Rana chloronota, (Günther, 1875)

BAIN, RAOUL H., LATHROP, AMY, MURPHY, ROBERT W., ORLOV, NIKOLAI L. & CUC, HO THU, 2003, Cryptic Species of a Cascade Frog from Southeast Asia: Taxonomic Revisions and Descriptions of Six New Species, American Museum Novitates 3417, pp. 1-60 : 53-54

KEY TO VIETNAMESE SPECIES IN THE RANA CHLORONOTA COMPLEX

The Rana chloronota complex in Vietnam includes species that are dorsoventrally compressed with long legs. Snout–vent length of females is approximately twice that of males ( table 14). The dorsum may be green, brown, or a combination thereof; dorsum usually smooth, sometimes shagreened, often becoming more rugose laterally. Tympanum is distinct. Venter is entirely smooth. Legs with transverse bands or mottled with indistinct bands, posterior surface of thighs marbled yellow and black. An outer metatarsal tubercle is absent. Disks on fingers and toes well dilated, with ventral circummarginal grooves. Webbing is complete or nearly so, extending to most distal tubercle or to base of toe pad (as a fringe in some species). Males have velvety nuptial pads.

VARIABLE CHARACTERS: Lip­stripe is present in most species and is usually white. Vomerine teeth, if present, are in rows oblique to the internal choanae. Males usually have paired gular pouches. Eggs completely pigmented or unpigmented.

HABITAT: Ubiquitous throughout highland waterways of Southeast Asia. Found in and around water, including the forest floor and canopy of surrounding forests. Commonly found perched on rocks beside or among the cascades.

1. Dorsolateral fold distinct, composed of small gold (white in preservative) granules; noticeably smaller than other cascade ranids (males 35 mm, females 55 mm), large white lateral spot, and vomerine teeth absent.............................. R. daorum

– Dorsolateral fold not as above or granules absent.............................. 2

2. Indistinct glandular dorsolateral folds present ................................. 3

– Dorsolateral folds absent............... 4

3A. Lip­stripe indistinct yellow or absent in females, yellow in males; male tympanum 120% of eye length, 51% for females; skin completely shagreened, brown, and snout– vent length notably large (males 52 mm, females 100 mm)... R. megatympanum

3B. White lip­stripe present in both males and females; dorsum green to olive, shagreened or incompletely smooth, flank gray; male tympanum 89% eye, females 75%; SVL males 50 mm, females 93 mm .......................... R. banaorum

3C. Dorsum bright green with or without black spots, completely smooth; flank brownish; male tympanum 77% eye, females 56%; SVL males 46 mm, females 94 mm ........................... R. graminea

4. Dorsum completely smooth; dorsum bright green, vomerine teeth present, white lipstripe present, eggs immaculate, and SVL females 93 mm, males 46 mm ............................. R. chloronota

– Dorsum in part smooth and shagreened, or with heavy granulations............ 5

5. Dorsum with heavy granulations; skin heavily granulated laterally and on pelvis, dorsum bright green with black spots, males without gular pouches, SVL females 80 mm, males 60 mm ...................................... R. hmongorum

– Dorsum shagreened or in part smooth... 6

6. Black vertical bar on lip; dorsum shagreened, brown with some black spots, lip bands black, extend vertically across mandible, (white lip­stripe absent), webbing marbled white on dark brown to toes, eggs pigmented black, SVL 95 females, 55 mm males)................ R. bacboensis

– No black vertical bar on lip; dorsum shagreened or incompletely smooth, color variable green to brown in daylight, changing to brown at night, white lip­stripe present, webbing brown, eggs immaculate white, SVL females 88 mm, males 43 mm ........................... R. morafkai