Microhyla kodial, Vineeth & Radhakrishna & Godwin & Anwesha & Rajashekhar & Aravind, 2018

Vineeth, Kumar K., Radhakrishna, U. K., Godwin, R. D., Anwesha, Saha, Rajashekhar, K. Patil & Aravind, N. A., 2018, A new species of Microhyla Tschudi, 1838 (Anura: Microhylidae) from West Coast of India: an integrative taxonomic approach, Zootaxa 4420 (2), pp. 151-179 : 156-161

Microhyla kodial sp. nov.

( Fig. 3 A & B )

Zoobank ID. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B78E690B-D70D-44CF-B88B-F2023A22F78D

Holotype. NCBS-AY587 , an adult female collected from marshy areas in Baikampady , Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka, India (12.9518 o N, 74.8089 o E; alt 6 m amsl), by VKK, RUK and NAA, 20:00–22:00 h on 28 th September 2016.

Suggested common name: Mangaluru narrow-mouthed frog

Etymology. This species is named after Mangaluru city, coastal city of Karnataka, India from where the species has been collected. Mangaluru is known as Kodial in Konkani language. The specific name is an invariable noun in the nominative singular in apposition to generic name.

Paratypes. Four females ( NCBS-AY588 to NCBS-AY591 ) and five males ( NCBS-AY592 to NCBS-AY596 ), collected from the type locality on 28 th September 2016 between 20:00-22:00h by VKK, RUK and NAA .

Diagnosis. The new species is assigned to Microhylidae by the possession of median spiracle in the tadpole stage ( Matsui et al. 2013), and to the genus Microhyla owing to the following set of diagnostic characters as described by Parker (1934), Inger (1989) Matsui et al. (2013), Wijayathilaka et al. (2016), Seshadri et al. (2016a) & Khatiwada et al. (2017): Small sized adults with slender body and narrow head; eyes reduced with circular pupil; lack of small spine-like projection of skin at heel and elbow; supratympanic fold present; fingers without webbing; toes with basal webbing; vomerine teeth absent; tongue obovate, entire and free at the base; snout less than twice the diameter of eye; indistinct canthus rostralis; tympanum hidden by skin; palmar tubercles distinct; distinct ovoid shaped inner metatarsal tubercle and rounded outer metatarsal tubercle.

Microhyla kodial sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other Microhyla from South and Southeast Asia by the following set of characters: (i) A small sized frog (SVL; male: 16.9–17.4 mm, n = 5 and female: 18.0– 20.4 mm, n = 5); (ii) snout rounded in dorsal and ventral view, canthus rostralis indistinct, snout protrudes beyond mouth in ventral view; (iii) tongue obovate with tip pointed, margin smooth, lingual papilla absent; (iv) absence of lateral dermal fold (dark band) from behind the eye to groin; (v) absence of vertebral stripe (dorsal median line); (vi) absence of superciliary tubercles; (vii) tympanum indistinct hidden by skin; (viii) supratympanic fold present; (ix) head triangular, wider than long; (x) olive-green band on head, forms an arch at about half-length of upper eyelid between the eyes, this distinct band continues as a pattern on dorsum till the vent; (xi) skin tuberculated on dorsum, venter smooth; (xii) grayish-black throat in males; (xiii) first finger is longer than half the length of second finger; (xiv) finger and toe disc without dorsal median groove; (xv) palmar tubercles are well developed, with outer being round and large and inner small and ovoid; (xvi) webbing is absent between the fingers, webbing between the toes is basal; (xvii) inner and outer metatarsal tubercle present, inner metatarsal tubercle is ovoid, half the length of outer metatarsal tubercle which is almost rounded in shape.

