Gracixalus waza Nguyen, Le, Pham, Nguyen, Bonkowski & Ziegler, 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Nguyen, Truong Quang
name: Le, Minh Duc
name: Pham, Cuong The
name: Nguyen, Tao Thien
name: Bonkowski, Michael
name: Ziegler, Thomas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Rhacophoridae
Gracixalus
Gracixalus waza

description: Gracixalus waza sp. nov.
(Figs. 2 and 3)
Holotype. IEBR A.2012.2, adult male, collected by T.Q. Nguyen on 13 October 2011 in the karst forest near Ban Coong Village (22°43.216′N, 106°39.437′E), Duc Quang Commune, Ha Lang District, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam, at an elevation of ca. 480 m.
Paratypes. IEBR A.2012.3, adult female, the same collection data as the holotype; IEBR A.2012.4, adult male, VNMN A.2012.2, adult female, VNMN A.2012.3, adult male, ZFMK 93666-93667, adult males collected on 18 October 2011 by T.Q. Nguyen, C.T. Pham and D.T. Le in the karst forest near Lung Tung Village (22°43.765′N, 106° 35.377′E), Kim Loan Commune, Ha Lang District, Cao Bang Province, Vietnam, at elevations between 620 m and 650 m.
Diagnosis. The new species is distinguished from its congeners and other small rhacophorid species by a combination of the following characters: (1) size small (SVL 27.1–32.9 mm in males, 37.6 mm in females); (2) head as wide as or wider than long; (3) vomerine teeth absent; (4) snout rounded and long (SNL/SVL 0.16– 0.18); (5) spines on upper eyelid absent; (6) tibiotarsal projection absent; (7) dorsal skin smooth; (8) dermal fringe on forearm and tarsus absent; (9) dorsal surface of head and body greyish green to moss-green with dark brown pattern forming an inverse Y marking; and (10) throat and chest with dark marbling.
a JN862547 also includes EF564525
b EF564524 also includes EU215525
Description of holotype. Small rhacophorid (SVL 32.8 mm), body robust, dorsoventrally compressed.
Head. Head as long as wide (HL 12.1 mm, HW 12.0 mm), convex above; snout rounded anteriorly from dorsal view, slightly protruding, its length (SNL 5.8 mm) longer than horizontal diameter of eye (ED 4.1 mm); canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region oblique, concave; interorbital region flat, broader than upper eyelid (IOD 3.8 mm, UEW 3.1 mm), as broad as internarial distance (IN 3.8 mm); distance between anterior corner of eyes (DAE 7.3 mm) about 68 % distance between posterior corner of eyes (DPE 10.7 mm); nostril rounded, without a lateral flap of skin, closer to tip of snout than to the eye (NS 2.6 mm, EN 3.6 mm); pupil oval, horizontal; tympanum distinct (TYD 2.0 mm), rounded, half of the eye diameter but greater than tympanum-eye distance (TYE 1.8 mm); pineal ocellus absent; spinules on upper eyelid absent; vomerine teeth absent; choanae small, oval; tongue cordate, deeply notched posteriorly; a pair of vocal sac openings present at base of jaw; supratympanic fold distinct, extending from behind the eye to beyond level of axilla.
Forelimbs. Arm short, about half of hand length (FLL 8.4 mm, HAL 15.9 mm), dermal fringe along outer side of forearm absent; relative length of fingers: I <II <IV <III; tips of all fingers with well developed discs with distinct circum-marginal grooves, discs relatively wide compared to width of finger (fd3/fw3 1.5/ 0.9 mm), disc of finger III smaller than tympanum diameter; finger webbing absent; subarticular tubercles distinct, blunt, rounded, one on finger I and II, two on fingers III and IV; nuptial pads prominent, oval; outer palmar tubercle divided into two.
Hindlimbs. Heels overlapping when held at right angles to the body; tibia length (TbL 18.1 mm) about five times greater than tibia width (TbW 3.5 mm), longer than thigh (FeL 15.6 mm) but shorter than foot length (FoL 22.3 mm); relative length of toes: I <II <III ≤ V <IV; tips of all toes with well developed discs with distinct circum-marginal grooves, discs slightly smaller than those of fingers; webbing formula Ii(1)(11/3)iIIe(1/ 2)(2)iIIIe(1)(2)iIV(2)(1)iV; subarticular tubercles distinct, blunt, rounded: one on toes I and II, two on toes III and V, and three on toe IV; inner metatarsal tubercle small (IMT 1.3 mm); dermal ridge along outer side of tibia and tarsal fold absent; outer metatarsal and supernumerary tubercles absent; pointed projection at tibiotarsal articulation absent; intercalary cartilage present in between the terminal and penultimate phalanges of digits.
