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

Simple Summary In China, new species of Microhylidae continue to be discovered at a rapid rate, often as a result of re-examining geographically widespread species populations using new molecular and bioacoustic tools. Here, we show that members of the genus Microhyla from the Dabie mountains in East China can be distinguished from morphologically similar species (M. beilunensis, M. fanjinshanensis and M. mixtura) with the analysis of phylogeny, species delimitation, bioacoustics and morphology. Based on the above multiple lines of evidence, we describe the population of the Dabie Mountains as a new species, Microhyla dabieshanensis sp. nov. This study enriches the diversity of Microhylidae, and clarifies the species of the genus Microhyla in the Dabie Mountains. Microhyla dabieshanensis sp. nov. is distributed in the Dabie Mountains above 500 m above sea level, and in some areas has sympatric distribution with M. fissipes and M. heymonsi. 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.

Automated summary

This study identifies a new species, Microhyla dabieshanensis, through multiple analyses of the population in the Dabie Mountains in China. The discovery enriches the diversity of Microhylidae and clarifies the species of the genus Microhyla in the region.