Boulenophrys fengshunensis, Wang & Zeng & Lyu & Qi & Liu & Chen & Lu & Xiao & Lin & Chen & Wang, 2022

Wang, Jian, Zeng, Zhao-Chi, Lyu, Zhi-Tong, Qi, Shuo, Liu, Zu-Yao, Chen, Hong-Hui, Lu, Yu-Hong, Xiao, Hui-Wen, Lin, Can-Rong, Chen, Kai & Wang, Ying-Yong, 2022, Description of three new Boulenophrys species from eastern Guangdong, China, emphasizing the urgency of ecological conservation in this region (Anura, Megophryidae), Zootaxa 5099 (1), pp. 91-119 : 110-114

Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. Wang, Zeng, Lyu & Wang

Fengshun Horned Toad (in English) / Fēng Shùn Jiǎo Chán (丰NJDzdz in Chinese)

Chresonymy: Megophrys sp 14 — Liu et al. 2018

Figures 7–8

Holotype. SYS a004744, adult male, collected by Jian Wang and Zhi-Tong Lyu on 13 May 2016 from Mt. Tongguzhang (24°10'31.12"N, 116°21'2.63"E; ca. 1500 m a.s.l.), Fengshun, Meizhou, Guangdong, China.

Paratypes (N=7). Adult males, SYS a004724/ CIB118528 , SYS a004725–4728, collected by Jian Wang and Zhi-Tong Lyu on 11 May 2016 from the same locality of the holotype. Adult females, SYS a005220–5221, collected by Jian Wang on 9 August 2016 from the same locality of the holotype .

Etymology. The specific epithet “ fengshunensis ” refers to the type locality of the new species, the Fengshun County.

Diagnosis. (1) Small body size, SVL 34.3–39.4 mm (36.9 ± 1.7, N = 6) in adult males and SVL 42.5–44.9 mm (N = 2) in adult females; (2) snout pointed in dorsal view; (3) tympanum moderate in size TD/ED 0.56–0.67, tubercles bearing spines on tips present on skin of temporal region including the tympanum; (4) vomerine ridge and vomerine teeth present; (5) margin of tongue rounded, not notched distally; (6) hindlimbs short, heels not meeting and tibio-tarsal articulation reaching forward to the region between tympanum and posterior corner of eye, TIB/SVL 0.37–0.43; (7) a subarticular tubercle present at the base of each fingers; (8) toes without lateral fringes and with rudiment of webbing; (9) distinct sparse enlarged tubercles on the surface of limbs, flanks, posterior part of belly and around the cloaca; (10) tips of the tubercles on ventral surface of thighs and around the cloaca bearing tiny spines; (11) single subgular vocal sac in males; (12) nuptial pads with well-developed villiform black nuptial spines on the dorsal surface of the first and second fingers in breeding males.

Comparisons. Comparative data of Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. and the other recognized members of Boulenophrys are listed in Table 3 .

Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from Boulenophrys puningensis sp. nov. and Boulenophrys hungtai sp. nov. having a tympanum with tubercles bearing spines on their tips (vs. tympanic region smooth without granules, tubercles or spines in Boulenophrys puningensis sp. nov. and Boulenophrys hungtai sp. nov.); the presence of both a vomerine ridge and vomerine teeth (vs. absence of vomerine ridge but with vomerine teeth present in Boulenophrys hungtai sp. nov.); tubercles on skin of the posterior part of belly without spines (vs. tubercles on skin of the posterior part of belly bearing spines on their tips in both Boulenophrys puningensis sp. nov. and Boulenophrys hungtai sp. nov.).

