[Herpetology • 2023] Bufo exiguus • A New Species of Stream-living Toad (Anura: Bufonidae) from Guangdong, China

  

 Bufo exiguus 

 Qi, Lyu, Song, Wei, Zhong & Wang, 2023

DOI: 10.3897/vz.73.e98558

Abstract

In this work, we describe a new species of genus Bufo, Bufo exiguus sp. nov. from Mt. Nankun, Guangdong Province, China. This new species can be distinguished from all congeners by significant divergences in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and CO1 genes and by a combination of morphological characters: small body size, tympanum absent, parotoid glands small and olive-shaped, tarsal fold absent, dorsal body with a fine vertebral line and white nuptial spinules present on dorsal and inner surfaces of fingers I and II in males. At present, Bufo exiguus sp. nov. is only known from the slow-flowing montane streams from its type locality and its conservation status should be carefully addressed.

Keywords: Bufo cryptotympanicus, Bufo exiguus sp. nov., niche differentiation, taxonomy, true toad

Paratypes of Bufo exiguus sp. nov. in life.
A1 adult female SYS a005715, dorsolateral view; A2 adult female SYS a005715, ventral view; A3 adult female SYS a005715, ventral view of left hand; A4 adult female SYS a005715, ventral view of right foot;
B subadult female SYS a005584; C adult female SYS a005716.

Photos by Lyu Zhi-Tong (A, B) and Jian Wang (C).

Bufo exiguus sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Bufo exiguus sp. nov. is distinguished from other species in the genus Bufo by a combination of the following morphological characters: (1) small body size (adult males with SVL 43.2–43.3 mm, adult females with SVL 48.5–52.4 mm); (2) tympanum absent; (3) parotoid glands small, olive-shaped; (4) tarsal fold absent; (5) dorsal body with a fine vertebral line; (6) numerous white granular nuptial spinules present on dorsal and inner surfaces of fingers I and II in males.

Etymology: The specific name exiguus means small in Latin and refers to its small body size. According to their distribution and ecological habit, we suggest the common name as “Guangdong stream toad” and Chinese formal name as “guǎng dōng xī chán” (广东溪蟾).

Shuo Qi, Zhi-Tong Lyu, Han-Ming Song, Shi-Chao Wei, Qi-Feng Zhong and Ying-Yong Wang. 2023. A New Species of Stream-living Toad (Anura: Bufonidae: Bufo) from Guangdong, China. Vertebrate Zoology. 73: 677-689. DOI: 10.3897/vz.73.e98558