Two New Species of Cascade Ranids of Amolops Genus (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae) from Lai Chau Province (Northwest Vietnam)

Nikolai L. Orlov, Cuc Thu Ho

Abstract


Two new species of cascade frog of genus Amolops are described on the base of the morphological study of the material collected in northwest Vietnam. Comparison with cascade frogs of Amolops and Huia genera is given. These species differ from all their congeners in a combination of morphological characters. The big species, A. splendissimus sp. nov. has SVL of adults up to 96.78 mm; body wide, dorsoventrally very compressed; head large, very broad and flat; round tympanum very small and slightly visible; supratympanic fold is weekly developed; disks on fingers and toes greatly enlarged; feet fully webbed; gular pouches and pectoral spines absent; vomerine teeth strongly developed, on two oblique ridges; choanas trapezium-shaped; dorsal and ventral skin absolutely smooth; dorsum of body black-brown, chaotically mottled by small bright-yellow spots of irregular shape which do not form transversal bands on the external surface of forelimbs and hindlimbs.

Second, small species Amolops minutus sp. nov. is characterized by a combination of the following characters: SVL of adults up to 50.22 mm; body relatively narrow and dorsoventrally compressed; head very flat, snout hardly point, almost rounded in dorsal view both in males and females; tympanum well developed; supratympanic and dorsolateral fold weekly developed; disks on fingers and toes enlarged; paired gular pouches well developed; pectoral spines absent; vomerine teeth strongly developed, on two oblique ridges; dorsal and ventral skin smooth. There are sparse granular-like tubercles along the flanks below dorsolateral fold; glandular ridge under the tarsus present; dorsum of body marble-brown with green speckles, flanks green with sparse brown speckles.


Keywords


Anura; Ranidae; cascade frogs; Amolops; Huia; new species; Northwest Vietnam; Lai Chau Province

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2007-14-3-211-228

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