A new species of the genus Leptobrachella Smith, 1925 (Anura, Megophryidae) from Guizhou, China

Abstract

Asian leaf-litter toads of the genus Leptobrachella represent charismatic anuran diversification with 80 species, of which 25 are from China. Recent new discoveries suggest that the diversity of this genus is underestimated. Here, we describe a new species of Leptobrachella, Leptobrachella bashaensis sp. nov. from the Basha Nature Reserve, Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, China. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the following suite of morphological traits: small body size (SVL 22.9–25.6 mm in six adult males and 27.1 mm in one adult female); head longer than wide; dorsal skin slightly shagreened with small tubercles; creamy-white chest and belly with irregular black spots; distinct ventrolateral glands forming a white line; finger webbing and fringes absent; toe webbing rudimentary and lateral fringes narrow; iris bicolored with bright orange in upper half and silver in lower half; dorsal surface of tadpole head dark brown with small, brown, irregular spot, air sac-shaped bulges on both sides of body. The new species differs from all known congeners by an uncorrected p-distance of >5.3% of the 16S rRNA gene fragment examined, and the phylogenetic analysis clusters the new species with L. maoershanensis and L. laui. At present, the new species is only known from a small range of montane evergreen secondary forests in Basha Nature Reserve approximately 900 m elevation. Its natural history and conservation status are discussed.