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Issue: Vol. 5777 No. 2: 18 Mar. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-03-18
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5777.2.4
Page range: 283-306
Abstract views: 36
PDF downloaded: 3

Cryptic diversity within Nyctixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae): a new species, a resurrection, and a redescription

University of San Francisco; Biology Department; 2130 Fulton Street; San Francisco; CA 94117; USA
University of California; Berkeley; Department of Integrative Biology; Berkeley; CA 94720; USA
School of Life Sciences and Technology; Institut Teknologi Bandung; Bandung 40132; Indonesia
Laboratory of Herpetology; Museum Zoologicum Boroiense; Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution; National Research and Innovation Agency; Gd. Widyasatwaloka; Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor km 46; Cibinong 16911 Indonesia; P.O. Box 25
Herpetology Laboratory; Department of Biology; La Sierra University; 4500 Riverwalk Parkway; Riverside; CA 92505; USA; Department of Herpetology; San Diego Natural History Museum; PO Box 121390; San Diego; California; 92112; USA
Amphibia Treefrog Southeast Asia taxonomy phylogeny

Abstract

The examination of molecular markers confirms hidden diversity and reveals a new species within the Nyctixalus pictus (Peters, 1871) complex. Three genetically distinct clades were recovered: one from the Thai-Malay Peninsula; one from Sumatra, Indonesia; and one from Sarawak, Borneo, East Malaysia. Voucher specimens from each region were compared, and significantly different mean values were found through morphological analyses. The populations also differ significantly in morphospace, as determined by PCA, DAPC, and MFA analyses. The Thai-Malay Peninsula individuals have a distinct, rounded and slightly elongated snout shape compared to the other two clades. Based on these combined data, these three clades are recognized as distinct species. The name N. anodon is reinstated for those from Sumatra, Indonesia. The type locality of Sarawak, East Malaysia for N. pictus restricts the distribution of the species to Borneo. The type specimen of N. pictus was lost (pers. communication, G. Doria), and no lectotype or syntypes were described; thus, a specimen from Sarawak, Borneo, in the collection of the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (FMNH), is designated here as the neotype of N. pictus.

 

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How to Cite

Dever, J.A., Mcguire, J.A., Iskandar, D.T., Hamidy, A. & Grismer, L.L. (2026) Cryptic diversity within Nyctixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae): a new species, a resurrection, and a redescription. Zootaxa, 5777 (2), 283–306. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5777.2.4