Description of holotype (Voucher No. NCBS–AY587, measurements in mm, Fig. 4 A–K; Table 2). Smallsized, adult female (SVL = 18.3). Head small, triangular, wider than long (HW = 4.5; HL = 4.0). Snout acute and rounded in both dorsal and ventral views; rounded in lateral view, upper jaw protrudes slightly in ventral view. Snout length (SL = 2.2) 1.22 times longer than the horizontal diameter of the eye (EL = 1.8). Canthus rostralis indistinct, loreal region concave. Interorbital space sloping towards snout, 1.9 times larger than maximum width of upper eyelid and 1.36 times wider than internarial distance (IUE = 1.9; UEW = 1.0; IN = 1.4). The distance between posterior margins of eyes 1.47 times that of anterior margins (IBE = 4.4; IFE = 3.0). Nostrils are rounded, without any flap, closer to tip of snout than to eye (NS = 0.7; EN = 1.4). Tongue relatively large, obovate, free at base and with smooth margin, lingual papilla absent. Vomerine ridge absent. Tympanum indistinct, supratympanic fold prominent; extending from posterior corner eye to near the insertion of forelimb axilla. Eyes small (EL = 1.8), pupil-rounded.

Paratype 5 Paratype 6 Paratype 7 Paratype 8 Paratype 9 Mean±SD Holotype Paratype 1 Paratype 2 Paratype 3 Paratype 4 Mean±SD (592) (593) (594) (595) (596) (587) (588) (589) (590) (591)

Male Male Male Male Male Female Female Female Female Female

SVL 16.9 17.2 17.4 16.9 17.4 17.16±0.25 18.3 19.2 18 20.4 19.9 19.16±1.02

HW 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.38±0.08 4.5 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.7 4.66±0.11

HL 4 3.9 3.8 4 3.9 3.92±0.08 4 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.16±0.11

HD 2.4 2.1 2.7 2 2.1 2.26±0.28 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.64±0.05

IUE 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.76±0.11 1.9 2.2 2.1 2 2.1 2.06±0.11

UEW 0.9 1.1 1.2 0.9 1 1.02±0.13 1 1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.08±0.08

SL 2.5 2.1 2.3 2 1.9 2.16±0.24 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.1 2 2.12±0.08

EL 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.6±0.12 1.8 2 1.9 1.7 1.9 1.86±0.11

MN 3.5 2.9 3.4 3 3.1 3.18±0.25 3.9 3.6 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.52±0.25

MFE 2.9 2.4 2.9 2.3 2.2 2.54±0.33 2.4 2 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.22±0.16

MBE 2.1 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.64±0.29 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.56±0.16

IN 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.38±0.04 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.44±0.05

IFE 3.1 3 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.96±0.16 3 3.1 3.1 3.3 2.9 3.08±0.14

IBE 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.1 4.1 4.2±0.12 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.58±0.14

NS 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.68±0.04 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.78±0.08

EN 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.32±0.08 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.26±0.08

FLL 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.4 3 2.64±0.23 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.1 3 3.06±0.11

HAL 3.5 3.8 3.5 3 3.8 3.52±0.32 3.9 4.1 3.5 2.7 3.9 3.62±0.55

FD1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.14±0.05 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.16±0.05

FD2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.22±0.04 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.24±0.05

FD3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2±0.07 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.24±0.05

FD4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2±0 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.28±0.04

FW1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.12±0.04 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.16±0.05

FW2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2±0 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.24±0.05

FW3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.18±0.04 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.24±0.05

FW4 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.18±0.04 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.24±0.05

FIL 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.62±0.04 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.78±0.08 ……continued on the next page

