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Buergeria japonica (Rhacophoridae) thrives in diverse habitats, from montane forests to the mouths of small rivers opening onto sandy beaches. The osmoregulatory system of B. japonica may differ between populations living in these contrasting environments. In this study, we compared the activity of cutaneous Na+/K+-ATPase in two populations of B. japonica from different habitats (montane vs. coastal). Our results reveal a significant difference between the Na+/K+-ATPase activity of the two populations of B. japonica, with the coastal population having higher Na+/K+-ATPase activity. Because the Na+/K+-ATPase plays a crucial role in osmoregulation in high salinity, these results are consistent with the higher salinity tolerance of the coastal population. It is not known whether the difference in Na+/K+-ATPase activity between populations is a result of local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity. More detailed work will be needed to disentangle the patterns of differentiation in physiological responses to salt in these amphibians.

Rhacophorus is a genus of tree frogs in the family Rhacophoridae commonly referred to as parachuting or gliding frogs, distinguished by extensive digital webbing. A rare species, Rhacophorus translineatus Wu, 1977, was recorded for the first time in Bhutan. Information on morphological characters, geographical distribution, habitat and natural history notes is provided.

Oviposition site choice affects survival and growth of offspring, particularly in frogs in which the offspring cannot move from the oviposition site. We intended to find the features of tree holes used for oviposition by Kurixalus eiffingeri on Iriomote Island. We measured eight tree hole variables to determine which should be included in the best model to explain breeding use by K. eiffingeri. Out of 32 tree holes examined, we found five that were used for oviposition. The best model included the height above the ground and angle of opening. Higher located tree holes and a larger opening angle were associated with more frequent oviposition by K. eiffingeri. This trend may be due to the higher predation risk in lower tree holes with a steeper opening. The importance of the height of the breeding site above ground was also noted in a previous study on bamboo stumps in Taiwan, but the opening angle was only salient in this study. Our study suggested that the same species in different ecosystems may use different criteria when choosing oviposition sites.

Traditionally, the genus Philautus Gistel, 1848 contains small Rhacoporid frogs that lack vomerine teeth and a direct development tadpole stage. In Java, this genus consists of 3 species, including Philautus aurifasciatus, Philautus jacobsoni, and Philautus pallidipes. It is known that Philautus aurifasciatus and Philautus jacobsoni are sympatric species from Mount Ungaran and are morphologically difficult to distinguish. Therefore, information is needed through the phenetic characters of each population in the area to identify differences in their morphology. This study aimed to analyze the morphological characteristics of Bush Frog Philautus spp. on Mount Ungaran in terms of meristic character through a direct field survey and comparison methods. Furthermore, it was conducted by observing 32 specimens of Philautus spp. from Mount Ungaran and compared with the Philautus aurifasciatus from Mount Gede Pangrango with 18 meristic characters. The results showed that Philautus spp. is similar to Philautus aurifasciatus in terms of their meristic characters. The results of the meristic analysis showed that Philautus spp. has a variety of dorsal colors from brown, purple, green, and gray with two types of patterns including patterned groups (resembling letters H, X, and V) and abstract. Furthermore, the throat, stomach, and lower thighs are granular with three snout shapes (protruding, round, and sloping). It has a loreal oblique tympanum and canthus rostralis. The forelimbs are not webbed while the hindlimbs are half webbed, and the inner metatarsal is an elongated oval in shape. Meristic analysis provides a basis for strengthening the taxonomic status of Philautus spp on Mount Ungaran, as well as information the distribution in Mount Ungaran.

Rhacophorus helenae Rowley, Tran, Hoang, and Le, 2012 was recently described from is southern Vietnam, listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2020). The larval morphology in stages 35, 37-39, 41 of this species was provided by Vassilieva et al., 2016. We describe the external morphology of the tadpoles of the species R. helenae collected from Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve, Dong Nai Province, Southern Vietnam. The morphology of 23 tadpole specimens (Gosner stages 26, 28, 29, 32, 34, 35, 39, 41, and 43) of this species are also provided. We provide an updated development stage and discussion of the tadpole morphology different of the genus Rhacophorus.

We provide a checklist of 45 species of amphibians from Lai Chau Province, northwestern Vietnam. Thirteen of species are recorded for the first time from Lai Chau Province; these include four species of Dicroglossidae, four species of Megophryidae, three species of Ranidae, and two species of Rhacophoridae. We also provide descriptions of the newly recorded species. The amphibian fauna of Lai Chau Province is of high conservation concern, with three species endemic to Vietnam, 10 species listed in the IUCN Red List, and two species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam.

Currently, the genus Polypedates comprises 26 species distributed in South, Southeast, and East Asia. Because of their relatively low dispersal capability and intolerance to seawater, this genus is ideal for the study of terrestrial range evolution that extends into the island archipelagos of southeastern Asia. In this study, based on data compiled for Polypedatesfrom previous studies and partial mitochondrial and nuclear genes collected in this study, we performed systematic biogeographical analysis. We confirmed a Sundaland origin for the extant genus and showed northward dispersal into mainland Southeast Asia and Asia, which coincided with the timing of paleoclimatic change from the Oligocene to Middle Miocene. Climate fluctuations had a profound impact on species diversification within the genus Polypedates. Furthermore, the Red River did not mediate species exchange between Southeast Asia and mainland Asia until the end of the Miocene, with the sudden onset of northward dispersal in several clades independently at that time. Alternatively, the lineage of widespread insular P. leucomystaxstrongly supports the hypothesis of terrestrial connection between island archipelagos of Southeast Asia during the Mid-Pleistocene paleoclimate fluctuations. Our biogeographical analysis also supports the recent introduction of P. leucomystax to the Philippines and Ryukyus, as previously suggested.

