Morphological and molecular data reveal one new species of the genus Xenophrys Günther, 1864 (Anura, Megophryidae) from Yunnan, China

By

Wu, Yun-He
Zuo, An-Ru
Yang, Shen-Pin
Zhang, Ding-Can
Duan, Zheng-Pan
Kasyoka Kilunda, Felista
Yu, Zhong-Bin
Che, Jing

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-8-8

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

101

Series / Issue

Issue: 4

Pages

1409--1422

Subjects

diversity , new species , Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve , Xenophrys , Xenophrys tongbiguanensis sp. nov.

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.158027

 

Abstract

Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, located in the western part of China’s Yunnan Province adjoining northern Myanmar, harbors a striking diversity of species. Previous studies have indicated that herpetological diversity in this region remains underestimated. During herpetological surveys in 2024, five specimens of Xenophrys were collected from Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve. Subsequent morphological comparisons and phylogenetic reconstruction indicate the presence of a distinct and previously unknown lineage within the genus Xenophrys, which we herein describe as a new species, Xenophrys tongbiguanensissp. nov. This discovery brings the total number of recognized species in the genus to 32, including 13 in China and five in Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve. The identification of this species further underscores the underestimated amphibian diversity of the reserve. Given its location along the China–Myanmar border, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation in order to clarify the distribution of species within this transboundary region.