Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980

Alain DUBOIS, 2023, Is it still acceptable to describe a taxon or synonymise a nomen without molecular data? The Rana (Paa) barmoachensis case (Dicroglossidae, Painae), Alytes 39 - 40, pp. 160-184 : 162-165

Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980 ( Figures 1‒2 )

MNHN 1978.3056 , adult male, collected on 15 June 1978 by M. S. Khan in a small torrent running in a deep gorge in the region of Datta, 18 km (11 miles) from Abbottabad and 6 km (4 miles) from Manshera, 4 km (2.5 miles) off the main road toward East, in the plain of Rsh (Manshera District, Hazara Division, Pakistan; 34°15’N, 73°15’E; elevation about 1200 m).

(A) Size and general aspect. (1) Specimen of moderate size (SVL 55.7), body stout.

(B) Head. (2) Head of moderate size, slightly longer (HL 20.8) than wide (HW 19.8; MN 16.5; MFE 13.1; MBE 7.8), convex. (3) Snout rounded, slightly protruding, its length (SL 8.6) longer than horizontal diameter of eye (EL 6.48). (4) Canthus rostralis rounded, loreal region concave, obtuse in cross section. (5) Interorbital space flat, smaller (IUE 3.82) than upper eyelid (UEW 4.74) and internarial distance (IN 5.19). (6) Distance between front of eyes (IFE 9.5) about two thirds of distance between back of eyes (IBE 15.0). (7) Nostrils closer to eye (EN 4.34) than to tip of snout (NS 5.92). (8) Pupil rounded. (9) Tympanum (TYD 2.98) rather distinct, oval, oblique. (10) Tympanum-eye distance (TYE 4.08) 1.4 times its diameter. (11) Pineal ocellus absent. (12) Vomerine ridges present, bearing few rather large teeth (n = 3), between choanae, almost perpendicular to body axis, closer to each other than to choanae, longer than distance between them. (13) Tongue moderate, oval, emarginated (clearly shrunken by fixation).

(C) Forelimbs. (14) Arm short (FLL 11.0), rather thin, shorter than hand (HAL 12.3), not enlarged. (15) Fingers short, rather thin (TFL 6.68). (16) Relative length of fingers, shortest to longest: II <I <IV <III. (17) Tips of fingers rounded, not enlarged, without discs. (18) Fingers II, III and IV with dermal fringes, reduced to a crest on IV; webbing absent. (19) Subarticular tubercles large, prominent, oval, single; terminal tubercles of fingers III and IV absent. (20) Prepollex oval, very prominent; two flat, oval, palmar tubercles, the median one slightly smaller than the external; supernumerary tubercles absent.

(D) Hindlimbs. (21) Shank three times longer (TL 27.8) than wide (TW 9.5), about as long as thigh (FL 27.2) but longer than distance from base of internal metatarsal tubercle to tip of toe IV (FOL 25.5). (22) Toes short, rather thin; toe IV (FTL 13.0) more than one third of distance from base of tarsus to tip of toe IV (TFOL 36.8). (23) Relative length of toes, shortest to longest: I <II <V <III <IV. (24) Tips of toes rounded, enlarged, without discs. (25) Webbing complete: I 0 – 0 II 0 – 0 III 0 – 0 IV 0 – 0 V (WTF 8.9; WFF 8.6; WI 7.9; WII 6.8). (26) Dermal fringe along toe V well developed, from tip of toe to mid-metatarsus. (27) Subarticular tubercles prominent, oval, simple. (28) Inner metatarsal tubercle moderately long, prominent; its length (IMT 3.44) 2.28 times in length of toe I (ITL 7.84). (29) No tarsal ridge. (30) No outer metatarsal tubercle; no supernumerary tubercles; no tarsal tubercle.

(E) Skin. (31) Dorsal and lateral parts of head and dorsal part of back smooth with horny spinules (in mid of back some yellowish inclusion in skin might be due to parasite infection); flanks with weak glandular warts and horny spinules. (32) Dorsolateral folds absent; lateral line system absent; Fejervaryan line absent; supratympanic fold distinct, from eye to above shoulder; cephalic ridges absent; co-ossified skin absent. (33) Dorsal surfaces of limbs smooth with horny spinules. (34) Ventral surfaces of head, chest and limbs smooth; belly with transversal foldings. (35) Macroglands absent.

(F) Coloration in alcohol. (36) Dorsal and lateral surfaces of head and body: grayish brown with darker brown spots, some on lateral part of dorsum slightly elongated and arranged in line; upper part of flank like back, lower part light gray; loreal and tympanic region grayish brown with dark brown line under canthus rostralis and tympanic fold; tympanum and upper lip grayish brown. (37) Dorsal surfaces of limbs: grayish brown with indistinct darker brown bands; these indistinct bands on forelimbs; posterior part of thigh light gray with small roundish brown dots. (38) Ventral surfaces: throat whitish with light gray markings; margin of throat whitish with light gray spots; vocal sacs indistinct; chest, belly and thighs whitish; webbing grayish brown.

(G) Male secondary sex characters. (39) Large sized, brown nuptial spines present on prepollex and finger I, forming two separate pads. Table 1 gives the numbers of spines in these places on both hands. (40) Forearms not enlarged. (41) Vocal indistinct on throat, pair, slit-like openings posterior on mouth floor.

Figures

Figure 1. Allopaa hazarensis (Dubois & Khan, 1980): (a‒b) MNHN 1978.3056, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980, whole body in (a) dorsal view and (b) ventral view; (c‒d) USNN 257534, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989, whole body in (c) dorsal view and (d) ventral view.

Figure 2. Allopaa hazarensis (Dubois & Khan, 1980): heads in right lateral view of (a) MNHN 1978.3056, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980; (b) MNHN 1978.3067, adult male, paratype of Rana (Paa) hazarensis Dubois & Khan, 1980; (c) USNM 257534, adult male, holotype of Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989; (d) BMNH 1990.1705, adult female, paratype of Rana (Paa) barmoachensis Khan & Tasnim, 1989.