Glyphoglossus molossus Günther, 1869

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 : 225

Glyphoglossus molossus Günther, 1869

Blunt-headed Balloon Frog ( Fig. 4D )

One individual of G. molossus was observed by K. Inkhavilay on 19 May 2018 in Xonnabouly District , Savannakhet Province (16°16.071’N, 105°38.594’E; elevation 140 m asl) .

Morphological characters of the individual from Savannakhet Province agreed well with the descriptions of Taylor (1962) and Vassilieva et al. (2016). The photographed individual ( Fig. 4D ) agrees with the diagnosis of G. molossus in the following characters: large body size with robust, stocky habitus; head wide and short, with sharply truncated snout; tympanum indistinct; supratympanic fold distinct; limbs short; webbing on toes developed; tips of fingers and toes without discs; eye small; skin on dorsum thick, glandular, ventral surfaces smooth; dorsal coloration dark gray, with obscure yellow speckling; ventral surfaces whitish.

Ecological notes. Specimen was recorded near the bank of a small river in riparian forest, consisting partly of remains of seasonally dry dipterocarp forest with patches of mixed deciduous forest.

Distribution. In Laos, this species has been previously recorded from Salavan Province, where it is sold in markets for food (Stuart 1999). This is the first confirmed country record of this species in the wild, as well as the first record from Savannakhet Province. Moreover, G. molossus is also regularly reported from the market near the city of Pakse, Champasak Province, and in Vientiane Province and Vientiane Prefecture, where it is also sold for food ( Manthey and Manthey 2017b; N. Maury, pers. obs.). Elsewhere, this species has been reported from Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and peninsular Malaysia ( Vassilieva et al. 2016).

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).