Rediscovery and taxonomic reassessment of Rana montivaga Smith, 1921 (Anura: Ranidae) with transfer to the genus Odorrana Fei, Ye & Huang, 1990, based on morphology and molecular data

Résumé fourni par la source

Rana montivaga Smith, 1921, is a poorly known ranid frog originally described from the Langbian Plateau in southern Vietnam, whose taxonomic status and generic placement have long remained unresolved due to the absence of molecular data and limited examination of type material. In this study, we reassess the taxonomic identity of Rana montivaga using an integrative approach based on detailed morphological comparisons of newly collected specimens from the Da Lat area and other localities on the Langbian Plateau with photographs of the 12 NHMUK specimens currently catalogued as syntypes, combined with analyses of mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences. Morphological characters of body proportions, digital discs, toe webbing, and skin texture of the newly collected material closely match Smith’s (1921) original description and the photographed NHMUK series. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial DNA recovered Rana montivaga nested within the genus Odorrana Fei, Ye & Huang, forming a well-supported sister lineage to Odorrana absita (Stuart & Chan-ard, 2005), and clearly separated from other ranid genera. The congruence between morphological and molecular evidence supports the transfer of Rana montivaga to Odorrana as Odorrana montivaga (Smith 1921). This taxonomic reassessment resolves a long-standing systematic problem and provides a necessary framework for future studies on the biogeography and conservation of montane stream-associated frogs in southern Vietnam.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.