We describe a new species of the genus Kurixalus, Kurixalus raoi sp. nov ., from Guizhou Province, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. Phylogenetically, the new species is sister to K. idiootocus, but is distinguishable from all known congeners by a combination of the following characters: small body size (snout-vent length 28.2‒32.2 mm in males; 38.6 mm in female); snout rounded, with no prominence on tip; single internal vocal sac; dorsal surface brown, rough, scattered with several small warts; chin clouded with blackish marking; pair of large symmetrical dark blotches on chest; vomerine teeth present; iris brown; tibiotarsal articulation reaching center of eye; nuptial pad slight; flank rough; mandibular symphysis weak; throat skin granular; and toes moderately webbed, formula I2‒2II1.5‒3III2‒3IV3‒2V. The genetic distances between the new species and K. idiootocus were 2.9% and 5.4% for 16S rRNA and COI, respectively.

Cadmium (Cd) poisoning has been globally reported causing detrimental health issues with severe toxic effects on certain physiological systems. Here the effects of different concentrations of Cadmium were assessed on the metamorphosis and development of common Indian tree frogs (Polypedates maculatus, Gray 1830). The tadpoles were exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations (up to 0.7 mg/l) of Cd in dechlorinated water from the larval stage to adulthood. Survival, growth traits (body length and body mass), external deformities and movement were some of the morpho-physiological characters compared between control and experimental samples. Followed by the determination of acute toxicity (median lethal concentration–LC50– after 24 h (5.603 mg/l) and 48 h (4.811 mg/l) of exposure), impacts associated with chronic toxicity of Cd to the tadpoles were inspected. The study showed multiple physiological deformities in the tadpoles chronically exposed to 0.5 and 0.7 mg/l Cd that included morphological malformations, pale skin colour, insipid motility, delayed metamorphosis and even high mortality. In addition to that, the tadpoles treated with 0.5 and 0.7 mg/l Cd showed significantly lesser growth traits than the controls over the study period. The paper aims to contribute in increasing ecotoxicological knowledge of an anuran species from which there is not much information of this type. Given the wide geographical distribution of the study species, it can serve as a bio-indicator of cadmium contamination, considering its applicability across a large swath of aquatic ecosystems in the Indian subcontinent.

We investigated the impact of dipteran predators on eggs in foam nests of the Common Hour-glass Tree Frog Polypedates cruciger Blyth, 1852 (Anura: Rhacophoridae) in central Sri Lanka. Foam nests (n=24) of P. cruciger were examined at their natural breeding habitats and infected (n=8) and uninfected spawns (n=16) were identified. Emerging tadpoles were collected in a water container hung under each spawn and the average number of tadpoles (N) hatched from infected spawns (N=0) was compared with that of uninfected spawns (N=354 ± 67). Three severely infected spawns were brought to the laboratory and the fly larvae were reared until they metamorphosed to adults. Morphological and molecular identification of the flies confirmed them as belonging to Caiusa testacea Senior-White, 1923 of the family Calliphoridae. The infected spawns were completely destroyed and an estimated average of 400 P. cruciger eggs per spawn were lost. The results revealed a high impact of Caiusa testacea on egg and embryo mortality of P. cruciger.

We report the first country record of Rhacophorus verrucopus Huang, 1983 from Myanmar, based on one specimen collected from Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, Sagaing Division. Morphologically, the specimen shows good agreement with the original description of R. verrucopus and phylogenetically, it is clustered with the specimen of R. verrucopus from Medog, Tibet, China with strong support. This is also the first record of R. verrucopus from outside of China.

Amphibians in terms of their predatory behaviour depend mainly upon the ambush technique. Other than predation, amphibians have also been recorded to scavenge to acquire food resources. This is an opportunistic observation of predatory behaviour of an amphibian species (Euphlyctis sp.) on the foam nest of another species (Polypedates sp.). The behaviour was recorded during a routine field sampling, which is broadly written in the body of this write up. Such an observation to our knowledge has not been reported earlier. This observation will have implications in terms of amphibian ecology, behavioural studies, and also diversity studies in the range of foraging behaviour.

We record Gracixalus quangi Rowley, Dau, Nguyen, Cao et Nguyen, 2011 for the first time from China based on fourteen specimens collected from southern Yunnan. Morphologically the newly collected specimens from China mostly agree with the type series from Vietnam. Phylogenetically these individuals were placed in a clade with G. quangi from Vietnam and pairwise genetic distances in DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene between these individuals and G. quangi from Vietnam is 0.6%. Our finding brings the species number of the genus Gracixalus to 9 in China.

