Amolops dafangensis, Li & Liu & Ke & Cheng & Wang, 2024

Li, Shi-Ze, Liu, Jing, Ke, Xiao-Cong, Cheng, Gang & Wang, Bin, 2024, A new species of Amolops (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) from Guizhou Province, China, ZooKeys 1189, pp. 33-54 : 33

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4 , 5

Material examined.

Holotype. MT DF20230601002, adult male, collected by Shize Li on 1 June 2023 in Dafang County (27.40078312°N, 105.92804027°E; elevation 1300 m a.s.l.), Guizhou Province, China . Paratypes. One male MT DF20230601003 collected by Jing Liu on 1 June 2023, one male MT DF20230601001 and two juveniles MT DF20230601004 and MT DF20230601005 were collected by Xiaocong Ke on 1 June 2023 from the same place as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. resembles members of the A. mantzorum group in the absence of true dorsolateral folds and the presence of a circum-marginal groove on the disc of the first finger. The tarsal fold and tarsal glands are absent, and a nuptial pad is present on the first finger in males ( Jiang et al. 2021).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other congeners by the following characters: (1) body size moderate (SVL 43.2 - 46.8 mm in males); (2) head length larger than head width slightly; (3) tympanum distinct, oval; (4) vocal sacs absent; (5) vomerine teeth present; (6) dorsolateral folds weak formed by series of glands; (7) nuptial pads present on base of finger I; (8) heels overlapping when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level far beyond the tip of the snout when leg stretched forward.

Description of holotype.

Adult male (Figs 3 , 4 ), body size moderate, SVL 44.7 mm. head length larger than head width slightly (HDL: HDW = 1.02); snout short, rounded in dorsal view, projecting beyond lower jaw; eye large and convex, eye diameter 0.74 × of snout length; nostril rounded, between to tip of snout and eyes; internasal distance larger than interorbital distance; tympanum circular, distinct, 0.56 × of eye diameter; loreal region slightly concave; nares oval; pineal ocellus visible; supratympanic fold extends from back of eye to above shoulder; vomerine teeth present; tongue deeply notched posteriorly; vocal sac absent.

Forelimbs robust (LW/SVL=0.08); lower arm and hand beyond one-second of body length (LAL/SVL=0.51); fingers slender, relative finger lengths I <II <IV <III; finger tips on II-IV dilated to wide cordiform disks with circum-marginal grooves, tip of first finger with small disk but without circum-marginal groove; all fingers without webbing and lateral fringes; subarticular tubercle prominent; supernumerary tubercle indistinct; inner metacarpal tubercle oval, elongate; outer metacarpal tubercles small round; velvety nuptial pad on finger I.

Hindlimbs long, nearly 2 × SVL (HLL/SVL = 1.87); tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level far beyond the tip of the snout when leg stretched forward; tibias longer than thigh length, heels overlapped; toes slender, relative lengths I <II <III <V <IV; toes entirely webbed; tips of toes expanded into disc with circum-marginal grooves; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; inner metatarsal tubercle small but well developed.

Skin on dorsum and dorsal surfaces of limbs smooth; dorsolateral folds weak, formed by series of glands been an incomplete line, extending from above shoulder to vent; weak dorsolateral glandular lines; ventral surface of bell and limbs smooth except a few small tubercles on posterior surface of thigh and around vent.

Coloration in life.

In life, iris pale brown with dark wash; top of head and dorsum golden brown with large rounded black brown and green spots; sides of head with a pale green stripe extending from loreal region to region behind and below eye along upper lip; a black brown band from the tip of the snout through the nostril to an anterior border of the eye, continuing behind the eye to the shoulder; temporal region black brown with green blotches; the flank green with some back brown spots; limbs dorsally golden brown with black brown bands; chest and venter white, throat white with pale brown; ventral surface of anterior forelimbs brown with green spots; finger I and II fresh-colored, finger III and IV brown; ventral surface of hindlimbs fresh-colored (Fig. 3 ).

Color in preservative.

Dorsal surface fade to pale brown with beige brown and black spots on head, flank and on limbs; ventral surface fade to creamy white, marbled with brown on throat and chest (Fig. 4 ).

Variation.

