Abstract
A new species of the dicroglossid frog genus Limnonectes is described from recent and historical museum specimens collected in central and southern Laos and northeastern Thailand. Limnonectessavansp. nov. has males that bear a caruncle on top of the head, and most closely resembles L.dabanus from adjacent southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia. However, the new species is readily distinguished from L.dabanus, and all other caruncle-bearing species of Limnonectes in mainland Southeast Asia, by its adult and larval morphology, mitochondrial DNA, and advertisement call. Its description brings the total number of caruncle-bearing species of Limnonectes to six.
Highlights
The dicroglossid frog genus Limnonectes Fitzinger, 1843 currently contains 73 species that are distributed from southern China and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan south and eastward to Papua New Guinea (Frost 2019)
Nine advertisement calls from the “Lao-Thai” male specimen NCSM 76299 were recorded at an ambient air temperature of 26.3° C, 100% relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure of 1086.3 hPa
Additional fieldwork is needed to clarify the geographic distribution of the new species, in particular, any co-occurrence with the morphologically-similar L. dabanus in southern Laos
Summary
The dicroglossid frog genus Limnonectes Fitzinger, 1843 currently contains 73 species that are distributed from southern China and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan south and eastward to Papua New Guinea (Frost 2019). Our collective fieldwork during 1998–2016 at multiple localities in central and southern Laos and northeastern Thailand, and examination of historical museum specimens and the literature (Chan-ard 2003), revealed the presence of a carunclebearing Limnonectes that could not be assigned to any named species. Males of these “Lao-Thai” specimens generally resemble L. dabanus, a species from southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia (Smith 1922; Stuart et al 2006; Rowley et al 2014), but differ in several morphological characters. We examine adult and larval morphology, mitochondrial DNA, and advertisement calls to test the hypothesis that the “Lao-Thai” specimens represent a distinct species from all other caruncle-bearing Limnonectes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
