Nidirana shyhhuangi Lin, Chang, Matsui, Shen, Tominaga & Lin, 2025, sp. nov.

Nidirana shyhhuangi sp. nov. Figs 7, 8, 9 Chresonymy. Rana psaltes — Chou 1994; Lue et al. 1999: 80–81; Pan 2000: 114–115; Lue et al. 2002: 80–81; Yang 2002: 50–51; Chen 2003: 46–47; Chen 2006: 48–49. Rana okinavana — Matsui 2007; Yang et al. 2008: 68–69; Shang et al. 2009: 96–97; Yang 2009: 300–303. Hylarana (Nidirana) psaltes — Fei et al. 2010: 310. Nidirana psaltes — Fei et al. 2012: 349. Nidirana okinavana — Yang and Lee 2019: 92–95. Type material. Holotype. NTNUB 149805 (Fig. 8), preserved in National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan. Adult male in a good state of preservation, collected by Shyh-Huang Chen on 11 July 1984 from Lienhuachih (23.92082 ° N, 120.88585 ° E), Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan. The environment of the type locality (Fig. 10 A), at an elevation of ~ 670 m a. s. l., is characterized by small freshwater wetland areas surrounded by patchy bamboo forests and subtropical Ficus - Machilus hardwood forests, featuring a humid microhabitat in the understory. Paratypes (n = 8). NTNUB 149801 ♀, 149802 ♂, 148803 ♂, 149804 ♀, 149806 ♂ collected on 11 July 1984; and NTNUB E 861 ♂, E 862 ♂, E 863 ♀ collected on 11 October 1986. All the above-mentioned specimens, in a good state of preservation, were collected from Lienhuachih by Shyh-Huang Chen and preserved in National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan (Table 2). Other material examined (n = 10). NTNUB 166201 ♂, 166202 ♂, 166203 ♂, 166204 ♂, 166205 ♀ collected on 28 August 1989 by Shyh-Huang Chen; NMNS 2377-3588 ♂, 2377-3589 ♂, 2377-3590 ♂ collected on 19 August 1993 by Wen-Hao Chou; NMNS LW-W-01 ♂ and an unnumbered specimen (♂) collected by Wen-Hao Chou with the collection date unknown. All of the above specimens were collected from Lienhuachih (Table 2). Etymology. The specific epithet of the new species shyhhuangi is a Latinized patronymic noun in genitive case. It is dedicated to Prof. Shyh-Huang Chen, a herpetologist and arachnologist who first discovered this species in the early 1980 s. We propose the common name “ Yuchi music frog ” in English to demonstrate the only two sampling sites of the species in Yuchi (meaning the “ fish pond ”) Township, or “ 魚池琴蛙 ” (pronounced as Yú-Chí-Qín-Wā) in Mandarin for this species. Diagnosis. Nidirana shyhhuangi sp. nov. is characterized by a combination of the following characters: (1) a small-sized ranid, body moderately slender; (2) SVL of preserved specimens in adult males 31.6–36.5 mm (mean ± SD = 33.8 ± 1.2 mm, n = 15), females 33.7–38.3 mm (35.9 ± 1.9 mm, n = 4); (3) head triangular, slightly longer than wide; (4) snout comparatively long, triangular in dorsal view with a slightly obtuse tip, moderately pointed in profile; (5) canthus rostralis distinct, contacting with the upper margin of nostril; (6) loreal region dark brown, extending posteriorly over eye and beyond tympanum; (7) upper lip pale white, white line extending posteriorly, forming a white stripe from below nostril to base of forelimb; (8) iris golden above canthus rostralis, dark brown below; (9) tympanum dark brown and conspicuous, dark zone extending posteriorly forming a trapezoid shape; (10) males with a single subgular vocal sac; (11) dorsum brown or yellowish-brown, sometimes gray; distinct vertebral stripe present; spinules on dorsal skin absent; (12) dorsolateral fold prominent, forming a distinct color boundary between dorsum and lateral body; (13) upper half of lateral body dark brown, lower half light brown; (14) jaw, throat, chest, and abdomen uniformly pale creamy yellow, generally lacking spots or patterns; (15) forelimb moderately long, pale brown; upper arm usually with one dark band at the base, forearm with one thin transverse band at the middle; (16) fingers slender, relative finger lengths II <IV <I <III; tips weakly dilated into discs, lateroventral groove absent on all fingers; free of webbing; (17) hindlimb relatively long, brown in color; thigh with two or three transverse dark bands, shank with two; (18) toes long and thin, relative toe lengths I <II <V <III <IV; tips weakly dilated into discs, lateroventral groove present on all toes; webbing partial, webbing formula I 1–1 II 1–1 III 2–2 IV 2–2 V. Description of holotype. Adult male in a good state of preservation (Fig. 8). Measurements of the holotype (left / right, all in mm): SVL 33.0; SFL 14.9 / 14.2; AGL 14.0 / 13.1; DW 9.1; UaL 8.9 / 8.5, LaL 7.2 / 7.8, HdL 7.9 / 8.1, leading to FLL 23.9 / 24.4; ThL 16.1 / 16.5, ShL 17.8 / 17.9, FtL 24.8 / 25.2, leading to HLL 58.7 / 59.5; HL 12.1 / 12.3; HW 11.2; SNT 6.2 / 6.1; ED 3.4 / 3.7; SND 2.9 / 2.9; STD 9.8 / 9.9; TD 2.9 / 2.8; IND 3.9; IOD 3.3. Body moderately slender and elongated. Head triangular, as wide as body; slightly longer (HL / HW = 110.0 %). Snout comparatively long (50.3 % HL), triangular and slightly obtuse in dorsal view, moderately pointed in profile. Canthus rostralis distinct; loreal region flat; nostril round, lateral, upper