Taxonomic Reassessment of the Arboreal Toad Genus Pedostibes Gunther 1876 (Anura: Bufonidae) and Some Allied Oriental Bufonid Genera

摘要

We reassessed the taxonomic status of an Asian genus of arboreal bufonids, Pedostibes, based on examination of preserved material of the two species currently attributed to this genus. Analysis of their morphological, morphometric, and geographic distribution data revealed that Pedostibes tuberculosus, the type species of this genus from the Western Ghats, southwestern India, is morphologically distinct from the geographically separated member, P. kempi, which is distributed in northeastern India. Hence, the generic nomen Pedostibes is restricted to the type species, rendering it a monotypic genus from the Western Ghats of peninsular India. A re-examination and detailed comparisons of the types of P. kempi with other bufonid genera revealed morphological similarities with another geographically proximate toad, Bufoides meghalayanus, from northeastern India. Hence, this taxon is formally transferred herein to Bufoides with a redescription. The composition of the recently described Southeast Asian toad genus Rentapia is reevaluated and the name-bearing type specimens of the currently ascribed taxa are redescribed. A detailed examination of the types of Rentapia everetti and R. rugosa revealed morphological congruence coupled with geographic sympatry. Hence, the latter nomen is synonymized with R. everetti in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature principle of priority.