The genus Kurixalus Ye, Fei et Dubois, 1999 (Rhacophoridae Hoffman, 1932) is a small and taxonomically difficult group of treefrogs for which biological and reproductive data are missing for most of the species. A recent study of the K. odontotarsus species group (Yu et al., 2017a) revealed numerous undescribed lineages. Among them a lineage comprising specimens from Myanmar and western Yunnan, China was described as K. yangi. We report here the presence of a population of this species from Nagaland, North East India, identified by DNA barcoding of the 16S rRNA gene and morphology. A pair of adults found in amplexus is described morphologically. Data on reproduction and developmental mode were until now unknown for the continental species of this genus. Observation of reproduction in the field of K. yangi from Nagaland provided us data on its reproductive activity including spawning behavior and reproductive mode, and details on the larval developmental timing. The tadpole of this species is described for the first time including buccal anatomy. Adults are commonly found in the stumps of bamboo internodes. They breed in forest ponds, temporary rain pools or rain water tanks. Breeding activity starts from mid-April till late part of July. Unpigmented eggs measure 2.4 – 2.7 mm and are laid underwater. Under natural conditions (air temperature 18 – 30°C, water temperature 12 – 24°C), the frog complete its larval life cycle in 47 days. The tadpole shows a «classical» pond-dwelling morphology and reproductive mode. These reproductive data are compared to the Taiwanese species for which the developmental mode is well known and the evolution of the reproductive modes within the genus is discussed.

The Resplendent Shrub Frog, Raorchestes resplendens Biju, Shouche, Dubois, Dutta, & Bossuyt, 2010 is a Critically Endangered species endemic to the Western Ghats and was considered to be restricted to a three-square kilometer patch atop Anamudi summit. In this study, we report 36 new locations of the species from the Anamalai massif of the southern Western Ghats. Niche-based prediction modelling suggests that the species is restricted to Anamalai massif. The call description of this frog is also provided for the first time. The preferred microhabitat of the frog is Chrysopogon grass clumps in the marshy/swampy montane grassland ecosystem. Restricted to a small area with controlled burning management practiced in its habitat, R. resplendens needs immediate attention.

“Hot spring frog” is an informal name used for the Japanese stream tree frog (Buergeria japonica), which is widely distributed in Taiwan and the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan. Some populations of the species are known to inhabit hot springs. However, water temperature can be extremely high around the sources of hot springs. Thus, it is questionable whether B. japonica selectively inhabits such dangerous environments. To address this question, we conducted a series of observations of water temperature preferences of a hot spring population of B. japonica in Kuchinoshima Island in Japan: (a) a field observation of tadpole density in water pools of different temperatures, (b) a field observation of water temperatures where adult males appear for breeding, and (c) an indoor observation of water temperatures selected by adult females for oviposition. As a result, tadpoles showed a higher density in cooler water. Adult males avoided water pools hotter than 37°C, and adult females selected cooler pools for oviposition. Camera records also showed that adult individuals tend to appear around cooler pools. Thus, we did not find any support for the hypothesis that hot spring frogs prefer hot water. Conversely, they apparently tended to prefer cooler water if it was available. Water temperatures around the sources of the hot spring exceed thermal tolerances of the species and could be a strong selective pressure on the population. Thus, the ability to sense and avoid lethal temperatures may be a key ecological and physiological characteristic for the species that inhabit hot springs.

The origin and colonization history of Kurixalus, a genus of small arboreal tree frogs breeding exclusively in shallow swamps, is under disputed. On the basis of comprehensive sampling program, the evolutionary history of Kurixalus is investigated based on 3 mitochondrial genes. Our results indicate that the genus Kurixalus originated in the Asian mainland and subsequently arrived at its current distribution in Borneo, Taiwan, Ryukyu, and Hainan islands by a series of dispersal events. Moreover, the colonization of Taiwan from mainland Asia has occurred 2 times. The initial colonization of Taiwan occurred at 3.46–8.68 Mya (95% highest posterior density), which rejects the hypothesis that Kurixalus probably originated from Taiwan during the early Oligocene and favors the model of Neogene-origin rather than the model of Quaternary-origin for Taiwanese Kurixalus. Kurixalus eiffingeri has dispersed from Taiwan to the Ryukyus once or 2 times pending more data. Both transoceanic dispersal and landbridge dispersal have played a role in the colonization process; the former resulted in the colonization of Taiwan and the Ryukyus and the latter led to the colonization of Borneo and Hainan.

Raorchestesis a speciose genus of bush frogs with high diversity occurring in the Western Ghats of India. Relatively fewer species have been recorded across India, through Bangladesh, southern China, into Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia. Many bush frogs are morphologically cryptic and therefore remain undescribed. Here, a new species,Raorchestes rezakhanisp. nov., is described from northeastern Bangladesh based on morphological characters, genetics, and bioacoustics. The 16S rRNA gene distinguished this species from 48 known species of this genus. Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood analyses indicated that the new species was most similar toR. tuberohumerus, a species found in the Western Ghats, and toR. gryllus, a species found in Vietnam. Bioacoustics indicated that their calls were similar in pattern to mostRaorchestesspecies, although number of pulses, duration of pulses, pulse intervals and amplitude differentiated it from a few other species. It is suggested that northeastern India, Bangladesh, northern Myanmar, and southern China represent important, relatively unexplored areas that could yield additional species ofRaorchestes. Since many remaining habitat patches in Bangladesh are under severe threat from deforestation, efforts should be made to protect these last patches from further degradation.

