Megophrys (Xenophrys) zhangi Ye and Fei, 1992

Mahony, Stephen, Kamei, Rachunliu G. & Teeling, Emma C., 2018, Cryptic diversity within the Megophrys major species group (Amphibia: Megophryidae) of the Asian Horned Frogs: Phylogenetic perspectives and a taxonomic revision of South Asian taxa, with descriptions of four new species, Zootaxa 4523 (1), pp. 1-96 : 30

Megophrys (Xenophrys) zhangi Ye and Fei, 1992

( Figure 10 )

Megophrys zhangi Ye and Fei 1992:50 –52. In: A new pelobatid toad of the genus Megophrys from Xizang, China. Acta Herpetologica Sinica, 1–2: 50–52.

Holotype. Adult male ( CIB 750296 : Figure 10 ), from “Zhangmo, Nyanang, Xizang altitude 1000 m ” (= Zhangmu town , ~ 27°59'24"N, 85°58'48"E, Nyalam County, Shigatse Prefecture , Tibet [or Xizang] Autonomous Region, China), collected by Yongzu Zhang on 26 June 1975 ( Ye & Fei 1992).

Paratypes. Two adult males ( CIB 750295 , CIB 750297 ), from the “same locality and date as the holotype, altitude 700–1000m ”, collector not mentioned (presumably the same) .

Examined specimen. Adult male (CIB 750296––photos only), holotype.

Description of type series. Refer to Ye and Fei (1992) for the description in Chinese language text.

Morphological comparison. Adult body size range provided for Megophrys zhangi is from the original description ( Ye & Fei 1992).

Megophrys zhangi (adult males, N =3) differs from M. monticola by its smaller adult body size, male SVL 32.5–37.2 mm (vs. adult male SVL 38.2–49.5 mm, N =17); differs from M. mangshanensis by absence of distinct white upper lip stripe (vs. present). For comparisons with subsequent species covered in this paper, refer to relevant morphological comparison sections for those species.

Systematic position. Refer to the Systematic position section for Megophrys monticola above.

Etymology. The specific epithet “ zhangi ” is a patronym, named for Yongzu Zhang, the collector of the type series.

Suggested common name: Zhang’s Horned Frog.

Distribution. This species is known with certainty only from the type specimens collected from between 700 and 1000 m elevation, below Zhangmu town (27°59′24″N, 85°58′48″E, 2300 m elevation), Nyalam County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet (or Xizang) Autonomous Region ( Figure 8A ). The proximity of the type locality to the Nepal border suggests that this species will also be found in adjacent areas of central Nepal.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Distribution map of the western MMSG taxa: A. All taxa (excluding M. monticola) from Northeast India and surrounding countries: diamonds represent type localities, circles represent referred localities based on molecularly sampled specimens: orange = M. zhangi; yellow = M. robusta; black = M. medogensis; dark blue = M. major; pink = Megophrys flavipunctata sp. nov.; dark green = Megophrys oreocrypta sp. nov.; light blue = Megophrys himalayana sp. nov.; light green = Megophrys periosa sp. nov.; pale blue = M. cf. periosa; purple = M. glandulosa. B. Inset rectangle in Figure A enlarged to show the distribution map for M. monticola from Darjeeling and Sikkim region, Northeast India, showing distribution of named mitochondrial haplotypes: stars represent the type localities, circles represent referred localities confirmed from sequence data: red = M. “sanu” comb. nov., light blue = M. “katabhako” comb. nov. Blue lines represent major rivers; grey lines represent international borders.

FIGURE 10. Megophrys zhangi holotype: adult male (CIB 750296: SVL 32.5 mm [Ye & Fei 1992]) in preservation: A. dorsal view; B. ventral view; C. profile view of head; D. ventral view of hand; E. ventral view of foot.