Scutiger occidentalis

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Scutiger occidentalis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Megophryidae
Genus: Scutiger
Species:
S. occidentalis
Binomial name
Scutiger occidentalis
Dubois  [ fr ], 1978

Scutiger occidentalis is a species of toad found in the Western Himalayas of Pakistan (Gilgit Baltistan) and northwestern India (Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh). It has often been treated as a synonym of Scutiger nyingchiensis (by, e.g., IUCN in 2004 [1] ), but molecular data show that these species are distinct. It is also known as the Ladakh high altitude toad, Ladakh pelobatid toad, western pelobatid toad, or Asian lazy toad. [2] [3] It is the most western member of its genus. [3] [4]

Contents

Description

A large-sized Scutiger, adult males of S. occidentalis measure 57–70 mm (2.2–2.8 in) and adult females 63–72 mm (2.5–2.8 in) in snout–vent length. The snout is relatively short. [5]

A Gosner stage 25 tadpole measured 8.9 mm (0.4 in) in snout–vent length and 22.5 mm (0.9 in) in total length. [4]

Habitat and conservation

S. occidentalis inhabits high-mountain regions at elevations between 2,680 and 4,300 m (8,790 and 14,110 ft) above sea level. A tadpole was found from a 0.5-metre deep pool under a waterfall. [4]

As of October 2021, S. occidentalis has only been included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as a synonym of S. nyingchiensis, [6] corresponding to the western part of its range. [4] S. nyingchiensis was assessed as a "least-concern species" in 2004. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Scutiger boulengeri is a species of toad in the family Megophryidae. It is found in Nepal, India (Sikkim) and western China. A healthy population has been found at an elevation of 5,270 m (17,290 ft) in one of the lakes in the Gurudongmar Lake complex in Sikkimese Himalaya. This is one of the highest elevations where amphibians have ever been recorded.

Scutiger nyingchiensis is a species of toad found in the Himalayas of southeastern Tibet (China), northwestern Nepal, and tentatively, Bhutan. There are no confirmed records from India; earlier records refer to Scutiger occidentalis or Scutiger spinosus. Its type locality is Nyingchi, Tibet. It is also known as the Nyingchi high altitude toad, Nyingchi alpine toad, or Nyingchi lazy toad.

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Scutiger mammatus is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae. It is endemic to Western China and known from eastern Tibet, southeastern Qinghai, western Sichuan, and northwestern Yunnan.

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<i>Philautus kempii</i> Species of frog

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<i>Nimbaphrynoides</i> Genus of amphibians

Nimbaphrynoides is a monotypic genus of true toads from highlands in the Mount Nimba region of the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Côte d'Ivoire. The sole species is Nimbaphrynoides occidentalis. Along with Nectophrynoides, Eleutherodactylus jasperi, and Limnonectes larvaepartus, Nimbaphrynoides is one of the only anurans that combine internal fertilization with ovoviviparity.

<i>Clinotarsus alticola</i> Species of amphibian

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<i>Scutiger spinosus</i> Species of amphibian

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References

  1. 1 2 Fei Liang; Michael Wai Neng Lau; Sushil Dutta; Annemarie Ohler & Tej Kumar Shrestha (2004). "Scutiger nyingchiensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2004: e.T57619A11664484. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T57619A11664484.en .
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2021). "Scutiger occidentalis Dubois, 1978". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001 . Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 Hofmann, Sylvia; Stöck, Matthias; Zheng, Yuchi; Ficetola, Francesco G.; Li, Jia-Tang; Scheidt, Ulrich & Schmidt, Joachim (2017). "Molecular phylogenies indicate a Paleo-Tibetan origin of Himalayan Lazy Toads (Scutiger)". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 3308. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-03395-4 . PMC   5468327 .
  4. 1 2 3 4 Litvinchuk, S. N.; Melnikov, D. A.; Borkin, L. J. & Hofmann, S. (2019). "Rediscovery of the high altitude lazy toad, Scutiger occidentalis Dubois, 1978, in India". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 26 (1): 17–22. doi:10.30906/1026-2296-2019-26-1-17-22.
  5. Khatiwada, Janak Raj; Shu, Guocheng; Subedi, Tulsi Ram; Wang, Bin; Ohler, Annemarie; Cannatella, David C.; Xie, Feng & Jiang, Jianping (2019). "A new species of megophryid frog of the genus Scutiger from Kangchenjunga Conservation Area, eastern Nepal". Asian Herpetological Research. 10 (3): 138–157. doi:10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.180076.
  6. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" . Retrieved 23 October 2021.