A new rhacophorid species is described from Vietnam on the basis of nine specimens collected in Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province, northeastern Vietnam. The new species is morphologically similar...

We describe a new species of rhacophorid frogs from Nghe An Province in northern Vietnam based on morphological and molecular evidences. Morphologically, Kurixalus gracilloides sp. nov. is distingu...

Changes in land-use and local factors have strong influences on amphibian distributions. However, the effects of both combined factors on assemblages are still unclear. The green tree-frogs, Rhacophorus, are sensitive to differences in landscape fragmentation. Herein, two species of Rhacophorus schlegelii and Rhacophorus arboreus have been surveyed, along the ecological gradient ranging from paddy-dominated plains to forest-dominated mountains (located in Toyota, Okazaki, and Shinshiro, central Japan). The effects of landscape and local factors on the existence of the above frogs were investigated using generalized linear models (GLMs); the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) were used for model selection. The lowest AIC for R. schlegelii and R. arboreus were obtained at a 250-m-radius and 500-m-radius buffers, respectively. Habitat selections of each species showed distinct results in the paddy-field vs. ponds group. Nevertheless, both species exhibited a high abundance with increasing elevation and forest cover. At the local level, R. schlegelii displayed positive relationships with the presence of trees and the proportion of embankment vegetation. Our findings demonstrate that each species responded to various landscape scale and spatial composition, habitat, and species-dependent achievements of appropriate management actions to improve restoration practices are required.

Theloderma pyaukkya is recorded for the first time in China based on a specimen collected from western Yunnan. Morphologically, the specimen shows good agreement with the original description of T. pyaukkya, and phylogenetically is clustered with the type specimens and holotype of T. pyaukkya from Kachin State (northern Myanmar) with strong support. The taxonomic status of T. pyaukkya from Chin State (western Myanmar) needs further examination. In addition, Theloderma moloch is also recorded in Yunnan for the first time. This brings the number of Theloderma species recorded in Yunnan, China, to seven, namely, T. albopunctatum, T. baibungense, T. bicolor, T. gordoni, T. moloch, T. pyaukkya, and T. rhododiscus.

Kurixalus absconditus sp. nov., a new species of tree frog of the genus Kurixalus, described from West Kalimantan on the basis of molecular phylogenetic and morphological evidence. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of following morphological characters: having smaller body size, more prominent of mandibular symphysis, skin smooth on throat, vomerine odontophores two oblique series touching anterior corner of choanae and widely separated, vomerine teeth thick, buccal cavity narrow and deep, choanae with teardrop shaped, single vocal slit, weakly crenulated dermal fringe on fore- and hindlimbs.

Sri Lanka is an amphibian hotspot of global significance. Its anuran fauna is dominated by the shrub frogs of the genusPseudophilautus. Except for one small clade of four species in Peninsular India, these cool-wet adapted frogs, numbering some 59 extant species, are distributed mainly across the montane and lowland rain forests of the island. With species described primarily by morphological means, the diversification has never yet been subjected to a molecular species delimitation analysis, a procedure now routinely applied in taxonomy. Here we test the species boundaries ofPseudophilautusin the context of the phylogenetic species concept (PSC). We use all the putative species for which credible molecular data are available (nDNA–Rag-1; mt-DNA– 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) to build a well resolved phylogeny, which is subjected to species delimitation analyses. The ABGD, bPTP, mPTP and bGMYC species delimitation methods applied to the 16S rRNA frog barcoding gene (for all species), 12S rRNA and Rag-1 nDNA groupedP.procaxandP.abundus;P.hallidayiandP.fergusonianus;P.reticulatusandP.pappilosus;P.pleurotaeniaandP.hoipolloi;P.hoffmaniandP.asankai;P.silvaticusandP.limbus;P.dilmahandP.hankeni;P.fulvusandP.silus.. Surprisingly, all analyses recovered 14 unidentified potential new species as well. The geophylogeny affirms a distribution across the island’s aseasonal ‘wet zone’ and its three principal hill ranges, suggestive of allopatric speciation playing a dominant role, especially between mountain masses. Among the species that are merged by the delimitation analyses, a pattern leading towards a model of parapatric speciation emerges–ongoing speciation in the presence of gene flow. This delimitation analysis reinforces the species hypotheses, paving the way to a reasonable understanding of Sri LankanPseudophilautus, enabling both deeper analyses and conservation efforts of this remarkable diversification.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DA869B6B-870A-4ED3-BF5D-5AA3F69DDD27.

Cosmocercoid nematodes are common parasites in the digestive tract of amphibians. However, our knowledge of the species diversity, genetic data and molecular phylogeny of the superfamily Cosmocercoidea are far from being well understood. In the present study, large numbers of cosmocercoid nematodes were collected from the fine-spined frog Sylvirana spinulosa (Smith) (Anura: Ranidae) and the white-spotted thigh tree-frog Polypedates megacephalus (Hallowell) (Anura: Rhacophoridae) in Guangxi Province, China. Integrated morphological and genetic evidence reveals these nematode specimens to be a new species of the genus Aplectana, A. dayaoshanensis n. sp. (Cosmocercoidea: Cosmocercidae). The molecular characterization of small ribosomal DNA (18S), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large ribosomal DNA (28S) of A. dayaoshanensis n. sp., together with the 28S of A. chamaeleonis (Baylis, 1929) (collected from Hyperolius kivuensis Ahl in Rwanda), were reported for the first time. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood (ML) inference based on 18S + 28S and ITS sequence data, respectively, both supported the family Cosmocercidae to be a monophyletic group and the family Kathlaniidae to be a paraphyletic group. Our phylogenetic results rejected the monophyly of the genus Aplectana. The present results contribute to the knowledge of the species diversity and genetic data of cosmocercoid nematodes, and preliminarily revealed the phylogenetic relationships of the major families and some genera in the Cosmocercoidea.

