Chirixalus dudhwaensis ( Ray, 1992 )

S24. Chirixalus dudhwaensis ( Ray, 1992) View in CoL ( fig. 49‒50 View Figure 49 View Figure 50 )

Larval series examined. WT 061‒070.10710 (Wildlife Institute of India ( WII), Dehradun , Uttarakhand, India; 30.28414 N, 77.97547 E). Tadpoles of this species were reared from eggs laid by taxonomically identified adults of Chiromantis dudwaensis collected on WII campus. About four clutches of eggs from foam nests were collected from leaves above water and artificially reared. In nature, tadpoles were found in pools during monsoon and feeding on benthic decaying vegetation GoogleMaps .

Notes. No descriptions for tadpoles of this species are available.

External morphology. Description of a tadpole at Gosner stage 37. Body ovoid and globular in dorsal and lateral perspectives ( fig. 49a‒b View Figure 49 ). Body length 53 % of total length; maximum body diameter at centre of abdomen. Snout rounded in dorsal and lateral perspectives. Large bulging eyes located and oriented dorsolaterally; distance between eye and nostril 77 % of distance between eye and snout. Opening of nostril spherical and depressed, closer to eye than to snout; placed wide apart of each other and parallel to eye in dorsal view; inter-narial distance 63.1 % of inter-orbital distance; distance between nostril and snout 32.3 % of body length. Spiracle sinistral with inner wall of tube attached to body wall; tube oriented posterolateral and its opening located below the median of the lateral side of body. Distance between spiracle and snout 56.6 % of body length. Vent tube opening dextral, with right wall displaced anteriorly and dorsally. Tail length 65.1 % of total length; tail tip acutely rounded; musculature of tail linear till one-fourth of length of tail after which it starts to taper. Dorsal fin originating anterior to body tail junction, ventral fin originating at ventral terminus; dorsal fin wider than ventral fin. Maximum tail height at about one-third of length from body-tail junction. Height of tail muscle 95.8 % width at tail-body junction. Tail (caudal) musculature accounting for 47.8 % of height of tail. Lateral line not conspicuous. Glands absent on outer integument.

Oral disc anteroventral in location ( fig. 49c View Figure 49 ). Rostral width of oral disc 32 % of maximum body width, emarginated, not visible dorsally; marginal papillae of single row at lateral commissures and double row on lower labium; marginal papillae broadly interrupted on upper labium and narrowly interrupted on lower labium; four submarginal papillae at lateral commissures; both labia of equal size. Labial tooth row formula A3(2‒3)/P3(1). Order of lengths of labial tooth rows A1> P1> P2> A2> P3> A3. Jaw sheaths keratinized thinly; jaw sheath margins uniformly serrated with small fine serrations; supra-rostrodont longer than wide and convex with median protruding towards posterior; infra-rostrodont U-shaped, convex laterally and concave medially.

Measurements of 102 tadpoles at various Gosner stages (26‒43) are given in tab. 23.

Coloration. In life, dorsal body dirty white with a light brown hue; few tiny dark brown spots scattered on dorsum and flanks. In lateral perspective, flanks comparatively darker than dorsum. Ventral integument dirty yellow and transparent, with gut coils visible. Musculature of caudal fin light brown and with many bands; dorsal and ventral fins translucent white; dorsal fin spotted with numerous tiny melanophores; anterior and posterior region of caudal fin had few melanophores. Spiracle, oral disc and vent tube translucent, and dotted with few melanophores.

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 50a‒b View Figure 50 ). Prenarial arena of roof with an arched pustulose ridge bearing four to five pustules; two pustules border the ridge on either side. Internal nares transverse, oriented medially; gap between nares narrow; about half the length of each nare; anterior narial wall pustulose with many tiny pustules and a tall, pustulated papilla present medially; posterior wall tall, smooth and valvular. Postnarial arena with a tall, conical and pustulated papilla present immediately behind each narial wall; oriented medially; papilla largest on buccal roof. Median ridge papilla triangular with a smooth margin. Short stubby pustulated lateral ridge papilla perpendicular to median ridge. BRA demarcated with two pairs of short, stubby and pustulated papillae on lateral border of roof; about 30 tiny pustules spread across BRA. Glandular zone prominent; separated from BRA by a margin of pustules continuing to lateral walls. Dorsal velum prominent, tall and continuous with tiny projections medially.

Buccal floor ( fig. 50c‒d View Figure 50 ). Prelingual arena composed of two pairs of palps; a pair of stubby papillae located midway and a pair at posterolateral corners of jaw sheath; palps at posterolateral corners dilated and pustulate; pair of stubby papillae located posteromedially between the two posterior palps on the jaw sheath. Tongue anlage broad and raised; two smooth lingual papillae present medially on tongue anlage. BFA well defined and smooth anteriorly; four papillae beginning from lateral corners of roof continue linearly and converge posteriorly; all papillae stubby and short; BFA composed of 8 to 10 pustules; 12‒14 pustules on each side tongue anlage and buccal pockets. Buccal pockets opening wide and transverse; pre-pocket papillae absent. Ventral velum wide and sinuate; ventral velum margin with 10 projections on each side; outer three projections on either side widely placed apart; median notch not prominent; outer margin smooth; region between BFA and ventral velum with few pustules evenly spread. Glottis exposed immediately posterior to ventral velum.

Denticles ( fig. 50e View Figure 50 ) moderately spaced and feebly curved towards mouth at apex. Oral angle straight; head broad and curved. Six long and curved cusps on each denticle; two apical cusps bigger than sub-epical cusps.

Each serration ( fig. 50f View Figure 50 ) on jaw sheath with a wide base and a triangular pointed head.