Rohanixalus punctatus ( Wilkinson, Win, Thin, Lwin, Shein, and Tun, 2003 ) Biju & Garg & Gokulakrishnan & Chandrakasan & Thammachoti & Ren & Gopika & Bisht & Hamidy & Shouche, 2020

Biju, S. D., Garg, Sonali, Gokulakrishnan, G., Chandrakasan, Sivaperuman, Thammachoti, Panupong, Ren, Jinlong, Gopika, C., Bisht, Karan, Hamidy, Amir & Shouche, Yogesh, 2020, New insights on the systematics and reproductive behaviour in tree frogs of the genus Feihyla, with description of a new related genus from Asia (Anura, Rhacophoridae), Zootaxa 4878 (1), pp. 1-55 : 43-44

Rohanixalus punctatus ( Wilkinson, Win, Thin, Lwin, Shein, and Tun, 2003) comb. nov.

Spotted Bubble-nest Frog

( Figs. 1–2 , 4 , 7 ; Tables 1 , 3 )

Original name and description. Chirixalus punctatus Wilkinson, Win, Thin, Lwin, Shein, and Tun 2003 . Wilkinson J.A., Win, H., Thin T., Lwin K.S., Shein A.K. and Tun H. 2003. A new species of Chirixalus ( Anura : Rhacophoridae ) from western Myanmar ( Burma). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 54: 17–26. Type. Holotype, CAS 221555, by original designation. Type locality. “ Rakhine Yoma Elephant Wildlife Sanctuary Headquarters (17° 36’ 48.8” N 94° 36’ 50.2” E), Gwa, Gwa Township, Rakhine State ”, Myanmar. Current status of specific name. Valid name as Rohanixalus punctatus ( Wilkinson, Win, Thin, Lwin, Shein, and Tun 2003) comb. nov.

Taxonomic remarks. Based on morphological affinity, this species is closely related to members of the genus Rohanixalus . Wilkinson et al. (2003) diagnosed the species on the basis of differences in dorsal colour and markings with the closely related R. vittatus , but subsequently stated in the variations section that the extent of spotting varies, being “sparser in some individuals, restricted primarily to the dorsal aspect of the head whereas in others to the entire dorsum. The accompanying paratype photograph (Joseph B. Slowinski field voucher number JBS 9274, deposited in CAS; Wilkinson et al. 2003) also shows close similarities to another species, R. marginis , that was described more recently from Peninsular Malaysia. Based on available evidence, we formally reallocate Chirixalus punctatus Wilkinson, Win, Thin, Lwin, Shein, and Tun 2003 to the genus Rohanixalus , as Rohanixalus punctatus ( Wilkinson, Win, Thin, Lwin, Shein, and Tun 2003) comb. nov. Further molecular evidence can clarify the systematic relationship of R. punctatus with other Rohanixalus members, especially R. marginis , which could be a close congener based on morphological and geographical considerations.

Diagnosis. Small-sized adults (male, SVL 23 mm), with slender body; snout sub-elliptical to nearly pointed in dorsal view; tympanum externally obscure; dorsal skin smooth; the entire dorsum, lateral surfaces, and dorsal surface of limbs covered with fine dark brown speckles; dorsum and limbs with or without prominent spots; a pair of continuous dorsolateral stripes starting from the snout tip, extending over the eyes, and ending close to the vent; webbing absent between fingers I, II, and III, basal webbing present between fingers III and IV; foot webbing moderate, up to the second subarticular tubercle on either side of toe IV.

Distribution. Rohanixalus punctatus is currently known only from western Myanmar, the place of its original description.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Maximum Likelihood tree showing phylogenetic relationships among 124 representative taxa from all recognised genera of the subfamily Rhacophorinae. Relationships are inferred based on 1,937 bp of mitochondrial (12SrRNA, tRNAVAL, 16SrRNA) and nuclear (RHO and RAG1) genes. Numbers above and below the branches indicate Bayesian Posterior Probabilities and RAxML bootstrap support values, respectively.

FIGURE 2. A–B. DNA Barcoding based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences: A. genus Feihyla; B. genus Rohanixalus gen. nov.; C. distribution of the new genus Rohanixalus. Images represent the corresponding species and their broad geographical ranges.

FIGURE 4. Distribution of genetically confirmed records of all known Feihyla and Rohanixalus members (indicated by circles) and their respective type localities (indicated by triangles). Numbers corresponding to each species are indicated alongside the distribution spots.

FIGURE 7. Members of the genus Rohanixalus. A. Dorsolateral view of R. hansenae from the type locality, Nong Khor, Thailand; B. dorsolateral view of R. marginis (holotype) from Perlis State Park chalets, Perlis, Peninsular Malaysia; C. dorsal view of R. cf. nauli, from Batang Gadis National Park, North Sumatra, Indonesia with a jelly-nest; D. dorsolateral view of R. cf. nauli, from Batang Gadis National Park, North Sumatra, Indonesia; E. dorsolateral view of R. cf. nauli, from Bukit Barisan Forest Park, North Sumatra, Indonesia; F. dorsolateral view of R. punctatus (Paratype, JBS 9274) from Gwa, Rakhine State, Myanmar (CC Public domain 3.0; AmphibiaWeb); G. dorsolateral view of R. vittatus from Rangat, Middle Andaman Islands, India; H. dorsolateral view of R. senapatiensis from Manipur, India; I. dorsolateral view of R. shyamrupus from Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh.