''Kaloula nonggangensis'' is a species of
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
in the family
Microhylidae
The Microhylidae, commonly known as narrow-mouthed frogs, are a geographically widespread family of frogs. The 683 species are in 63 genera and 11 subfamilies, which is the largest number of genera of any frog family.
Evolution
A molecular phylo ...
. It is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, where it is so far only known from the vicinity of its
type locality in
Nonggang National Nature Reserve in
Longzhou County
Longzhou County Zhuang: ''Lungzcouh Yen'') is a county of southwestern Guangxi, China, bordering Cao Bằng province, Vietnam. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Chongzuo.
Longzhou lies in a circular valley at ...
, southwestern
Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...
.
[ Its range might extend into nearby Vietnam.]
Description
Adult males measure and adult females, based only a single specimen, in snout–vent length. The overall appearance is rotund. The snout is slightly pointed with its tip rounded. The tympanum is hidden and indistinct; the tympanic fold can be prominent or indistinct. The limbs are relatively short. The fingers have no webbing but they bear obviously dilated disks. The toes have no discs but are almost completely webbed (two thirds webbed in the female). Skin is smooth. The upper parts are light olive green with dark moss-green marbling; the loreal region, tympanic region, and tympanum are slightly dark olive-green. The lower parts are creamy white. Males have a subgular vocal sac
The vocal sac is the flexible membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs and toads. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call. The presence or development of the vocal sac is one way o ...
.
Habitat and conservation
''Kaloula nonggangensis'' is known from primary and secondary karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
evergreen forest
An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zone ...
s, and from cultivated fields near the forest, at elevations of above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. Individuals have been observed gathering in a temporary pool after a rainstorm.
References
External links
Kaloula nonggangensis
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15268279
nonggangensis
Frogs of China
Endemic fauna of Guangxi
Amphibians described in 2013