Odorrana leishanensis, Li & Chen & Su & Liu & Tang & Wang, 2024

Li, Shi-Ze, Chen, Ji-Jun, Su, Hai-Jun, Liu, Jing, Tang, Xiu-Jun & Wang, Bin, 2024, A new odorous frog species of Odorrana (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) from Guizhou Province, China, ZooKeys 1192, pp. 57-82 : 57

Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov.

Figs 4 , 5 , 6

Material examined.

Holotype. MT LS20230729013, adult male, collected by Jing Liu on 29 July 2023 in the Leigongshan Nature Reserve (26.3833°N, 108.1967°E; elevation 1830 m a.s.l.), Leishan County, Guizhou Province, China . Paratype. Two males MT LS20230711020 and MT LS20230717001, collected by Jing Liu on 11 and 17 July 2023; one male MT LS20230805001 collected by Chaobo Feng on 5 August 2023; two males MT LS20230806010, MT LS20230806018 and one female MT LS20230811024 collected by Shize Li on 6 and 8 August 2023 from the same place as holotype.

Diagnosis.

Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by the following characters: (1) body size moderate (SVL♂ (n = 6) = 39.1-49.4 mm, SVL♀ (n = 1) = 49.7 mm in female); (2) head width larger than head length; (3) tympanum distinctly visible; (4) small rounded granules scattered all over dorsal body and limbs; (5) dorsolateral folds absent; (6) heels overlapping when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level between eye to nostril when leg stretched forward; (7) vocal sacs in male absent, and nuptial pads in male present on base of finger I.

Description of holotype

(Figs 4 , 5 ). Adult male, body size moderate (SVL 49.4 mm); head width larger than head length (HDW/HDL = 1.14); snout short, rounded in dorsal view, projecting beyond lower jaw; eye large and convex, ED 0.73 SL; nostril rounded, closer to tip of snout than to eye; internasal distance larger than interorbital distance; tympanum distinct, approximately 0.68 ED; vomerine teeth on well-developed ridges; tongue deeply notched posteriorly; pupil horizontally oval; vocal sac absent.

Forelimbs slender (LW/SVL = 0.09); lower arm and hand not reach one-second of body length (LAL/SVL = 0.42); fingers slender, relative finger lengths II <I <IV <III; finger tips on I-IV dilated to wide cordiform disks with circum-marginal grooves, without webbing and lateral fringes; subarticular tubercle prominent; supernumerary tubercle indistinct; inner metacarpal tubercle oval, elongate; outer metacarpal tubercles absent; light yellow glandular nuptial pad on finger I.

Hindlimbs long; tibio-tarsal articulation reaching between eye to nostril when hindlimb adpressed along the side of the body; heels overlapped; tibia longer than thigh length; toes slender, relative lengths I <II <III <V <IV; toes entirely webbed; tips of toes expanded into disc with circummarginal grooves; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; inner metatarsal tubercle present.

Dorsal rough, there are small, rounded granules scattered all over dorsal body and limbs, ventral surfaces of the head, body, and limbs smooth; weak supratympanic fold from the posterior edge of the eye to the posterior edge of the tympanum; dorsolateral folds absent.

Coloration of holotype in life

(Fig. 4 ). Dorsum grass-green with a small amount of brown spots; flanks pale yellow with several black spots; dorsal surfaces of anterior forelimbs pale yellow, anterior forelimbs olive-brown, with black bands and irregular grass-green spots; dorsal surfaces of hindlimbs grass-green with black bands; upper jaw with a ring of brown spots; lower jaw yellow with black spots; grass-green and black spotted mosaic on the loreal region; tympanum brown-black; ventral surface of throat and chest brown, belly pale yellow.

Coloration of holotype in preservation

(Fig. 5 ). After three months in 75% ethanol, the dorsal surface of the body faded to dark olive; the dorsal surface of the head changed to darker; the transverse bands on limbs and digits were not distinct; ventral surface of throat brown, gradually dark brown on chest, the belly was pale yellow; palm color faded to white.

Variation.

