Pelophryne saravacensis, Inger & Stuebing, 2009

Inger, Robert F. & Stuebing, Robert B., 2009, New Species And New Records Of Bornean Frogs (Amphibia: Anura), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57 (2), pp. 527-535 : 532-533

Pelophryne saravacensis , new species

( Figs. 7 , 8)

Holotype. – FMNH 223014 , adult male collected at Sungai Segaham , Belaga District, Kapit Division, Sarawak (2°44'N / 113°55'E), on 6 Jun.1984, by Robert F. Inger and Paul Walker.

Paratypes (all from Sarawak). – FMNH 223012 , 223015– 17 , 223019 , 223021–23 from the type locality ; FMNH 128131 from Tama Abu Mts. , Baram District, Miri Division (3°40'N / 115°20'E) ; FMNH 138111 from Nanga Tekalit , Kapit Division (1°37'N /113°35"E) ; FMNH 157119 from Sungai Pesu , Bintulu Division (3°07’N / 113°48'E) .

Diagnosis. – Tips of fingers expanded into truncate discs, tip of third finger equal to or wider than tympanum; webbing leaving one to 1 ½ phalanges of outer fingers free; heels meet when legs folded at right angle to body axis; no continuous ventrolateral light band; abdomen dark with small, distinct white spots; males without mandibular spines; adult males 17–20 mm, adult female 22 mm.

Description. – Habitus slender; head as wide as trunk. Snout truncate with median projection, vertical in profile or weakly projecting; nostril near tip of snout; canthi rounded, constricted; lores vertical; diameter of eye equal to length of snout; interorbital about 1.5 times width of eyelid; tympanum superficial, oval, rim usually visible, about 1/3 to 2/5 diameter of eye.

Tips of fingers expanded, truncate; disc of third finger equal to or wider than tympanum; fingers with fleshy web, less than one phalanx of first finger projecting, other fingers webbed at bases only; subarticular tubercles obscure. Tips of toes truncate or rounded, not expanded, smaller than tips of fingers; fifth toe longer than third; webbing fleshy; only tips of first three toes projecting from web, fifth toe webbed to distal subarticular tubercle; fourth toe webbed to middle tubercle; subarticular and metatarsal tubercles indistinct, but present; no tarsal ridge; when legs folded at right angles to body axis, heels meet or overlap slightly.

Back and sides with large, round tubercles, most less than half diameter of tympanum; numerous fine, colorless spinules between tubercles of back; dorsal surfaces of limbs densely covered with conical tubercles; belly coarsely granular.

Color in preservative sandy brown to pale tan dorsally; a dark interorbital triangle, apex to rear, with thin anterior projection; some individuals with a faint dark triangle or elongated trapezoid in lumbar region; side of head dark brown with irregular creamy areas, but no continuous light band from below eye to axilla; side of trunk brown with small, irregular light and dark spots; ventrally dark brown with small, discrete, white spots, dark pigment occupying more than half of surface. In life, several individuals with small red spots on larger dorsal tubercles.

Adult males 17.2–20.0 mm (n = 4); yellowish nuptial pad on mediodorsal surface of first finger; vocal sac openings slit-like; no mandibular spines. Only one adult female, 21.6 mm. Body proportions (adults only): T/SVL 0.48–0.53, HW/SVL 0.30–0.34, TYM/SVL 0.049 –0.069, dF3/SVL 0.053–0.62.

Comparisons. – This species is similar to P. guentheri , P. signata , P. rhopophilius , and P. murudensis in the expanded, truncate finger discs. However, it is distinctly smaller than P. guentheri (both sexes> 28 mm SVL), P. rhopophilius (males 21.6–24.6 mm), and P. murudensis (males 21.9–25.6 mm; Das, 2008). Pelophryne saravacensis has a longer leg than P. guentheri and P. murudensis (T/SVL of P. guentheri 0.39–0.40, n = 4; of P. murudensis 0.38–0.44, n = 4). Das (2008) noted that the heels of P. murudensis did not meet when the legs were flexed at right angles to the body axis; in P. saravacensis the heels meet or overlap in that position.

Pelophryne saravacensis differs from P. rhopophilius in not having a strongly projecting snout and from the latter and P. murudensis in coloration. In P. rhopophilius the abdomen is light with anastamosing, dark lines; less than half of the area is covered with dark pigment. In P. saravacensis , the abdomen is dark with small light spots and much more than 50% of the area is dark. In P. murudensis the lower side has a continuous broad band of light (buff) coloration, whereas in P. saravacensis that area is brown with small light and dark spots.

Pelophryne saravacensis is larger than P. signata ; adult males of the latter measure 13.9–15.9 (n = 9) and adult females 15.3–17.6 (n = 9). In addition males of the smaller P. signata have mandibular spines, which are lacking in P. saravacensis . The abdomen of P. signata is yellow with small, scattered black spots and the sides of the head and trunk have a continuous light streak, contrasting with the coloration of P. saravacensis (see above).

Figures

Fig. 7. Pelophryne saravacensis, new species. Dorsal view of holotype. Scale in cm.