New insights on the systematics and reproductive behaviour in tree frogs of the genus Feihyla, with description of a new related genus from Asia (Anura, Rhacophoridae)
Author
Biju, S. D.
0000-0003-1039-4421
Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India & sdbiju @ es. du. ac. in; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 1039 - 4421
sdbiju@es.du.ac.in
Author
Garg, Sonali
0000-0002-0048-4346
Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India & sgarg. du @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0048 - 4346
sgarg.du@gmail.com
Author
Gokulakrishnan, G.
0000-0002-3574-1891
Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India & gokul 7701 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 3574 - 1891
gokul7701@gmail.com
Author
Chandrakasan, Sivaperuman
0000-0002-3582-7767
Andaman and Nicobar Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India & c _ sivaperuman 1 @ rediffmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 3582 - 7767
c_sivaperuman1@rediffmail.com
Author
Thammachoti, Panupong
0000-0003-3477-8964
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phyathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand. tatsuya _ th @ hotmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 3477 - 8964
tatsuya_th@hotmail.com
Author
Ren, Jinlong
Author
Gopika, C.
0000-0002-0047-0438
Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India & gopikacjnv 33 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 0047 - 0438
gopikacjnv33@gmail.com
Author
Bisht, Karan
0000-0001-9595-3450
Systematics Lab, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India & karranbisht 5 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0001 - 9595 - 3450
karranbisht5@gmail.com
Author
Hamidy, Amir
Author
Shouche, Yogesh
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-11-12
4878
1
1
55
journal article
7940
10.11646/zootaxa.4878.1.1
b315551e-6683-4c2b-ab68-8913e9d70131
1175-5326
4424570
34C96340-F0F5-440F-AEEB-6AC50F175950
Genus
Feihyla
Original description.
Feihyla
Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad
, de
S, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moler, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, and Wheeler 2006
. The amphibian tree of life. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 297: 1–370.
Type
species.
Philautus palpebralis
Smith, 1924
[=
Feihyla palpebralis
(
Smith, 1924
)
]
Common name.
Jelly-nest Tree Frogs
Etymology.
The gender of this generic name is feminine. According to the original description, the generic nomen of
Feihyla
is derived from Fei (the last name of Chinese herpetologist, Prof. Fei Liang) +
hyla
(Greek: vocative form of Hylas, a traditional generic root for treefrogs) to honour the former’s extensive contributions to Chinese herpetology (
Frost
et al
. 2006
).
Diagnosis.
Small to medium-sized tree frogs (male SVL
17–28 mm
, female SVL
23–34 mm
); body rather slender in appearance; skin shagreened to sparsely granular; a white streak extends along the upper lip margins, either from below the eye up to the shoulder (in
Feihyla palpebralis
group) or from snout tip to the groin (in
Feihyla vittiger
group); vomerine teeth absent; first two fingers opposable to the others; fingers free of web or with rudimentary webbing; tips of fingers enlarged into discs with circum-marginal grooves; moderate webbing between toes, up to or just above the third subarticular tubercle on either side of toe IV; eggs laid in terrestrial jelly nests (
Fig. 3
).
FIGURE 1.
Maximum Likelihood tree showing phylogenetic relationships among 124 representative taxa from all recognised genera of the subfamily
Rhacophorinae
. Relationships are inferred based on 1,937 bp of mitochondrial (
12SrRNA,
tRNAVAL
, 16SrRNA
) and nuclear (
RHO
and
RAG1
) genes. Numbers above and below the branches indicate Bayesian Posterior Probabilities and RAxML bootstrap support values, respectively.
FIGURE 2. A–B.
DNA Barcoding based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences:
A.
genus
Feihyla
;
B.
genus
Rohanixalus
gen. nov.
;
C.
distribution of the new genus
Rohanixalus
. Images represent the corresponding species and their broad geographical ranges.
Comparison.
Genus
Feihyla
differs from the morphologically related genera
Chirixalus
and
Chiromantis
by its slender body (vs. slender to robust); absence of vomerine teeth (vs. present); eggs laid in jelly nest (vs. foam nest) (
Fig. 3
).
Distribution.
Genus
Feihyla
currently has a disjunct distribution in southern
China
(
Guangxi
,
Guizhou
, and
Yunnan
provinces) and possibly adjoining Vietnamese regions (
Lao Cai Province
), northern
Vietnam
(Tam Dao) to central
Vietnam
(
Lam Dong Province
), and the southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Java (
Fig 4
).
Diversity.
Prior to this study, there were six nominal taxa in the genus
Feihyla
(
Frost
et al.
2006
;
Aowphol
et al.
2013
; Chan
et al. 2
018;
Li
et al.
2013
;
Fei
et al.
2010
). Based on the revised classification herein, two species are transferred from
Feihyla
to
Rohanixalus
, while another two
Chirixalus
species are allocated to
Feihyla
(see taxonomic remarks under the respective species accounts). Hereafter, the six currently recognised
Feihyla
members are:
F. fuhua
,
F. inexpectata
,
F. kajau
,
F. palpebralis
,
F. samkosensis
comb. nov.
, and
F. vittiger
comb. nov.
Morphological grouping of species.
Based on phenotypic traits, the present study identifies the following two major species groups in this genus: (1)
Feihyla palpebralis
group (
F. fuhua
and
F. palpebralis
), and (2)
Feihyla
vit- tiger
group (
F. inexpectata
,
F. kajau
,
F. samkosensis
comb. nov.
, and
F. vittiger
comb. nov.
). Taxonomic accounts of all the recognised
Feihyla
species provided below are arranged by species-group.