Nidirana chongqingensis Ma & Wang, 2023
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publication ID |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e101986 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0B46D249-1296-4EB1-B6A5-D47E1F65FA9D |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/1EFA6383-F50B-5F28-8FA8-EB169D904B02 |
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treatment provided by |
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scientific name |
Nidirana chongqingensis Ma & Wang |
| status |
sp. n. |
Nidirana chongqingensis Ma & Wang sp. n.
Materials
Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: SWU0001408 ; recordedBy: Qi Ma; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: C3B1F1AD-5D4C-5F35-8F0C-7020A48D4D15; Taxon : scientificName: Nidirana chongqingensis; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Chordata ; class: Amphibia ; order: Anura ; family: Ranidae ; genus: Nidirana ; Location : higherGeography: South-western China; country: China; municipality: Chongqing; locality: Gaolu Village , Mala Town , Qianjiang District ; verbatimElevation: 1419 m; verbatimCoordinates: 29°14'31.32"N 108°54'7.93"E; georeferenceSources: Google Earth ; Identification : identifiedBy: Qi Ma ; Event : eventDate: 03/07/2022; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: SWU0001439 ; recordedBy: Qi Ma; individualCount: 2; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: A44D36F5- 8AD 4-5B9E-A834-324FA55C768E; Taxon : scientificName: Nidirana chongqingensis; kingdom: Animalia ; phylum: Chordata ; class: Amphibia ; order: Anura ; family: Ranidae ; genus: Nidirana ; Location : higherGeography: South-western China; country: China; municipality: Chongqing; locality: Gaolu Village , Mala Town , Qianjiang District ; verbatimElevation: 1419 m; verbatimCoordinates: 29°14'31.32"N 108°54'7.93"E; georeferenceSources: Google Earth ; Identification : identifiedBy: Qi Ma ; Event : eventDate: 03/07/2022; Record Level: basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen GoogleMaps GoogleMaps GoogleMaps GoogleMaps
Diagnosis
The new species was placed in the genus Nidirana based on molecular data (16S and COI genes).
The new species could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: (1) body size small (SVL 41. 8-43. 3 mm in males); (2) indistinct canthus rostralis; (3) no longitudinal ridges on the upper arm; (4) lateroventral grooves on the ventral side of all fingers and toes; (5) supernumerary tubercles below the base of fingers III and IV, inconspicuous; (6) metacarpal tubercles distinct and prominent; (7) well-developed dorsolateral folds, but intermittent posteriorly; (8) supratympanic fold absent; (9) males with large, smooth and protruding suprabrachial glands in breeding period; (10) dorsal skin relatively smooth, without horny spines on the back; (11) mid-dorsal stripe present; (12) ventral surface of body milky white, but the throat, chest and ventral side of the limbs are densely covered with brownish-red or brown-black spots; (13) tibio-tarsal articulation reaching the angle of the eye or the nostril when adpressed along body, heels not meeting or just meeting when hind limbs flexed at a straight angle to the body's axis; (14) a pair of external subgular vocal sacs in males; (15) males with one single nuptial pad on the dorsal surface first finger in the breeding period; (16) finger tips not dilated, tip of each toe slightly dilated (Table 2 View Table 2 ).
Etymology
The specific name "Chongqing" refers to the type locality of the new species in Chongqing Municipality, where the new species was collected.
Common name
"Chongqing Music Frog" in English and "重庆琴蛙 ( Chóng qìng qín wā)” in Chinese.
Description of holotype
An adult male, SVL 43.3 mm, head longer than width (HL: HW = 1.18), flat above; snout rounded in dorsal view, slightly protruding beyond lower jaw; loreal region slightly inclined outwards, slightly concave in the middle; canthus rostralis indistinct; pupil elliptical, horizontal; nostril rounded, directed laterally, closer to the eye than to the snout; internasal distance larger than interorbital distance (IND:IOD = 1.18); from below anterior corner of the eye and tympanum to axial region, forming a maxillary gland in posterior corner of mouth, with a soybean size gland behind; tympanum distinct, tympanum diameter smaller than eye diameter (TD/ED=0.73); supratympanic fold absent; the presence of vomerine ridge, small teeth on the surface; a pair of external subgular vocal sacs present at the corners of the throat; tongue cordiform, deeply notched posteriorly.
