Gracixalus huaping Luo, Zhang, Pan & Yu, 2025, sp. nov.
Year: 2025
Type: other
Abstract: Gracixalus huaping sp. nov. Figs 6 A, 7, 8 Type material. Holotype • GXNU YU 000517, an adult male, was collected on 3 May 2022 by Guohua Yu from Huaping National Natural Reserve, Longsheng, Guangxi, China (25°36'44"N, 109°56'19"E, 1474 m elevation). Paratypes • Two adult males (GXNU YU 000512, GXNU YU 000516) and four adult females (GXNU YU 000511, GXNU YU 000513, GXNU YU 000514, GXNU YU 000515) were collected from the type locality at the same time by Guohua Yu. Etymology. The specific epithet is named for Huaping, Guangxi, China, where the species was collected. We suggested “ Huaping small tree frog ” for the common English name and “ 花坪纤树蛙 (Huā Píng Xiān Shù Wā) ” for the common Chinese name. Diagnosis. The new species is assigned to genus Gracixalus based upon the following set of morphological characters: the presence of intercalary cartilage between terminal and penultimate phalanges of digits, tips of digits enlarged to discs bearing circum-marginal grooves, vomerine teeth absent, inner (first and second) and outer (third and fourth) fingers not opposable, and an inversed Y-shaped dark brown marking on the dorsum (Fei 1999; Yu et al. 2019; Tran et al. 2023). The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characters. (1) SVL 26.6–28.8 mm in males and 29.8–32.8 mm in females; (2) vomerine teeth absent; (3) dorsal surface yellowish brown; (4) few conical tubercles on dorsum; (5) internal vocal sac in males, vocal sac opening oval and rim of the opening dark brown; (6) throat smooth; (7) finger webbing rudimentary; (8) linea masculina present in males; (9) snout rounded; (10) tibiotarsal articulation reaching eye; (11) tibiotarsal projection absent; (12) ventral surface translucent, yellowish-white; (13) belly granular; (14) nuptial pads present on finger I; (15) heels overlapping when legs at right angle to body; (16) iris golden brown; and (17) flank rough with white tubercles. Description of holotype. Small size (SVL 28.6 mm; Table 3); head wider (HW 10.9 mm) than long (HL 9.0 mm); snout rounded, slightly projecting beyond margin of lower jaw in ventral view, rounded in profile; canthus rostralis rounded; nostril oval, protuberant, closer to tip of snout than eye; loreal region oblique, slightly concave; interorbital distance (IOD 3.3 mm) equal to internarial distance (IND 3.3 mm) and greater than upper eyelid width (UEW 2.5 mm); eye large, horizontal diameter (ED 3.2 mm) equal to snout length (SL 3.2 mm); pupil oval, horizontal; tympanum distinct (TD 1.5 mm), nearly equal to half of ED; supratympanic fold distinct, extending from posterior corner of eye to above insertion of arm; vomerine teeth absent; tongue notched posteriorly; single internal vocal sac, vocal sac opening oval and rim of the opening dark brown. Forelimbs relatively strong; forearm and hand length (FHL 14.3 mm) 50 % of SVL; relative finger lengths I <II <IV <III; fingers webbing rudimentary; tips of all fingers expanded into discs with circum-marginal grooves; subarticular tubercles prominent and rounded, formula 1, 1, 2, 2; two metacarpal tubercles, the inner oval and the outer rounded; nuptial pad present at the base of the first finger, prominent. Heels overlapping when legs at right angle to body; the relative lengths of the toes I <II <III = V
Institution: Guangxi Normal University
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6930997294
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