 10 popular species of wild-caught snakes in Guangzhou City (Guangdong Province) between July 2009 and July 2010. One hundred and twenty-four specimens of 10 species (including Enhydris plumbea, Zoacys dhumnades, Elaphe radiate, Elaphe taeniura, Elaphe carinata, Ptyas mucosus, Ptyas korros, Naja naja atra, Bungarus fasciatus, and Bungarus multicinctus) were randomly selected from a total of 1,160 wild-caught snakes. They were obtained from food markets in 5 representative districts (Huadou, Panyu, Tianhe, Haizhu, and Conghua). The specimens were killed, necropsied, and examined for parasitic helminths. Of the snakes examined, 29.8% were infected by spargana and the worm burden per infected snake ranged from 1 to 221. Most species were infected except for En. plumbea, B. fasciatus, and B. multicinctus. Prevalence even reached 100% in Zoacys dhumnades. More than half (53.5%) of the spargana were located in muscular tissue, 36.4% in subcutaneous tissue, and 10.1% in the coelomic cavity. The study revealed the potential risk for the zoonotic sparganosis by eating wild-caught snakes and will be helpful in arousing public health concern about the consumption of snake meat.

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Astragalus is a species-rich genus occurring in the western arid habitats in China and its diversification and infrageneric relationships in this region remain unclear. In the present study, based on molecular data, we aim to (i) test whether Phyllolobium (previously treated as a subgenus Pogonophace in Astragalus) should be warranted; and (ii) date the origin of Phyllolobium and probable diversification of Astragalus sensu stricto (s.s.). We sequenced five species from Phyllolobium first and collected all related sequences from the genus, Astragalus s.s and their close relatives (Oxytropis and Caragana etc.). Our phylogenetic analyses suggested that all species of Phyllolobium comprise a monophyletic sister-group to genera of the subtribe Coluteinae. Molecular dating suggested that Phyllolobium and Astragalus s.s. originated around 8 and 10 million years ago. These two estimates are highly consistent with the intense uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau inferred from geological evidence. In addition, one section of Pogonophace (Sect. Robusti) was estimated to originate 2.5 million years ago and this section with a tendency for dry habitats seems to be evidence of Asian intensified aridity resulting from the intense uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

The authors citation for family treatments and the correct author citation for new names in volumes 1 through 3 of the 21-volume Flora Yunnanica was not adequately explained at the time of publication. Although this information and the role of Wu Zhengyi (C.Y. Wu) is explained in later volumes, some of this information is only given in Chinese. As it is necessary to know this information when using these new names in subsequent publications, an account of the correct authorship of all new names in volumes 1-3 of Flora Yunnanica is provided here.

Previous records of horned pitvipers from Vietnam and China are reviewed and the phylogenetic placement of four snakes from two sites in Tianjingshan Forest, China (Ruyan County, Guangdong Province; 24 • 43 N, 113 • 03 E, 563 m a.s.l.; 24 • 43 N, 113 • 02 E, 585 m a.s.l.) is examined. Using mitochondrial DNA sequence data (12S, 16S, ND4, cyt b; 2306 bp) and Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood analyses, the Tianjingshan pitvipers are revealed as sister to Protobothrops cornutus with a differentiation resembling those of P. flavoviridis and P. tokarensis. This indicates a close relationship with P. cornutus and suggests that Ceratrimeresurus shenlii Liang and Liu, 2003, previously considered a junior synonym of P. cornutus (Smith, 1930), could be a valid subspecies of P. cornutus or a recently split distinct species. However, further studies and samples from intermediate localities are needed to decide whether the observed differentiation reflects a pattern of isolation-by-distance or a phylogeographic, and thus perhaps taxonomically relevant, break.