Skin. Dorsal surface of head and body smooth; posterior part of tympanum, flank and lateral sides of limbs with small, flattened granulars; dorsolateral folds absent; throat and chest smooth, belly and ventral surface of thigh granular; dermal appendage at vent absent.
Coloration in alcohol. Snout and dorsum grey with a dark brown pattern forming an inverse Y marking, notably a triangular pattern between eyes bifurcating into two bands continuing posteriorly; a dark pattern running from above cloaca forward to the middle of the back; lateral side of head and flank grey with dark spots; lips with white narrow bars; tympanum light brown; forelimb, dorsal surface of thigh, tibia and foot grey with some darker bands, posterior part of thigh below the vent yellowish brown with small white spots; throat and chest with dark brown marbling; belly immaculate cream to white; ventral part of forelimbs white; ventral surface of thighs white to grey; webbing grey.
Coloration in life. Background of dorsal surface of head, body and limbs greyish green to moss-green; a dark brown, blotched pattern between eyes bifurcating into two bands continuing posteriorly on the back; a dark stripe present in the middle of posterior part of dorsum. Forelimb, dorsal parts of thigh, tibia, and foot moss-green with some dark brown bands; throat and chest white with dark brown marbling; belly immaculate white.
Variation. Measurements and morphological characters of the type series are given in Table 3. Males are smaller than the females in size (SVL 27.1–32.9 mm, n 0 5 vs 37.6 mm, n 0 2, respectively), have smaller average ratio of TYE/TYD (0.87 versus 0.98), and have developed nuptial pads on finger I. Dorsal coloration in life varied among individuals from light greenish brown to moss-green. Dark marbling on throat and chest are present in all preserved specimens but more bright in the female paratype IEBR A.2012.3.
Etymology. The new species is named in honour of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), for the support of amphibian research and conservation in Vietnam. As common names, we suggest Waza Treefrog (English name), Waza Ruderfrosch (German name), and Nhái cây wa-za (Vietnamese name).
Distribution. Gracixalus waza sp. nov. is currently known only from the type locality in Cao Bang Province, northern Vietnam (Fig. 4).
Natural history. Gracixalus waza sp. nov. seems to be closely associated with the karst environment. Specimens were found at night between 1900 and 2300 hours near the entrance of caves and in valleys surrounded by limestone cliffs, and far from water sources. The nearest distance to the water sources recorded by us was about 200 m, from the entrance to the underground stream inside a cave near Ban Coong Village, Duc Quang Commune. The main habitat at the type locality is secondary karst forest of medium and small hardwoods mixed with shrubs and vines. Most of specimens were found on trees, about 0.2–0.5 m above the ground, but two specimens were collected on a limestone cliff inside a cave near Ban Lung Tung Village, Kim Loan Commune, on 8 April 2012 (Fig. 5). The call of the new species was not heard during our surveys in October 2011 or in April and May 2012. Several reptile species, known as karst forest inhabitants, were found at the site, including Lui’ s Leopard Gecko Goniurosaurus luii Grismer, Viets and Boyle, 1999 and Moellendorf’ s Rat Snake Orthriophis moellendorffii (Boettger, 1886).
Comparisons. Based on data obtained from the literature (Boulenger 1893; Bourret 1937, 1942; Hu 1978; Hu et al. 1981; Ye and Hu 1984; Ye et al. 1993; Inger et al. 1999; Ohler et al. 2002; Bain and Nguyen 2004; Matsui and Orlov 2004; Orlov et al. 2004; 2009; 2012; Nguyen et al. 2008; Fei et al. 2010; Li et al. 2011; Rowley et al. 2011) and specimens examined (see Appendix) we compared the new species with its congeners and other small treefrogs from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China which have a SVL less than 40 mm and a dorsum with a dark inverse Y marking or similar color pattern.
Gracixalus waza sp. nov. is most similar to G. quyeti (Nguyen, Hendrix, Böhme, Vu and Ziegler, 2008) in terms of color pattern, but it differs from the latter species by having a head as wide as or wider than long (vs longer than wide in G. quyeti), a greater distance from tympanum to posterior corner of the eye (ratio of TYE/TYD 0.88–0.96 vs 0.40–0.44 in G. quyeti), and small tubercles on dorsum absent (vs present in G. quyeti). The new species differs from G. gracilipes (Bourret, 1937), G. quangi Rowley, Dau, Nguyen, Cao and Nguyen, 2011, and G. supercornutus (Orlov, Ho and Nguyen, 2004) by having a round snout (vs triangular pointed snout in G. gracilipes, G. quangi and G. supercornutus) and spines on upper eyelid absent (vs present in all latter species). It further differs from G. supercornutus and G. quangi by having a tibiotarsal projection absent (vs present in G. supercornutus and G. quangi), from G. gracilipes and G. quangi by having a dark inverse Y marking (vs X marking in latter species) on the dorsum; from G. jinxiuensis (Hu, 1978) by having a larger size (SVL of males 27.1–32.9 mm vs 23.5 mm, of females 37.6 mm vs 28.7–30.0 mm), a higher ratio of TYE/TYD (0.88-0.96 versus 0.78 in G. jinxiuensis), and ground color of dorsum greyish green to moss-green (dorsum brown in G. jinxiuensis). The new species further differs from “ G. cf. jinxiuensis ” from Ha Giang and Lai Chau by the absence of tubercles on dorsum. Gracixalus waza sp. nov. can be distinguished from G. medogensis (Ye and Hu, 1984) by having a longer snout (ratio of SNL/SVL 0.16–0.18 vs 0.13 in G. medogensis), lower ratio of ED/SNL (0.71–0.82 vs 0.88 in G. medogensis), and lower ratio of fd3/TYD in males (0.75–0.80 vs 0.83 in G. medogensis).