To date, 20 species of Kurixalus Ye, Fei, and Dubois have been described, and all of these species are distributed throughout South and Southeast Asia, from eastern India, throughout Myanmar and the mountainous regions of southern China, to Indochina, western and northern peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines (Frost 2021). Descriptions of the tadpoles of only 6 species have been published: K. berylliniris and K. wangi Wu, Huang, Tsai, Li, Jhang, & Wu (Wu et al. 2016); K. eiffingeri (Boettger) (Kuramoto & Wang 1987); K. idiootocus (Kuramoto & Wang) (Kuramoto & Wang 1987); K. cf. verrucosus (Boulenger) (Ziegler & Vences 2002), and Kurixalus yangi Yu, Hui, Rao, & Yang (Humtsoe et al. 2020). A description of the tadpoles of K. baliogaster (Inger, Orlov, & Darevsky) is also given in the species description (Inger et al. 1999), but described larvae are “assigned tentatively to this species” in the published text. Additional studies on the identification of the conspecificity of the described tadpoles with K. baliogaster have not been conducted. Based on the much larger size of the tadpole body (TL up to 40.3 mm), as well as the labial tooth row formula 6(2–6)/5(1) given by Inger et al. (1999), we concluded that these described tadpoles cannot be larval K. baliogaster and most likely belong to some other species of rhacophorid frogs.

We examined predation of the forest green tree frog, Zhangixalus arboreus, as part of a two-year monitoring study of the frog's reproductive processes at four ponds in central Japan, performed by using field censuses and sensor cameras. During the period, we confirmed predation against arboreal foam nests by the common raccoon, Procyon lotor. We also found a carcass of a female adult frog with eggs and bitten ground foam nests, the signs of which were strongly suspected to indicate predation by raccoons. These results imply that invasion of Japanese forest areas by alien raccoons is becoming an increasingly serious threat to Z. arboreus through predation at various life stages of the frog. At this study site, however, the demographics of both the raccoon and Z. arboreus have not yet been examined. We need more field data to assess the long-term effects of predation pressure on the frog.

We conducted field observations of spawning sites of the Japanese forest green tree frog (Zhangixalus arboreus: Rhacophoridae) at four ponds for two years. In 2019, a total of 50 foam nests were made on trees (77%), whereas 15 foam nests were made on the ground (23%). In 2020, 65 nests were arboreal (97%) and there were only two ground nests (3%). About 70% of all ground nests deteriorated or disappeared without their eggs hatching, mostly because of predation. In contrast, only about 4% of all arboreal nests died because of desiccation and 27% died mainly of outside spawning and disappearance before egg hatching for any reason. The relative proportions of arboreal versus ground spawning sites differed significantly between 2019 and 2020. Ground spawning was scarcely observed in 2020; in that year the amount of precipitation during the reproductive period was about 1.5 times that in 2019. Our field experiment using paper-clay models confirmed that arboreal nests were more susceptible to desiccation than ground nests. These results suggest that ground spawning may be of some advantage in resistance to desiccation, whereas arboreal spawning may be less susceptible to predation of foam nests.

The family Rhacophoridae, including Buergeria japonica, shows a great diversity of reproductive patterns, but the knowledge of developmental processes is still limited. The genus Buergeria is a sister group to all other rhacophorids and shows a conservative, probably primitive, reproductive mode for this family. Thus, it is valuable to clarify the developmental process in this genus for understanding the evolution and diversification history of reproductive modes and developmental processes across the broader family members. In this study, we describe the normal development of B. japonica by rearing eggs and larvae under ambient temperatures of 27±1°C. The developmental speed of B. japonica from fertilization to gill elongation (stage 20), corresponding to their hatching period, was faster than most of other anuran species, when comparison was made using relative age, which is independent of temperature. The rapid embryonic development may be advantageous in their highly fluctuating breeding environment.

Water striders (Hemiptera: Gerridae) are predators found on the water surface that prey mainly on arthropods. The feeding on other organisms (dead vertebrates, fishes and tadpoles) is a rare event. To our knowledge, predation of frog eggs by water striders has not yet been reported. We observed that adult water striders, Gerris latiabdominis Miyamoto, 1958 (Hemiptera: Gerridae), preyed on the eggs of three frog species, Pelophylax nigromaculata Hallowell, 1861 (Anura: Ranidae), Rana japonica Boulenger, 1879 (Anura: Ranidae), and Rhacophorus schlegelii Gunther, 1858 (Anura: Rhacophoridae). We found predation by the water striders affects the survival rate of frog eggs floating on the water surface. We suggest that this hunting event would occur in water bodies in which water striders and frogs coexist, especially the region where their phenology overlaps.