Morphological measurements of all specimens are presented in Table 4 and Suppl. material 1. All specimens were very similar in morphology and color pattern, but in MT LS20230805001 the skin from the corner of the eye to the base of the thigh was noticeably pale brown with green patches mixed in and the flank of the ventral surface was white with dark brown spots (Fig. 6A, B ); in MT LS20230806010 the dorsum was green and the ventral surface of the throat and chest darker (Fig. 6C, D ); in MT LS20230811024 the granulation on the dorsolateral surface was covered with black spots and the ventral surface of the throat and chest were white with darker spots (Fig. 6E, F ).

Secondary sexual characters.

Adult females slightly larger than adult males; adult males lack vocal sacs. During breeding season, pale yellow glandular nuptial pads in males present on finger I (Figs 4C , 5D ).

Comparisons.

The molecular phylogenetic analyses placed the new species in an independent clade and sharing a sister relationship with the clade composed of O. schmackeri , O. kweichowensis , O. fengkaiensis , O. hainanensis , O. bacboensis , O. ichangensis , O. hejiangensis , O. tianmuii , and O. huanggangensis . Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. differs from the aforementioned species by having a similar body size in males and females, SVL♂ = 39.1-49.4 mm, ♀ = 49.7 mm) (vs female size larger than males); vocal sac in males absent (vs present).

Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. differs from O. amamiensis , O. andersonii , O. aureola , O. bacboensis , O. cangyuanensis , O. chapaensis , O. chloronota , O. damingshanensis , O. geminata , O. grahami , O. ishikawae , O. indeprensa , O. jingdongensis , O. junlianensis , O. kuangwuensis , O. leporipes , O. lungshengensis , O. mutschmanni , O. nanjiangensis , O. narina , O. splendida , O. supranarina , O. tiannanensis , O. versabilis , and O. wuchuanensis in having a medium body size (maximum SVL <50.0 mm in males vs minimum SVL> 50.0 mm in all other species).

Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. differs from O. absita , O. amamiensis , O. andersonii , O. anlungensis , O. aureola , O. bacboensis , O. banaorum , O. bolavensis , O. chapaensis , O. chloronota , O. dulongensis , O. fengkaiensis , O. geminata , O. grahami , O. graminea , O. hainanensis , O. heatwolei , O. hejiangensis , O. hosii , O. huanggangensis , O. ichangensis , O. indeprensa , O. jingdongensis , O. junlianensis , O. khalam , O. kuangwuensis , O. kweichowensis , O. liboensis , O. livida , O. lungshengensis , O. macrotympana , O. margaretae , O. monjerai , O. morafkai , O. mutschmanni , O. nanjiangensis , O. narina , O. orba , O. sangzhiensis , O. schmackeri , O. sinica , O. splendida , O. supranarina , O. swinhoana , O. tiannanensis , O. tormota , O. versabilis , O. wuchuanensis , O. yentuensis , O. yizhangensis , and O. yunnanensis by having medium female body size (SVL <50.0 mm vs minimum SVL> 50.0 mm in the other species).

Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. differs from O. absita , O. amamiensis , O. banaorum , O. bolavensis , O. chloronota , O. confusa , O. damingshanensis , O. exiliversabilis , O. gigatympana , O. graminea , O. heatwolei , O. hosii , O. khalam , O. leporipes , O. livida , O. macrotympana , O. margaretae , O. monjerai , O. narina , O. nasica , O. nasuta , O. orba , O. supranarina , O. tormota , O. utsunomiyaorum , O. versabilis and O. yentuensis by lacking dorsolateral folds (vs present in the other species).

Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. differs from O. bacboensis , O. jingdongensis , O. lungshengensis , O. margaretae , O. mutschmanni , O. nanjiangensis , O. narina , O. orba , O. sinica , O. swinhoana , O. tormota , and O. yizhangensis by the tibiotarsal articulation reaching to between the eye and the nostril when the leg is stretched forward (vs reaching the tip of the snout), from O. nasica and O. nasuta (vs reaching the tip of the snout or a little beyond), from O. hainanensis (vs reaching the tip of the snout or the anterior corner of eye), from O. junlianensis (vs reaching the tip of the snout or between the nostril and the snout), from O. cangyuanensis , O. exiliversabilis , O. fengkaiensis , O. gigatympana , O. grahami , O. graminea , O. tiannanensis , O. versabilis , and O. yentuensis (vs reaching to or beyond the tip of the snout), from O. amamiensis (vs reaching far beyond the tip of the snout), from O. amamiensis , O. anlungensis , O. huanggangensis , O. kuangwuensis , O. macrotympana , O. wuchuanensis , and O. ichangensis (vs reaching the nostril or beyond the tip of the snout), from O. lipuensis , O. splendida , and O. supranarina (vs reaching the anterior corner of the eye), and from O. utsunomiyaorum (vs reaching between the anterior corner of the eye and the nostril).

Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. differs from O. absita , O. amamiensis , O. andersonii , O. anlungensis , O. aureola , O. bacboensis , O. banaorum , O. bolavensis , O. cangyuanensis , O. chapaensis , O. chloronota , O. dulongensis , O. exiliversabilis , O. fengkaiensis , O. geminata , O. gigatympana , O. grahami , O. graminea , O. hainanensis , O. heatwolei , O. hejiangensis , O. huanggangensis , O. ichangensis , O. indeprensa , O. ishikawae , O. jingdongensis , O. junlianensis , O. khalam , O. kweichowensis , O. lungshengensis , O. macrotympana , O. morafkai , O. nanjiangensis , O. nasica , O. nasuta , O. orba , O. sinica , O. swinhoana , O. tianmuii , O. tiannanensis , O. tormota , O. utsunomiyaorum , O. versabilis , O. yentuensis and O. yizhangensis by vocal sacs absent in male (vs present in the other species).

The congeners O. graminea , O. huanggangensis , and O. lungshengensis have sympatric distribution with Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. ( Fei et al. 2012; Amphibia China 2024). The new species can be distinguished from these species by a series of morphological characters as follows. This new species differs from O. graminea by the presence of vocal sacs in male and dorsolateral folds absent (vs vocal sacs in male and dorsolateral folds present in the latter) and small, rounded but rough dorsal granules scattered all over dorsal body and limbs (vs dorsum smooth in the latter). It differs from O. huanggangensis and O. lungshengensis by vocal sacs in male absent (vs vocal sacs present in male in the latter) and small, rounded but rough dorsal granules scattered all over dorsal body and limbs (vs dorsum smooth the other species).

Distribution and habitats.

At present, Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. is only known from Leigongshan National Nature Reserve, Leishan County, Guizhou Province, China. The population inhabits mountain forest at elevations between 1600-1800 m and is often found on bamboo and encountered in forest nearby streams (Fig. 7 ). Boulenophrys leishanensis Li, Xu, Liu, Jiang, Wei & Wang, 2018, B. spinata Liu & Hu, 1973, O. lungshengensis Liu & Hu, 1962, Leptobrachella wulingensis Qian, Xia, Cao, Xiao & Yang, 2020, Paramesotriton caudopunctatus Liu & Hu, 1973 and Leptobrachium leishanensis Liu & Hu, 1973, were also found in the type locality of the new species.

Etymology.

The specific epithet leishanensis refers to the distribution of this species, Leishan County, Guizhou Province, China. We propose the common English name "Leishan Odorous Frog" and the Chinese name as "Lei Shan Chou Wa ( 雷山臭蛙)” for this species.

Figures

Figure 4. Photographs of the holotype MTLS 20230729013 of Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. in life A dorsal view B ventral view C dorsal view of hand D ventral view of hand E ventral view of foot.

Figure 5. The holotype specimen MTLS 20230729013 of Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. (preserved) in A dorsal view B ventral view C lateral view D dorsal view of hand E ventral view of hand F ventral view of foot.

Figure 6. Color variation in Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. A dorsolateral view of the male specimen MTLS 20230805001 B ventral view of the male specimen MTLS 20230805001 C dorsolateral view of the male specimen LS 20230806010 D ventral view of the male specimen MTLS 20230806010 E dorsolateral view of the female specimen LS 20230811024 F ventral view of the female specimen MTLS 20230811024.

Figure 7. Habitats of Odorrana leishanensis sp. nov. at the type locality, Leishan County, Guizhou Province, China (inset: the holotype on bush stems beside the stream).