Nidirana guibeiensis Chen, Ye, Peng & Li, 2022

Chen, Wei-Cai, Ye, Jian-Ping, Peng, Wan-Xiao, Li, Peng, Su, Tong-Ping, Yu, Gui-Dong & Cheng, Zhi-Ying, 2022, A new species of Nidirana (Anura, Ranidae) from northern Guangxi, China, ZooKeys 1135, pp. 119-137 : 119

Nidirana guibeiensis Chen, Ye, Peng & Li sp. nov.

Fig. 5

Holotype.

NNU 00771; adult ♂; China, Guangxi, Ziyuan County, Zhongfeng Town; 110.6882°E, 25.9750°N; Wei-Cai Chen leg., 8 May 2022.

Paratypes.

NNU 00769-770, 772-773; 4 adult ♂♂; same locality and date as holotype • NNU 00694; 1 adult ♀; same locality as holotype; Gui-Dong Yu leg., 29 April 2022 • NNU 00810; 1 adult ♂; China, Guangxi, Xing’an County, Lingtan Town; 110.5622°E, 25.5907°N; Wei-Cai Chen leg., 9 May 2022 • NNU 00864-867; 4 adult ♂♂; same locality as holotype; Wei-Cai Chen leg., 2 June 2022 • NNU 00917-919; 3 adult ♂♂; Maoershan National Nature Reserve; 110.4937°E, 25.8823°N; Wei-Cai Chen, Tong-Ping Su & Gui-Dong Yu leg., 28 June 2022.

Etymology.

The species name refers to its distribution in northern Guangxi. ‘Guibei’ means northern Guangxi.

We suggest the English name Guibei Music Frog and the Chinese name Gui Bei Qin Wa (桂北琴蛙).

Diagnosis.

Nidirana guibeiensis sp. nov. differs from its congeners in the combination of the following characteristics: larger body size (SVL 50.2-63.6 mm in males; 54.6 mm in the only sampled female); dorsum smooth with tubercles on the posterior of the back; surfaces of throat, chest, and upper part of the belly with grey clouding, lower part of the belly near immaculate creamy white; dorsal midline with a discrete creamy-white line; lateroventral grooves present on all fingers and toes but not on Finger I; tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level between eye and nostril; a pair of subgular vocal sacs present; three types of calls: one note, two notes, or three notes.

Description of holotype.

Adult male, SVL 56.3 mm; head length slightly larger than width (HDL/HDW = 1.05); snout oval, significantly protruding beyond lower jaw; canthus rostralis distinct; loreal region concave; nostril oval and closer to snout than eye, laterally opening; a creamy white stripe on upper lip, beginning at the tip of snout along with upper lip and ending above insertion of arm; supratympanic fold visible; IOD/IND = 0.72; eye diameter almost equal to tympanum diameter (ED/TD = 1.02); vomerine teeth oval, closer to each other than to choana; tongue pyriform with a deep notch on posterior; a pair of subgular vocal sacs present. Relative finger lengths: II <IV <I <III; all tips of fingers but Finger I slightly dilated with lateroventral grooves; finger webbing and dermal fringes absent; subarticular tubercles prominent and conical; two palmar tubercles distinct; nuptial pad present on lateral Finger I with velvety spinules, extending from hand base to level of subarticular tubercle. Relative toe lengths: I <II <V <III <IV; all tips of toes slightly dilated, forming elongated and pointed discs with lateroventral grooves; toe webbing formula: I 2 - 2 II 1½ - 3- III 2 - 3+ IV 3+ - 2- V; toes with lateral fringes; subarticular tubercles prominent and oval; inner metatarsal tubercles elongated, but outer metatarsal tubercles conical; heels not meeting when thighs are held at right angles to body; tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level between eye and nostril. Dorsum smooth with tubercles on the posterior of the back; hindlimbs smooth with several tubercles; dorsolateral fold beginning at the posterior of eye and ending above groin; pineal gland distinct; flanks with suprabrachial glands at each side; peripheral vent with some small tubercles (Fig. 5A-F ).

Color of holotype.

Alive, dorsum moss grey without spots; pineal gland light yellow; dorsal midline with a discrete creamy-white line, beginning at pineal gland and ending at vent; tympanum light brown; presence of a creamy-white linear gland on upper jaw; maxillary gland creamy-white; flank with several black spots and tubercles, and a large grey suprabrachial gland; thigh and tibia with three distinct black bars; surfaces of throat, chest, and upper part of belly with grey clouding, lower part of belly near immaculate creamy white; ventral limbs incarnadine; anterior of base of forelimb with a dark stripe; the anterior and posterior of iris reddish-brown, whereas the upper and lower part of iris brown (Fig. 5A-F ). In preservation, dorsal surface faded to deep grey; black spots turned darkish black.

Variations.

Measurements of type series are listed in Table 3 and Table S1. Paratypes were similar to the holotype in morphology and color pattern. Some had a discrete, rusty dorsal midline, and a rusty line along the dorsolateral folds, and rusty blotches on the flanks (Fig. 6A ). Various tubercles on the rear of the back, some denser but some sparse (Fig. 6B ). Some had five or six black bars on thigh and tibia (Fig. 6C ).

Ecology and distribution.