Measurements of all specimens are listed in Table 3 . All specimens were very similar in morphology, but in MT DF20230601001 the dorsum was golden brown with few green spots (Fig. 5A ); in MT DF20230601003 the dorsum and dorsal surfaces of limbs were green with brown spots (Fig. 5B ); in the juvenile specimen MT DF20230601004 the flank was mainly green with black spots and the ventral surface of the throat and chest were white with pale brown spots (Fig. 5C, D ).

Secondary sexual characteristics.

Adult males lack vocal sacs. In breeding, pale yellow glandular nuptial pads are present on finger I in males.

Morphological comparisons.

The molecular phylogenetic results placed the new species as an independent clade into A. marmoratus group. Within the A. mantzorum group, the new species can be distinguished from A. ailao by having a larger body size (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 33.0-35.1 mm); by vomerine teeth present (vs absent), and by tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level far beyond the tip of the snout when leg stretched forward (vs reaching beyond anterior corner of eye); differs from A. granulosus by having a smooth dorsum skin (vs rough with spinules in males) and the absence of vocal sacs in males (vs present); differs from A. lifanensis by having a smaller body size (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 52.0-56.0) and having distinct tympanum (vs indistinct); differs from A. mantzorum by having a smaller body size (adult males SVL 43.2 - 46.8 mm vs 49.0-57.0 mm), head length about equal to or larger than head width (vs head length smaller than head width); differs from A. minutus by having a larger body size (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 29.70-36.42 mm), and the absence of vocal sacs and gular pouches in males (vs well developed); differs from A. ottorum by the presence of vomerine teeth (vs absent); differs from A. shuichengicus by having a larger body size in males (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 34.6-39.6 mm), and having weak dorsolateral glandular lines (vs strong dorsolateral folds); differs from A. tuberodepressus by having a smaller body size (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 48-56mm), and by having weak dorsolateral glandular lines (vs absent); differs from A. jinjiangensis by having distinct tympanum (vs indistinct).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. is phylogenetically most closed to A. loloensis and A. sangzhiensis , and the new species could be distinguished from A. loloensis by having a smaller body size in males (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 55-62 mm), having distinct tympanum (vs indistinct), tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level far beyond the tip of the snout when leg stretched forward (vs just reaching eye or nostrils), spots on head and dorsum irregular (vs spots on head and dorsum round or oval); differs from A. sangzhiensis by having a larger body size in males (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 40.3-40.9 mm), having distinct tympanum (vs indistinct),tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level far beyond the tip of the snout when leg stretched forward (vs just reaching nostrils), mouth corner smooth (vs with dense spiny tubercles around the mouth corner).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from the species of the A. monticola group namely A. adicola , A. akhaorum , A. aniqiaoensis , A. archotaphus , A. bellulus , A. binchachaensis , Amolops chakrataensis , A. chaochin , A. chunganensis , A. compotrix , A. cucae , A. daorum , A. deng , A. iri , A. kohimaensis , A. mengdingensis , A. mengyangensis , A. monticola , A. nyingchiensis , A. putaoensis , A. truongi , A. tuanjieensis , A. vitreus , and A. wenshanensis by dorsolateral folds weak formed by series of glands (vs truth dorsolateral folds present), further distinguished from A. adicola , A. akhaorum , A. aniqiaoensis , A. archotaphus , A. chaochin , A. chunganensis , A. compotrix , A. cucae , A. daorum , A. iriodes , A. kohimaensis , A. mengdingensis , A. mengyangensis , A. monticola , A. putaoensis , A. truongi , A. tuanjieensis , A. vitreus , and A. wenshanensis by vocal sac absent (vs present).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from A. chayuensis , the sole member of the A. chayuensis group, by dorsolateral folds weak formed by series of glands (vs truth dorsolateral folds present), and vocal sacs absent (vs present).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from the A. viridimaculatus group contains 14 species, namely A. beibengensis , A. chanakya , A. formosus , A. himalayanus , A. kaulbacki , A. longimanus , A. medogensis , A. nidorbellus , A. pallasitatus , A. senchalensis , A. tawang , A. wangyali , A. wangyufani , and A. viridimaculatus by dorsolateral folds weak formed by series of glands (vs dorsolateral folds absent) and smaller body size (vs male SVL 75.8 mm in A. beibengensis , male SVL 76.4 mm in A. chanakya , males SVL 61.3-63.1 mm in A. formosus , male SVL 80 mm in A. himalayanus , males SVL 70-72 mm in A. kaulbacki , male SVL 95 mm in A. medogensis , males SVL 76.4-82.3 mm in A. nidorbellus , male SVL 46.2 mm in A. senchalensis , male SVL 82.5 mm in A. tawang , males SVL 71.4-76.7 mm in A. wangyali , males SVL 68.3-69.0 mm in A. wangyufani , and males SVL 72.7-82.3 mm in A. viridimaculatus ).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from the A. marmoratus group of 13 species ( A. afghanus , A. assamensis , A. gerbillus , A. indoburmanensis , A. jaunsari , A. latopalmatus , A. mahabharatensis , A. marmoratus , A. nepalicus , A. panhai , A. siju , and A. terraorchis ) by circum-marginal groove on disc of finger I absent (vs present), and vocal sac absent (vs present with the exception of A. siju ).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from A. spinapectoralis , the sole member of the A. spinapectoralis group, by circum-marginal groove on disc of finger I absent (vs present), and vocal sac absent (vs present).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from the A. larutensis group with eight species, namely A. attiguus , A. australis , A. cremnobatus , A. gerutu , A. kottelati , A. larutensis , A. sengae , and A. tanfuilianae by circum-marginal groove on disc of finger I absent (vs present), and vocal sac absent (vs present).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from the A. ricketti group that contains eight species ( A. shihaitaoi , A. sinensis , A. ricketti , A. wuyiensis , A. yunkaiensis , A. albispinus , A. yatseni , and A. tonkinensis ) by circum-marginal groove on disc of finger I absent (vs present), dorsolateral glandular folds present (vs absent), and nuptial pad without conical or papillate nuptial spines (vs present).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from the A. daiyunensis group of three species, namely A. daiyunensis , A. teochewiensis and A. teochew , by circum-marginal groove on disc of finger I absent (vs present), vomerine teeth present (vs absent) and and vocal sac absent (vs present).

Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. differs from the A. hainanensis group ( A. hainanensis and A. torrentis ) by vomerine teeth present (vs absent) and further differs from A. hainanensis by having a smaller body size (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 71-93 mm) and circum-marginal groove on disc of finger I absent (vs present); further differs from A. torrentis by having a larger body size (adult males SVL 43.2-46.8 mm vs 28-33 mm) and vocal sac absent (vs present).

Distribution and ecology.

At present, Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. was only found on vegetation in a mountain stream in Dafang County, Guizhou Province, China at approximately 1600 m elevation. The rocks of this stream are covered with moss, and low vegetation grows out of the cracks (Fig. 6 ). We did not find eggs, nor Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. tadpoles or females, and advertisement calls were not recorded, but we observed distinct nuptial pad in the males. Based on our surveys, we speculate that the breeding season is probably in early June. Boulenophrys jiangi (Liu, Li, Wei, Xu, Cheng, Wang & Wu, 2020), Boulenophrys qianbeiensis (Su, Shi, Wu, Li, Yao, Wang & Li, 2020), and Leptobrachella jinshaensis Cheng, Shi, Li, Liu, Li & Wang, 2021were also found in the type locality.

Etymology.

The specific epithet dafangensis refers to the distribution of this species, Dafang County, Guizhou Province, China. We propose the common English name "Dafang cascade frogs" for this species and Chinese name as "Da Fang Tuan Wa ( 大方湍蛙)”.

Figures

Figure 3. Photographs of the holotype MT DF 20230601002 of Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. in life A dorsal view B ventral view C dorsal view of hand D ventral view of hand E ventral view of foot.

Figure 4. The holotype specimen MT DF 20230601002 of Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. A dorsal view B ventral view C lateral view D dorsal view of hand E ventral view of hand F ventral view of foot.

Figure 5. Color variation in Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. A dorsolateral view of the male specimen MT DF 20230601001 B dorsolateral view of the male specimen MT DF 20230601003 C dorsolateral view of the juvenile specimen MT DF 20230601004 D ventral view of the male specimen juvenile specimen MT DF 20230601004

Figure 6. Habitat of Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. in the type locality, Dafang County, Guizhou Province, China.