identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
5F7661D7F33B5F68BBA590F6226590FD.text	5F7661D7F33B5F68BBA590F6226590FD.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Boulenophrys youran Xiao, Shi & Mo 2026	<div><p>Boulenophrys youran Xiao, Shi &amp; Mo sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 5, 6, 7, 8</p><p>Type materials.</p><p>Holotype. • HUNL XB 25061601, adult male, collected by Bei Xiao, Leqiang Zhu, Hongyu Wang on 16 June 2025 from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=110.17981&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=26.156553" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 110.17981/lat 26.156553)">Nanshan National Park</a> (26°9'23.59"N, 110°10'47.32"E, ca 1 040 m a. s. l.), Chengbu Miao Autonomous County, Shaoyang City, Hunan Province, China, (Fig. 5).</p><p>Paratypes. (n = 11) • HUNL XB 25061602 and HUNL XB 25061603, two adult males, collected from the same place as holotype . • HUNL XB 24052601 - HUNL XB 24052603, three males, collected on 26 May 2024 by Bei Xiao, Leqiang Zhu, and Ayinuer Maimaiti; • HUNL LH 23051201, adult male, and HUNL LH 23051202, adult female, collected from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=110.50965&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=26.247341" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 110.50965/lat 26.247341)">Yaorenping Village</a> (26°14'50.43"N, 110°30'34.74"E, 1 090 m a. s. l.) on 12 May 2023 by Hui Li and Leqiang Zhu ; • HUNL DB 24042601 and HUNL DB 24042602, two adult males, HUNL DB 24042603, adult female, HUNL DB 23092403, juvenile male, collected from <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=111.021355&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=26.384491" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 111.021355/lat 26.384491)">Fanshuijiang Village</a>, Xinning County, Hunan province (26°23'4.17"N, 111°1'16.86"E, 1 206 m a. s. l.) on 26 April 2024 and 24 September 2023 by Dongbo Fei, Changle Liao .</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The specific epithet youran is a noun in apposition derived from the Chinese word “ 悠然 ” (yōu rán), meaning tranquil or composed. It references the verse “ 采菊东篱下, 悠然见南山 ” from the classical poem Drinking Wine No. 5 by Tao Yuanming (365–427 CE), which depicts a state of serene harmony with nature. The name thus alludes to the species type locality, Nanshan (南山), and evokes the pristine, undisturbed montane streams it inhabits. The English vernacular name “ Youran Horned Toad ” is here proposed, with the corresponding Chinese name “ 悠然角蟾 ” (Yōu Rán Jiǎo Chán).</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>This species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) Body size relatively large, SVL 45.3–51.1 mm in nine adult males, 55.6–58.2 mm in two adult females; (2) head wider than long, males HDL / HDW 0.69–0.83; (3) margin of tongue feebly notched posteriorly; (4) subarticular tubercles present on fingers I, relative finger lengths II &lt;I &lt;IV &lt;III; (5) relative toe lengths: I &lt;V &lt;II &lt;III &lt;IV; (6) vomerine ridges present, vomerine teeth absent; (7) hindlimbs slender, heels overlapping when hindlimbs folded; (8) tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward; (9) toes with weak webbing, formula: I 1 ⅓ - 2 II 1 ⅓ - 2 ½ III 2 - 3 ½ IV 3 ½ - 2 V, lateral fringes on toes wide; (10) dense moderate black conical nuptial spines on inner two fingers in breeding adult males.</p><p>Description of holotype.</p><p>HUNL XB 25061601, adult male with relatively large body size, SVL 51.1 mm; head wider than long, HL / HW 0.80; snout pointed in dorsal view, projecting and obliquely sloping in profile, distinctly protruding beyond the lower jaw; top of head flat; eyes moderate in size, ED / HDL 0.34, pupil vertically diamond-shaped; nostril lateral, closer to snout than to eye, loreal region concave, canthus rostralis distinct; internasal distance slightly larger than interorbital distance; tympanum moderate in size with an distinct margin, TD / ED 0.62; supratympanic fold prominent, gradually enlarged posteriorly; choanae large, ovoid, located at base of the maxilla; vomerine ridge present and vomerine teeth absent, maxillary teeth present; tongue notched posteriorly; a large single internal subgular vocal sac present with slit like openings on mandible at corner of mouth.