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| Fejervarya muangkanensis
Suwannapoom, Yuan, Jiang, Yan, Gao & Che, 2017
Kanchanaburi Rain-Pool Frog | ZooRes.ac.cn KIZ.CAS.cn
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Abstract
We describe a new species, Fejervarya muangkanensis sp. nov., based on a series of specimens collected from Ban Tha Khanun, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. The new species is easily distinguished from its congeners by morphological and molecular data, and can be diagnosed by the following characters: (1) small size (adult male snout-vent length (SVL) 33.5 mm; female SVL 40.0–40.9 mm); (2) tympanum small, discernible but unclear; (3) poorly developed toe webbing; (4) no lateral line system in adults; (5) characteristic “Fejervaryan” lines present in females; and (6) femoral glands absent. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial 16S rRNA further supports it as a distinct lineage and distinguishes it from its congeners for which sequences are available.
Keywords: Fejervarya muangkanensis sp. nov., Kanchanaburi, Thailand
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| Figure 3: Dorsolateral view of female paratype KIZ 024678 of Fejervarya muangkanensis sp. nov. in life
(photo by Chatmongkon Suwannapoom)
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Fejervarya muangkanensis
Etymology: The specific epithet muangkanensis is derived from the common name of the Kanchanaburi province, Thailand.
Suggested common names: Kanchanaburi Rain-Pool Frog.
Ecology: The species is found in small swamps in secondary forests at elevations between 700–900 m a.s.l. Advertisement calls of the males can be heard in small ponds from July to September in Thong Pha Phum, Kanchanaburi Province. Calling males are usually observed within or beside the swamp (Figure 6).
Distribution: This species is currently known only from Thong Pha Phum, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand (Figure 1).
Although our discovery of F. muangkanensis increases the total number of Fejervarya species of Thailand to nine (Suwannapoom et al., 2016), the diversity of this group may still be underestimated. For example, previous molecular studies have identified several distinct lineages diverged from closely related, recognized species, including Fejervarya sp. hp3 from Pilok, Thailand, and Fejervarya sp. hp2 from Bangkok, Thailand (Kotaki et al., 2010). Future studies should examine morphological characteristics of specimens from these regions in detail to confirm their taxonomic identities. Moreover, as many areas of Thailand are still poorly or never surveyed for amphibian diversity, especially in southern Thailand, unrecognized diversity of the genus could still exist. Closer inspections of previously collected congeners from these regions are necessary to better understand amphibian diversity in Thailand, which could help to manage and conserve this unique diversity effectively.
Chatmongkon Suwannapoom, Zhi-Yong Yuan, Ke Jiang, Fang Yan, Wei Gao and Jing Che. 2017. A New Species of Rain-Pool Frog (Dicroglossidae: Fejervarya) from western Thailand. Zoological Research. DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2017.043 ZooRes.ac.cn/EN/abstract/abstract3822.shtml
Scientists discover a new species of rain-pool frog, Fejervarya muangkanensis sp. nov., from western Thailand english.KIZ.CAS.cn/Research/rp/201710/t20171017_184005.html