Forelimb shorter than hand length (FLL = 3.1; HAL = 3.9). Fingers short, relative lengths of fingers I<II<IV<III (FIL = 0.8; FIIL = 1.2; FIII L = 2.1; FIVL = 1.7). Discs on fingertips are not prominent and are seen only on third and fourth finger (FD1 = 0.1, FD2 = 0.1, FD3 = 0.3, FD4 = 0.3; FW1 = 0.1, FW2 = 0.2, FW3 = 0.2, FW4 = 0.2). Foot discs are devoid of dorsal median groove. Ventral median grooves present in each finger, rising from the distal end, distal notch is conspicuous. Webbing between fingers absent. Palmar tubercles well developed and distinct; outer palmar tubercle is large and round, the inner palmar tubercle is small and ovoid. Subarticular tubercles distinct and are ovoid in shape (finger: i = 1, ii = 1, iii = 2, iv = 2). Nuptial pad is absent. Hind limbs are longer than forelimbs. Shank 2.97 times longer than wide (ShL= 8.6, TW= 2.9), longer than thigh length (TL = 8.0) and shorter than foot length (FOL = 9.1). Heel to tip of fourth toe (TFOL= 12.9) about 2.39 times longer than fourth toe length (TIVL = 5.4). Relative toe length I<II<V<III<IV (TIL = 1.1; TIIL = 2.0; TIIIL = 3.5; TIVL = 5.4; TVL = 3.2). Toe tips are dilated (TD1 = 0.2, TD2 = 0.3, TD3 = 0.4, TD4 = 0.4, TD5 = 0.3; ToW1 = 0.2, ToW2 = 0.2, ToW3 = 0.3, ToW4 = 0.3, ToW5= 0.2). Toe discs are devoid of dorsal median groove. Ventral median groove is present on toes. Webbing between toes is basal, does not extend beyond the base of proximal subarticular tubercle. Metatarsal tubercles well developed and distinct. Inner metatarsal tubercle is ovoid, half the length of (IMT = 0.5) outer metatarsal tubercle which is rounded in shape (OMT = 1.0). Subarticular tubercle present (toe: i = 1, ii = 1, iii = 2, iv = 3, v = 2).

Skin texture and colour in preservative. Skin of dorsum, snout, between eyes, sides of head, upper part of flanks, forelimbs and hind limbs is slight to moderately tuberculated; ventral skin is smooth. Dorsal coloration pale gray; upper eyelid is dark gray in color. A light olive-green band between the eyes. Forelimbs and hind limbs light brown with dark brown cross bands. Cross bands are distinct in shank and foot. Ventral region pale cream colored; throat has white blotches near the margins of lower jaw and lower margin of the upper jaw; light yellow pigmentation at the junction of forelimbs. Limbs are pale in color compared to the body.

Skin texture and color in life. Skin has small to medium sized tubercles all over the dorsum, faint tubercles on foot (not visible in preserved specimens). Skin on the underside is smooth. Overall grayish-brown in color with thick dark olive-green band on head, forming an arch at about half-length of upper eyelid between the eyes, this distinct band continues as a pattern on dorsum till the vent. Dark olive-green to dark-brown cross bands are prominent in forearm, feet, thigh, shank and toes. Supratympanic fold shows black pigmentation. Iris brown/black with golden yellow mottles. Pupil black. Ventral parts creamish-white throughout.

Variation. Sexes dimorphic, females larger than males (SVL: males, 16.9–17.4 mm, n = 5; females, 18.0– 20.4 mm, n = 5). Grayish-black subgular vocal sac present in males. Gravid females contained un-pigmented eggs, which were visible in the belly near the groin.

Advertisement call description. Microhyla kodial sp. nov. makes characteristic sounds with continuous notes ‘Ttrrrt…… ttrrrt….ttrrrt….’. It is observed that there are 2 to 7 pulses in each call (6±2 pulses, n= 50) with pulse rate of 14.97±1.38 pulses/s. Average dominant frequency was 3752.16±233.06 Hz (range: 3359.20–4220.50 Hz) and call duration was 0.33± 0.07 s. (range: 0.11– 0.42 s.). Waveform and spectrogram of sample calls of Microhyla kodial sp. nov. is shown in Fig. 5 . Summary statistics for call characteristics is given in the Table 4. A video clip of advertisement call of M. kodial is at https://youtu.be/B0Bj8xWng8k

Figures

FIGURE 3. Photographs of live specimen of Microhyla kodial sp. nov., adult female: NCBS- AY587. (A) profile view. (B) dorsal view.

FIGURE 4. Photographs of preserved specimen of Microhyla kodial sp. nov., adult female: NCBS- AY587. (A & D) dorsal view. (B & E) ventral view. (C) lateral view. (F) ventral view of hand. (G) line drawing of ventral side of hand depicting palmar and sub-articular tubercles. (H) groove on ventral side second fingertip. (I) ventral side of fourth toe tip showing distal notch. (J) ventral view of feet. (K) line drawing of ventral side of feet depicting, metatarsal and sub-articular tubercles.

FIGURE 5. (A) Waveform and (B) spectrogram of an advertisement call of M. kodial sp. nov.