Description of a new Kurixalus species (Rhacophoridae, Anura) and a northwards range extension of the genus

Abstract

Knowledge of biodiversity before species become extinct is paramount to conservation, especially when the relevant species are far from their expected distribution and, thus, likely overlooked. Here, we describe a new Kurixalus species corresponding to a range extension of Kurixalus on the Asian mainland, with the closest population in Taiwan. The species diverged from its closest relative during the Late Pliocene to Pleistocene, ca. 3.06 Mya (HPD 95%: 5.82-0.01), based on calibrations with a relaxed clock species tree of unlinked mtDNA 12S rRNA and nuclear DNA TYR. The status of the newly-described species is also supported by a divergence in call properties and morphometrics. We named the species described here as Kurixalus inexpectatus sp. nov. due to the nature of the discovery, as well as the adjunct distribution of the species relative to its closest congeners. The species was found in Zhejiang Province and it represents a range extension of 663 km for the Kurixalus genus.

Taxonomic Status of Three Recently Proposed Species of the Genus <italic>Kurixalus</italic> (Anura, Rhacophoridae), with Discussion on the ZooBank Registrations for Electronical Publication

“…Zhitong LYU et al Taxonomic Statuses on Three Kurixalus Species gene fragments placed K. inexpectatus within the lineage of K. idiootocus (BPP = 0.97), resulting in a paraphyletic status for K. idiootocus following the erecting of K. inexpectatus (Messenger et al, 2022). Our phylogenetic analysis based on 12S-16S-COI gene fragments also suggested a distinct lineage of K. idiootocus, including all K. inexpectatus samples (Figure 1).…”

“…In this study, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis including both Kurixalus inexpectatus and K. qionglaiensis, which was absent in the original description of K. inexpectatus (Messenger et al, 2022). Nevertheless, the results indicated that the classification of K. inexpectatus as a distinct species is not supported and it should be reclassified as a junior synonym of K. idiootocus.…”

“…Additionally, the phylogenetic placement of both as the sister taxon to K. idiootocus (Kuramoto and Wang, 1987) suggests that these two species likely refer to the same population. Moreover, although K. inexpectatus was phylogenetically identified as the closest relative to K. idiootocus, neither morphological nor molecular comparisons among K. inexpectatus, K. qionglaiensis, and K. silvaenaias were provided in the original publication of K. inexpectatus, even though the authors have acknowledged the description of these two congeners (Messenger et al, 2022).…”

“…Within the Kurixalus sensu stricto clade, three recently described congeners K. silvaenaias Hou, Peng, Miao, Liu, Li and Orlov, 2021, K. qionglaiensis Guo, Zhong, Leung, Wang and Hu, 2022, and K. inexpectatus Messenger, Yang, Borzée, Chuang and Othman, 2022 have significantly expanded the geographical range of the genus to approximately 30°N (Hou et al, 2021;Guo et al, 2022;Messenger et al, 2022), representing the northernmost distribution of this tropicalorigin genus. However, the taxonomic status of these species remains problematic.…”

Biogeographic Origin of Kurixalus (Anura, Rhacophoridae) on the East Asian Islands and Tempo of Diversification within Kurixalus

“…Additionally, more recently, Hou et al described K. silvaenaias from Sichuan Province, China [2], and Messenger et al described K. inexpectatus from Zhejiang Province, China [18]. These two species are also closely related to K. idiootocus but have not yet been included in biogeographic analyses.…”