Forelimbs moderately robust, with forearm and hand length being half of the body length (FAHL:SVL = 0.42); a large and smooth suprabrachial gland present behind the base of the forelimb, prominent; absent longitudinal ridges on the upper arm; tips of fingers rounded, not dilated; lateroventral grooves of fingers meeting at the disc's tip; fingers thin, free of webbing, with narrow lateral fringes; subarticular tubercles clearly visible, rounded and with a distinct protuberance; supernumerary tubercles below the base of finger present on fingers III and IV; relative length of fingers: II <I <IV <III; palmar tubercles three, which are long and elliptic.
Hind limbs relatively robust, tibia length 55% of SVL and foot length 52% of SVL; heels not meeting or just meeting when hind limbs flexed at right angles to axis of body; tibio-tarsal articulation reaching the eye angle or nostril when hind limb is stretched along the side of the body; several longitudinal ridges on the back of the thigh and tibia; thigh length shorter than tibia length (THL:TBL = 0.89), length of tarsus and foot longer than tibia length (TFL:TBL = 1.37); toes relatively long and thin, relative lengths I <II <V <III <IV; webbing moderate, webbing formula: I 1/2 - 1 II 1/2 - 2 III 1 - 2½ IV 2 - 1V; toes with lateral fringes; prominent and rounded subarticular tubercles; inner metatarsal tubercles oval, outer metatarsal tubercles small and rounded.
Dorsal anterior region of skin relatively smooth; several large warts on the middle and posterior back; posterior dorsum of body rough with small protrusions, but no horny spinules on them; dorsolateral fold relatively thin and distinct, extending from posterior corner of the eye to above of groin, but discontinuous in the posterior; a noticeable, large, smooth suprabrachial gland behind the base of the forelimb; ventral skin smooth, small tubercles around the region close to dorsolateral fold; body side and limbs relatively smooth; dorsum of tibia relatively rough, forming several longitudinal ridges; ventral skin of the body is smooth, flattened tubercles densely distributed on the rear of thigh and around vent.
Colouration of holotype in life
The colouration of the dorsal skin varies, mostly being brown, several tubercles on the flanks and posterior region, some of which have a black spot. A light brown mid-dorsal stripe starts from the mid-dorsal region and begins at the eye angle area, extending backwards to vent, becoming more distinct posteriorly, without dark brown edges; dorsolateral folds brown on the upper part and dark brown on the lower part; flanks cream-yellow on the upper part and light grey on the lower part; limbs brown with black-brown transverse bars; loreal and temporal regions dark brown; tympanum red-brown; upper 1/3 iris bright yellow and lower 2/3 brown-red; ventral surface of body milky white; ventral surfaces of throat, anterior chest, upper limbs and flank of trunk densely covered with brown-red or brown-black spots, while spots on lower limbs relatively sparse; maxillary gland yellow-white; ventral side of the forelimbs milky white; upper part of the thigh ventral side light yellow, lower part flesh red; ventral side of the tibia light yellow (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ).
Colouration of holotype in preservation
Colouration of dorsal surface fading to blackish-brown; black spots on dorsum and flank more distinct; upper limbs fading to grey-white and lower limbs fading to brownish; transverse bars on the limbs brownish-black; ventral surface of body fading to grey-white; ventral surface of thigh buff-coloured (Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ).
Variation
Measurements of the type specimens are listed in Table 2 View Table 2 . Paratypes are similar to the holotype in morphology and colouration. The dorsal side colouration is light brown or dark brown; a light brown mid-dorsal stripe starts from the area between the eyes and extends backwards to vent and becomes more obvious; ventral side colouration milky white or grey-white; transverse stripes on the limbs light brown or dark brown; black spots on the back sparser and darker (Fig. 4 View Figure 4 ).
Secondary sexual characters
A pair of external subgular vocal sacs present in males; nuptial pad on the inner side of base of fingers Ⅰ; nuptial spinules invisible; the presence of suprabrachial gland.
Distribution and habitats
Nidirana chongqingensis sp. nov. is known from the type locality in Qianjiang District, Chongqing Municipality, China, at elevations between 1400 and 1500 metres above sea level.
Ecology
Nidirana chongqingensis sp. nov. inhabits mountain swamps, ponds, aquatic grassland and nearby weed thickets (Fig. 5 View Figure 5 ). Due to the dense weeds, the frog is hard to find while it is hiding in them. The males were seen to call at night.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.