Amphibian species diversity was investigated within the lowland mixed-dipterocarp forest of the proposed extension of the Bukit Teraja Protection Forest (BTPF), Brunei Darussalam in north-west Borneo. A combination of both visual encounter and acoustic sampling techniques were conducted opportunistically as well as in six selected stream transects, each containing five 5x10m plots. A total of 39 species of frogs from seven families (Bufonidae, Ceratobatrachidae, Dicroglossidae, Megophryidae, Microhylidae, Ranidae, and Rhacophoridae) were identified from the BTPF. Most notably, four new records for Brunei were discovered: Hylarana nicobariensis, Kaloula baleata, Limnonectes malesianus, and Microhyla perparva. This brings the total number of amphibian species in Brunei Darussalam to 84. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that out of 13 measured environmental variables maximum stream depth and % soil/sand of ground cover were significantly correlated with anuran assemblage composition. Species overlap between the proposed extension of the Bukit Teraja Protection Forest and the Ulu Temburong National Park (UTNP) determined by the coefficient of biogeographic resemblance (CBR) showed low species complementarity between these two regions. This emphasizes the need to upgrade the proposed extension of the BTPF to a protection forest to ensure the conservation of regional amphibian biodiversity.

The ability to glide has evolved in multiple taxa and is usually associated with highly specialized morphological adaptations. Traits that evolve for one reason, can, however, influence other traits and abilities. In this study, we examined the influence of adaptations for gliding on the jumping and clinging abilities of frogs by comparing specialized flying frogs (Rhacophorus) and unspecialized non-flying frogs (Polypedates) from the family Rhacophoridae. Flying frogs had more webbing, longer legs, and greater clinging abilities than non-flying frogs. Clinging abilities, jumping distance, and gliding distance all correlated positively with body size for both flying and non-flying frogs. We did not, however, find any significant differences between the two groups in horizontal jumping distance or glide distance from a low starting point of 1.56 m. The morphological adaptations that evolved for gliding have not significantly influenced the flying frogs' short-distance jumping abilities, but may have influenced their clinging abilities. Alternatively, there may have been direct selection for clinging ability because of flying frogs' increased need, compared with other frogs, to land on vertical surfaces without slipping off.

A new species of the genusGracixalus,Gracixalusyunnanensissp. n., is described based on a series of specimens collected from southwestern and southern Yunnan, China. This species is distinguished from all other known congeners by a combination of the following characters: relatively small body size in adult males (SVL 26.0–34.2 mm); dorsal surface yellow brown or red brown; distinctive conical asperities on dorsum; males with an external subgular vocal sac and linea masculina; throat, chest, and belly nearly immaculate; venter surface orangish with yellow spots, semi-transparent; snout rounded; supratympanic fold distinct; iris bronze; lack of white patch on temporal region; tibiotarsal projection absent; sides of body nearly smooth with no black blotch; finger webbing rudimentary; and toe webbing formula I1.5–2II1.5–2.7III.5–3IV2.5–1.5V. Genetically, the new species diverges from its congeners by 2.2%–14.1% (uncorrected p-distance) and is closest toG.guangdongensis. However, the new species can morphologically be separated fromG.guangdongensisby distinctive conical tubercles on dorsum (versus absent), lateral surface nearly smooth with no black blotches on ventrolateral region (versus lateral surface rough, scattered with tubercles and black blotches on ventrolateral region), snout rounded (versus triangularly pointed), iris bronze (versus iris brown), and ventral surface orangish (versus throat and chest creamy white and belly light brown).

Many poikilotherms have the ability to change body color for homeostatic regulation, conspecific communication or predator deterrence. Physiological color change is a rapid, reversible mode of color change regulated by neuromuscular or neuroendocrine system and has been observed in several anuran species. Here we report the occurrence of physiological color change in the tree frog Rhacophorussmaragdinus (Blyth, 1852) (Amphibia, Anura, Rhacophoridae) for the first time from Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Probable proximate causes of the behavior are discussed along with an overview of physiological color change in species of the family Rhacophoridae and nature of color change observed.

Pseudophilautus comprises an endemic diversification predominantly associated with the wet tropical regions of Sri Lanka that provides an opportunity to examine the effects of geography and historical climate change on diversification. Using a time-calibrated multi-gene phylogeny, we analyze the tempo of diversification in the context of past climate and geography to identify historical drivers of current patterns of diversity and distribution. Molecular dating suggests that the diversification was seeded by migration across a land-bridge connection from India during a period of climatic cooling and drying, the Oi-1 glacial maximum around the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. Lineage-through-time plots suggest a gradual and constant rate of diversification, beginning in the Oligocene and extending through the late Miocene and early Pliocene with a slight burst in the Pleistocene. There is no indication of an early-burst phase of diversification characteristic of many adaptive radiations, nor were there bursts of diversification associated with favorable climate shifts such as the intensification of monsoons. However, a late Miocene (8.8 MYA) back-migration to India occurred following the establishment of the monsoon. The back migration did not trigger a diversification in India similar to that manifest in Sri Lanka, likely due to occupation of available habitat, and consequent lack of ecological opportunity, by the earlier radiation of a sister lineage of frogs (Raorchestes) with similar ecology. Phylogenetic area reconstructions show a pattern of sister species distributed across adjacent mountain ranges or from different parts of large montane regions, highlighting the importance of isolation and allopatric speciation. Hence, local species communities are composed of species from disparate clades that, in most cases, have been assembled through migration rather than in situ speciation. Lowland lineages are derived from montane lineages. Thus, the hills of Sri Lanka acted as species pumps as well as refuges throughout the 31 million years of evolution, highlighting the importance of tropical montane regions for both the generation and maintenance of biodiversity.

