Hynobius sonani ( Maki, 1922 )

Nishikawa, Kanto, Ju, Yu-Ten, Jheng, Sheng-Wun, Lin, You-Zhu, Hara, Sotaro, Lai, June-Shiang, Lin, Si-Min & Lue, Kuang-Yang, 2021, Taxonomic clarification and neotype designation of two Taiwanese salamanders (Amphibia, Urodela, Hynobiidae), Zootaxa 4981 (1), pp. 188-196 : 193

Hynobius sonani ( Maki, 1922)

Salamandrella sonani Maki, 1922: 636 .

Hynobius sonani Dunn, 1923: 479 (part); Maki, 1928: 129; Okada, 1934: 18 (part); Okada, 1935: 581; Takashima, 1936: 22 (part); Sato, 1937: 38; Sato, 1943: 243 (part); Fei et al., 2006: 151 (part).

Pseudosalamandra sonani Tago, 1929: 431 (part); Tago, 1931: 197 (part).

Hynobius formosanus Sato, 1941: 119 (part); Lai & Lue, 2008: 63; Fei et al., 2010: 43.

Hynobius (Poyarius) formosanus Dubois & Raffaëlli, 2012: 137 .

Hynobius (Makihynobius) formosanus Fei, Ye & Jiang, 2012: 45 .

Neotype. NMNS 19872 (former NTUNB 165701 ): Male; Zhuifen, Nantou, Taiwan; collected by J.-S. Lai on March 9 th, 2001

Original type locality: Mount Noko, Taichu-shu; altitude about 10,000 feet; collected by J. Sonan on May 1919.

Diagnosis: A moderate-sized species (mean adult SVL = 53.0 mm in male and 52.4 mm in female: Lai & Lue 2008) within the lotic breeding Hynobius , breeding in mountainous streams; dorsum dark brown with yellow to yellowish brown spots or dots; limbs and tail short; tips of fore- and hindlimbs adpressed on body scarcely meeting (separation of -3.0 costal folds in male and -3.0 to -2.5 in female); no fifth toe in external view (analysis of phalangeal elements of skeleton pending); ova large, pigmentless; egg sacs long and string-like, lighter longitudinal stripes than H. formosanus , without distinct whiptail structure on free end ( Kakegawa et al. 1989); most similar to H. fuca among Taiwanese species, but with larger and more robust body, and larger markings ( H. fuca has white dots); distinctly different from parapatric H. formosanus in having smaller markings and shorter limbs and H. glacialis in having smaller body and shorter limbs and tail.