Taxonomic Notes on Rhacophorid Frogs
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Russian Journal of Herpetology Vol. 19, No. 1, 2012, pp. 23 – 64 TAXONOMIC NOTES ON RHACOPHORID FROGS (RHACOPHORINAE: RHACOPHORIDAE: ANURA) OF SOUTHERN PART OF ANNAMITE MOUNTAINS (TRUONG SON, VIETNAM), WITH DESCRIPTION OF THREE NEW SPECIES Nikolai L. Orlov,1 Nikolay A. Poyarkov,2,3 Anna B. Vassilieva,2,3 Natalia B. Ananjeva,1 Tao Thien Nguyen,4 Nguyen Ngoc Sang,5 and Peter Geissler6 Submitted January 15, 2012. We present a review of taxonomic status and distribution of rhacophorid frog species (Anura, Rhacophoridae, subfamily Rhacophorinae) found in isolated mountain systems of southern Vietnam (Annamite Mountains) and neighboring regions. On the basis of morphological and molecular evidences we reconsider taxonomy of Vietnam- ese rhacophorids with special focus on genera Theloderma sensu lato, Philautus sensu lato, Raorchestes, Feihyla, Kurixalus, Chiromantis, and Rhacophorus. Two new species of rhacophorid frogs of the genus Theloderma are de- scribed from high-elevation montane forest in Chu Yang Sin Mt. (Dak Lak Province) and lowland monsoon tropi- cal forest in Annamite foothills in Binh Phuok, Lam Dong and Dong Nai provinces of Vietnam; we discuss taxon- omy of other small Theloderma species and provide two new combinations. These new species are different from the other members of Theloderma in their appearance, morphological details and coloration. We provide a redes- cription of Raorchestes gryllus (Smith, 1924), reconsider taxonomy of Rhacophorus calcaneus group and give a description of one new Rhacophorus species. The new species is different from other Rhacophorus species on the basis of strongly expressed pointed projection at tibiotarsal articulation and coloration. Ecology and natural his- tory of newly described taxa are discussed. We also give a present-day list of rhacophorid frogs found in Vietnam. Keywords: Rhacophoridae; taxonomy; Rhacophorus; Philautus; Raorchestes; Theloderma; Chiromantis; Feihyla; Kurixalus; southern Vietnam; Dak Lak; Lam Dong; Binh Phuok. INTRODUCTION family are arboreal, adapted for life in the trees by having intercalary elements between the terminal and penulti- Rhacophorid frogs (Anura: Rhacophoridae) is a large mate phalanges, expanded digit disks, and, often, exten- group of arboreal frogs containing over 320 species and sive webbing on the hands and feet (Duellman and Trueb, distributed throughout subsaharan Africa, China, South- 1986). Due to their high level of diversification and high east Asia, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Greater species diversity, limited number of morphological syna- Sunda Islands (Frost, 2011). Most species within the pomorphies within groups and unresolved molecular phy- 1 logenies, generic allocation within the family is often dif- Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya ficult. Their phylogenetic placement presently remains nab., 1, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] unresolved (Delorme et al., 2005, Li et al., 2008, 2009, 2 Lomonosov Moscow State University, Biological Faculty, Depart- ment of Vertebrate Zoology, Leninskiye Gory, Moscow, GSP-1, Wilkinson et al., 2002; Yu et al., 2008, 2009, 2010). 119991, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] The subfamily Rhacophorinae (Anura: Rhacophori- 3 Joint Russian-Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technological Cen- dae: Rhacophorinae) is the most speciose anuran group in ter of the A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Rus- Vietnam with almost 50 species of 10 genera recorded for sian Academy of Sciences; Southern Branch: 3, Street 3/2, 10 Dis- the country (Orlov and Ananjeva, 2007). According to trict, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. recent reviews on rhacophorid taxonomy (summarized in 4 Vietnam National Museum of Nature, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam; e-mail: [email protected] “Amphibian Species of the World: an on-line reference. 5 Institute of Tropical Biology, 85 Tran Quoc Toan St., Dist. 3, Ho Chi Version 5.5”; Frost, 2011) all Vietnamese rhacophorid Minh city, Vietnam; e-mail: [email protected] frogs belong to the following ten genera: Chiromantis 6 Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee Peters, 1854; Feihyla Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany. Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, 1026-2296/2012/1901-0023 © 2012 Folium Publishing Company 24 Nikolai L. Orlov et al. Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussba- cophoridae (Li et al., 2008, 2009; Wilkinson et al., 2002; um, Lynch, Green et Wheeler, 2006; Gracixalus De- Yu et al., 2008, 2009, 2010; Rowley et al., 2011). Since lorme, Dubois, Grosjean et Ohler, 2005; Kurixalus Ye, no morphological synapomorphy is known for the genus Fei et Dubois, 1999; Nyctixalus Boulenger, 1882; Philau- Theloderma, and its monophyly is not supported by tus Gistel, 1848; Polypedates Tschudi, 1838; Raorchestes molecular data (Liem, 1970; Li et al., 2009), we consider Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta et Bossuyt, 2010; Rhaco- the proposed generic allocation of the two new species phorus Kuhl et Van Hasselt, 1822 and Theloderma described herein as preliminary. Future phylogenetic data Tschudi, 1838 (all above-mentioned taxa belong to the have to show whether this allocation can be sustained. subfamily Rhacophorinae). In the present paper we will discuss taxonomy of Vietnamese rhacophorids occupy different ecological rhacophorids found in southern Vietnam, provide de- niches and are most diverse in monsoon tropical forests scriptions of two new small species of the genus Thelo- and mountain tropical rainforests on various altitudes derma sensu Rowley et al., 2011, reconsider taxonomy from the sea level to more than 2500 m a.s.l. (Orlov and and provide new combinations for two other small Thelo- Ananjeva, 2007). Intensive fieldwork during last two de- derma species, give redescription of Philautus (Raor- cades led to numerous new records and descriptions of chestes) gryllus Smith, 1924, discuss taxonomy of Rha- new rhacophorid species (Orlov, 1997, 2005, 2008; Inger cophorus calcaneus group and provide a description of et al., 1999; Orlov and Ho, 2000a, 2000b, 2005; Orlov et one new Rhacophorus species. We also give a present- al., 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008; Matsui and Orlov, day list of rhacophorid frogs found in Vietnam. 2004; Ziegler and Köhler, 2001; Stuart and Heatwole, 2004; Ohler et al., 2000; Frost et al., 2006; Orlov and Ananjeva, 2007; Ohler and Delorme, 2006; Nguyen et MATERIAL AND METHODS al., 2005, 2008a, 2008b; Bain et al, 2009; Orlov et al., 2010; Rowley et al., 2010b, 2011b). Compared to better The present review of rhacophorid fauna of Vietnam, studied provinces of northern and central Vietnam, many descriptions of new Theloderma Tschudi, 1838 and Rha- areas in mountainous regions of Annamite Mountains cophorus Kuhl et van Hasselt, 1822 species, taxonomic (Truong Son) in the southern half of the country remain notes on members of genera Raorchestes Biju, Shouche, insufficiently surveyed. This is true for the mountain Dubois, Dutta et Bossuyt, 2010; Feihyla Frost, Grant, massive of Lang Bian plateau — the southernmost part of Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, de Sá, Channing, Wil- the Annamites, occupying parts of Dak Lak, Lam Dong kinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, and Khanh Hoa provinces and adjacent territories. Re- Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green et Wheeler, 2006; cent progress in herpetological research in this area led to Chiromantis Peters, 1854; and Philautus Gistel, 1848 description of several new amphibian and reptilian spe- found in southern Vietnam are based on specimens col- cies (Nazarov et al., 2008, 2012; Poyarkov, Vasilieva, lected by the authors in 1993 – 2011 during field surveys 2012; Rowley et al., 2010a, 2011a, 2011b; Stuart et al., in southern Vietnam (Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Da- 2011; etc.). nang, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam During our recent field surveys on the Lang Bian Pla- Dong, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Binh Phuok provinces), teau (Southern Annamite Mountains, Vietnam) in 2009 – museum collections and literature review. 2011, we have encountered several species of small sized Specimens were caught in the field mostly during rhacophorids of unclear generic attribution. Two of them night excursions by hand, initially fixated in 70% ethanol we herewith describe as new species putatively allocated and subsequently preserved in 70% ethanol or 4% forma- to the genus Theloderma (Tschudi 1838). Due to the re- lin. Specimens used for description are deposited in the cent progress in studies on phylogeny of the Rhacophori- Zoological Museum of Moscow University (ZMMU, dae the generic-level taxonomy of the family is quite un- Moscow, Russia); Zoological Institute Russian Academy stable (Delorme et al., 2005, Frost et al., 2006, Li et al., of Science of St. Petersburg (ZISP, St. Petersburg, Rus- 2008, 2009, Wilkinson et al., 2002; Yu et al., 2008, sia) and the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander 2009, 2010). Many of recently revealed clades still lack Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK). Comparative material was described morphologhical synapomorphies. The genus examined from the collections of Royal Ontario Museum Theloderma (Tschudi 1838), as currently understood, can (ROM, Toronto, Canada); Chengdu Institute of Biology not be considered as a monophyletic genus. The species (CIB, Chengdu, China); Kunming Institute of Zoology assigned to the genus Nyctixalus Boulenger 1882 cluster (KIZ, Kunming, China); Field Museum of Natural His- within one monophyletic lineage