Work

A New Species of Boulenophrys (Anura, Megophryidae) from Northern Jiangxi, China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: A new species of the genus Boulenophrys (Anura, Megophryidae) is described from Mount Lushan, Jiangxi Province, China, long considered to be Boulenophrys boettgeri. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA genes show that the new species forms a sister clade to B. jinggangensis, with an uncorrected COI p-distance of 3.7%, confirming its status as a distinct species. Morphologically, it differs from all known congeners by a unique combination of characters, and from its closest relative B. jinggangensis by having the following traits: (1) larger adult body size (adult males SVL 42.7–44.7 mm; adult females 46.0–50.3 mm); (2) heels not meeting when hindlimbs are flexed at right angles to the body axis; (3) smaller horn-like tubercle on the upper eyelid; and (4) relative finger lengths (I < II < IV < III). Acoustically, the new species differs markedly from B. jinggangensis in nearly all parameters of its advertisement calls. This discovery increases the known species diversity of Boulenophrys in Jiangxi Province and provides baseline data for further biodiversity conservation efforts in the Mount Lushan region.

Source: Animals

DOI: 10.3390/ani15213197