We describe a new Pseudophilautus species, P. conniffae sp. nov. from southern Sri Lanka. It was previously confused with Pseudophilautus rus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda). The new species differs from the latter by the combination of the following characters: fourth toe webbing to penultimate subarticular tubercle on inner and outer sides (vs. fourth toe webbing in between penultimate and anetpenultimate subarticular tubercles on inner and outer sides), presence of conical median lingual process (vs. absent), and black patches on the posterior flank, anterior and posterior edges of the thigh (vs. black patches on the anterior surface of the thigh). Pseudophilautus conniffae sp. nov. may be sympatric with P. limbus (Manamendra-Arachchi & Pethiyagoda), which shares certain characters with the new species. The new species is, however, distinguished from P. limbus by the following characters: having supernumerary tubercles on manus (vs. lacking), absence of frontoparietal ridges (vs. presence), fourth toe webbing to penultimate subarticular tubercle on both sides (vs. fourth toe webbing between penultimate and anetpenultimate subarticular tubercle on both sides), third toe webbing to distal subarticular tubercle on both sides (vs. distal subarticular tubercle on outer side and below penultimate subarticular tubercle on inner side), and having the dorsum light brown with dark brown patches (vs. black and yellow variegated pattern on dorsum). The new species may be restricted to the southwestern wet zone of Sri Lanka. It is compared with all known Pseudophilautus species and also provided with a field key to identify it from those species that are sympatric with it or inhabit the southwestern wet zone.

A new bush frog species, Raorchestes cangyuanensis sp. nov. , from Cangyuan, Yunnan Province, China, is described based on morphological and molecular analyses. It differs from all known congeners by a combination of the following characters: body size small, adult snout-vent length (SVL) 16.1–20.0 mm in males (n=3); tympanum indistinct; tips of all fingers and toes expanded into discs with circummarginal grooves; rudimentary webbing between toes; fingers and toes with lateral dermal fringes; inner and outer metacarpal tubercles present; heels meeting when limbs held at right angles to body; crotch with a distinct black patch; discs of fingers and toes orange; male with external single subgular vocal sac and reddish nuptial pad at the base of first finger.

Most studies on the diversity of amphibians in northeast India were based on classical morpho-taxonomy, which have a high probability of errors in species identification. DNA barcoding of amphibians using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene has been used successfully for the identification of species and detection of cryptic species. In the present study, we carry out DNA barcoding of two rhacophorid species of the genus Raorchestes and Kurixalus that are not readily identifiable to the species level based on their morphology. Our analysis on the 16S rRNA gene revealed that these species were Raorchestes cangyuanensis and Kurixalus yangi, species which were recorded for the first time and second time from India respectively. We discuss on the records of R. longchuanensis from Bangladesh and India, which were based on the misidentification of R. cangyuanensis. We therefore propose to delist this species from the faunal list of Bangladesh and India. We further raise a question as to why the population of Kurixalus from Motuo, Xizang province of China was assigned as K. naso and not the population described as K. yangi, which is morphologically similar to K. naso and is also recorded from a locality close to the type locality of K. naso.

Approximately half of the species in speciose genus Raorchestes were described during the past 10 years, yet only 11 species are known from Southeast Asia and southern China (SEA-SC), adjacent Himalayas, and northeastern India. Field work in northwestern Yunnan province, China resulted in the discovery of one new species in the genus based on morphological and molecular analyses. The new species is diagnosed by small size with 15.0–19.0 mm SVL in adult males (n=3); tongue pyriform, notched posteriorly; rudimentary webbing between toes; fingers and toes with narrow lateral dermal fringes; tibiotarsal articulation reaching anterior of the eye when hindlimb is stretched along the side of the body; relative finger lengths: I < II < IV < III, relative toe lengths: I < II < V < III < IV; inner metatarsal tubercle oval, outer metatarsal tubercle absent; finger discs and toe discs greyish or orange; flank near the crotch with a distinct black region between two creamy white patches, and the thigh having a similar black patch near the groin, proximal to another creamy white patch; a distinct “) (”-shaped dark marking on the back; male with external single subgular vocal sac; nuptial pad absent. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed based on the mitochondrial genes for 16S rRNA and ND1. The results indicated that these individuals form a monophyletic group, and show high genetic divergence to their closest relatives within the genus (uncorrected p-distances > 3.2%) by distance of 16S comparable to the divergence between recognized Raorchestes species. This study further enriches the diversity of rhacophorids, especially in northwestern Yunnan.

