Abstract
We describe a new species of megophryid frog from Phu Yen Province in southern Vietnam. Leptolalax macrops sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological attributes: (1) body size medium (SVL 28.0–29.3 mm in three adult males, 30.3 mm in single adult female); (2) supra-axillary glands present, creamy white; ventrolateral glands indistinct; (3) tympanum externally distinct; (4) dorsal skin roughly granular with larger tubercles, dermal ridges on dorsum absent; (5) rudimentary webbing present between fingers I–II and II–III; rudimentary webbing between all toes; fingers and toes without dermal fringes; (6) in life ventral surface greyish-violet with white speckling; (7) supratympanic fold distinct, dark brown in life; (8) iris bicolored, typically golden in upper half, fading to golden green in lower half; (9) tibia short (TbL/SVL 0.44–0.45 in males); and (10) eyes large and protuberant (ED/SVL 0.15–0.16 in males). From all congeners for which comparable sequences are available, the new species differs markedly in the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene sequence (P-distance>5.7%). The new species is currently known only from montane evergreen tropical forests of Song Hinh District, Phu Yen Province, and M’Drak District of Dak Lak Province at elevations of 470–630 m a.s.l.. We suggest the new species should be considered as Data Deficient following the IUCN’s Red List categories. We also report a previously unknown Leptolalax mtDNA lineage from an evergreen tropical forest in the Hoa Thinh District of Phu Yen Province, which may also represent an undescribed species.
Highlights
Members of the genus Leptolalax Dubois, 1983 (Megophryidae Bonaparte, 1850) are widely distributed from northeastern India and southern China southward to the Southeast Asian mainland and Borneo
The L. applebyi species group currently comprises nine species distributed in the mountains of southern and central Vietnam and adjacent northeastern Cambodia, and include L. applebyi Rowley & Cao; L. ardens Rowley, Tran, Le, Dau, Peloso, Nguyen, Hoang, Nguyen & Ziegler; L. bidoupensis Rowley, Le, Tran, & Hoang; L. kalonensis Rowley, Tran, Le, Dau, Peloso, Nguyen, Hoang, Nguyen & Ziegler; L. maculosus Rowley, Tran, Le, Dau, Peloso, Nguyen, Hoang, Nguyen & Ziegler; L. melicus Rowley, Stuart, Neang & Emmett; L. pallidus Rowley, Tran, Le, Dau, Peloso, Nguyen, Hoang, Nguyen & Ziegler; L. pyrrhops Poyarkov, Rowley, Gogoleva, Vassilieva, Galoyan, & Orlov; and L. tadungensis Rowley, Tran, Le, Dau, Peloso, Nguyen, Hoang, Nguyen & Ziegler (Rowley et al, 2016)
The final alignment consisted of 1 075 sites, with 617 conserved sites and 413 variable sites, 139 of which were parsimony-informative; the transition-transversion bias (R) was estimated as 2.14
Summary
Members of the genus Leptolalax Dubois, 1983 (Megophryidae Bonaparte, 1850) are widely distributed from northeastern India and southern China southward to the Southeast Asian mainland and Borneo. Leptolalax mtDNA lineage from an evergreen tropical forest in the Hoa Thinh District of Phu Yen Province, which may represent an undescribed species.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
