Saturday, March 20, 2021

[Herpetology • 2020] Limnonectes phuyenensis • A New Species of Limnonectes (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from South-central Vietnam


Limnonectes phuyenensis 
 Pham, Do, Le, Ngo, Nguyen, Ziegler & Nguyen, 2020


Abstract
A new species of Limnonectes from Phu Yen Province, South-central Vietnam is described based on morphological and molecular differences. Morphologically, the new species is distinguishable from its congeners on the basis of a combination of the following diagnostic characters: SVL 49.8–77.9 mm in males, 40.8–61.8 mm in females; males with moderately enlarged head (HL/SVL 0.47, HW/SVL 0.48); head slightly broader than long (HL/HW 0.97 in males, 0.95 in females); vomerine teeth present; external vocal sacs absent; rostral length short (RL/SVL 0.15); tympanum invisible; dorsal surface of head, body and flanks with ridges and tubercles; dorsal surface of tibia and foot distinctly tuberculate, covered with moderately dense, small, low tubercles; supratympanic fold present; dorsolateral fold absent; Finger I with nuptial pad, composed of minute spines on dorsal surface and medial edge in males; toes webbed to distal of terminal phalanx, webbing formula I0–0II0–0III0–0IV0-–0V0; in life, dorsum yellowish brown with dark brown markings; ventral surface white with brown markings. In phylogenetic analyses, the new species from Vietnam and Limnonectes fastigatus as well as L. kiziriani form a clade, which is sister to L. fragilis from China, although the nodal support values for the set of relationships are insignificant from all analyses.

Keywords: Amphibia, Limnonectes phuyenensis sp. nov., molecular phylogeny, taxonomy, Phu Yen Province


FIGURE 6. Paratypes of Limnonectes phuyenensis sp. nov. in life (with ventral view inserted).
 (A) male ITBCZ 4598 (male on the right with two unvouchered females nearby on the left). (B) male ITBCZ 4753,
(C) male ITBCZ 4754, (D) female ITBCZ 4750,
(E) female VNMN 010903, and (F) an observed juvenile.


Limnonectes phuyenensis sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet "phuyenensis" refers to the type locality of the new species, Phu Yen Province. As common names we suggest Phu Yen Wart Frog (English), Ếch nhẽo phú yên (Vietnamese).



Cuong The Pham, Dang Trong Do, Minh Duc Le, Hanh Thi Ngo, Luan Thanh Nguyen, Thomas Ziegler and Truong Quang Nguyen. 2020. A New Species of Limnonectes (Amphibia: Anura: Dicroglossidae) from Vietnam. Zootaxa. 4894(3); 387–402. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4894.3.5