With a smaller body size, SVL 34.3–39.4 mm in adult males and SVL 42.5–44.9 mm in adult females, Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. differs from the seven congeners whose SVL ≥ 50 mm in males or SVL ≥ 60 mm in females, including B. caudoprocta (81.3 mm in a single male), B. jingdongensis (53.0– 56.5 mm in males and 63.5 mm in a single female), B. liboensis (60.5–67.7 mm in males and 60.8–70.6 in females), B. mirabilis (55.8–61.4 mm in males and 68.5–74.8 mm in females), B. omeimontis (56.0– 59.5 mm in males and 68.0– 72.5 mm in females), B. sangzhiensis (54.7 mm in a single male), and B. shuichengensis (102.0– 118.3 mm in males and 99.8–115.6 mm in females).

In having relatively shorter shanks with heels that do not meet when the flexed hind limbs are held at right angles to the body axis, Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from the following 35 congeners, i.e. B. angka , B. anlongensis , B. baishanzuensis , B. baolongensis , B. binchuanensis , B. binlingensis , B. boettgeri , B. congjiangensis , B. cheni , B. chishuiensis , B. daiyunensis , B. jiangi , B. jinggangensis , B. jiulianensis , B. leishanensis , B. lini , B. minor , B. mufumontana , B. nanlingensis , B. palpebralespinosa , B. qianbeiensis , B. sanmingensis , B. shimentaina , B. shunhuangensis , B. spinata , B. tongboensis , B. tuberogranulatus , B. wuliangshanensis , B. wushanensis , B. xiangnanensis , B. xianjuensis , B. yaoshanensis , B.yangmingensis , B. yingdeensis and B. yunkaiensis , all of which have relatively longer shanks with the heels meeting or overlapping.

By the presence of vomerine teeth, Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. differs from B. acuta , B. brachykolos , B. caobangensis , B. daoji , B. huangshanensis , B. kuatunensis , B. lishuiensis , B. lushuiensis , B. obesa , B. ombrophila , and B. wugongensis , all of which lack vomerine teeth. By having a rounded margin of the tongue that is not notched distally, Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. differs from B. hoanglienensis , B. insularis , which have a notched tongue. By the absence of lateral fringes on toes, Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. differs from B. rubrimera , which has narrow lateral fringes on toes. By the presence of rudimentary webbing on toes, Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. differs from B. daweimontis , B. fansipanensis , B. frigida , and B. rubrimera , all of which lack webbing on toes. Boulenophrys fengshunensi sp. nov. further differs from the remaining B. dongguanensis and B. nankunensis by having raised tubercles on the surface of posterior abdomen (vs. absence of such tubercles in both B. dongguanensis B. nankunensis ); the presence of tubercles bearing spines on their tips on the temporal region including the tympanum (vs. temporal region lacking tubercles or spines in both B. dongguanensis and B. nankunensis ).

Description of holotype. Adult male. Small body size, SVL 37.4 mm; head width slightly larger than head length, HWD/HDL 1.17; snout pointed in dorsal view, projecting, sloping backward to mouth in profile, protruding well beyond margin of lower jaw; top of head flat; eyes moderate in size, ED 0.37 of HDL, pupil vertical, near diamond-shaped; nostril oblique-ovoid; canthus rostralis well developed; loreal region slightly oblique; internasal distance slightly larger than interorbital distance; tympanum moderate in size with an obvious margin, TD/ED 0.65; large ovoid choanae at base of maxilla; vomerine ridge and vomerine teeth present, maxillary teeth present; margin of tongue rounded, not notched distally; presence of single subgular vocal sac, and pair of slit-like openings at posterior of jaw.

Forearm (i.e., radioulna) length 0.21 of SVL and hand 0.25 of SVL; hand without webbing, fingers without lateral fringes, relative finger length I = II <IV <III; tips of fingers slightly dilated, round; subarticular tubercles present and distinct; inner metacarpal tubercle larger and outer metacarpal tubercle smaller; a single nuptial pad bearing well-developed nuptial spines present on dorsal surface of first and second fingers, respectively. Hindlimbs short, tibio-tarsal articulation reaching forward to tympanum when hindlimb is stretched along side of body; heels not meeting when flexed hindlimbs are held at right angles to body axis; crus (i.e., tibiofibular) length 0.42 of SVL and foot length 0.59 of SVL; relative toe length I <II <V <III <IV; tips of toes slightly dilated, round; toes without lateral fringes and with rudimentary webbing; subarticular tubercle distinct; inner metatarsal tubercle long ovoid and lacking outer metatarsal tubercle.

