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''Zhangixalus'' is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
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 ...
s in the
subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Rhacophorinae,
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Rhacophoridae The Rhacophoridae are a family of frogs that occur in tropical sub-Saharan Africa, South India and Sri Lanka, Japan, northeastern India to eastern China and Taiwan, south through the Philippines and Greater Sundas, and Sulawesi. They are commonly ...
. They are collectively known as Zhang's treefrogs. They occur in the
Eastern Himalayas ] The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to September. ...
, southern China, Taiwan, Japan, and southeast Asia.


Etymology

The name of the genus honors Zhang Ya-Ping from the
Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republ ...
, in recognition to his contributions to biodiversity and evolution research in China, in combination with ''ixalus'', a common generic root for treefrogs.


Taxonomy

''Zhangixalus'' was erected in a 2019 revision of the then very large genus ''
Rhacophorus ''Rhacophorus'' is a genus of frogs in the shrub frog family (Rhacophoridae) and the related Hylidae make up the true tree frogs. They are found in India, Japan, Madagascar, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Over 40 species are currently recognised. T ...
'' (92 species) that was split in three lineages: ''Rhacophorus'' sensu stricto (then 39 species; as of November 2021, 43 species), resurrected '' Leptomantis'' (then 14 species; as of November 2021, 13 species), and ''Zhangixalus'' (then 37 species; as of November 2021, 40 species). The split was based on molecular data, but was supported by morphological characteristics and differences in geographic distribution. ''Rhacophorus'' is the
sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...
to the clade formed by ''Zhangixalus'' and ''Leptomantis''.


Description

''Zhangixalus'' are relatively large frogs, ranging between in snout–vent length, but typically more than . The snout is rounded. The terminal phalanges of fingers and toes are Y-shaped. Dorsal skin is smooth or scattered with small tubercles. Most species have green dorsal coloration. Reproduction involves white foam nests produced by breeding pairs. ''Zhangixalus'', as delimited by Jiang and colleagues, includes a deeply divergent clade containing '' Z. achantharrhena'', '' Z. dulitensis'', and '' Z. prominanus''. They differ from other ''Zhangixalus'' by possessing dermal folds along limbs and tarsal projections. The placement of these species is tentative, pending further study. ''Zhangixalus'' are mostly larger than their closest relative, ''Leptomantis'', and have generally green dorsal coloration, instead of light tan or reddish brown. They differ from ''Rhacophorus'' sensu stricto by lacking dermal folds along limbs and tarsal projections.


Species

There are 40 recognized species: The AmphibiaWeb recognizes the same species except ''Zhangixalus amamiensis'', which is treated as being part of ''Zhangixalus viridis''.


References

{{taxonbar, from=Q84469552 Rhacophoridae Amphibian genera Amphibians of Asia