Bufotes viridis (Laurenti, 1768) complex

Jablonski, Daniel, Regan, John M., Holzheuser, Chace, Farooqi, Javeed, Basit, Abdul & Masroor, Rafaqat, 2019, Additional data to the herpetofauna of Afghanistan, Herpetozoa 32, pp. 177-193 : 177

Bufotes viridis (Laurenti, 1768) complex

Distribution in Afghanistan.

According to Wagner et al. (2016), this species complex comprised four species ( B. oblongus , B. baturae / pseudoraddei , B. turanensis , B. zugmayeri ) that are recorded throughout Afghanistan, except the central Hindu Kush range ( Fig. 2 ). We here followed comments presented in Jablonski et al. (2019), noting that comprehensive phylogeographic views on the genus are needed to resolve species distribution and phylogenetic composition in Afghanistan. This iconic toad complex is currently known from provinces Badakhshan, Badghis, Baglan, Balkh, Bamyan, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Helmand, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Kunduz, Logar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Samangan, Takhar, Wardak and Zabul ( Wagner et al. 2016; Jablonski et al. 2019 and see therein for additional information). Wagner et al. (2016) did not assign (due to missing museum material) the record presented by Buchroithner (1981) that reported these toads from Tila Bay Valley (~37.28N, 73.33E, 4160 m a.s.l.), Wakhan, Badakhshan. This author mentioned an occurrence of B. latastii in Badakhshan, but this species is endemic to western Himalaya and is not known from the Hindu Kush range ( Litvinchuk et al. 2018b).

Our records

( Fig. 2 ). 1 - Dehdadi, Balkh (25 September 2011), one adult individual in semi-desert area; 2 - Nahr Shahi, Balkh (25 September 2011), one adult individual in village area; 3 - Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh (11 September 2015), one adult female in house garden area ( Fig. 3E ); 4 - Arga Queshlaq, Badakhshan (22 July 2012), one adult female under the rock near an artificial canal ( Fig. 3F ); 5 - Broghil Pass, Wakhan, Badakhshan (4 September 2007); six adults in a hot water spring in rocky area; 6 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul (15 July 2011), several hundreds of tadpoles and juveniles in artificial ponds, dozens of adults in its vicinity ( Fig. 3D ); 7 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar (17 May 2009), several dozens of juveniles, subadult and adult individuals ( Fig. 3 A–C ) in the vicinity of an artificial pond near the runway in semi-desert area ( Fig. 10A ).

Remarks.

According to the map of Wagner et al. (2016), toads from Balkh Province should belong to B. turanensis (or B. pewzowi , B. shaartusiensis , see Ficetola and Stöck 2016; Litvinchuk et al. 2018a), from Badakhshan and Kabul Provinces to B. baturae / pseudoraddei and from Kandahar to B. zugmayeri . Although all our records represent new localities, they fall within regions or areas where these toads were previously known. Locality 5 represents an interesting record near Broghil Pass at an elevation of about ~3800 m. Regan (2017) identified these toads incorrectly as " Pseudepidalea viridis " and " Bufo surdus " (pp. 51-55). The genus Pseudepidalea is a less used generic name for these toads, while Bufotes surdus (Boulenger, 1891) has never been recorded in Afghanistan.

Figures

Figure 2. Updated herpetofaunistic records from Afghanistan (white dots: data of Buchroithner, 1981; Wagner et al. 2016; Jablonski et al. 2019; red dots: data of this study). Bufotes viridis complex (including species B. oblongus, B. baturae / pseudoraddei, B. turanensis and B. zugmayeri presented by Wagner et al. 2016): 1 - Dehdadi, Balkh; 2 - Nahr Shahi, Balkh; 3 - Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 4 - Arga Queshlaq, Badakhshan; 5 - Broghil Pass, Badakhshan; 6 - Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; 7 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis: Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar. Testudo horsfieldii: 1 - Pol-e-Khomri, Baghlan; 2 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 3 - Waza Kwah, Paktika. Phrynocephalus mystaceus: Shor Tepah, Balkh. Trapelus agilis: 1 - Camp Mike Spann Chapel, Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh; 2 - Lashkargah, Helmand; 3 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 4 - Lagman Base, Qalat, Zabul; 5 - Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan. Trapelus megalonyx: 1 - Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; 2 - Gardez, Gardez Base, Paktia.

Figure 3. Observed individuals of Bufotes viridis complex (Bufonidae) from Afghanistan: A, B, C - Different post-metamorphic stages of the species complex from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; D - adult individual from Camp Dubs - Kabul, Kabul; E - adult female from Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh (photo by Nasser Halaweh); F - adult female from Arga Queshlaq (photo by Glyn Morris).

Figure 10. View on selected localities from Afghanistan that were visited: A - habitat of Bufotes viridis complex and Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar; B - stony, semi-desert habitat of Eremias aff. nigrocellata from Kaldar, Balkh; C - semi-desert habitat of Trapelus agilis from Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan; D - vicinity of small village Waza Kwah, Paktika as habitat of Testudo horsfieldii; E - desert habitat of Cyrtopodion agamuroides complex from Camp Leatherneck, Washir, Helmand; F - burrows in semi-desert habitat that were used by Eremias persica as a shelter, Kandahar, Air Base, Kandahar.