Dorsal skin rough, granular, with sparse tubercles; skin of dorsal body and limbs bearing tiny spines; sparse large conical tubercles on flanks; single horn-like prominent tubercle on edge of upper eyelid; obvious supratympanic fold curving posteroventrally from posterior corner of eye to level above insertion of arm; dense tubercles on skin of upper lip, upper eyelid, mandibular articulation, loreal, temporal region including tympanum and surface around cloaca; tip of tubercles on skin of temporal region excluding tympanum bearing tiny spine; single discontinuous “X” shaped ridge and few elongated tubercles arranged in longitudinal rows on two sides at mid-dorsum; sparse tubercles on dorsal shank and thigh; ventral skin of throat, chest and anterior part of belly smooth; ventral skin of thighs and posterior part of belly bearing dense tubercles; surface around cloaca with dense tubercles bearing tiny spines; small pectoral gland closer to axilla; single femoral gland positioned on posterior surface of thigh at midpoint between knee and cloaca..

Coloration of holotype in life. Dorsal surface of body dark brown, with incomplete dark brown triangular marking between eyes. Two wide oblique black bands present on forearm. Dorsal surface of fingers and hindlimbs with dark grey transverse bands. Presence of vertical dark brown band below eye. Tip of tubercles on edge of upper eyelid greyish white. Supratympanic fold orangey brown. Ventral surface dark brown, black longitudinal band on surface of throat, posterior part of belly with irregular greyish white patches. Tubercles on ventral surface of posterior part of belly and thighs greyish white; spines on tips of tubercles on temporal region, ventral surface of thighs and around cloaca dark grey. Digits, inner and outer metacarpal tubercles, and inner metatarsal tubercle dark grey. Pectoral glands beige and femoral glands greyish white. Iris orangish brown.

Coloration of holotype in preservative. Dorsal surface of body dark brown. Triangular marking between eyes, vertical dark brown band below eye and transverse bands on dorsal forearms and hind limbs become indistinct. Supratympanic fold greyish white. All bands and patterns on ventral surface no longer apparent. Irregular greyish white patches on posterior part of belly become dark grey.

Variation. Mensural data of the type series are listed in Table 6 . Most of the paratypes are similar to the holotype in morphology and color pattern, except for the following: dorsal surface and ventral surface dark brown, posterior part of belly with irregular greyish white patches, ventral surface of thighs dark grey, triangular marking between eyes is incomplete in the holotype (vs. dorsal surface beige and ventral surface light orange, posterior part of belly and ventral surface of thighs greyish white, triangular marking between eyes is complete in the female paratype SYS a005221 ( Fig. 8 ); tibio-tarsal articulation reaching forward to middle of tympanum when hind limb stretched along body in the holotype (vs. tibio-tarsal articulation reaching forward to posterior margin of tympanum in the paratype SYS a004725; reaching forward to the region between tympanum and eye in the paratype SYS a004726). Females are distinctly larger than the males.

Distribution and natural history. Currently, Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. is only known from its type locality, Mt. Tongguzhang of Fengshun. It inhabits flowing montane streams and the nearby forest floor and leaf litter at elevations between 800–1500 m. Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. is found to be sympatric with Pachytriton granulosus Chang, 1933 and Cynops glaucus Yuan, Jiang, Ding, Zhang & Che, 2013 . Advertisement calls of males were heard during April and June. Males were found calling under the leaf litters around the flowing seeps. Tadpoles could be found in this period. Female specimens collected during August had immature eggs; males were not heard calling during this period, but sub-adults were observed.

Figures

FIGURE 7. The holotype (SYS a004744) of Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. in life.

FIGURE 8. The paratype (SYS a005221) of Boulenophrys fengshunensis sp. nov. in life.