Theloderma gordoni Taylor, 1962

Nguyen, Tan Van, Brakels, Peter, Maury, Nathanael, Sudavanh, Somchit, Pawangkhanant, Parinya, Idiiatullina, Sabira, Lorphengsy, Sengvilay, Inkhavilay, Khamla, Suwannapoom, Chatmongkon & Poyarkov, Nikolay A., 2020, New herpetofaunal observations from Laos based on photo records, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 248) 14 (2), pp. 218-249 : 229-231

Theloderma gordoni Taylor, 1962

Gordon’s Bug-eyed Frog ( Fig. 6B )

One individual of T. gordoni was observed by P. Brakels and N. Maury on 26 December 2019 in Phiang District site 2, Xaignabouli Province (19°04.748’N, 101°24.231’E; elevation 870 m asl) .

Morphological characters of the individual from Xaignabouli Province agreed well with the descriptions of Taylor (1962) and Qi et al. (2018). The photographed individual ( Fig. 6B ) agrees with the diagnosis of T.gordoni in the following characters: large body size, flattened and stout; snout truncate; canthus prominent, loreal region slightly concave, oblique; pupil circular; nostrils nearer to tip of the snout than to eyes; tympanum round, distinct; supratympanic fold present; tips of fingers and toes enlarged into round discs; dorsal surfaces rough with large irregular gland ridges and warts; ventral surface smooth with thickened granules; coloration of dorsum dark coffee with some clustered light orange enlarged gland ridges on the lateral part from the posterior edge of tympanum over the shoulder extending backwards to the upper edge of cloacae; ventral surface slightly dark with numerous, irregular whitish-gray spots and speckles.

Ecological notes. The individual was found at ca. 2000 h perched on a small branch near a large tree on the steep bank of the stream. The individual was found in the vicinity of Rana johnsi in the same habitat.

Distribution. In Laos, this species has been recorded from Houaphan and Louangnamtha provinces ( Qi et al. 2018). This is the first record from Xaignabouli Province. Elsewhere, this species has been reported from China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand ( Frost 2020).

Figures

Fig. 6. (A) Theloderma albopunctatum in Hom District, Xaisomboun Province; (B) T. gordoni in Phiang District, Xaignabouli Province; (C) lateral view and (D) ventral view of T. lateriticum in Vang Vieng District, Vientiane Province; (E) T. petilum in Kasy District, Vientiane Province; (F) Zhangixalus feae in Xay District, Oudomxai Province. Photos by P. Brakels (A–C, E–F) and N. Maury (D).