New records of odorrana fei, Ye & Huang, 1990 (anura: ranidae) from Yen Bai province, northern Viet Nam

144 HNUE JOURNAL OF SCIENCE DOI: 10.18173/2354-1059.2018-0039 Natural Sciences 2018, Volume 63, Issue 6, pp. 144-150 This paper is available online at NEW RECORDS OF Odorrana FEI, YE & HUANG, 1990 (ANURA: RANIDAE) FROM YEN BAI PROVINCE, NORTHERN VIETNAM Le Trung Dung 1 , Do Thi Yen 1 , Dao Ngoc Anh 1 , Nguyen Quang Truong 2 1 Faculty of Biology, Hanoi National University of Education 2 Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Abstract. Based on a new herpetological collection from the Mu Cang Chai Species and Habitat Conservation Area, we report three new records of Odorrana frogs to the herpetofauna of Yen Bai province, viz. Odorrana jingdongensis, O. graminea, O. nasica. Additional data of morphological characters of afore mentioned species were also provided. Our findings increase the species number of amphibians to 33 in Yen Bai province. Keywords: Odorrana, morphology, new records, distribution, Mu Cang Chai. 1. Introduction Cascade frogs of the genus Odorrana have a wide distribution in Asia, from northeastern India and southern China eastwards to Japan, throughout Indochina and southwards to Sumatra and Borneo [1-4]. Odorrana is recognized as one of the most diverse genera of amphibians with currently 56 recognized species [5]. However, taxonomic knowledge and actual diversity of this genus in many areas of Vietnam is still limited, particularly in remote evergreen forests of northwestern Vietnam [6-9]. A wild range of elevations and the complexity of landforms have given this region a great diversity of natural habitats and a high level of biodiversity potential, in particular the Hoang Lien Range, which represents the southernmost extension of the Himalayas [10]. As a result of our field surveys conducted in northwestern Vietnam in 2017, we herein report three new records of Odorrana frogs for Yen Bai province, a remote part of the Hoang Lien Mountains. 2. Content 2.1. Material and Methods Sampling. Field surveys were conducted in Mu Cang Chai Species and Habitat Conservation Area (SHCA) (Figure 1), Yen Bai province, Northern Vietnam, in April and May 2017 by Yen Thi Do, Anh Ngoc Dao, Nam Hai Nguyen (hereafter YTD et al.). Specimens were collected from 19:00 to 24:00. After taking photographs specimens were euthanized in a closed vessel with a piece of cotton wool containing ethyl acetate [11], fixed in 85% ethanol and subsequently stored in 70% ethanol. Specimens were deposited in the Museum of Biology, Hanoi National University of Education. Received January 4, 2018. Revised August 1, 2018. Accepted August 9, 2018. Contact Le Trung Dung, e-mail address: letrungdung_sp@hnue.edu.vn New records of Odorrana Fei, Ye & Huang, 1990 (Anura: Ranidae) from Yen Bai province 145 Figure 1. The geographical location of Mu Cang Chai species and habitat Conservation Area (black circle) in Yen Bai province, Northern Vietnam Morphological examination. Measurements were taken with a digital caliper to the nearest 0.1 mm. Abbreviations are as follows: SVL, snout-vent length; EL, eye length, from anterior corner to posterior corner of eye; EN, distance from anterior corner of eye to posterior edge of nostril; HL, head length, from posterior corner of mandible to