Nidirana guibeiensis sp. nov. was found in paddy fields or still pools at 300-1 300 m a.s.l. We heard the advertisement calls in the field during the surveys, from April to July. We observed that the new species has nest construction behavior (Fig. 7 ). The nest was made of rice stems and 20-30 cm in diameter without a covering. Eggs were observed in the nest (Fig. 7 ). Females were gravid with creamy-yellow eggs with black poles (Fig. 6D ). The new species is widespread in northern Guangxi.

Comparison.

A summary of morphological characteristics is listed in Table 1 . Nidirana guibeiensis sp. nov. differs from its congeners in the following characteristics: (1) SVL 50.2-63.6 mm in males; (2) dorsum smooth with tubercles on the posterior of the back; (3) surfaces of throat, chest, and upper part of belly with grey clouding, lower part of belly near immaculate creamy white; (4) dorsal midline with a discrete creamy-white line; (5) tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level between eye and nostril; (6) lateroventral grooves present on all fingers and toes but not on Finger I; (7) nuptial pad present on Finger I; (8) a pair of subgular vocal sacs present; (9) a call comprised of one, two, or three notes.

Phylogenetically, N. guibeiensis sp. nov. is closest to N. leishanensis (Fig. 3 ). However, N. guibeiensis sp. nov. differs from N. leishanensis in the absence of dermal fringes on fingers (vs broad lateral fringes on inner sides of Fingers II, III, and IV but absent on Finger I); the presence of lateroventral grooves on all fingers except Finger I (vs lateroventral grooves present on Fingers III and IV); toe webbing formula: I 2 - 2 II 1½ - 3- III 2 - 3+ IV 3+ - 2- V (vs I 1⅓ -2 II 1⅓ -2⅓ III 1⅔ -3 IV 3⅓ -1⅓ V); dorsum smooth with tubercles on the posterior of the back (vs dorsal skin rough with dense granules but not concentrated on the posterior of the back); heels not meeting when thighs are held at right angles to body (vs heels overlapping); outer metatarsal tubercle present (vs absent); surfaces of throat, chest, and upper part of belly with grey clouding, lower part of belly near immaculate creamy white (vs surface and throat smooth and incarnadine); supratympanic fold present (vs absent); two palmar tubercles distinct (vs three palmar tubercles elliptic, distinct); nuptial pad present on Finger I (vs nuptial pad on the inner side of base of Fingers I and II); a call comprised of one, two, or three notes (vs a call with one strophe with one syllable). The new species has nest construction behavior (vs no nest construction behavior).

Nidirana guibeiensis sp. nov. differs from N. xiangica in having a dorsal midline with a discrete creamy-white line (vs absent dorsal midline); heels not meeting when thighs are held at right angles to body (vs heels meeting); a smooth dorsum with tubercles on the posterior of the back (vs extremely rough dorsal surface with dense tubercles and white horny spinules on the entire dorsum); supratympanic fold present (vs absent); the anterior and posterior of iris reddish-brown, whereas the upper and lower parts of iris brown (vs upper ⅓ iris brownish-white and lower ⅔ iris reddish-brown); advertisement calls contained 1-3 notes (vs 2 or 3 notes with a specific first note). Additionally, the new species has nest construction behavior (vs no nest construction behavior).

Due to the larger body size in males (SVL 50.2-63.6 mm), N. guibeiensis sp. nov. differs from males of N. nankunensis (SVL 33.3-37.1 mm), N. chapaensis (SVL 35.5-42.5 mm), N. guangxiensis (SVL 40.2-47.6 mm), N. hainanensis (SVL 32.8-44.4 mm), N. okinavana (SVL 35.5-42.8 mm), N. yaoica (SVL 42.1-45.6 mm), and N. yeae (SVL 41.2-43.5 mm). Other differences are (Table 1 ): lateroventral grooves present on all fingers but not on Finger I (vs absent in N. guangxiensis , N. occidentalis , N. pleuraden , and N. yeae ); lateroventral grooves present on all toes (vs absent on all toes in N. pleuraden and N. occidentalis ); tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level between the eye and nostril (vs beyond the tip of snout in N. lini ); dorsum smooth with tubercles on the posterior of the back (vs no tubercles on the posterior of the back in N. chapaensis , N. daunchina , N. guangdongensis , N. guangxiensis , N. hainanensis , N. leishanensis , N. nankunensis , N. okinavana , N. shiwandashanensis , N. yaoica , and N. yeae ); single nuptial pad present on Finger I (vs absent in N. hainanensis ; two parts on Finger I in N. chapaensis ; present on Fingers I and II in N. leishanensis ).

Figures

Figure 3. Maximum-likelihood tree based on 16 S + COI fragments with bootstrap supports / Bayesian posterior probabilities on branches.

Figure 5. The holotype of Nidirana guibeiensis sp. nov. (NNU 00771) A dorsal view B dorsolateral view C ventral view D ventral view of hand E ventral view of foot F tubercles on the rear of the back.

Figure 6. Nidirana guibeiensis sp. nov. A dorsal view of NNU 00769 B rough tubercles on the rear of the back (NNU 00865) C five bars on thigh and tibia (NNU 00867) D female with creamy yellow eggs with pigmented poles (NNU 00694).

Figure 7. Nests of Nidirana guibeiensis sp. nov. with eggs.