Morphological and molecular data on tadpoles of the westernmost Himalayan spiny frog Allopaa hazarensis (Dubois & Khan, 1979)

By

Hofmann, Sylvia
Masroor, Rafaqat
Jablonski, Daniel, 1987-

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1049

Pages

67--77

Subjects

Chaparana , Dicroglossidae , DNA barcoding , larva , Paa , Pakistan , species identification

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1049.66645

 

Abstract

Little is known about the life history, ecology, and distribution of the genus Allopaa (Dicroglossidae) and far less recent data are available about the larvae of this taxon. Here, we provide data on the larval stage of Allopaa hazarensis (Dubois & Khan, 1979) from northern Pakistan based on the examination of three tadpoles. Specimens were obtained from two sites in Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Morphological and genetic analysis (mtDNA and nDNA) confirmed the identity of the tadpoles as A. hazarensis. Tadpole characterizations were illustrated by detailed imagery. Basic measurements and details on oral apparatus provide relevant taxonomic characteristics to distinguish the tadpoles of this species from other spiny frogs. The illustration and description of the tadpole of A. hazarensis should facilitate the identification of this species in the field.