margin in contact with canthus rostralis, closer to tip of snout (23.7 % HL) than to eye (50.3 % HL). Eye moderate sized, diameter 28.9 % of HL, slightly larger than eye-nostril distance (26.3 % HL); interorbital space flat, width 26.9 % of HL and 29.5 % of HW. Tympanum readily visible, rounded; diameter 23.3 % HL and 80.7 % of eye diameter; tympanic annulus conspicuous. Supratympanic fold absent. Forelimb moderately long; UaL 26.3 % SVL; LaL 22.7 % SVL, HdL 24.1 % SVL. Fingers slender, free of webbing, rounded in cross-section, no skin fringes on fingers. First finger well-developed, tip of all fingers slightly expended, width of finger tips ~ 110 % of the thinnest diameter of phalanx, lateroventral groove absent on all fingers. Relative finger lengths: II <IV <I <III; length of finger II (3.42) 69.2 % of finger III (4.94). Inner metatarsal tubercle prominent and outer metatarsal tubercle obscure; subarticular tubercles present, rounded. Hindlimb relatively long; FmL 49.4 % SVL, TbL 54.0 % SVL, FtL 75.6 % SVL. Toes long, thin, tips of toes slightly flattened, width of toe tips ~ 120 % of thinnest diameter of phalanx, lateroventral groove present on all toes. Relative toe lengths: I <II <V <III <IV; length of toe I (4.6) 29.0 % of finger IV (16.0). Webbing partial, webbing formula I 1–1 II 1–1 III 2–2 IV 2–2 V. Inner metatarsal tubercle ovoid-shaped, present at base of first toe at preaxial side; outer metatarsal tubercle absent; subarticular tubercles prominent, rounded. Color in life. Dorsum yellowish brown, darker near the midline and paler towards lateral edges; a thin but distinct pale vertebral stripe present (Fig. 7). Canthus rostralis and dorsolateral fold prominent, forming a distinct color boundary between dorsum and lateral body. Loreal region dark brown, extending posteriorly over eye and beyond tympanum. Upper lip pale white, white line extending posteriorly, forming a white stripe from below nostril to base of forelimb. Pupil deep black, iris golden above level of canthus rostralis, dark brown below, matching color of the loreal region. Tympanum dark brown, conspicuous, slightly translucent; dark zone extending posteriorly by approximately same width of tympanum diameter, forming a trapezoid shape. Dorsolateral fold darker than dorsum and flanks, displaying a fine but occasionally interrupted black line along fold. Upper half of lateral body similar to mid-dorsal coloration, dark brown; lower half paler, similar to lateral dorsum, pale brown. A slightly raised glandular ridge, pale yellowish brown in color, appearing as a mild swelling of skin, located behind base of forelimb. Jaw, chest, and abdomen uniformly pale creamy yellow, lacking spots or patterns. Forelimb pale brown; upper arm with one dark band at base, forearm with one thin transverse band at middle. Hindlimb brown, thigh with three transverse dark bands on both legs, shank with two; foot and toes with three bands on the left and four on the right. Color in preservative. Patterns in alcohol-preserved specimens show minimal change (Figs 4, 8). However, coloration fades slightly. Most brown tones become slightly paler, the yellow component of yellowish brown fades, and the white line on the upper lip becomes less distinct compared to live specimens. Variation. Some individuals are gray, a coloration that may be more common in females (Fig. 7 B). The lower half of the iris in one-year juveniles is red or reddish brown (Fig. 7 C). The number of transverse bands on the limbs varies: a majority of individuals (85.7 %) have one transverse band on the forearm, while a minority (14.3 %) has two. The number of bands on the thigh ranges from two (39.3 %) to three (60.7 %) (Fig. 5 C), and on the shank, the bands are mostly two (85.7 %), occasionally three (14.3 %) (Fig. 5 D). The number of bands on the foot is typically three (85.7 %), occasionally four (14.3 %). Sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism within species of Nidirana shyhhuangi sp. nov. is recognized for glandular ridges and vocal sacs, both of which are present exclusively in males. Adult males can be distinguished from females by the presence of a pale yellowish-brown glandular ridge behind the base of the forelimbs, which is especially prominent during the breeding season (Fig. 7 A). Compared to males, females tend to have a paler and more grayish coloration (Fig. 7 B), while males typically have a darker body color. The males of Nidirana shyhhuangi sp. nov. have a single subgular vocal sac (Fig. 7 D). A pair of vocal slits, located between the lower jaw musculature and epidermis, is present only in mature males and is absent in females. Additionally, males exhibit slightly raised nuptial pads, although they are not particularly prominent, and these pads are entirely absent in females. Body size of both sexes overlap, but females are usually larger than males in both snout – vent length and body mass. SVL of preserved specimens in adult males 31.6–36.5 mm (mean ± SD = 33.8 ± 1.2 mm, n = 15), females 33.7–38.3 mm (35.9 ± 1.9