Clinotarsus alticola ( Boulenger, 1882 )

S19. Clinotarsus alticola ( Boulenger, 1882) View in CoL ( fig. 39‒40 View Figure 39 View Figure 40 )

Larval series examined. WT 129.211109 (North-Eastern Hill University Campus ( NEHU), Shillong , Meghalaya, India; 25.60948 N; 91.90028 E). Tadpoles were collected in a large lake of about three feet in depth. The substratum in the lake was muddy with emergent vegetation GoogleMaps .

Notes. Tadpoles of this species were preserved in 10 % buffered formalin. Tadpoles were reared ex-situ till metamorphosis for taxonomic verification. Larval description for this species was earlier made by Grosjean et al. (2003).

External morphology. Description of a tadpole at Gosner stage 36. Body large and robust, elliptical and globular in dorsal and lateral perspectives ( fig. 39a‒b View Figure 39 ). Body length 34.3 % of total length; maximum body diameter at centre of abdomen. Snout broadly rounded and rounded in dorsal and lateral perspectives. Eyes large, located and oriented dorsolaterally; distance between eye and nostril 48.5 % of distance between eye and snout. Nostril opening oval with rim elevated, closer to eye than to snout, placed parallel to eye in dorsal view; inter-narial distance 67.3 % of inter-orbital distance, distance between nostril and snout 20.4 % of body length. Spiracle sinistral with inner wall of tube completely formed and aperture of tube free from body; tube oriented posterolateral, its opening located above the middle of the lateral side of body. Distance between spiracle and snout 76.6 % of body length. Opening of vent tube dextral, with right wall attaching dorsally parallel to left wall. Tail tip rounded; musculature widest at body-tail junction, 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 mid-length of tail. Height of tail muscle 1.10 times width of tail muscle at body-tail junction. Tail (caudal) musculature accounting for 65.6 % of height of tail. Lateral line faintly visible. Several glands present on body; a pair of large glands behind eyes on dorsolateral side of body; few glands present on anterior region of dorsal fin margin.

Oral disc near-ventral in location ( fig. 39c View Figure 39 ). Rostral width of oral disc 45.3 % of maximum body width, not emarginated; not visible dorsally; single row of marginal papillae at lateral commissures and entire lower labium; two to three rows of submarginal papillae at lateral commissures; both labia of equal size. Labial tooth row formula A6(3‒6)/P7(1). Jaw sheaths well developed; both jaw sheaths keratinized delicately. Jaw sheath margins uniformly serrated with small fine serrations; supra-rostrodont longer than wide, and convex with medial protruding along with thin and extended lateral process; infra-rostrodont broad V-shaped, convex laterally and concave medially.

Measurements of 35 tadpoles at various Gosner stages (26‒34, 36, 45) are given in tab. 18.

Coloration. In preservation, dorsal body dirty yellow with many brownish melanophores spread evenly. Ventral integument milky white with and opaque. Caudal fin musculature yellow with two to three medium-sized blotches; dorsal and ventral tail fins translucent. Oral disc and vent tube translucent with no pigmentation.

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 40a‒b View Figure 40 ). Prenarial arena of roof composed of a transversely arched pustulated ridge with many tiny uniformly sized pustules. Internal nares transverse, oriented medially; gap between nares moderate, about two-third length of each nare; anterior narial wall smooth with very few tiny pustules and with a short, stubby papilla present medially; posterior wall tall, smooth and valvular. Postnarial arena with a tall and tubular papilla having a blunt apex located immediately posterior to medial of each nare oriented medially; a tiny blunt papilla present in-front of median ridge papilla. Median ridge papilla triangular with a blunt tip. Lateral ridge papillae absent. BRA not properly defined; two pairs of short, stubby papillae on lateral border of the roof; about 15 to 20 tiny pustules spread on anterior region of BRA. Glandular zone prominent; demarcated from BRA by a glandular fold; secretory pits prominent along lateral sides of the glandular zone. Dorsal velum raised and discontinuous; few marginal projections present medially.

Buccal floor ( fig. 40c‒d View Figure 40 ). Prelingual arena with a broad palp located at posterolateral corner on each side of jaw sheath; margin of palp flattened and broken at regular intervals with few tiny projections. Tongue anlage low; lingual papillae absent. BFA not properly defined; anterior region of BFA smooth; posterior region of BFA suffused with about 30 long conical papillae spread across evenly; lateral corners of BFA bounded by 10 papillae beginning diagonally anterior to buccal pocket and continuing along posterior-lateral region of the floor on each side; BFA papillae of equal size; pustules absent. Region between BFA and margin of velum with numerous tiny papillae and pustules spread across evenly. Few pustules between tongue anlage and buccal pocket. Buccal pockets opening wide and transversely arranged; three pre-pocket papillae present on anterior margin and four papillae on posterior margin of buccal pocket. Ventral velum wide and sinuate; margin with 12 projections with outer three projections on each side widely placed apart and rest concentrated around the centre. Median notch not prominent. Glottis exposed behind ventral velum.

Denticles ( fig. 40e View Figure 40 ) closely packed and strongly curved towards mouth at apex. Oral angle obtuse; sheath and body narrow; head long and broad; tip of head curved with 18 long and strongly curved cusps.

Each serration ( fig. 40f View Figure 40 ) on jaw sheath with a wide base and a rounded head.