Hylarana doni (Biju, Garg, Mahony, Wijayathilaka, Senevirathne & Meegasskumbura, 2014)

S22. Hylarana doni (Biju, Garg, Mahony, Wijayathilaka, Senevirathne & Meegasskumbura, 2014) View in CoL ( fig. 45‒46 View Figure 45 View Figure 46 )

Larval series examined. WT 076.141010 ( Wagman , Kottayam, Kerala, India; 11.70350 N, 76.40364). Tadpoles were collected in a small water pool in a tea plantation. The substratum of the pool was muddy with emergent vegetation .

Notes. A partial sequence of 16S rRNA (OQ079499) generated from the tadpole voucher WT 076 showed no sequence divergence when compared to the published Genbank sequence ( KM 068920 View Materials ) from a taxonomically identified specimen of Indosylvirana doni . Morphological description for tadpoles of I. doni is not available.

External morphology. Description of a tadpole at Gosner stage 37. Body ovoid and globular in dorsal and lateral perspectives ( fig. 45a‒b View Figure 45 ). Body length 34.1 % of total length; maximum body diameter at centre of abdomen. Snout rounded in dorsal and lateral perspectives. Eyes large, located and oriented dorsolaterally; distance between eye and nostril 44.8 % of distance between eye and snout. Nostril opening oval and depressed, closer to eye than to snout, placed parallel to eye in dorsal view; inter-narial distance 79.3 % of inter-orbital distance, distance between nostril and snout 12.5 % of body length. Spiracle sinistral and short; inner wall of tube completely formed with anterior end attached to body wall and posterior end free; tube oriented posterolateral and its opening located above the median on lateral side of the venter. Distance between spiracle and snout 71.6 % of body length. Opening of vent tube dextral with a broad aperture; origin of right wall exactly parallel to that of left wall. Tail tip acute and pointed; musculature linear on first third length of tail, tapering beyond. Dorsal fin originating at junction between body and tail, ventral fin originating at ventral terminus; dorsal fin wider than ventral fin; maximum height of caudal fin at about mid-length. Height of tail muscle 1.13 times width of tail muscle at body-tail junction. Tail (caudal) musculature accounting for 52.3 % of height of tail. Lateral line faintly visible. Numerous glands present on body; two pairs of large glands present near eyes (an anterior and a posterior); tiny glands visible laterally and seen till vent; ventrally, pair of glands immediately behind lateral commissures of oral disc, and two pairs of glands (one large and one small) at posterior end of body.

Oral disc anteroventral in location ( fig. 45c View Figure 45 ). Rostral width of oral disc 36.9 % of maximum body width, emarginated; not visible dorsally; single row of marginal papillae at lateral commissures of upper labium and entire lower labium; marginal papillae broadly interrupted on upper labium; six to eight submarginal papillae on lateral commissures and few submarginal papillae below P3 tooth row; both labia of equal size. Labial tooth row formula A2(2)/P3(1); A2 labial tooth row short and restricted to lateral commissures. Order of lengths of labial tooth rows P1> A1> P2> P3> A2. Jaw sheaths well developed, both jaws keratinized thinly. Jaw sheath margins uniformly serrated with small fine serrations; supra-rostrodont wide and convex; infra-rostrodont V-shaped, convex laterally and concave medially.

Measurements of 29 tadpoles at various Gosner stages (28, 31‒32, 34, 36‒37, 39‒42) are given in tab. 21 View Table 21 .

Coloration. In life, dorsal body dusky brown; flanks darker than dorsum; outer integument with many large melanophores; inner integument with numerous tiny melanophores. Ventral integument translucent and dirty yellow; gular region spotted with tiny melanophores. Caudal fin musculature mottled through its length; both tail fins banded; melanophores on both fins and musculature arranged in dendrite pattern. Spiracle, oral disc and vent tube translucent and dotted with melanophores.

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 46a‒b View Figure 46 ). Prenarial arena of roof with a flat pustulose ridge that branches medially towards the posterior; four pustules present along the ridge on both sides and three pustules medially. Internal nares transverse, oriented medially; gap between nares narrow, about half the length of nare; anterior narial wall pustulose and a papilla originating at lateral corner with a rugose surface; posterior wall smooth and valvular with a raised wall. Postnarial arena with a broad papilla, immediately behind each narial wall oriented medially; anterior margin of papillae rugose with tiny pustules; two tiny papillae at lateral corners along margins of the groove behind each narial wall; four to five papillae in front of median ridge papilla. Median ridge papilla triangular flap with a pustulated tip. Lateral ridge papillae absent. BRA demarcated with five pairs of short conical papillae on lateral borders of the roof; about 30 tiny pustules spread across BRA. Glandular zone thick and prominent with anterior margin as an elevated ridge. Dorsal velum margin raised and discontinuous; margin of velum smooth.

Buccal floor ( fig. 46c‒d View Figure 46 ). Prelingual arena composed of four tiny pustules arranged from anterior to median, and a large dilated palp at posterolateral corner on each side of jaw sheath; posterior palp dilated with a concavity and a rugose margin, and directed anteromedially. Tongue anlage broad and raised; a pair of long conical lingual papillae located medially. BFA well defined with three pairs of conical BFA papillae; smooth with 20‒30 pustules. Space between tongue anlage and buccal pockets free of pustules. Buccal pocket opening narrow and anteromedially oriented; pocket papillae absent. Region between BFA and margin of ventral velum broad and smooth. Ventral velum wide and sinuate with about 10 projections. Outer three projections on each side wide apart with remaining concentrated around the centre. Median notch not prominent. Glottis exposed immediately posterior to ventral velum.

Denticles ( fig. 46e View Figure 46 ) moderately spaced and feebly curved towards mouth at apex. Sheath and body of equal width with a slight concavity and an aboral surface; head broad with four to five long and sharply curved cusps; apical cusps longer than subapical cusps.

Each serration ( fig. 46f View Figure 46 ) on jaw sheath with a wide base and a pointed head.