Paa minica (Dubois, 1975)

S8. Paa minica (Dubois, 1975) View in CoL ( fig. 18‒19 View Figure 18 View Figure 19 )

Larval series examined. WT 008, WT 011‒012 and WT 015 ( Dal Lake , Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India; 32.24769 N, 76.30944 E; 1836 m a.s.l.); WT 041‒043 and WT 045 (Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India; 29.86873 N, 80.37192 E; 1347 m a.s.l.). Tadpoles were collected in streams with moderate water current. They were seen in areas of the stream which had considerably less water current. Substratum was mostly gravelled and stony. Canopy covering was less than 20 GoogleMaps %.

Notes. The taxonomic identity of the tadpoles was confirmed by a partial sequence of 16S rRNA (OQ079488) generated from the tadpole voucher and matching with sequences of taxonomically verified P. minica (unpublished data). Ontogeny and morphological description of the larvae were known, but with many ambiguities ( Dubois 1976; Mehta 1983; Tilak & Ray 1985; Ray 1999).

External morphology. Description of a tadpole at Gosner stage 38. Body ovoid and globular in dorsal and lateral perspectives ( fig. 18a‒b View Figure 18 ); snout obtuse both in dorsal and lateral perspectives; body length 34.3 % of total length; maximum body diameter at posterior end of abdomen. Eyes large, located and oriented dorsolaterally; distance between eye and nostril 58.5 % of distance between eye and snout. Nostril opening reniform with fringe elevated, located and opening dorsolaterally, closer to eye than to snout; inter-narial distance 77.2 % of inter-orbital distance; distance between nostril and snout 16.7 % of body length. Spiracle sinistral and short; inner wall of tube formed, opening laterally with two-thirds of tube attached to body wall. Distance between spiracle and snout 60 % of body length. Vent tube opening dextral; wall of vent tube attached to ventral fin anterior to place of its origin. Tail tip rounded; musculature thick. Dorsal fin originating at junction between body tail, ventral fin originating at ventral terminus; dorsal fin wider than ventral fin; maximum height of caudal fin at midway of tail. Height of tail muscle 1.34 times of width at body-tail junction. Tail (caudal) musculature accounting for 48.4 % of height of tail. Lateral line visible. Glands absent on outer integument.

Oral disc anteroventral in location ( fig. 18c View Figure 18 ). Rostral width of oral disc 40.6 % of maximum body width; oral disc not emarginated with no indents seen at lateral commissures of labia. Single row of marginal papillae in a single row and restricted to lateral commissures on upper labium and entire along lower labium in a double row; 8‒10 submarginal papillae visible on lateral commissures of labia and a few below P3 labial tooth row. LTRF A5(4)/P3(1); A1 labial tooth row formed along the gap on the margin of upper labium and longest among labial tooth rows of upper labium followed by other rows (A1> A2> A3> A4> A5> A6); both P2 and P3 labial tooth rows of posterior labium of equal length with P1 divided. Both jaw sheath margins uniformly serrated with large serrations and strongly keratinized.

Measurements of 58 tadpoles at various Gosner stages (25‒30, 35‒36, 38‒45) are given in tab. 8.

Coloration. In life, outer integument of dorsal body brown; few blotches of melanophores scattered randomly on dorsum. Ventral integument white and opaque; circular gut coils faintly visible. Caudal musculature brown with blotches of melanophores present on tail muscle and fins through the length; blotches on dorsal fin larger than those on ventral fin; anterior region of dorsal fin has fewer and larger blotches than at posterior end; anterior region of ventral fin without any pigmentation.

Buccopharyngeal morphology. Buccal roof ( fig. 19a‒b View Figure 19 ). Prenarial arena of roof with crested ridge bearing large papillae medially and four small pustules on either side oriented posteriorly. Internal nares transverse with opening wide and oval, oriented medially; gap between nares narrow, about half the length of nare; anterior narial wall pustulose with two pustules; posterior wall smooth with no pustules. Postnarial arena with three pairs of papillae; a long pustulated papilla behind posterior narial wall oriented medially and pair of short papillae present on either side immediately before median ridge and oriented anteriorly. Median ridge papilla triangular with a pustulated margin and a bifid tip. Three long lateral ridge papillae of equal length on lateral walls of roof perpendicular to median ridge papilla on each side. BRA defined with four to six long BRA papillae on lateral border of roof; BRA with about 60 pustules spread evenly. Glandular zone thick and prominent. Dorsal velum low and discontinuous, with few tiny projections medially.

Buccal floor ( fig. 19c‒d View Figure 19 ). Buccal floor triangular. Prelingual arena composed of two pairs of papillae with irregular surfaces and numerous pustules at posterolateral corners of jaw sheath; anterior pair of papillae comparatively shorter than posterior pair. Tongue anlage broad and raised; two long lingual papillae with pustulated tips pointing posteriorly. BFA well defined with 15‒20 long BFA papillae present around BFA on either side; papillae beginning from anterolateral corners of BFA and converging posteromedially, these papillae filling region between BFA and buccal pockets laterally and to ventral velum posteriorly; BFA free from any papillatory structures; numerous tiny pustules present on posterior region of floor between BFA and velum. Buccal pockets long and transverse, oriented anteriorly; a pair of post pocket papillae present. Ventral velum rough with undulating margins; four projections on margin of velum. Median notch prominent. Glottis exposed posterior to ventral velum.

Each serration ( fig. 19e View Figure 19 ) on jaw sheath conical and hypertrophied.

Denticles ( fig. 19f View Figure 19 ) feebly curved with an obtuse oral angle; sheath narrow; head broad and curved with six to eight short ovate cusps.