Minervarya sengupti ( Purkayastha & Matsui, 2012 )

S7. Minervarya sengupti ( Purkayastha & Matsui, 2012) View in CoL ( fig. 16‒17 View Figure 16 View Figure 17 )

Larval series examined. WT 132.5611( Mawblang , Cheerapunji, Meghalaya, India; 25.35453 N, 91.74230 E). Tadpoles were collected in a pool one foot deep. The location of the pool was on a hill plateau at an elevation of more than 1000 m.a.s.l. The substratum in the pool was sandy with algal growth and emergent vegetation. Tadpoles of Hyla annectans were also found inhabiting the same pool GoogleMaps .

Notes. A partial sequence of 16S rRNA (OQ079502) generated from the above tadpole voucher did match with unpublished sequences of Minervarya sengupti generated by us. The species was reported to occur from the locality from where the tadpoles were collected ( Purkayastha & Matsui, 2012).

External morphology. Description of a tadpole at Gosner stage 38. Body elliptical and globular in dorsal and lateral perspectives ( fig. 16a‒b View Figure 16 ). Body length 40.1 % of total length; maximum body diameter at the centre of abdomen. Snout rounded in dorsal and lateral perspectives. Eyes large, located and oriented dorsolaterally; distance between eye and nostril 44.4 % of distance between eye and snout. Nostril opening rounded and elevated, closer to eyes than to snout, placed wide apart and parallel to eye in dorsal view; inter-narial distance 61.5 % of inter-orbital distance, distance between nostril and snout 13.5 % of body length. Spiracle sinistral and short; inner wall of tube completely formed and attached to body wall with aperture free; tube orientation posterolateral, its opening located below the medial and above the lateral side of venter. Distance between spiracle and snout 63.9 % of body length. Opening of vent tube dextral and attached to ventral fin; both aperture walls having their origin at same location. Tail length 59.4 % of total length; tail tip rounded; 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; maximum height of caudal fin at mid-length of tail. Dorsal fin wider than ventral fin. Height of tail muscle equal to width of tail muscle at body-tail junction. Tail (caudal) musculature accounting for 40.3 % of height of tail. Lateral line visible. Glands absent on outer integument.

Oral disc anteroventral in location ( fig. 16c View Figure 16 ). Rostral width of oral disc 27.9 % of maximum body width, emarginated; not visible dorsally; single row of marginal papillae on lateral commissures; marginal papillae broadly interrupted on both labia medially; four to five submarginal papillae at lateral commissures; both labia of equal size. Labial tooth row formula A2(2)/P3. Order of lengths of labial tooth rows A1> P1> P2> A2> P3. Jaw sheaths well developed, both jaw sheaths moderately keratinized. Jaw sheath margins uniformly serrated with small fine serrations; supra-rostrodont longer than wide, broadly convex with extended lateral process; infra-rostrodont Ushaped, convex laterally and concave medially.

Measurements of 46 tadpoles at various Gosner stages (27‒ 43, 46) are given in tab. 7 View Table 7 .

Coloration. In life, dorsal body light brown; outer integument transparent, with few large blotches at anterior end. In lateral perspective, flanks comparatively darker than dorsum due to dark pigmentation of inner integument. Ventral integument transparent with gut coils visible; anterior region of ventral integument spotted. Both fins transparent; fins spotted with several moderate-sized melanophores and few blotches along margins of the fins; caudal musculature dirty yellow and mottled with tiny melanophores. Oral disc and vent tube translucent with no pigmentation; spiracle dotted with few melanophores.

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 17a‒b View Figure 17 ). Prenarial arena with eight pustules arranged in an arch; four medial pustules larger than other pustules. Internal nares transverse, oriented posteriomedially; gap between nares moderate, about 60 % length of each nare; anterior narial wall pustulose with few pustules and a tall, flattened papilla with a pustulated margin originating near lateral corner of the wall; posterior wall smooth and valvular with a tiny narial valve projection near to medial region of roof. Postnarial arena with two tall, broad papillae immediately behind posterior narial wall oriented medially; anterior margin of papillae irregular; three pustules present in front of median ridge papilla. Median ridge papilla triangular with pustulated margin. Two flattened lateral ridge papillae pustulated on anterior margin present on each side of roof perpendicular to median ridge; anterior papilla short; posterior papilla longer, broader and pointed at tip. BRA defined with three pairs of long conical pustulated papillae present on lateral border of the roof; about 50 tiny pustules spread across BRA. Glandular zone broad distinctive with anterior margin consisting of pustules; secretory pits present medially. Dorsal velum margin raised and discontinuous with margin pustulated.

Buccal floor ( fig. 17c‒d View Figure 17 ). Prelingual arena composed of two pairs of palps located along anterolateral and posterolateral corners on each side of jaw sheath; anterior palp short with many tiny attenuate projections, situated anterior to posterolateral corners of jaw sheaths; posterior palps longer, broader and rugose, located at posterolateral corners of jaw sheath, oriented towards medial; three pustules located below and anterior to anterior palp; a pair of papillae located posteromedially between the two posterior palps on prelingual arena. Tongue anlage broad and raised; two pairs of long conical lingual papillae located medially; medial papillae longer than outer papillae. BFA defined by six pairs of BFA papillae; papillae beginning anteromedial to buccal pocket, continue parallel to mesad plane converging at posterior region of floor; all papillae conical, tall, rugose and of unequal size; second BFA papilla comparatively broader and taller than other papillae; BFA smooth with 12‒14 pustules. Space between tongue anlage and buccal pockets composed of six to eight pustules. Buccal pockets wide and transverse, oriented at 45 degrees to mesad; pre-pocket papillae absent. Region between BFA and margin of ventral velum broad and smooth. Ventral velum wide and sinuate; margin with 10 projections. Outer two projections on each side larger and widely spaced with rest of projections concentrated at centre. Median notch not prominent; outer margin smooth with no spicules. Glottis exposed immediately posterior to ventral velum.

Denticles ( fig. 17e View Figure 17 ) closely packed and moderately curved towards mouth at apex. Sheath broad; body narrow with concave depression dorsally; head curved at tip with six long and sharply curved cusps; two cusps at apex longer than other sub apical cusps

Each serration ( fig. 17f View Figure 17 ) on jaw sheath with a short base and a pointed head.