Pelophylax hubeiensis (Fei & Ye, 1982)

Zhou, Sheng-Bo, Zhang, Qiu-Yi, Hu, Zi-Qiang, Xia, Zu-Yao, Miao, Qing, Guan, Ping & Shi, Jing-Song, 2023, The validity of Pelophylax chosenicus (Okada, 1931) and P. hubeiensis (Fei & Ye, 1982) (Amphibia, Ranidae), Herpetozoa 36, pp. 143-152 : 143

Pelophylax hubeiensis (Fei & Ye, 1982)

Rana hubeiensis - Fei and Ye (1982).

Hylarana hubeiensis - Chen et al. (2005).

Pelophylax plancyi - Dufresnes and Litvinchuk (2022).

Type series.

Holotype: CIB 74I0570, adult male, SVL 43.7 mm, collected from Lichuan, Hubei, China ( Fei and Ye 1982).

Specimens examined.

Six newly-collected specimens (three adult males and three adult females): adult male SYAU BAA000052 and adult female SYAU BAA000053, from Qing river , Lichuan , Hubei, China (30.3465°N, 108.9988°E, 780 m a.s.l.) (type locality of Pelophylax hubeiensis ); adult males SYAU BAA000049, SYAU BAA000050 and adult females SYAU BAA000048, SYAU BAA000051 from Jiefang Paek, Wuhan, Hubei, China (30.6141°N, 114.3045°E, 40 m a.s.l.) .

Diagnosis.

(1) large body size, males slightly smaller SVL 38.5-47.1 mm in adult males (n = 23), SVL 41.1-61.9 mm in adult females (n = 23) ( Fei et al. 2009); (2) head width slightly larger than head length; (3) maxillary gland pronounced; (4) tympanum diameter large, slightly larger than the eye diameter; (5) loreal region oblique, concave; (6) nostril located dorsally, between the eye and the tip of snout; (7) vomerine teeth two small masses; (8) tongue long pyriform, free-margin notched; (9) fingers with rudimentary webs; toes almost full webs, webbing formula I 0- - ⅓ II 0- -⅓ III ⅓ - I+ IV I+ - 0- V; (10) heels not meeting.

Common names.

"Hubei Gold-striped Pond Frog" in English / "湖北侧褶蛙 ( hú běi cè zhě wā)” in Chinese.

Comparison.

Pelophylax hubeiensis can be differentiated from all species in the Pelophylax genus, based on the silent sac in males ( Fei et al. 2009).

Colouration.

The living specimens exhibit green, olive green or light brown body colour variation, with some individuals exhibiting green flecks on their backs that were absent on other individuals, a tympanic membrane that was golden yellow or light brown and yellow eyelids. The dorsolateral fold ranged from yellow to light brown or golden yellow. The legs exhibit yellow, brown or light brown colour variation, with green or olive green markings. The throat, chest and belly were light yellow. The backs of the elbows were dark brown, with brown cloud spots behind the thighs. The ventral surface of the forelimbs and hind limbs were yellow. The nuptial pads were grey (Fig. 4C, D ).

In preservative, the dorsal surface turned dark olive green with light black patches, while the dorsolateral fold and backline were brownish-yellow, the limbs were light brown with dark brown patches, the ventral surface was beige with black stripe patterns, the ventral surface of the limb was light yellow and the hand and toe webs were beige (Fig. 6 ).

Sexual dimorphism.

Males with a single, grey nuptial pad on the dorsal surface of finger I in the breeding season. Males slightly smaller than females with linea masculina.

Distribution and ecology.

At present, specimens of Pelophylax hubeiensis have been identified in Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Hunan, Chongqing and Jiangxi, China ( Fei et al. 2009). Specimens were collected from ponds with lotus flowers or aquatic plants (Fig. 7C, D ), where they perch on the leaves of the aquatic plants during the night-time, although, when startled, they plunge underwater.

Figures

Figure 4. Colouration of Pelophylax plancyi A. ♀ SYAU BAA 000073; B. ♂ SYAU BAA 000061 and P. hubeiensis; C. ♂ SYAU BAA 000052; D. ♀ SYAU BAA 000051.

Figure 6. Specimen (SYAU BAA 000053) of Pelophylax hubeiensis. A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view; C. Lateral view; D. Ventral view of the hand; E. Ventral view of the foot.

Figure 7. The habitat of Pelophylax plancyi (A) macrohabitats, (B) microhabitats and P. hubeiensis (C, D).