Hoplobatrachus litoralis Hasan, Kuramoto, Islam, Alam, Khan & Sumida, 2012

Liu, Shuo, Hou, Mian, Rao, Dingqi & Li, Song, 2023, First record of Hoplobatrachus litoralis Hasan, Kuramoto, Islam, Alam, Khan & Sumida, 2012 (Anura, Dicroglossidae) from China, Herpetozoa 36, pp. 31-39 : 31

Hoplobatrachus litoralis Hasan, Kuramoto, Islam, Alam, Khan & Sumida, 2012

Figs 2 , 3 , 4A, B

Specimens examined.

KIZ 034006- KIZ 034012, seven subadults, all collected on 21 August 2013 from Manguanhe Village , Mengnuo Town , Longling County, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, China (24°20'41"N, 99°1'11"E; elevation 750 m) .

Morphological description.

Head longer than wide (HL/HW 1.13-1.23), obtusely pointed. Canthus rostralis blunt. Loreal region concave. Nostril slightly nearer to tip of snout than to eye (S-N/N-E 0.78-0.97). Tympanum smaller than eye (TD/ED 0.51-0.59). Inter-orbital space much narrower than eyelid width and inter-nostril space (E-E/ELW 0.48-0.70, E-E/N-N 0.50-0.78).

Fingertips blunt without disc, no webbing on fingers. Finger length F3> F1> F2> F4 or F3> F1> F4> F2. Subarticular, thenar and palmar tubercles distinct.

Hind-limb moderately long (HLL/SVL 1.53-1.71). Femur length almost equal to tibia length (FEL/TIL 0.92-1.01). Toe tips blunt, slightly rounded. Toe length T4> T5> T3> T2> T1 or T4> T3> T5> T2> T1. Webbing reaching the base of toe tip, incurved between toe tips. Subarticular tubercles moderate, inner metatarsal tubercle distinct, no outer metatarsal tubercle.

Many distinct thin longitudinal ridges on dorsum. Indistinct small round warts over dorsal and lateral body. Dorsal limbs smooth. Supratympanic fold from behind eye to posterior margin of tympanum. Weak tarsal ridge extending from proximal end of inner metatarsal tubercle to heel.

Colouration.

In preservative, dorsum light grey to dark grey, a whitish mid-dorsal stripe from tip of snout to vent. Many large black spots on dorsal and lateral body. Large oval black spots on dorsal surface of limbs. A distinct black stripe from tip of snout through nostril to anterior corner of eye on each side. A short black stripe below eye each side. A gradually widening black stripe along supratympanic fold on each side. Upper lips brown, lower lips white with some black spots. A light thick stripe from posterior corner of eye to groin on each side. Rear side of thigh heavily mottled. Ventral side white, except for some black spots along the edge of lower jaw to the base of forelimb.

Recommended Chinese name.

孟加拉虎纹蛙 (Pinyin: mèng jiā lā hǔ wén wā).

Comparison between Hoplobatrachus litoralis and H. chinensis .

Hoplobatrachus litoralis differs from H. chinensis by snout to anterior eye stripe present in H. litoralis vs. absent in H. chinensis , supralabial stripe present in H. litoralis vs. absent in H. chinensis , mid-dorsal stripe present in H. litoralis vs. absent in H. chinensis , distinct large round black spots on dorsum of H. litoralis vs. indistinct irregular small black spots on dorsum of H. chinensis , light stripe from posterior corner of eye to groin present in H. litoralis vs. absent or indistinct in H. chinensis , ventral side of head with no spot except for some spots along the edge of lower jaw in H. litoralis vs. ventral side of head scattered with black spots in some individuals of H. chinensis and dorsal skin relatively smoother in H. litoralis vs. dorsal skin relatively rougher in H. chinensis (see Fig. 4 ).

Figures

Figure 2. The specimens of Hoplobatrachus litoralis from China in preservative. A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view.

Figure 3. Close-up views of the specimen (KIZ 034010) of Hoplobatrachus litoralis from China in preservative. A. Lateral view of the head; B. Front view of the head; C. Volar view of left hand; D. Plantar view of left foot.

Figure 4. Comparison of Hoplobatrachus litoralis and H. chinensis. A, B. H. litoralis in life from western Yunnan, China; C, D. H. chinensis in life from southern Yunnan, China.