</p><p>Forelimbs short and robust; forearm length shorter than hand length, lower arm and hand length 0.41 of SVL; relative finger lengths: III&gt; IV&gt; II&gt; I; fingertips slightly dilated and rounded, without lateral fringes, subarticular tubercles only on fingers I, absent on fingers II – IV, replaced by low callous dermal ridges; inner metacarpal tubercle prominently enlarged, outer metacarpal tubercle smaller and flattened. Dense moderate black conical nuptial spines present on inner two fingers. Hindlimbs slender, length approximately 1.7 times of SVL, tibia length 0.56 of SVL, thigh length shorter than tibia length, but greater than foot length; heels overlapping when flexed hindlimbs are held at right angles to the body axis; tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward; relative toes length: I &lt;V &lt;II &lt;III &lt;IV; toe tips rounded and slightly expanded; subarticular tubercles indistinct, toes bear approximately one-third webbing and possess wide lateral fringes; inner metatarsal tubercle ovoid, outer one absent.</p><p>Dorsal skin rough, bearing numerous granules tipped with black spines; several large warts scattered on flanks; small horn-like tubercle at the edge of each upper eyelid; dense, tiny black spines present on the skin of upper lip, upper eyelid, tympanum, loreal and temporal regions; weakly V-shaped skin ridge and two discontinuous dorsolateral parallel ridges along the mid-dorsum; dorsal surfaces of hindlimbs with small black spines, and distinct transverse bands; ventral skin smooth, large pectoral glands located close to the axilla; numerous white granules on the shanks and thighs; femoral glands small and slightly raised, positioned near cloaca on the posterior surface of each thigh.</p><p>Coloration of holotype.</p><p>In life, dorsum yellowish brown with irregular dark-brown patches; a butterfly-shaped marking with a light edge between the eyes; a dark vertical stripe below the eyes, iris copper-brown; temporal region divided into two-toned triangular patches; lips with alternating black and white vertical bars; throat and anterior chest purple-brown, with three black longitudinal stripes edged in white centrally and laterally; posterior flanks orange with white spots and black blotches; groin, inner thighs, and shank surfaces red-orange, tarsus and metatarsus black; palms and soles uniformly brown, subarticular and metacarpal tubercles pinkish; forearms with scattered black patches dorsally; limb transverse bands distinct, with four fine transverse bands visible on the thigh and tibia.</p><p>In preservative (Fig. 6), the dorsum faded to grayish brown with more clearly defined black spots and patches; butterfly-shaped marking on the head solid dark brown; forearm bears two oblique black bands, hindlimbs grayish with four dark transverse bands; pectoral and femoral glands appear grayish white; ventral orange mottling is absent, feet ventrally gray-brown with dark blotches near vent; posterior ventral, inner thighs, and upper tibia milky yellow; tips of fingers and toes, subarticular tubercles, both inner and outer metacarpal tubercles all milky yellow.</p><p>Variations.</p><p>Females (SVL 55.6–58.2 mm, n = 2) are larger than males (SVL 45.5–51.1 mm, n = 9). Paratypes match the holotype in diagnostic morphological characters but exhibit considerable variation in dorsal and ventral coloration (Fig. 7). However, male HUNL XB 24052601 displays a dark-brown to black dorsum and a grayish-white venter with irregular dark patches on the chest; while HUNL XB 24052602 has dorsal surface olive green without dark-brown patches. Dense moderate black conical nuptial spines on inner two fingers and a single internal subgular vocal sac present in breeding males. The lateral fringes of toes are well-developed in males but less distinct in females and the juvenile specimen HUNL DB 23092403 (Fig. 8). Detailed measurements are provided in Suppl. material 1: table S 1.