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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
The Rhacophorinae are a subfamily of frogs in the family Rhacophoridae. They range from tropical Africa and Asia to temperate China and Japan.
Genera
The following genera are recognised in the subfamily Rhacophorinae, representing 422 species:
* ...
, 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. It ...
, southern China, Taiwan, Japan, and southeast Asia.
Etymology
The name of the genus honors Zhang Ya-Ping from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 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'' (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 thesister 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 insnout–vent length
Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...
, 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