Leptobrachium smithi Matsui, Nabitabhata, and Panha, 1999 (Anura: Megophryidae), an Addition to the Fauna of Myanmar (Burma)

Abstract

Three specimens of Leptobrachium from the collections of the Zoological Survey of India are identified as Leptobrachium smithi. These specimens were collected by Limborg in 1877. These are the first confirmed records of Leptobrachium smithi for Myanmar. Leptobrachium smithi Matsui et al. (1999) was described from peninsular Thailand, based on popula-tions that were formerly referred to L. hasseltii Tschudi, 1838 (see Frost, 1985). This species was recently report-ed from Chandubi in the Mayeng Hill Reserve Forest and Garbhanga Reserve Forest, Kamrup District, Assam State, north-eastern India by Sengupta et al. (2001). We here report specimens from Myanmar in the collection of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) that are allocat-ed to L. smithi. Three specimens of Leptobrachium smithii were examined: ZSI 10439-40, from "Ahsoon" (unlocated), in Tenasserim, Myanmar, altitude "2,000 feet", collected by the Swedish journalist, novelist, poet and ship cap-tain, Gustaf Arthur Ossian Limborg (1849-1908) in 1877. Limborg's expedition to what was then Burma was sponsored by Lord Tweeddale (Kjellgren, 1983) and his collections are distributed in Sweden and the US). Also examined was ZSI 11841, from Lampi Island, Mergui, collected by John Anderson, in 1882 (referred to by Anderson, 1889, as from "Sullivan Island", an older name for Lampi, 10° 50' N; 98° 15' E). The material from Myanmar match the description of original description of Leptobrachium smithi, in addi-tion to additional specimens examined from Assam State (see Sengupta et al., 2001), in showing the following characteristics: moderate body size (snout-vent length 22.4-43.4 mm; head width 6.6-18.1 mm; n = 3); small inner metatarsal tubercle; dorsum smooth; and absence of rows of dermal ridges on dorsal surface of limbs. All specimens referred to here are discolored, hence other characters used in separating L. smithi from L. hasseltii, such as absence of white spots on sides of body and on thigh; absence of dark spots on ventrum; and absence of dark markings on dorsum, that differentiates the north-ern L. smithi from the southern L. hasseltii, are indis-cernable. The known distribution of Leptobrachium smithi is thus north-eastern India, Myanmar (first country record on the basis of ZSI specimens reported here) and Thailand. Matsui et al. (1999) suspected the occurrence of the species in southern Myanmar, based of the larval description of L. hassseltii by Annandale (1917:153-157, as Megalophrys hasseltii), from the Dawna Hills of the Tenasserim. We have examined these specimens (ZSI 16735-43) that carry the following locality "Misty Hollow, w side of Dawna Hills, L. Burma". Surprisingly, Annandale, neither in his 1917 monograph, nor in any other works, have referred to the specimens from Burma mentioned earlier, although all of these were available to him (see Sclater, 1892).