tip of snout; HW, maximum head width at the angle of jaws; IFE, distance between anterior corners of eyes; IPE, distance between posterior corners of eyes; IN, internarial distance; IUE, minimum distance between upper eyelids; MBE, distance from posterior corner of mandible to posterior corner of eye; MFE, distance from posterior corner of mandible to anterior corner of eye; MN, distance from posterior corner of mandible to posterior edge of nostril; NS, distance from anterior edge of nostril to tip of snout; SL, distance from anterior corner of eye to tip of snout; TYD, maximum tympanum diameter; TYE, distance between anterior margin of tympanum and posterior corner of eye; UEW, maximum width of upper eyelid; FLL, forearm length, from elbow to base of outer palmar tubercle; HAL, hand length, from base of outer palmar tubercle to tip of third finger; TFL, third finger length, from articulation of proximal and intermediate phalange; FL, thigh length, from vent to knee; FOL, foot length, from base of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of fourth toe; FTL, fourth toe length, from articulation of proximal and intermediate phalange; IMT, length of inner metatarsal tubercle; ITL, inner toe length; TL shank length; TW maximum shank width; a.s.l., above sea level. For webbing formula we followed Glaw and Vences (2007) [12]. 2.2. Results and discussions Taxonomical accounts * Odorrana jingdongensis Fei, Ye & Li, 2001 (Figure 1a, b) Jingdong Frog / Ech ging-dong Specimen examined (n = 1). An adult female (HNUE MCC.2017.92, collected on 2 May 2017), near Che Tao village, Che Tao Commune, Mu Cang Chai SHCA (21 044’39’’ N 104 001’35’’ E, at an elevation of 1421 m a.s.l.) Description. Morphological characters of the specimen from Mu Cang Chai agreed with the descriptions of Bain et al. (2003) [6], Ziegler et al. (2014) [13]: SVL 80.2 mm in the female; Le Trung Dung, Do Thi Yen, Dao Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Quang Truong 146 head longer than wide (HL 29.5 mm, HW 28.2 mm); snout round, longer than eye (SL 12.6 mm, EL 8.7 mm); canthus rostralis distinct; internarial distance broader than interorbital distance and upper eyelid (IN 8.0 mm, IUE 7.0 mm, UEW 5.9 mm); tympanum distinct, half of eye diameter (TYD 4.2 mm, EL 8.7 mm); supratympanic fold distinct; vomerine teeth present. Fingers free of webbing; finger discs larger than those of toes, with circummarginal groove; tibia 5 times longer than wide (TL 51.9 mm, TW 10.3 mm); toes fully webbed; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; inner metatarsal tubercle elongate; dorsal skin smooth, lateral sides with tubercles; dorsolateral fold absent. Coloration in life: dorsum green with brown marks; sides of head and flanks uniform brown; dorsal surface of limbs with crossbars; lips yellow; eye with brown iris and black pupil, bordered by a yellow copper circle; belly cream and throat marbled with brown; tympanum and webbing dark brown. Distribution. In Vietnam, this species has been recorded from Ha Giang and Lao Cai provinces [3, 13]. This is the first record of O. jingdongensis from Mu Cang Chai SHCA and from Yen Bai province. Elsewhere, the species is known from China [3, 5]. Remarks. Rana hmongorum Bain, Lathrop, Murphy, Orlov and Ho, 2003 was synonymized with O. jingdongensis by Ohler (2007) [14]. The identification of this species is relatively difficult because of the morphological similarity to O. andersonii (reported from Mu Cang Chai SCHA by Le & Le, 2010 [15]). The specimen of O. jingdongensis from this study differs from O. andersonii in having a smaller SVL in the female (SVL 80.2 mm versus 88-102 mm in O. andersonii) (see Bain et al., 2003 [6]), different color on flank (brown versus black) (see Bain et al., 2003 [6]), disc of fingers large (versus indistinct in O. andersoni, see Fei et al., 2001 [16]). * Ordorana graminea (Boulenger, 1900) (Figure 2a, b) Gramin’s Frog / Ech g-ra-mi-ne Specimens examined (n = 8). Four adult males (HNUE MCC.2017.56-59, collected on 30 April 2017) and four adult females (HNUE MCC.2017.54, 55, collected on 2 May 2017; HNUE MCC.2017.91, collected on 2 May 2017; HNUE MCC.2017.121 collected on 3 May 2017), near Che Tao village, Che Tao Commune, Mu Cang Chai SHCA (21 043’03’’ N 104000’29’’ E, at an elevation of 1134 m a.s.l.). Description. Morphological characters of the specimens from Mu Cang Chai agreed well with the descriptions of Bain et al. (2003) [6], Bourret (1942) [17], and Hecht et al. (2013) [18]: SVL 45.7-49.4 mm in males and 86-94.7 mm in females; head longer than wide (HL 18.1-18.7 mm, HW 14.8-15.7 mm in males; HL 32.5-37.2 mm, HW 29.3-30.3 mm in females); snout longer than eye (SL 7.1-7.5 mm, EL 4.8-6.2 mm in males; SL 13.4-15.1 mm, EL 7.6-10 mm in females); canthus rostralis distinct; internarial distance broader than interorbital distance and upper eyelid (IN 4.2-4.3 mm, IUE 3.7-4.2 mm, UEW 3.4-3.8 mm in males; IN 8.6-9.4 mm, IUE 7.4-10.1 mm, UEW 5.9-6.8 mm in females); tympanum distinct, smaller than half of eye diameter (TYD 3.7-4.6 mm, EL 4.8-6.2 mm in males; TYD 4.5-5.6 mm, EL 8.2-9 mm in females); supratympanic fold distinct; vomerine teeth present. Fingers free of webbing; finger discs larger than those of toes, with circummarginal groove; tibia 5 times longer than wide (TL 28.9-31.5 mm, TW 5-5.5 mm in males; TL 56.4-64.7 mm, TW 10-12.3 mm in females); toes fully webbed; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; inner metatarsal tubercle elongate; dorsal skin smooth; dorsolateral fold absent; nuptial pads present. Coloration in life: dorsum green with black spots; sides of head and flanks black with green marbles; lips white; tympanum dark brown; dorsal surface of limbs with dark bars; webbing dark grey; ventral surface white. Distribution. In Vietnam, this species has been recorded from Bac Kan, Bac Giang, Lang Son, and Lam Dong provinces. Elsewhere, the species is known from China [3, 18]. This is the first record of O. graminea from MU Cang Chai SHCA and from Yen Bai province. New records of Odorrana Fei, Ye & Huang, 1990 (Anura: Ranidae) from Yen Bai province 147 Remarks. The morphology of O. graminea is very similar with O. chloronota (recorded entire Vietnam). The specimens of O. graminea from this study differ from O. chloronota in having a greater ratio of TYD/EL (TYD/EL 0.6 - 0.85 versus 0.57 in males, 0.52 - 0.68 versus 0.48 in females) (see Bain et al., 2003 [6]). Figure 2. Odorrana jingdongensis (HNUE MCC.2017.92, adult female): a, Dorsal view and b, Ventral view; Ordorana graminea (HNUE MCC.2017.56, adult male): c, Dorsal view and d, Ventral view; Ordorana nasica (HNUE MCC.2017.102, adult male): e, Dorsal view and f, Ventral view (Photos by Y. T. Do) * Ordorana nasica (Boulenger, 1903) (Figure 2e, f) Tonkin Huia Frog / Ech mom dai Specimens examined (n = 3). An adult male (HNUE MCC.2017.102, collected on 3 May 2017) and two adult females (HNUE MCC.2017.114, 120, collected on 3 May 2017), near Hang De Nhang Chang stream, Che Tao village, Che Tao Commune, Mu Cang Chai SHCA (21 044’39’’ N 104 001’35’’ E, at an elevation of 1421 m a.s.l.) Le Trung Dung, Do Thi Yen, Dao Ngoc Anh and Nguyen Quang Truong 148 Table 1. Measurements (in mm) of Odorrana jingdongensis, O. graminea, and O. nasica from Yen Bai province, Vietnam C h a ra ct er O d o rr a n a ji n g d o n g es is O. graminea O. nasica (n = 1 ♀) Min – max (n = 4 ♂) Mean ± SD (n = 4 ♂) Min – max (n = 4 ♀) Mean ± SD (n = 4 ♀) (n = 1♂) Min – max (n = 2♀) SVL 80.2 45.7 – 49.4 46.98 ± 1.68 86.0 – 94.7 91.4 ± 3.76 56.5 72.4 – 76.8 HW 28.2 14.8 – 15.7 15.38 ± 0.40 29.3 – 30.3 29.9 ± 0.42 18.7 24.3 – 25.7 HL 29.5 18.1 – 18.7 18.30 ± 0.27 32.5 – 37.2 34.63 ± 2.21 21.8 27.0 – 28.8 MN 24.7 15.4 – 17.0 16.00 ± 0.73 27.8 – 31.2 29.18 ± 1.51 18.5 23.3 – 24.5 MFE 8.6 10.8 – 14.4 11.88 ± 1.70 19.8 – 23.3 21.00 ± 1.58 13.9 17.0 – 17.6 MBE 10.7 6.0 – 6.5 6.18 ± 0.22 11.9 – 13.5 12.58 ± 0.81 7.5 8.9 - 10.8 IFE 14.0 8.0 – 8.4 8.15 ± 0.19 15.0 – 16.0 15.43 ± 0.51 9.8 12.4 – 13.7 IBE 21.2 11.3 – 13.1 12.38 ± 0.76 21.1 – 24.7 23.10 ± 1.54 14.9 17.6 – 18.8 IN 8.0 4.2 – 4.3 4.25 ± 0.06 8.6 – 9.4 8.90 ± 0.35 5.7 7.1 – 7.7 EN 7.3 4.2 – 4.8 4.53 ± 0.28 7.4 – 8.9 8.08 ± 0.64 5.2 6.4 – 7.4 EL 8.7 4.8 – 6.2 5.48 ± 0.59 8.2 – 9.0 8.73 ± 1.02 6.3 6.6 – 6.8 TYD 4.2 3.7 – 4.6 4.18 ± 0.38 4.5 – 5.6 4.93 ± 0.50 3.7 4.4 – 4.8 TYE 3.9 1.4 – 2.0 1.68 ± 0.25 3.1 – 4.5 3.80 ± 0.57 1.9 2.9 – 3.4 NS 6.6 2.7 – 3.3 3.08 ± 0.26 5.1 – 6.5 5.80 ± 0.66 4.1 4.6 SL 12.6 7.1 – 7.5 7.25 ± 0.19 13.4 – 15.1 14.18 ± 0.85 8.9 10.7 – 11.9 IUE 7.0 3.7 – 4.2 4.00 ± 0.22 7.4 – 10.1 8.43 ± 1.18 4.8 6.5 – 6.8 UEW 5.9 3.4 – 3.8 3.63 ± 0.17 5.9 – 6.8 6.43 ± 0.39 3.6 4.9 – 5.2 FLL 18.1 10.6 – 12.5 11.60 ± 0.94 18.8 – 21.4 19.90 ± 1.13 12.7 15.6 – 17.6 HAL 25.4 13.8 – 14.8 14.15 ± 0.45 25.6 – 30.0 28.18 ± 1.87 16.4 20.3 – 21.7 TFL 15.0 8.7 – 9.1 8.95 ± 0.17 15.6 – 17.5 16.33 ± 0.82 9.6 11.4 – 12.0 FL 46.6 23.8 – 27.4 25.90 ± 1.53 44.3 – 55.2 49.68 ± 5.08 34.2 43.0 – 45.2 TL 51.9 28.9 – 31.5 29.93 ± 1.14 56.4 – 64.7 59.85 ± 3.68 39.5 47.5 – 49.6 FOL 49.0 24.2 – 28.7 26.95 ± 1.98 50.4 – 56.8 53.13 ± 2.80 35.7 38.1 – 40.5 FTL 28.8 15.0 – 18.7 16.13 ± 1.73 29.8 – 33.6 31.85 ± 1.76 21 23.6 - 23.8 IMT 4.8 1.7 – 2.6 2.13 ± 0.37 4.3 – 4.8 4.48 ± 0.22 2.3 2.9 – 3.4 ITL 8.8 4.0 – 4.9 4.50 ± 0.37 9.6 – 10.7 10.35 ± 0.52 5.7 7.6 – 7.7 TW 10.3 5.0 – 5.5 5.20 ± 0.22 10.0 – 12.3 11.48 ± 1.02 6.8 7.8 – 8.4 Description. Morphological characters of the specimens from Mu Cang Chai agreed with the descriptions of Bain et al. (2003) [6], Bourret (1942) [17], and Hecht et al. (2013) [18]: SVL 56.5 mm New records of Odorrana Fei, Ye & Huang, 1990 (Anura: Ranidae) from Yen Bai province 149 in the male and 72.4 - 76.8 mm in females; head longer than wide (HL 21.8 mm, HW 18.7 mm in the male; HL 27 - 28.8 mm, HW 24.3 - 25.7 mm in females); snout obtusely pointed, longer than eye (SL 8.9 mm, EL 6.3 mm in the male; SL 10.7 - 11.9 mm, EL 6.6 - 6.8 mm in females); canthus