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Issue: Vol. 5763 No. 4: 5 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-05
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5763.4.6
Page range: 551-567
Abstract views: 32
PDF downloaded: 2

A new Asian horned toad of the genus Jingophrys (Amphibia, Megophryidae) from Xizang, China

Forestry Bureau of Jiangjin District; Chongqing 402260; China
The Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Conservation and Ecological Security in the Yangtze River Basin; College of Life Sciences; Anhui Normal University; Wuhu 241000; Anhui; China
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education); School of Life Sciences; Southwest University; Chongqing 400715; China
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education); School of Life Sciences; Southwest University; Chongqing 400715; China
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education); School of Life Sciences; Southwest University; Chongqing 400715; China
State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; and College of Ecology; Lanzhou University; Lanzhou 730000; China
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education); School of Life Sciences; Southwest University; Chongqing 400715; China; Fuzhou Shuiyuzan Agriculture and Forestry Technology Company; Fuzhou 350100; China
Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education); School of Life Sciences; Southwest University; Chongqing 400715; China
Amphibia Molecular Phylogeny Taxonomy Morphology himalayas Jingophrys zhaoermii sp. nov.

Abstract

A new species of the genus Jingophrys is described from Xizang, China based on the morphological comparisons and phylogenetic reconstruction. Morphologically, this new species Jingophrys zhaoermii sp. nov. can be distinguished from other known congeners by a combination of diagnostic characteristics: (1) body size small, SVL 34.5–35.4 mm in adult males and SVL 39.6–43.1 mm in adult females; (2) tympanum distinct, upper margin slightly concealed by supratympanic fold; (3) presence of weak vomerine ridge, absence of vomerine teeth; (4) tongue notch absent; (5) hindlimbs slender, heels meeting when thighs flexed at right angles to the axis of body and tibiotarsal articulation reaching anterior corner of eye or tip of the snout when leg stretched alongside body; (6) fingers with lateral fringes, subarticular tubercles absent; (7) toes with rudimentary webbing at bases and lateral fringes; (8) dorsal skin relatively smooth (lack granules), strong discontinuous X-shaped ridge on center of dorsum, discontinuous dorsolateral ridges absent or weak; (9) sparse large tubercles on flanks, no granules between tubercles; (10) adult males lack nuptial pads. Phylogenetically, it differs from its congeners by uncorrected p-distances of >3.7% for the 16S gene fragment and uncorrected p-distances of >10.1% for the COI gene fragment. Additionally, we provide a new identification key to the genus Jingophrys.

 

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How to Cite

Yuan, X., Chen, J., Ai, R., Lu, W., Liu, X., Zhou, W., Huang, J. & Yuan, Z. (2026) A new Asian horned toad of the genus Jingophrys (Amphibia, Megophryidae) from Xizang, China. Zootaxa, 5763 (4), 551–567. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5763.4.6