v14i2.377

eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v14i2.377

Submitted date: 19 July 2025
Accepted date: 21 October 2025
Published date: 25 November 2025
Pp. 245–259, Pl. 25–27.

TWO NEW SPECIES OF THE Hylarana signata COMPLEX (ANURA: RANIDAE) FROM SUMATRA AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF H. sundabarat (CHAN, ABRAHAM, GRISMER & BROWN, 2020)

Amat Ribut*, Misbahul Munir, A.A. Thasun Amarasinghe, Danny Gunalen, Eric N. Smith, Achmad Farajallah* & Amir Hamidy
*Corresponding author. E-mail: ributamat@gmail.com

Abstract
The Hylarana signata complex is species-rich in Indonesia but remains taxonomically unresolved, particularly across Sumatra, where morphological conservatism obscures lineage boundaries. We analyzed Sumatran populations using an integrative dataset comprising adult-male morphology (32 characters) and mitochondrial DNA (16S rRNA, 444 bp). Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian inference, maximum-likelihood, and neighbour-joining methods revealed two distinct and well-supported lineages, here described as new species. The uncorrected p-distance between them (4.81%) exceeds typical species-level thresholds in anurans. Multivariate analyses (PCA) show partial morphometric overlap with congeners, but the new species are diagnosable by consistent combinations of external traits—including humeral gland size and placement, dorsolateral stripe pattern, and webbing formula—corroborated by mitochondrial divergence. We also confirm H. sundabarat in multiple Sumatran provinces, refining its known range in Sundaland. All localities were georeferenced and verified with voucher specimens or genetic data following GBIF citation standards. These findings clarify the composition of the H. signata complex in Sumatra and highlight the island’s cryptic amphibian endemism and the importance of protected montane forests for biodiversity conservation.

Section Editor: Koshiro Eto