Micryletta menglienica (Yang & Su, 1980)

Liu, Shuo, Yang, Bin, Wang, Qianyan & Hou, Mian, 2021, Taxonomic reassessment of the poorly known microhylid, Kalophrynus menglienicus Yang & Su, 1980, Herpetozoa 34, pp. 223-232 : 223

Micryletta menglienica (Yang & Su, 1980)

Figures 2 , 3 , 4

Type material.

Holotype. KIZ 75I377, adult male. Paratypes. KIZ 75I333-75I339, KIZ 75I371-75I376, KIZ 75I378-75I385, KIZ 75I387-75I389, KIZ 75I409-75I416, 32 adult males.

Type locality.

Jingmao Village, Jingxin Township, Menglian County, Puer City, Yunnan Province, China.

Distribution.

Menglian County, Puer City, Yunnan Province, China (Fig. 5 ).

Diagnosis.

Small body size; head width approximately equal to head length; tympanum small and indistinct; supratympanic fold distinct; vomerine teeth absent; tongue oval, with no notch at posterior tip; forelimbs slender and long, hindlimbs slender and relatively short, tibiotarsal articulation of adpressed limb reaching eye or level of between eye and tympanum; subtle longitudinal median ridge present on dorsum; dorsolateral fold absent; dorsum of body purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern; no bands on dorsum of limbs; a black streak extending from tip of the snout to crotch; upper lip white; Ventral side of head, body, and limbs grayish brown or purple gray, white marbling patterns on chest and belly, some white spots on chin region and ventral side of limbs.

Description of the topotype specimens.

Specimens examined. KIZ20210708-KIZ20210712, five adult males, collected by Shuo Liu on 17 July 2021 from Jingmao Village, Jingxin Township, Menglian County, Puer City, Yunnan Province, China (22°29'16"N, 99°40'20"E; at an elevation of 1050 m).

Morphological description. SVL 18.7-21.8 mm; habitus relatively slender; head small and triangular, width approximately equal to length (HW/HL 0.99-1.00); snout abruptly rounded in dorsal view and slightly acuminate in profile, projecting beyond margin of lower jaw; eyes relatively small, slightly protuberant, pupil oval, transverse, eye diameter slightly smaller than interorbital distance (EL/IOD 0.85-0.96). Top of head flat, canthus rostralis rounded and distinct; loreal region weakly concave; nostril round, closer to tip of snout than to eye; interorbital distance greater than internarial distance (IOD/IND 1.14-1.44) and upper eyelid width (IOD/UEW 1.56-2.17). Tympanum rounded, small (TMP/HL 0.16-0.21) and indistinct; supratympanic fold distinct. Choanae rounded; vomerine teeth absent; opening of vocal sac long cleft; tongue oval, with no notch at posterior tip.

Forelimbs slender and long (FLL/SVL 0.71-0.72). Fingers slender with no webbing, rounded in cross-section, no lateral fringes; relative finger lengths: I<II<IV<III; tips of fingers round and not dilated; subarticular tubercles on fingers distinct, rounded and prominent, formula 1, 1, 2, 2; supernumerary tubercles on palm present and developed; three metacarpal tubercles, inner one rounded and smallest, median one rounded and almost directly in front of oval outer one; two rounded and one elongated prominent supernumerary palmar tubercles on the base of fingers II-IV, respectively; nuptial pad absent.

Hindlimbs slender and relatively short (HLL/SVL 1.47-1.53); tibiotarsal articulation of adpressed limb reaching eye; foot slightly longer than tibia (FL/TL 1.01-1.13). Relative toe lengths: I<II<V<III<IV; tarsal fold absent; tips of toes round and not dilated, slightly wider than those of fingers; webbing between toes absent; subarticular tubercles on toes oval and prominent, formula: 1, 1, 2, 3, 2; dermal ridges present under 2nd to 4th toes but indistinct; inner metatarsal tubercle rounded, prominent, and small; outer metatarsal tubercle absent.

Dorsal skin scattered with small tubercles on dorsum of body, flanks, and hindlimbs, dorsal skin of forelimbs smooth; subtle longitudinal median ridge present on dorsum; dorsolateral fold absent; lateral sides of head smooth; ventral skin of body and limbs smooth.

Coloration in life.

Coloration varies greatly, dorsum of body purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern. Dorsum of forelimbs light yellow, dorsum of hindlimbs the same color as dorsum of body, no bands on dorsum of limbs. A black streak extending from tip of the snout to crotch, lower part of the streak on flank grayish white with some black spots. Upper lip white. Ventral side of head, body, and limbs grayish brown or purple grey, white marbling patterns on chest and belly, some white spots on chin region and ventral side of limbs. Iris bicolored, with upper third bronze and lower two-thirds brownish black.

Natural history.

