Leptobrachella weixinensis Liu, Chen, Xu & Wu, 2025, sp. nov.
Year: 2025
Type: other
Abstract: Leptobrachella weixinensis sp. nov. Figs 3, 4, Table 1 Holotype. • NNU 040615, an adult male collected from Shizigou village, Zhaxi Town, Weixin County, Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China (27.84730 ° N, 105.02633 ° E; elevation 1280 m a. s. l.), collected by Lu Chen on 15 June 2024. Paratypes. • Two males, NNU 040602 and NNU 040603, collected at the same locality and with same collection information as the holotype. Etymology. The specific epithet “ weixinensis ” is given as a noun in apposition and refers to the name of the Weixin County in Yunnan Province, China, where the new species occurs. We suggest the English common name “ Weixin Leaf Litter Toad ” and the Chinese common name “ 威信掌突蟾 ” (Wēi Xìn Zhǎng Tū Chán). Diagnosis. Leptobrachella weixinensis sp. nov. is assigned to the genus Leptobrachella morphologically by the presence of small size, presence of macroglands (supra-axillary, femoral, and ventrolateral glands), vomerine teeth absent, rounded finger tips, and presence of an elevated inner metacarpal tubercle not continuous to the thumb (e. g., Dubois 1980; Ohler et al. 2011; Rowley et al. 2013). The new species can be further distinguished from its congeners by the combination of: (1) small body size (SVL 28.2–29.7 mm in three males); (2) interorbital space wider than internarial distance; (3) upper margin of tympanum incontact with supratympanic ridge; (4) tibiotarsal articulation reaches the nostril when hindlimb is stretched along the side of the body; (5) heels overlapping; (6) toes with rudimentary webbing and narrow lateral fringes; (7) flanks with large irregular black spots; (8) iris distinctly bicolored, typically orange in upper half, silver white in lower half; (9) ventral surface of throat, chest, and belly creamy white; chest and abdomen with distinct dark patches; (10) supratympanic ridge distinct with reddish-brown pigmentation. Description of holotype (Table 1). NNU 040615, sexually mature male, body size small, SVL 28.2 mm; head length (HDL 10.0 mm) almost equal to head width (HDW 10.1 mm); head triangular in dorsal view; snout short (SNT / HDL 38.0 %), snout round in both dorsal view and profile, projecting beyond margin of lower jaw (Fig. 3 A, B); oval-shaped nostril closer to tip of snout than to anterior margin of eye; canthus rostralis indistinct; loreal region slightly concave; eyes large (ED / HDL 36.0 %), protuberant in both dorsal and lateral views; eye diameter twice of the maximum tympanum diameter (TD / ED 200 %) and subequal to snout length (ED / SNT 94.7 %); tympanum distinct, rounded, tympanic ring slightly elevated relative to skin of temporal region (Fig. 3); upper margin of tympanum incontact with supratympanic ridge; eye-tympanum distance less than twice as long as maximum tympanum diameter (TED / TD 55.6 %); pupil vertical; interorbital space (IOD 3.3 mm) flat, wider than internarial distance (INS 2.4 mm) and width of upper eyelid (UEW 2.8 mm); vomerine teeth absent; tongue with shallow notch at posterior tip; vocal sac openings slit-like, paired, located posterolaterally on floor of mouth; supratympanic ridge distinct with reddish-brown pigmentation, extending from posterior corner of eye to supra-axillary gland, the posterior end of supratympanic ridge not expanded (Fig. 3). Forelimb relatively long, forearm shorter than hand, not enlarged (FAL 7.3 mm, HL 7.6 mm); fingers slender, relative finger lengths: I = IV <II <III; tips of fingers rounded, slightly swollen; subarticular tubercles absent on fingers; supernumerary tubercles absent; webbing between fingers absent; inner metacarpal tubercle large and rounded, separated from the smaller, round outer metacarpal (Fig. 3 E). Hindlimbs relatively long; thigh length greater than tibia length (TL / THL 92.4 %) and foot length (FL / THL 95.8 %); tibiotarsal articulation reaches the nostril when hindlimb is stretched along the side of the body; heels overlapping when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; relative toe lengths: I <II <V <III
Authors: Liu, Nai-Yi, Chen, Lu, Xu, Wei, Wu, Yun-He
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6893377838
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