Theloderma kwangsiensis Liu & Hu, 1962

Chen, Weicai, Liao, Xiaowen, Zhou, Shichu, Mo, Yunming & Huang, Yong, 2018, Rediscovery of Rhacophorus yaoshanensis and Theloderma kwangsiensis at their type localities after five decades, Zootaxa 4379 (4), pp. 484-496 : 492-495

Theloderma kwangsiensis Liu & Hu, 1962

Type locality. Dayaoshan Ranges , Jinxiu County, Guangxi, China.

Specimens examined (n=4). NHMG201504001 , adult male, was collected at the type locality, the Dayaoshan Ranges, Guangxi, China (24.168397° N, 110.244343° E, 1150 m asl) . The other three individuals ( NHMG201608026 , adult male; NHMG20161003 , adult male, and NHMG20161101 , adult female) were collected at Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China (21.844043° N, 107.891647° E, 532 m asl) . NHMG1504001, NHMG201608026 and NHMG20161003 were found in PVC buckets (diameter 25 cm, height 20 cm) which were used to monitor amphibians. NHMG20161101 was found on a tree approximately 0.5 m above the ground in the evergreen forest.

Description. Body dorsoventrally compressed; head length less than head width, head very strongly depressed; snout pointed in dorsal view and profile, projecting beyond margin of the lower jaw; canthus rostral distinct, loreal region sloping; nostrils oval, oblique, nearly reaching the tip of the snout; eye diameter less than snout length; interorbital region concave; interorbital distance slightly less than eye diameter; internarial distance less than eye diameter; pupil horizontal; tympanum distinct, rounded, less than eye diameter, slightly convex relative to skin of temporal region; vomerine teeth in two small oblique groups nearly linking the anterior of the choana; tongue pear-shaped with notch posterior; vocal sac absent. ( Table 3; Fig. 5 A–D ).

Forelimbs moderately robust, relative length of fingers I<II<IV<III; tips of all fingers distinctly expanded with circummarginal grooves; the third finger disk width nearly equal to tympanum diameter; fingers webbing rudimentary on finger II–IV; subarticular tubercles prominent, rounded, formula 1, 1, 2, 2, but the proximate subarticular tubercles is relatively weak on finger III–IV; outer palmar tubercle present, oval; inner palmar absent; nuptial pads present, elongated ( Fig. 6 A ).

Tips of all toes well-expanded with distinct circummarginal grooves; disks smaller than those of fingers; relative length of toes I<II<IIIẼV<IV; webbing formula I 1 +–1+ II 1 +–2+ III 2 +– 3- IV 3–2+ V; subarticular tubercles distinct, rounded, formula 1, 1, 2, 3, 2; inner metatarsal tubercle small and rounded; outer metatarsal tubercle elongated ( Fig. 6 B ).

Skin above very rough with large, irregular warts studded with small granules; the ventral surface of throat, chest, belly, forearms and hindlimbs is coarsely granular; two large conical warts on cloacal region; 6–7 serrated tubercles along outer margin of the forearms; 7–8 serrated tubercles along outer margin of the foot, terminated at margin of the fifth toe.

Coloration of T. kwangsiensis in life. The dorsal surface is grass-green with irregular, army-green blotches which consist of large irregular warts studded with small dark red granules. The venter covers cream yellow granules with irregular pale brown spots. The pupil is oval, and the iris is black with cream-yellow reticulations throughout.

Ecology. Three individuals of T. kwangsiensis were found in PVC buckets (artificial refugia for monitoring amphibians, diameter= 25 cm, height= 20 cm) on 25 April 2015 (NHMG201504001), on 25 August 2016 (NHMG201608026) and on 14 October 2016 (NHMG20161003). One individual (NHMG20161101) was found on a tree approximately 0.5 m above the ground in evergreen forest ( Fig. 7 ).

Distribution. Currently, we have confirmed that T. kwangsiensis occurs in the Dayaoshan Ranges and Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve.

Molecular analyses. The genetic variation between the Dayaoshan Ranges individual and Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve individuals ranged from 0.0–0.6% based on the 16S and 12S DNA fragments sequenced (~2000 bp). Theloderma kwangsiensis nested within T. corticale with high support, and the phylogenetic tree was consistent with Poyarkov et al. (2015), Huang et al. (2017), and Hou et al (2017). The genetic distance between T. kwangsiensis and T. corticale ranged from 0.0–0.6%.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Theloderma kwangsiensis in life. (A) Dorsal and (B) ventral view of NHMG1504001 (adult male), (C) dorsolateralview of NHMG201608026 (adult male), and (D) dorsolateral view of NHMG20161101 (adult female).

FIGURE 6. (A) Ventral view of left hand, and (B) ventral view of left foot of Theloderma kwangsiensis (NHMG201608026, adult male).

FIGURE 7. Habitat of Theloderma kwangsiensis in Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China.