</p><p>Comparisons.</p><p>Boulenophrys youran sp. nov. is assigned to the B. omeimontis group based on phylogenetic results (Fig. 2), and is phylogenetically closest to, B. dalaolingensis, B. fanjingmontis, B. qianbeiensis, B. sangzhiensis, B. spinata and B. yezhongensis . Detailed comparisons with its phylogenetically close congeners are provided below (Figs 9, 10, Table 2).</p><p>The new species is easily distinguished from Boulenophrys dalaolingensis by the following characters: (1) tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward (vs. to the posterior corner of the eye in the latter); (2) head wider than long, males HDL / HDW 0.69–0.83 (vs. 0.85–0.98 in the latter) (Fig. 9 B); (3) dense moderate nuptial spine on inner two fingers of breeding males (vs. larger nuptial spine in the latter) (Fig. 10 A 5, B 5). The results of One-way ANOVA showed that Boulenophrys youran sp. nov. was significantly different from B. fanjingmontis in HL / SVL, HW / SVL, SL / SVL, IND / SVL, TL / SVL and TYD / SVL.</p><p>The new species is easily distinguished from Boulenophrys fanjingmontis by the following characters: (1) smaller body size: in adult males, the SVL is 45.3–51.1 mm (vs. 58.2–63.6 mm), and in adult females, the SVL is 55.6–58.6 mm (vs. 62.8–72.2 mm); (2) dense moderate nuptial spines on inner two fingers in breeding males (vs. smaller and denser nuptial spines) (Fig. 10 A 5, B 5); (3) tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward (vs. to the anterior corner of the eye in the latter). The results of One-way ANOVA showed that Boulenophrys youran sp. nov. was significantly different from B. fanjingmontis in HW / SVL, NSD / SVL, TL / SVL, IFE / SVL and IAE / SVL.</p><p>The new species is easily distinguished from Boulenophrys qianbeiensis by the following characters: (1) tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward (vs. to the posterior corner of the eye); (2) vomerine teeth absent (vs. vomerine teeth present); (3) horn-like tubercle present at the edge of each upper eyelid (vs. absent); (4) dense moderate nuptial spines on inner two fingers of breeding males (vs. smaller and denser). The results of One-way ANOVA showed that B. youran sp. nov. was significantly different from B. qianbeiensis in HL / SVL, HW / SVL, ED / SVL, UEW / SVL, TW / SVL, FL / SVL, IAE / SVL and TYD / SVL.</p><p>The new species differs from Boulenophrys spinata by the following characters: (1) tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward (vs. to the anterior corner of the eye); (2) webbing between toes weak (vs. webbing prominent) (Fig. 10 A 3, E 3). The results of One-way ANOVA showed that B. youran sp. nov. was significantly different from B. spinata on HW / SVL, NED / SVL, IND / SVL, IAE / SVL, IFE / SVL.</p><p>The new species differs from Boulenophrys sangzhiensis by the following characters: (1) having a slightly smaller body size, in adult males SVL 45.3–51.1 mm (vs. 55.7–62.2 mm in the latter), in adult females SVL 55.6–58.6 mm (vs. 62.2–76.3 mm in the latter); (2) dense moderate nuptial spines on inner two fingers of breeding males (vs. small and dense) (Fig. 10 A 5, F 5); (3) tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward (vs. to the anterior corner of the eye). The results of One-way ANOVA showed that B. youran sp. nov. was significantly different from B. sangzhiensis on HW / SVL, UEW / SVL, LAL / SVL, TYD / SVL and IFE / SVL.</p><p>The new species differs from Boulenophrys yezhongensis by the following characters: (1) dense moderate nuptial spines on inner two fingers of breeding males (vs. smaller and dense distributed in the latter) (Fig. 10 A 5, G 5); (2) toes with wide lateral fringes and weak webbing (vs. lateral fringes absent and rudimentary webbing); (3) tongue feebly notched posteriorly (vs. tongue not notched posteriorly); (4) tibiotarsal articulation exceeding snout tip when leg stretched forward (vs. to the middle of the eye in the latter).