A New Species of the Genus Microhyla (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae) from the Dabie Mountains, China

Abstract

Species belonging to the genus Microhyla are small-sized frogs that are widely distributed in southern, eastern, and south-eastern Asia. In China, the genus harbors many cryptic species, on two of which—M. beilunensis and M. fanjinshanensis—studies were recently published. In this study, we collected specimens from the Dabie Mountain range, which is at the junction of Anhui, Henan and Hubei Provinces, East China; these specimens belonged to a species previously identified as M. mixtura. Based on phylogenetic analyses, species delimitation analyses, morphological comparisons and advertisement calls comparisons, we found they were significantly different from other known congeners, and thus we describe them as a new species. This study enriches the diversity of Microhylidae, and clarifies the species of the genus Microhyla in the Dabie Mountains.