Minervarya pierrei (Dubois, 1975)

Hakim, Jonathan, Trageser, Scott J., Ghose, Animesh, Rashid, Sheikh Muhammad Abdur & Rahman, Shahriar Caesar, 2020, Amphibians and reptiles from Lawachara National Park in Bangladesh, Check List 16 (5), pp. 1239-1268 : 1245

Minervarya pierrei (Dubois, 1975)

Figure 4A

Material examined. BANGLADESH • 1 M, 32 mm adult; Sylhet Division, Moulvibazar District, Kamalganj Upazila, LNP, north of Lawachara Station ; 24°19.67′N, 091°47.10′E; 15 Jun. 2015; 18:45; photo voucher ZRC ( IMG) 1.131 . • 1 F, 41 mm adult; same collection data as for proceeding; photo voucher ZRC ( IMG) 1.132 .

Identification. This was a light-brown frog with dark dorsal markings and dorsum with (female specimen) or without (male specimen) a thin orange stripe. Snoutto-vent length was 41 mm in the examined female and 32 mm in the examined male, body tubercles were ob- long and partially in rows, finger formula was 2=4<1<3, and throat coloration in the male was dark on the sides but pale in the middle. These characteristics match published descriptions of M. pierrei ( Rasel et al. 2007; How- lader 2011; Purkayastha and Matsui 2012).

Taxonomic notes. Recent studies have found that medium-sized Minervarya sampled from Bangladesh, including nearby Mymensingh District, were separate enough from other Minervarya spp. to potentially be considered an undescribed species ( Islam et al. 2008; Hasan M et al. 2012). Chandramouli et al. (2019) found that many medium-sized Minervarya across South Asia, including M. pierrei , group inconsistently with their assigned taxon when tested genetically, suggesting either frequent misidentification of collection specimens or the need for several species to be redefined.

Habitat. The individuals described here were found breeding in a temporary rain puddle in a clearing in mature forest, and female Minervarya of similar size were found in mature and disturbed forest elsewhere in the park.