All specimens were found under the dead leaves on the ground at night (Fig. 6 ). Once startled, they jumped out from under the dead leaves. The collection site is surrounded by broad-leaved forest and bamboo, and there is a river nearby. No reproductive behavior was observed.

Morphological comparison.

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. aishani by head width approximately equal to head length (vs. head wider than long); snout abruptly rounded in dorsal view and slightly acuminate in lateral view (vs. snout shape nearly truncate in dorsal view and acute in lateral view); tibiotarsal articulation adpressed limb reaching eye or between eye and tympanum (vs. reaching armpit).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. dissimulans by dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum reddish brown with merging irregular shaped brown blotches edged in beige); a black streak extending from tip of the snout to crotch (vs. no black streak extending from tip of the snout to crotch); white stripes on upper lips present (vs. absent); tibiotarsal articulation adpressed limb reaching eye or between eye and tympanum (vs. reaching tympanum).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. erythropoda by relatively smaller body (SVL 19.4-23.4 mm vs. up to 30 mm); dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum gray or beige to saturated ochre or brick red, dark contrasting round or irregular shape spots irregularly scattered throughout the dorsum); outer metatarsal tubercle absent (vs. present); tibiotarsal articulation adpressed limb reaching eye or between eye and tympanum (vs. reaching posterior edge of tympanum).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. hekouensis by head width approximately equal to head length (vs. head wider than long); dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. areas above canthus rostralis, upper eyelids, areas posterior to eyelids, and dorsum of upper arms golden, other parts of dorsum almost solid black or yellowish gray with brownish black stripes); supratympanic fold distinct (vs. supratympanic fold indistinct); tibiotarsal articulation adpressed limb reaching eye or between eye and tympanum (vs. reaching front of eye).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. immaculata by relatively smaller body (SVL 19.4-23.4 mm vs. up to 23.3-30.1 mm); dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum bronze brown to reddish brown without dark patterns); flank with black streak (vs. flank with no streak); webbing between toes absent (vs. basal and poorly developed); tibiotarsal articulation adpressed limb reaching eye or between eye and tympanum (vs. reaching tympanum).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. inornata sensu stricto from Sumatra, Indonesia, and from Tanintharyi, Myanmar, by head width approximately equal to head length (vs. head wider than long); dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum brownish gray with a silver tinge and irregular blackish brown blotches of variable size); supratympanic fold distinct (vs. supratympanic fold weakly developed); no dark bands or spots on dorsum of limbs (vs. indistinct dark bands or irregular dark spots and blotches on dorsum of limbs).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. lineata by relatively larger body in males (SVL 19.4-23.4 mm vs. 19.0-19.2 mm); dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum brownish grey with three straight continuous or broken lines); Ventral side of head, body, and limbs grayish brown or purple grey, white marbling patterns on chest and belly, some white spots on chin region and ventral side of limbs (vs. venter beige with light brown mottling along throat).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. nigromaculata by dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum brown to reddish brown with dark brown irregular hourglass shaped pattern and two large dark inguinal spots); a black streak extending from tip of the snout to crotch (vs. no black streak extending from tip of the snout to crotch); white stripes on upper lips present (vs. absent); chin region in males brownish black (vs. whitish with light gray marbling).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. sumatrana by relatively larger body in males (SVL 19.4-23.4 mm vs. 17.4 mm); dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum golden brown scattered with small black spots); flank with black streak (vs. flank with irregular blackish patches with cream mottling); dark cross bands on tibia and tarsus absent (vs. present); a few small white spots on ventral side of limbs (vs. dark brown and cream mottling on ventral side of limbs); tibiotarsal articulation adpressed limb reaching eye or between eye and tympanum (vs. reaching front of eye).

Micryletta menglienica differs from M. steinegeri by relatively smaller body in males (SVL 19.4-23.4 mm vs. up to 24.3 mm); dorsum purple brown, blueish gray, or dark brown, with small or large black spots, black stripes, or no pattern (vs. dorsum dark gray to violet with irregular dark blotches or speckles); supratympanic fold distinct (vs. supratympanic fold weak and indistinct); webbing between toes absent (vs. rudimentary webbing); tibiotarsal articulation adpressed limb reaching eye or between eye and tympanum (vs. reaching tympanum).

Figures

Figure 2. The holotype (KIZ 75 I 377) of Micryletta menglienica in preservative. A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view.

Figure 3. The newly collected specimens of Micryletta menglienica in preservative. A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view.

Figure 4. Micryletta menglienica in life from Jingmao Village, Jingxin Township, Menglian County, Puer City, Yunnan Province, China. A-D. Dorsal view; E-H. Ventral view.

Figure 5. Map showing the type locality (red dot) of Micryletta menglienica in Menglian County, Puer City, Yunnan Province, China.

Figure 6. Habitat of Micryletta menglienica at Jingmao Village, Jingxin Township, Menglian County, Puer City, Yunnan Province, China.