[Herpetology • 2022] Ansonia infernalis • A New Species of Stream Toad of the Genus Ansonia Stoliczka, 1870 (Anura: Bufonidae) from Nakhon Si Thammarat Range in southern Thailand

 

Ansonia infernalis

Suwannapoom, Grismer, Pawangkhanant & Poyarkov, 2022

Infernal Stream Toad | คางคกห้วยนรก  ||  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5168.2.2

Researchgate.net/publication/362155269

 

Abstract

An integrative taxonomic analysis confirmed the new species status of a recently discovered upland population of Ansonia from Thongsong, Thongsong District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand from the sky island archipelago south of the Isthmus of Kra. Ansonia infernalis sp. nov. is a member of the Thai-Burmese clade within the more inclusive Thai-Malaya Peninsula clade of western and southern Thailand. It is separated from all other species of Ansonia by a unique combination of morphometric and discrete morphological and color pattern characteristics and is the sister species of a clade of eight other species found north of the Isthmus of Kra. Ansonia infernalis sp. nov. is the newest member of a long list of range-restricted endemics from the sky island archipelago of the Thai-Malay Peninsula and continues to underscore the unexplored nature of this region and its need for conservation.

Keywords: Amphibia, molecular phylogenetics, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Integrative taxonomy, Southeast Asia, stream toads 

Ansonia infernalis sp. nov.
 Lateral view of male holotype (AUP-00327)

 Photographs by P. Pawangkhanant. 

 

Ansonia infernalis sp. nov. 
Male (not collected) in situ at the type locality
in Thungsong District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Provice, Thailand.

Photographs by P. Pawangkhanant.

Ansonia infernalis sp. nov.

Suggested Common Name: Infernal Stream Toad (English), 

คางคกห้วยนรก (Kang Kok Huay Narok) (Thai).

Etymology. The specific name “infernalis” is a Latin adjective meaning “infernal”, “hellish”, and “lower”. The specific name of the new species is in reference to the bright reddish orange coloration of the limbs and flanks that resemble the flames of hell, and also to the low elevation on which the new species can be found.

 

Chatmongkon Suwannapoom, L. Lee Grismer, Parinya Pawangkhanant and Nikolay A. Poyarkov. 2022. A New Species of Stream Toad of the Genus Ansonia Stoliczka, 1870 (Anura: Bufonidae) from Nakhon Si Thammarat Range in southern Thailand. Zootaxa. 5168(2); 119-136. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5168.2.2

Researchgate.net/publication/362155269_A_new_species_of_Ansonia_from_NST_Range_southern_Thailand

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[Herpetology • 2017] Troublesome Trimes: Potential Cryptic Speciation of the Trimeresurus (Popeia) popeiorum complex (Serpentes: Crotalidae) around the Isthmus of Kra (Myanmar and Thailand)

Trimeresurus (Popeia) collected from the Tanintharyi Division, Myanmar

Mulcahy, Lee, Miller & Zug, 2017

 DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4347.2.6 

Abstract

The taxonomic identity of the Trimeresurus (Popeia) popeiorum complex from the Isthmus of Kra and to the north was investigated. Several studies over the last decade have produced several specimens and associated mtDNA sequence data for a variety of individuals of the T. popeiorum and “T. sabahi” complexes. Here, we combine four mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, ND4, and CytB) from all available specimens in GenBank with the addition of five new specimens collected from the mainland, Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses identified that T. popeiorum sensu lato is paraphyletic with two geographically distinct clades: a northern clade representing populations from northern Myanmar, Laos and northern Thailand and a southern clade representing samples from the Tanintharyi Region and adjacent west Thailand. While the two clades have considerable genetic distance, they appear to be morphologically identical, leading to the hypothesis that the southern clade represents a cryptic, undescribed species. Because they appear to be cryptic species and the limitation of only five specimens from the southern lineage, this does not permit us to formally describe the new species. In accordance to past molecular studies, we uncovered paraphyly and lack of genetic support for the validity of taxa within the T. sabahi complex. However, we suggest recognizing these populations as subspecies within T. sabahi.

Keywords: Reptilia, Cryptic speciation, Myanmar, Southeast Asia, Subspecies, Tanintharyi Region, Thailand, Trimeresurus

FIGURE 2. Live specimens of Trimeresurus (Popeia) collected from the Tanintharyi Division, Myanmar examined in our study.
(A) Adult female specimen of Trimeresurus (Popeia) sp. nov. from Lenya, Tanintharyi Division, Myanmar (USNM 587588). (B-C) Adult female specimen of Trimeresurus (Popeia) sp. nov. from Ywahilu, Tanintharyi Division, Myanmar (USNM 587919). Photographs by Daniel G. Mulcahy.

Daniel G. Mulcahy, Justin L. Lee, Aryeh H. Miller and George R. Zug. 2017. Troublesome Trimes: Potential Cryptic Speciation of the Trimeresurus (Popeia) popeiorum complex (Serpentes: Crotalidae) around the Isthmus of Kra (Myanmar and Thailand). Zootaxa. 4347(2); 301–315. DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4347.2.6