Tadpoles of the Vampire tree frog Rhacophorus vampyrus differ substantially from other rhacophorid tadpoles, by having profound modifications in external morphology. The morphological peculiarities of this species likely correlate with their arboreal microhabitat and strict oophagous diet. In this work, we examine buccal and musculoskeletal anatomy and compare them to other rhacophorid and egg-eating larvae. The shape and arrangement of cartilages of the lower jaw are unique among tadpoles, and the lack of a palatoquadrate suspensorium is only known in the distantly related macrophagous tadpoles of the dicroglossid Occidozyga baluensis. The cranial musculature is massive, and the morphology of several mandibular, hyoid, and abdominal muscles could be related to the ingestion and transit of large eggs. In the buccal cavity, conspicuous aspects are the absence of ridges and papillae, and the development of a unique glandular zone in the buccal floor. Finally, observations of the skeletal support of keratinized mouthparts allow us to present a topography-based hypothesis of homology of the conspicuous fangs of these tadpoles.

Three species of frogs (Rhacophoridae) from Borneo, Malaysia were examined for helminths: Nyctixalus pictus (n = 4), Philautus hosii (n = 6), and Rhacophorus pardalis (n = 12). We found 3 species of Nematoda, Batrachostrongylus longispiculus, Cosmocerca ornata, and Seuratascaris numidica, 1 species of Cestoda, Cylindrotaenia sp., and 1 species of Acanthocephala, Pseudoacanthocephalus bufonis. No helminth species occurred in more than 1 frog species. The most abundant helminth (7) was C. ornata in R. pardalis. The 3 species of frogs are parasitized by helminths that also infect other species of anurans. Five new host records are reported. A table summarizing helminth records in anurans from Borneo is presented.

Genome-scale data have greatly facilitated the resolution of recalcitrant nodes that Sanger-based datasets have been unable to resolve. However, phylogenomic studies continue to use traditional methods such as bootstrapping to estimate branch support; and high bootstrap values are still interpreted as providing strong support for the correct topology. Furthermore, relatively little attention has been given to assessing discordances between gene and species trees, and the underlying processes that produce phylogenetic conflict. We generated novel genomic datasets to characterize and determine the causes of discordance in Old World treefrogs (Family: Rhacophoridae)—a group that is fraught with conflicting and poorly supported topologies among major clades. Additionally, a suite of data filtering strategies and analytical methods were applied to assess their impact on phylogenetic inference. We showed that incomplete lineage sorting was detected at all nodes that exhibited high levels of discordance. Those nodes were also associated with extremely short internal branches. We also clearly demonstrate that bootstrap values do not reflect uncertainty or confidence for the correct topology and, hence, should not be used as a measure of branch support in phylogenomic datasets. Overall, we showed that phylogenetic discordances in Old World treefrogs resulted from incomplete lineage sorting and that species tree inference can be improved using a multi-faceted, total-evidence approach, which uses the most amount of data and considers results from different analytical methods and datasets.

The taxonomy of the Asian tree frog genus Feihyla has been in a state of flux ever since its proposal in 2006. Allocation of species to Feihyla remains confusing, particularly with respect to the closely related genus Chirixalus (formerly Chiromantis sensu lato). At the same time, several Chirixalus species are known only from cursory descriptions and remain poorly studied. In this study, we review the systematics of the genus Feihyla and clarify the generic placement of its members along with all other species currently assigned to Chirixalus. Based on integrative evidence gathered from new collections, examination of types and original descriptions, morphological comparisons, phylogenetic relationships inferred from a multi-gene (three mitochondrial + two nuclear) 1,937 bp dataset, as well as reproductive modes including egg-laying, nesting behaviour, and clutch morphology, our results show that the six species formerly attributed to Feihyla represent three morphologically and phylogenetically distinct groups: (1) the type species of the genus, F. palpebralis, along with F. fuhua constitute the Feihyla palpebralis group or Feihyla sensu stricto; (2) F. inexpectata and F. kajau represent the Feihyla vittiger group and are closely related to the Feihyla palpebralis group; (3) ‘F. hansenae’ and ‘F. vittata’ constitute another distinct and reciprocally monophyletic lineage, more closely related to Chirixalus + Chiromantis. In light of long-standing taxonomic confusions and unresolved phylogenetic relationships, we propose recognition of a new genus to accommodate ‘F. hansenae’ and ‘F. vittata’ in order to stabilise the classification of several Asian rhacophorid species that have been frequently confused and transferred within the Chirixalus–Chiromantis–Feihyla complex. Based on integrative evidence, eight species previously attributed to the genus Chirixalus or Feihyla are formally transferred to Rohanixalus gen. nov., two Chirixalus members are allocated to Feihyla, and one synonymised with Rhacophorus bipunctatus. In addition, we report the first member of the tree frog family Rhacophoridae from the Andaman Islands of India—Rohanixalus vittatus, along with description of its male advertisement call, reproductive behaviour including parental care by the female, and larval morphology. Extended distributions are also provided for Rohanixalus species across Northeast India. The study further reveals the presence of potentially undescribed diversity in the new genus. Altogether, the revised classification and novel insights presented herein will facilitate a better working taxonomy for four phylogenetically distinct but morphologically related groups of Old World tree frogs.

We record Zhangixalus franki Li, Jiang, Ren & Jiang, 2019 for the first time from China based on two specimens collected from Laoshan Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province. Morphologically, the newly collected specimens from China mostly agree with the type series from Vietnam. Phylogenetically, these individuals were placed in a clade with Z. franki from Vietnam based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. Our finding brings the species number of the genus Zhangixalus to 29 in China.