Ophryophryne pachyproctus Kou, 1985

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 : 223

Ophryophryne pachyproctus Kou, 1985

Yunnan Mountain Toad ( Fig. 4A )

One individual of O. pachyproctus was observed by P. Brakels and N. Maury on 15 April 2019 in Xanakharm District , Vientiane Province (18°12.517’N, 101°54.933’E; elevation 525 m asl) ; another individual was recorded by P. Brakels and P. Pawangkhanant on 18 July 2019 in Longcheng District site 1, Xaisomboun Province (19°00.983’N, 102°59.645’E; elevation 1,240 m asl) ; subsequently several individuals were observed calling by P. Brakels, N. Maury, and S. Sudavanh on 27 December 2019 in Phiang District site 2, Xaignabouli Province (19°4.748’N, 101°24.231’E; elevation 870 m asl) .

Morphological characters of the individuals from Vientiane, Xaisomboun, and Xaignabouli provinces agreed well with the descriptions of Kou (1895), Fei et al. (2010), and Poyarkov et al. (2017). The photographed individual ( Fig. 4A ) agrees with the diagnosis of O. pachyproctus in the following characters: small body size, habitus slender; snout short, sharply protruding in profile, projecting significantly beyond lower jaw; canthus rostralis distinct, sharp; loreal region slightly concave; eyes large, dorsally and laterally protuberant; tympanum round, distinct; supratympanic fold present; tips of fingers and toes rounded and slightly swollen; dorsal surface shagreened, with numerous small skin asperities present; ventral surfaces weakly granular; eyes with a large horns on the upper eyelid; dorsolateral glandular ridge connected to posterior tips of H-shaped glandular parietoscapular-sacral ridge; dermal protuberance with dermal flaps above cloacal opening well-developed; coloration of dorsum pale gray olive-brown; iris golden.

Ecological notes. The first individual was found on a steep slope in a narrow gorge at ca. 2000 h after some light rain, and surrounding habitat at the former site was moist mixed evergreen forest in a narrow gorge in larger dry evergreen hill forest with an abundance of bamboo. The individuals from Longcheng District were recorded at ca. 2100–2200 h when calling from vegetation near mountain streams, and surrounding habitat was polydominant montane evergreen forest. In Phiang District, several individuals were calling amongst the leaf litter and in the vegetation along the steep banks of the stream. The cool dry season (December–January) appears to be the breeding season of this species in Laos.

Distribution. In Laos, this species has been previously recorded only from Louangphabang Province (Teynié et al. 2014). This is the second record from the country as well as the first from Vientiane, Xaisomboun, and Xaignabouli provinces. Elsewhere, this species has been previously reported from China and Vietnam ( Frost 2020).

Remarks. We follow Chen et al. (2017) in recognizing Ophryophryne as a distinct genus.

Figures

Fig. 4. (A) Ophryophryne pachyproctus in Longcheng District, Xaisomboun Province; (B) Xenophrys palpebralespinosa in Mork District, Xiangkhouang Province; (C) Glyphoglossus guttulatus in Pathoumphone District, Champasak Province; (D) G. molossus in Savannakhet Province; (E) Rana johnsi in Xaignabouli Province; (F) Sylvirana cubitalis in Thongmyxay District, Xaignabouli Province. Photos by P. Pawangkhanant (A), P. Brakels (B–C), K. Inkhavilay (D), N. Maury (E), and P. Phiapalath (F).