The new species differs from Buergeria japonica (Hallowell, 1861) by having hindlimbs with less developed webbing and the absence of tubercles and ridges on dorsum; from Feihyla palpebralis (Smith, 1924) by the presence of a dark inverse Y marking on dorsum (vs. absent in F. palpebralis) and a white spot on upper lip absent (vs present in F. palpebralis); from Kurixalus ananjevae (Matsui and Orlov, 2004) by having snout length greater than the diameter of eye (vs equal in latter species), less developed toe webbing, and ventral surface with dark marbling (vs without marking in K. ananjevae); from K. baliogaster (Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999) by the absence of vomerine teeth and white pattern on flanks; from K. carinensis (Boulenger, 1893) by having a snout longer than diameter of eye (vs shorter in K. carinensis), less developed webbing on toes (less than 1/ 2 vs 3/4 webbed in K. carinensis), and ventral surface with dark marbling (vs immaculate white in K. carinensis); from K. idiootocus (Kuramoto and Wang, 1987) by lacking a pointed snout, the absence of vomerine teeth and dermal fringe on forearm and tarsus; from K. banaensis (Bourret, 1939), K. odontotarsus (Ye, and Fei, 1993), and K. verrucosus (Boulenger, 1893) by lacking serrated dermal fringes on forearm and tarsus. The new species further differs from K. odontotarsus by the absence of vomerine teeth (present in latter species). Gracixalus waza sp. nov. can be separated from Liuixalus romeri (Smith, 1953) by having a larger size (SVL of males 27.1–32.9 mm vs 15–18 mm, of females 37.6 mm vs 18–23 mm), presence of a dark inverse Y marking (vs X marking in L. romeri) on back, and the absence of dermal fringes on forearm and tarsus; from Philautus abditus Inger, Orlov and Darevsky, 1999 by having tympanum distinct (vs hidden in P. abditus) and large black spots on anterior and posterior surfaces of thigh absent (vs present in P. abditus); from Philautus cardamonus Ohler, Swan and Daltry, 2002 by having a larger size of adult males (SVL 27.1–32.9 mm vs 19.3 mm) and a snout longer than diameter of eye (vs equal in P. cardamonus); from P. maosonensis Bourret, 1937 by having a head as wide as or wider than long (vs longer than wide in P. maosonensis), webbing on toes less developed (3/4 webbed in P. maosonensis), belly immaculate cream to white (vs mottled white on black in P. maosonensis), and white a spot on flank absent (vs present in P. maosonensis). The new species differs from Raorchestes gryllus (Smith, 1924) by having a rounded snout (vs pointed snout in R. gryllus), small tubercles on dorsum and dermal fringes on forearm and tarsus absent (vs present in R. gryllus); from R. menglaensis (Kou, 1990) by having a larger size (SVL of males 27.1–32.9 mm vs 15– 18 mm, of females 37.6 mm vs 20 mm), the presence of a dark inverse Y marking (vs X marking) on back, and the absence of tubercles on dorsum (vs present in R. menglaensis); from R. parvulus (Boulenger, 1893) by having a large size (SVL of males 27.1–32.9 mm vs 18.3–21.1 mm in R. parvulus), a distinct tympanum (vs indistinct in latter species), and black bars in posterior region of flank absent (vs present in R. parvulus). Gracixalus waza sp. nov. also differs from Rhacophorus spelaeus Orlov, Gnophanxay, Phimminith and Phomphoumy, 2009, another species associated with the limestone cave habitat, by the absence of vomerine teeth and dermal fringe along outer side of forearm (vs present in R. spelaeus).
description: Published as part of Nguyen, Truong Quang, Le, Minh Duc, Pham, Cuong The, Nguyen, Tao Thien, Bonkowski, Michael & Ziegler, Thomas, 2013, A new species of Gracixalus (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from northern Vietnam, pp. 203-214 in Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) (New York, N. Y.) 13 (2) on pages 206-210, DOI: 10.1007/s13127-012-0116-0, http://zenodo.org/record/13170647