''Scutiger nyingchiensis'' is a species of
toad
Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scientif ...
found in the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
of southeastern
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
(China), northwestern
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, and tentatively,
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
. There are no confirmed records from India; earlier records refer to ''
Scutiger occidentalis
''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 ...
'' or ''
Scutiger spinosus
''Scutiger spinosus'' is a species of toad in the family Megophryidae. It is found in Medog County, Tibet (China) and in Tawang district, Arunachal Pradesh (India). Prior to its description in 2016, it was confused with '' Scutiger nyingchiensi ...
''. Its type locality is
Nyingchi
Nyingchi (), also known as Linzhi and as Nyingtri, is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China. The administrative seat of Nyingchi is Bayi District.
Nyingchi is the location of Buchu Monastery.
Economy ...
, Tibet. It is also known as the Nyingchi high altitude toad, Nyingchi alpine toad, or Nyingchi lazy toad.
[
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Description
A medium-sized ''Scutiger'', adult males of ''S. nyingchiensis'' measure and adult females in snout–vent length
Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the most c ...
. Maxillary teeth are present. The toes are webbed. Males lack a vocal sac
The vocal sac is the flexible membrane of skin possessed by most male frogs and toads. The purpose of the vocal sac is usually as an amplification of their mating or advertisement call. The presence or development of the vocal sac is one way o ...
.
Habitat and conservation
The altitudinal range of ''Scutiger nyingchiensis'' is above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
.tadpole
A tadpole is the larval stage in the biological life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some fish-like features that may not be found i ...
s continue their development over the winter. ''Scutiger nyingchiensis'' is locally common but potentially threatened by diversion of water from breeding streams for agricultural use and by water pollution associated with agrochemicals.
References
nyingchiensis
Amphibians of Bhutan
Frogs of China
Amphibians of Nepal
Fauna of Tibet
Amphibians described in 1977
{{Megophryidae-stub