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. 2016 Jan 18;37(1):21-30.
doi: 10.13918/j.issn.2095-8137.2016.1.21.

A new species of the genus Scutiger (Anura: Megophryidae) from Medog of southeastern Tibet, China

Ke Jiang  1 , Kai Wang  2 , Da-Hu Zou  3 , Fang Yan  1 , Pi-Peng Li  4 , Jing Che  5
Affiliations

A new species of the genus Scutiger (Anura: Megophryidae) from Medog of southeastern Tibet, China

Ke Jiang et al. Dongwuxue Yanjiu. .

Abstract

A new species of Scutiger Theobald, 1868 is described from Medog, southeastern Tibet, China, based on morphological and molecular data. The new species was previously identified as Scutiger nyingchiensis, but it can be differentiated from the latter and all other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) medium adult body size, SVL 50.5-55.6 mm in males and 53.8-57.2 mm in females; (2) maxillary teeth absent; (3) web rudimentary between toes; (4) prominent, conical-shaped tubercles on dorsal and lateral surfaces of body and limbs; (5) tubercles covered by black spines in both sexes in breeding condition; (6) a pair of pectoral glands and a pair of axillary glands present and covered by black spines in males in breeding condition, width of axillary gland less than 50% of pectoral gland; (7) nuptial spines present on dorsal surface of first and second fingers, and inner side of third finger in males in breeding condition; (8) spines absent on the abdominal region; (9) vocal sac absent. In addition, the distribution and conservation status of the new species are also discussed.

Keywords: DNA barcoding; Eastern Himalayas; Scutiger nyingchiensis; Scutiger spinosus sp. nov.; Tibet.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Bayesian inference tree based on barcoding COI data of the Tibetan congeners of the genus Scutiger. The numbers represent Bayesian posterior probabilities (only ≥90 were showed).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scutiger spinosus sp. nov. holotype (KIZ 011114) in preservative (Photos by Ke JIANG). A: Dorsolateral view; B: Dorsal view of body; C: Ventral view; D: Dorsolateral view of body, showing tubercles and spines; E: Dorsal view of hindlimbs, showing tubercles and spines on thigh; F: Ventral view of hand; G: Ventral view of foot.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scutiger spinosus sp. nov. paratype (KIZ 013867), adult male in life (Photos by Kai WANG). A: Dorsolateral view; B: Dorsal view; C: Ventral view; D: Ventral view of hand; E: Ventral view of foot.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scutiger spinosus sp. nov. paratype (KIZ 013865) adult female in life (Photos by Kai WANG). A: Dorsolateral view; B: Ventral view; C: Ventral view of hand; D: Ventral view of foot.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Breeding pair of the Scutiger spinosus sp. nov., showing the inguinal amplexus (Photos by Kai WANG). A: lateral view; B: ventral view.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Breeding habitat (A) and eggs (B) of Scutiger spinosus sp. nov. at 62K of Medog, southeastern Tibet, China (Photos by Kai WANG and Pi-Peng LI)
Figure 7
Figure 7
Male and female of Scutiger nyingchiensis (Photos by Da-Hu ZOU, Bao-Lin ZHANG and Ke JIANG). Dorsolateral view (A), ventral view (B) and ventral view of foot (C) in life, and dorsal view in preservative (D) of the adult topotypic male (KIZ 017460) from Bujiu, Nyingchi, Tibet, China. Dorsolateral view in life (E) and in preservative (F) of the adult female (KIZ 016237), showing the absence of spines on the dorsal surface of the body, from Gongbo’gyamda (=Gongbu’jiangda), Tibet, China.
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References

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