Rana chloronota (Günther, 1875)

BAIN, RAOUL H. & TRUONG, NGUYEN QUANG, 2004, Herpetofaunal Diversity of Ha Giang Province in Northeastern Vietnam, with Descriptions of Two New Species, American Museum Novitates 3453, pp. 1-43 : 12

Rana chloronota (Günther, 1875)

In Ha Giang, Rana chloronota was common on Mt. Muong Cha between 800 and 950 m. It was always closely associated with fast­moving streams and cascades, either on overhanging vegetation or on rocks within the stream or on the banks. At Muong Cha, this species was found both within the forest and at its edge. Rana chloronota was also found among large boulders on the Nam Ma on Mt. Tay Con Linh II (600 m), with little or no cover from vegetation.

Rana chloronota is a complex of several species across its wide range ( Bain et al., 2003). This grouping is based on morphological similarity around the diagnosis of Rana chloronota : (1) body dorsoventrally compressed; (2) SVL males 41–53 mm (mean 46 mm), females 80–100 mm (mean 92 mm); (3) vomerine teeth in rows oblique to choanae; (4) lip stripe white; (5) head broad, snout rounded in dorsal view, bluntly rounded in profile; (6) tympanum round, distinct, TMP:EYE of males 0.43–0.85 (mean 0.57) greater than females 0.37–0.60 (mean 0.48); (7) supratympanic fold weak; (8) dorsal skin smooth, flanks weakly granular, dorsolateral folds absent, venter smooth; (9) dorsum green, sometimes with black spots; forelimbs and hindlimbs brown, with transverse bars; (10) median callous pad on finger III to proximal tubercle; furrow on medial edge of fingers II, III; (11) disks on fingers and toes greatly enlarged (›2× base of phalanges); (12) feet fully webbed to disks, weak lateral fringes on I and V to terminal phalanges, webbing brown; (13) subarticular tubercles and inner metatarsal tubercle distinct, conical; (14) terminal phalanges T­shaped; (15) xiphisternum large, deeply notched posteriorly; (16) male with velvety nuptial pads on thumb, paired gular pouches, pectoral spines absent; (17) eggs white. Numbered characters follow Bain et al. (2003). Based on the similarity of two previously undescribed cascade ranid species from Ha Giang to this diagnosis, we put them in the Rana chloronota complex. They are described below.

Rana chloronota sensu stricto is found in southern China, Vietnam (Gia Lai, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Tuyen Quang, Bak Thai, and Vinh Phu Provinces), Laos (Khammouan Province), and India (Darjeeling, Assam) ( Inger et al., 1999: 19–20; Ziegler, 2002:; Bain et al., 2003).