A new horned toad of Boulenophrys (Anura, Megophryidae) was discovered in Hubei Province, China

By

Wang, Ruiqi
Chen, Lu
Chen, Jin-liang
Huang, Haochen
Peng, Gangzhi
Peng, Honglin
Gao, Xin-zhang
Chen, Bangqing
Liu, Nai-Yi

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-9-26

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1253

Pages

305--320

Subjects

Boulenophrys dalaolingensis sp. nov. , horned toad , Hubei Province , new species , Phylogeny , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1253.154757

 

Abstract

The diversity of the genus Boulenophrys, with around 72 species identified so far, is still thought to be highly underestimated, as it contains a large number of undescribed cryptic species. The favorable ecological environment of the Dalaoling National Nature Reserve, located in Yichang City, Hubei Province, is home to many characteristic species. This work describes a new species from central China, namely: Boulenophrys dalaolingensis Wang, Chen & Liu, 2025, sp. nov. Morphologically, the new species is characterized by the combination of nine external characters: (1) medium-sized body (SVL 49.9–56.2 mm in seven males, SVL 50.3–60.0 mm in three females; (2) vomerine teeth absent; (3) margin of tongue smooth, with weakly notch behind; (4) relative finger length III>II=I>IV; (5) tibio-tarsal articulation of adpressed limb reaching posterior corner of the eye; and (6) toes with more than 1/4 web. Molecularly, the new species forms an independent clade with strong support in the phylogenetic trees of the genus based on two partial mitochondrial sequences: 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses suggest that it is a new species that has not been systematically described. Our work increases the number of species in the genus Boulenophrys to 73.