</p><p>The new species has a moderate body size, with SVL 45.3–51.1 mm in males, 55.6–58.2 mm in females, it is distinguished from five congeners, including Boulenophrys caudoprocta (66.2–81.3 mm in males; SVL 77.8 mm in female), B. liboensis (60.5–67.7 mm in males), B. mirabilis (SVL 55.8–61.4 mm in males; 68.5–74.8 mm in females), B. omeimontis (52.1–62.0 mm in males; 65.7–71.2 mm in females), and B. shuichengensis (102.0– 118.3 mm in males), all of which are considerably larger.</p><p>The new species lacks vomerine teeth, distinguishing it from 25 congeners, Boulenophrys daiyunensis, B. daweimontis, B. dongguanensis, B. elongata, B. fansipanensis, B. fengshunensis, B. frigida, B. hoanglienensis, B. insularis, B. jingdongensis, B. jinggangensis, B. jiulianensis, B. lichun, B. lushanensis, B. nankunensis, B. nanlingensis, B. nebulosa, B. palpebralespinosa, B. pepe, B puningensis, B. qianbeiensis, B. rubrimera, B. shimentaina, B. tongboensis, and B. yingdeensis (vs. presence of vomerine teeth).</p><p>The new species can be easily distinguished from 15 other congeners by its relatively longer shanks and overlapping of its heels when the flexed hindlimbs are held at right angles to the body axis, differing from Boulenophrys acuta, B. brachykolos, B. daoji, B. gaolanensis, B. hengshanensis, B. huitai, B. kuatunensis, B. obesa, B. ombrophila, and B. wugongensis (vs. relatively shorter shanks with the heels not meeting). B. binchuanensis, B. lishuiensis, B. tuberogranulata, B. xiangnanensis, B. xuefengmontis (vs. just meeting).</p><p>The new species possesses wide lateral fringes and one-third webbing, differing from 28 other congeners Boulenophrys angka, B. baishanzuensis, B. baolongensis, B. changyangensis, B. chishuiensis, B. daxuemontis, B. huangniushiensis, B. jiangi, B. wuliangshanensis (vs absence of toes webbing); as well as from B. anlongensis, B. boettgeri, B. cheni, B. caobangensis, B. congjiangensis, B. dupanglingensis, B. gutu, B. lini, B. leishanensis, B. lushuiensis, B. minor, B. mufumontana, B. sanmingensis, B. shunhuangensis, B. wushanensis, B. xianjuensis, B. yangmingensis, B. yaoshanensis and B. yunkaiensis (vs. toes with rudimentary webbing).</p><p>Finally, the new species is characterized by tibiotarsal articulation exceeding the snout tip when the leg stretched forward, distinguishing it from Boulenophrys binlingensis, B. dalaolingensis and B. liboensis (vs. its reaches below the snout tip). Diagnostic characters distinguishing the new species from all recognized Boulenophrys congeners are presented in Suppl. material 1: table S 2.</p><p>Distribution and habits.</p><p>Boulenophrys youran sp. nov. is currently known from Chengbu Miao Autonomous County and Xinning County, Hunan Province, China (1 040–1 750 m a. s. l.). The new species inhabits flowing montane streams and nearby forest floors within subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest. It was frequently encountered near streams (Fig. 11), in sympatry with B. shunhuangensis . Females with mature eggs and calling males were found from April to June. Notably, nuptial pads of males collected in September without distinct nuptial spines, suggesting a period of reproductive inactivity during that time.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5F7661D7F33B5F68BBA590F6226590FD	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Xiao, Bei;Zhu, Leqiang;Wang, Lu;Li, Hui;Maimaiti, Ayinuer;Li, Shize;Zhang, Guoai;Liu, Wuzhou;Fei, Dongbo;Liao, Changle;Tang, Xiaoquan;Shi, Shengchao;Mo, Xiaoyang	Xiao, Bei, Zhu, Leqiang, Wang, Lu, Li, Hui, Maimaiti, Ayinuer, Li, Shize, Zhang, Guoai, Liu, Wuzhou, Fei, Dongbo, Liao, Changle, Tang, Xiaoquan, Shi, Shengchao, Mo, Xiaoyang (2026): A new species of the genus Boulenophrys (Anura, Megophryidae) from Nanshan National Park, Hunan Province, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 102 (1): 53-70, DOI: 10.3897/zse.102.175092
