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| Amolops caelumnoctis |
Abstract
A new species of Amolops is described from a mountainous area of southern Yunnan Province, China. The species is unique in having a dark purple dorsum with small light yellow spots. The spots are smaller than the smallest finger disk. Other characters that distinguish this species from other species of Amolops include smooth skin (lacking tubercles) over the entire body and lack of dorsolateral folds, transverse bars on the legs, and a visible pineal body.
Diagnosis.— The new species differs from all other species of this genus by a combination of the following characters: numerous small round light yellow spots, irregularly distributed, on a dark purple background on dorsum, head, limbs,fingers, and toes; smooth skin (lacking tubercles)over entire body; lack of dorsolateral folds; lack of transverse bars on limbs; and lack of visible pineal body on top of head.
Etymology.— The specific name is derived from Latin for the sky of the night. The name refers to the numerous tiny rounded irregularly arranged light yellow spots on a dark purple dorsal background resembling stars in the night sky.
Ding-Qi Rao and Jeffery A. Wilkinson. 2007. A New Species of Amolops (Anura: Ranidae) from Southwest China. Copeia. 2007(4); 913-919.
DOI: 10.1643/0045-8511(2007)7[913:ANSOAA]2.0.CO;2
DOI: 10.1643/0045-8511(2007)7[913:ANSOAA]2.0.CO;2
