Limnonectes poilani (Bourret)

Stuart Ko Sok Thy Neang, Bryan L., 2006, A Collection Of Amphibians And Reptiles From Hilly Eastern Cambodia, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54 (1), pp. 129-155 : 138-139

Limnonectes poilani (Bourret)

( Fig. 8 )

Material examined. – O’Rang: FMNH 262741 , hilly evergreen forest, O Rokhlong Stream, near 12°18'35.3"N 107°09'28.0"E, 500 m elev., 12 Dec.2003 ; FMNH 262742 , hilly evergreen forest, O Kamen Stream, near 12°19'35"N 107°05'33"E, 500 m elev., 01 Nov.2003 .

Pichrada: FMNH 262659-64 , Phnom Nam Lyr Mountain , evergreen mixed with deciduous and bamboo forest along O Nam Lyr Stream, near 12°32'16"N 107°32'00"E, 600 m elev., 16 Jun.2000 ; FMNH 262666-68 , Phnom Nam Lyr Mountain , evergreen mixed with deciduous and bamboo forest, near 12°32'16"N 107°32'00"E, 600- 700 m elev., 17 Jun.2000 ; FMNH 262670-71 , gallery evergreen forest along stream, near 12°29'49"N 107°29'33"E, 700 m elev., 22 Jun.2000 .

Remarks. – Bourret (1942) described poilani as a subspecies of Rana kohchangae ( Smith, 1922) based on a single male from Dong Tam Ve, Vietnam. Ohler et al. (2002) moved poilani to species rank and into the genus Limnonectes . We examined Bourret’s holotype of Rana kohchange poilani (MNHN 1948.0127) and it is clearly conspecific with adult males in our collection from Cambodia. The Cambodian series also fully agrees with specimens of both sexes reported as Rana cf. blythii from central Vietnam by Inger et al. (1999), and these should also be referred to L. poilani . Specifically, males (SVL 84.1 – 99.5, mean ± SD 90.0 ± 6.7, N = 4) and females (SVL 69.5 – 95.3, mean ± SD 80.2 ± 8.7, N = 6) from Cambodia have a ridge of skin on the medial border of the outer three fingers, widest on the second finger; the first and fifth toes have movable flaps of skin externally; the first three toes and the fifth are fully webbed to the base of the swollen tips; the webbing on the fourth toe reaches the distal subarticular tubercle and continues to the tip as a movable flap of skin; tubercles on the upper eyelid; two black bars extend from the eye to lip; and a black streak covers the upper half of the tympanum and the supratympanic fold. The adult males have enlarged odontoids at the front of the mandible and enlarged heads with two temporal swellings. Bourret (1942) described a median longitudinal ridge on the top of the head from the level of the posterior edge of the eyes to the level of the insertion of the forelimbs to the body; this character is apparent in the holotype, but not in the Cambodian males. Two of four adult males and four of six adult females have a light vertebral stripe from the tip of the snout to the vent.

The colouration in life of the adult female FMNH 262741 follows. Brown above with dark brown and black spotting on the dorsum and limbs; creamy-tan band followed posteriorly by a black band between the upper eyelids; dark brown lip bars; throat white with grey flecking, anterior half of venter and underside of forelimbs white, posterior half of venter and underside of hindlimbs yellow; posterior surface of thigh with yellow and black reticulations; pinkish-orange wash on upper surface of fingers and toes.

The specimens were collected in shallow water or on dirt and leaf litter banks within 3 m of small streams. Orlov (1997) described the breeding behavior of this species (as Rana cf. blythii ) in Vietnam.

This is the first report of the species in Cambodia.

Figures

Fig. 8. Limnonectes poilani from Phnom Nam Lyr Wildlife Sanctuary, Pichrada District, Mondolkiri Province, Cambodia.