Full text

Leptobrachium smithi Matsui, Nabitabhata, and Panha, 1999 (Anura:
Megophryidae), an Addition to the Fauna of Myanmar (Burma)
INDRANEIL DAS1AND SHYAMAL KUMAR CHANDA2
1Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300,
Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia; E-mail: idas@ibec.unimas.my
2Amphibia Section, Zoological Survey of India, Fire-Proof Spirit Building,
27, J. L. Nehru Road, Kolkata 700 019, India
Abstract. - Three specimens of Leptobrachium from the collections of the Zoological Survey of India are identified
as Leptobrachium smithi. These specimens were collected by Limborg in 1877. These are the first confirmed records
of Leptobrachium smithi for Myanmar.
Key words. - Anura, Leptobrachium, Myanmar, Burma.
© 2004 by Asiatic Herpetological Research
Leptobrachium smithi Matsui et al. (1999) was
described from peninsular Thailand, based on popula-
tions that were formerly referred to L. hasseltii Tschudi,
1838 (see Frost, 1985). This species was recently report-
ed from Chandubi in the Mayeng Hill Reserve Forest
and Garbhanga Reserve Forest, Kamrup District, Assam
State, north-eastern India by Sengupta et al. (2001). We
here report specimens from Myanmar in the collection
of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) that are allocat-
ed to L. smithi.
Three specimens of Leptobrachium smithii were
examined: ZSI 10439-40, from "Ahsoon" (unlocated), in
Tenasserim, Myanmar, altitude "2,000 feet", collected
by the Swedish journalist, novelist, poet and ship cap-
tain, Gustaf Arthur Ossian Limborg (1849-1908) in
1877. Limborg's expedition to what was then Burma was
sponsored by Lord Tweeddale (Kjellgren, 1983) and his
collections are distributed in Sweden and the US). Also
examined was ZSI 11841, from Lampi Island, Mergui,
collected by John Anderson, in 1882 (referred to by
Anderson, 1889, as from "Sullivan Island", an older
name for Lampi, 10° 50' N; 98° 15' E).
The material from Myanmar match the description
of original description of Leptobrachium smithi, in addi-
tion to additional specimens examined from Assam State
(see Sengupta et al., 2001), in showing the following
characteristics: moderate body size (snout-vent length
22.4-43.4 mm; head width 6.6-18.1 mm; n = 3); small
inner metatarsal tubercle; dorsum smooth; and absence
of rows of dermal ridges on dorsal surface of limbs. All
specimens referred to here are discolored, hence other
characters used in separating L. smithi from L. hasseltii,
such as absence of white spots on sides of body and on
thigh; absence of dark spots on ventrum; and absence of
dark markings on dorsum, that differentiates the north-
ern L. smithi from the southern L. hasseltii, are indis-
cernable.
The known distribution of Leptobrachium smithi is
thus north-eastern India, Myanmar (first country record
on the basis of ZSI specimens reported here) and
Thailand. Matsui et al. (1999) suspected the occurrence
of the species in southern Myanmar, based of the larval
description of L. hassseltii by Annandale (1917:153-
157, as Megalophrys hasseltii), from the Dawna Hills of
the Tenasserim. We have examined these specimens
(ZSI 16735-43) that carry the following locality "Misty
Hollow, w side of Dawna Hills, L. Burma". Surprisingly,
Annandale, neither in his 1917 monograph, nor in any
other works, have referred to the specimens from Burma
mentioned earlier, although all of these were available to
him (see Sclater, 1892).
Acknowledgments
We thank J. R. B. Alfred, Director, Zoological Survey of
India, Kolkata and Colin J. McCarthy, The Natural
History Museum, London, for permission and facilities
at their respective institutions. Saibal Sengupta, Arya
Vidyapeeth College, made comparative material avail-
able to us, and Erik Åhlander, Swedish Museum of
Natural History, Stockholm, provided details on the life
of Ossian Limborg.
Literature Cited
Anderson, J. 1889. Report on the mammals, reptiles, and
batrachians, chiefly from the Mergui Archipelago,
collected for the Trustees of the Indian Museum.
Journal of the Linnean Society (Zoology) 21:331-
350.
2004 Asiatic Herpetological Research Vol. 10, pp. 245-246

Annandale, N. 1917. Zoological results of a tour in the
Far East. Batrachia. Memoirs of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal 6:119-155; Pl. V-VI.
Frost, D. R. (Ed). 1985. Amphibian species of the world.
A taxonomic and geographical reference. Allen
Press, Inc., and Association of Systematics
Collections, Lawrence. (iv) + v + 732 pp.
Kjellgren, L. 1983. En prästson som älskade havets våg.
Om kaptenen och litteratären Ossian Limborg.
Sumlen (Svenskt Visarkiv) 1983:57-74.
Matsui, M., J. Nabhitabhata, and S. Panha. 1999. On
Leptobrachium from Thailand with a description of
a new species (Anura: Pelobatidae). Japanese
Journal of Herpetology 18(1):19-29.
Sclater, W. L. 1892. List of the Batrachia in the Indian
Museum. Indian Museum, Calcutta.
viii + 43 pp.
Sengupta, S., N. K. Choudhury, and I. Das. 2001.
Leptobrachium smithi Matsui, Nabhitabhata and
Panha, 1999 (Anura: Megophryidae), a new record
for India. Journal of the Bombay Natural History
Society 98(2):289-291.
Vol. 10, pp. 246 Asiatic Herpetological Research 2004