 |
| Amolops dafangensis Li, Liu, Ke, Cheng & Wang, 2024 |
Abstract
The Torrent frogs of the genus Amolops are widely distributed in Nepal and northern India eastwards to southern China and southwards to Malaysia. The genus currently contains 84 species. Previous studies indicated underestimated species diversity in the genus. In the context, a new species occurring from the mountains in the northwestern Guizhou Province, China is found and described based on morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analyses, Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI genes supported the new species as an independent lineage. The uncorrected genetic distances between the 16S rRNA and COI genes in the new species and its closest congener were 0.7% and 2.6%, respectively, which are higher than or at the same level as those among many pairs of congeners. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: body size moderate (SVL 43.2–46.8 mm in males); head length larger than head width slightly; tympanum distinct, oval; vocal sacs absent; vomerine teeth present; dorsolateral folds weak formed by series of glands; nuptial pads present on the base of finger I; heels overlapping when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level far beyond the tip of the snout when leg stretched forward.
Key words: Mitochondrial gene, taxonomy
 |
| Photographs of the holotype MT DF20230601002 of Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. in life A dorsal view B ventral view C dorsal view of hand D ventral view of hand E ventral view of foot. |
 |
| Color variation in Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. A dorsolateral view of the male specimen MT DF20230601001 B dorsolateral view of the male specimen MT DF20230601003 C dorsolateral view of the juvenile specimen MT DF20230601004 D ventral view of the male specimen juvenile specimen MT DF20230601004 |
Amolops dafangensis sp. nov.
Diagnosis:
Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. resembles members of the A. mantzorum group in the absence of true dorsolateral folds and the presence of a circum-marginal groove on the disc of the first finger. The tarsal fold and tarsal glands are absent, and a nuptial pad is present on the first finger in males (Jiang et al. 2021).
Amolops dafangensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other congeners by the following characters: (1) body size moderate (SVL 43.2 – 46.8 mm in males); (2) head length larger than head width slightly; (3) tympanum distinct, oval; (4) vocal sacs absent; (5) vomerine teeth present; (6) dorsolateral folds weak formed by series of glands; (7) nuptial pads present on base of finger I; (8) heels overlapping when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level far beyond the tip of the snout when leg stretched forward.
Etymology: The specific epithet dafangensis refers to the distribution of this species, Dafang County, Guizhou Province, China. We propose the common English name “Dafang Cascade Frogs” for this species and Chinese name as “Da Fang Tuan Wa (大方湍蛙)”.
Shi-Ze Li, Jing Liu, Xiao-Cong Ke, Gang Cheng and Bin Wang. 2024. A New Species of Amolops (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) from Guizhou Province, China. ZooKeys. 1189: 33-54. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1189.115621
