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| Leptobrachella wulingensis Qian, Xia, Cao, Xiao & Yang, 2020 |
Abstract
A new species of Leptobrachella, Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from the Wuling mountains in Hunan Province, China. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of having a SVL body size range of 24.5–32.8 mm in four adult males and 29.9–38.5 mm in three adult females; dorsal surface brown to reddish brown with indistinct markings; ventral surface creamy white, often with pale brown speckling on chest and margins; flanks with small to moderate black spots; skin on dorsum shagreened with sparse large warts, sometimes with short longitudinal ridges; toes with rudimentary webbing and narrow lateral fringes; dermal ridges under toes interrupted at the articulations; and iris bicolored with a bright orange or golden upper half, fading to silver in the lower half. Uncorrected sequence divergence between L. wulingensis sp. nov. and homologous 16S rRNA sequences available for all known species in the genus are ≥ 2.3%–2.9%.
Keywords: Amphibia, taxonomy, Asian leaf-litter toads, molecular, Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov.
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| Holotype of Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov. (CSUFT 201, adult female) in life: (A) lateral view, (B) iris, (C) ventral view, (D) volar view of left hand, (E) plantar view of right foot, and (F) black spots on flanks. |
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| Living Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov. from Tianzishan Nature Reserve, individuals not collected. (A) Young metamorph toad with remnants of its tadpole tail, sitting on a rock; (B) and (C) adult individuals sitting on wet forest floor; (D) female toad laying on the ground. Photos by Tianyu Qian on August (A) and September (B, C and D) in 2019. |
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| Iris coloration of paratypes of Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov.: (A) CSUFT 178; (B) CSUFT 180; (C) CSUFT 177; (D) CSUFT 194; (E) CSUFT 193; (F) CSUFT 200; (G) CSUFT 204; (H) CSUFT 179; (I) CSUFT 202; (J) CSUFT 203. |
Tian-Yu Qian, Xin Xia, Yue Cao, Neng-Wen Xiao and Dao-De Yang. 2020. A New Species of Leptobrachella (Anura: Megophryidae) Smith, 1925 from Wuling Mountains in Hunan Province, China. Zootaxa. 4816(4); 491–526. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4816.4.4