rostralis distinct; internarial distance broader than interorbital distance and upper eyelid (IN 5.7 mm, IUE 4.8 mm, UEW 3.6 mm in the male; IN 7.1-7.7 mm, IUE 6.5 - 6.8 mm, UEW 4.9 - 5.2 mm in females); tympanum distinct, larger than half of eye diameter (TYD 3.7 mm, EL 6.3 mm in the male; TYD 4.4 - 4.8 mm, EL 6.6 - 6.8 mm in females); supratympanic fold indistinct; vomerine teeth present. Fingers free of webbing; finger I longer than II; finger discs larger than those of toes, with circummarginal groove; tibia 5.5 times longer than wide (TL 39.5 mm, TW 6.8 mm in the male; TL 47.5 - 49.6 mm, TW 7.8 - 8.4 mm in females); toes fully webbed; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; inner metatarsal tubercle elongate; dorsal skin smooth; dorsolateral fold present; external gular sacs absent; nuptial pads present. Coloration in life: dorsum dark brown with green spots; dorsolateral fold and canthus rostralis whitish-brown; sides of head and flanks brownish grey; lips whitish brown; tympanum dark brown; limbs with dark bars; ventral surface white. Distribution. In Vietnam, this is a widespread species, known from Lao Cai province in the North to Thua Thien - Hue province in the Central. Elsewhere, O. nasica has been recorded from China, Laos and Thailand [3]. This is a new record for Yen Bai province. Remarks. Specimens from Yen Bai differ from the description of O. nasica (Bain et al. 2003 [6]) in having a larger size (SVL 56.5 mm versus 41 - 49 mm in males; 72.4 - 76.8 mm versus 67 mm in females). The identification of this species is rather difficult because of the morphological similar with O. nasuta and O. trankieni. The specimens from Yen Bai also resemble O. nasuta from China but it differs from the latter in having larger HL and HW in females (HL 27 - 27.8 mm versus 24.8 - 26.8 mm; HW 24.3 - 25.7 mm versus 23.1 - 23.3 mm) (see Fei et al., 2009 [1]). These specimens differ from O. trankieni in having dorsum dark brown with green spots versus predominately green dorsum with red spots (see Orlov et al., 2003 [19]). To clarify the position of three species classification, need further research on molecular biology. 3. Conclusion The Mu Cang Chai SHCA is located in the southwestern part of the Hoang Lien Mountains. The SHCA was established by the Yen Bai People’s Committee based on the Decision No. 513/QĐ-UBND, dated on 9 October 2006 with an area of 20,293 ha [20]. The fauna of Mu Cang Chai SHCA contributes to the great conservation importance of the whole Hoang Lien mountain range. Nguyen et al. (2009) documented 15 species of amphibians from this province. In their technical report [3], Le and Le (2010) provided a list of 17 species of amphibians [15]. Our new records of three species of Odorrana for Yen Bai province bring the total species number of amphibians to 33 and of the genus Odorrana to 6 in Yen Bai province. Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the directorate of the Mu Cang Chai SHCA for support of our field work. We thank A. N. Nguyen and N. H. Nguyen (HNUE) for their assistance in the field. Research of D. T. Le is partially funded by the Hanoi National University of Education (Grant No. SPHN17-09) REFERENCES [1] Fei, L., Hu, S., Ye, C. & Huang, Y., 2009. Fauna Sinica. Amphibia. 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