Four new species of Asian horned toads (Anura, Megophryidae, Megophrys) from southern China

Abstract

Recent phylogenetic analysis encompassing multilocus nuclear-gene and matrilineal mtDNA genealogy has revealed a series of cryptic species of the subgenus Panophrys within genus <i>Megophrys</i> from southern and eastern China. This study demonstrates that the <i>Panophrys</i> specimens from the hilly areas among Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan can be morphologically distinguished from all recognized congeners, thereby providing additional supports for the recognitions of four new species of <i>Panophrys</i>, namely Megophrys (Panophrys) mirabilis Lyu, Wang & Zhao, <b>sp. nov.</b> from northeastern Guangxi, Megophrys (Panophrys) shimentaina Lyu, Liu & Wang, <b>sp. nov.</b> from northern Guangdong, and Megophrys (Panophrys) xiangnanensis Lyu, Zeng & Wang, <b>sp. nov.</b> and Megophrys (Panophrys) yangmingensis Lyu, Zeng & Wang, <b>sp. nov.</b> from southern Hunan. The descriptions of these species take the number of <i>Megophrys</i> species to 101, 46 of which belong to the subgenus Panophrys.