Tadpoles o h ee sympa ic spiny ogs (Anu a,
Dic oglossidae, Quasipaa) om Wuyishan, China
Tianyu Qian1, Cheng Li1, Sining Huang1, Bo Chen1, Yujuan Guo1, Jianping Jiang1,2
1 Chengdu Ins i u e o Biology, Chinese Academy o Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
2 Mangkang Biodi e si y and Ecological S a ion, Xizang Ecological Sa e y Moni o Ne wo k, Changdu 854500, Xizang, China
h ps://zoobank.o g/9F28F858-18A5-44B2-9A96-EAECE782345D
Co esponding au ho : Jianping Jiang ([email p o ec ed])
Academic edi o : Gün e Gollmann ♦
Recei ed
26 June 2025 ♦
Accep ed
24 Sep embe 2025 ♦
Published
10 Oc obe 2025
Abs ac
Du ing a apid su ey in Wuyishan, China, adpoles o h ee Quasipaa species we e collec ed om he same s eam. Molecula da a
con i med ha hese adpoles belong o Q. exilispinosa, Q. spinosa, and Q. jiulongensis. Thei ex e nal mo phology was examined
and desc ibed. Based on ou ini ial obse a ions, he adpoles o hese h ee species can be dis inguished in he ield by he ollowing
colo a ion pa e ns: Q. jiulongensis lacks la ge spo s on he uppe ail muscula u e; Q. spinosa exhibi s a da k s ipe a he body– ail
junc ion when iewed om abo e; and Q. exilispinosa has la ge spo s on he uppe ail muscula u e bu lacks a da k s ipe a he
body– ail junc ion. This s udy p o ides he i s desc ip ion o he adpole o Q. jiulongensis.
Key Wo ds
Amphibia, DNA ba coding, ex e nal mo phology, ogs, la ae
In oduc ion
Spiny ogs o he genus Quasipaa Dubois, 1992, inhabi
moun ain s eams in sou he n China and he Indochina
Peninsula. Thei adpoles a e la ge, bo om-dwelling, and
eed oppo unis ically (Fei e al. 2009). Obse a ions in-
dica e ha Quasipaa adpoles a e noc u nal, lying on he
bo om o hiding in c e ices du ing he day, and a e o en
ound in s ill wa e wi hin moun ain s eams (Fei e al.
2009). Mos Quasipaa adpoles a e known o o e win e ,
wi h some, such as Q. obe inge i, po en ially o e win-
e ing o wo seasons (Fei e al. 2009). The la ges e-
po ed Quasipaa adpole, a Q. e ucospinosa specimen
a Gosne s age 40, measu ed 91 mm in o al leng h (Fei
e al. 2009). Cu en ly, adpoles o 7 ou o 15 Quasipaa
species ha e been desc ibed, lea ing eigh unknown o
science (In ha a e al. 2009; F os 2025).
Acco ding o Fei e al. (2009), h ee Quasipaa species
ha e been epo ed om Wuyishan (M . Wuyi), China:
Q. exilispinosa (li le spiny og), Q. spinosa (gian spiny
og), and Q. jiulongensis (Jiulong spiny og). Tadpoles
o Q. exilispinosa and Q. spinosa ha e been desc ibed
p e iously (e.g., Liu and Hu 1975; Ye e al. 1993; Fei e al.
2009). Howe e , due o o e lapping dis ibu ion anges
wi h Q. exilispinosa and Q. spinosa, he adpole o Q. ji-
ulongensis has emained uniden i ied and undesc ibed.
In his s udy, we p o ide he i s desc ip ion o he
adpole o Q. jiulongensis and edesc ibe he adpoles o
Q. exilispinosa and Q. spinosa based on examina ions
o ex e nal mo phology and li e colo a ion o speci-
mens iden i ied h ough molecula phylogene ic analyses
(Jiang e al. 2005; Che e al. 2009).
Ma e ials and me hods
Fou adpole specimens o spiny ogs we e collec ed
om Dazhulan (27.6975°N, 117.6486°E, ca. 950 m ele .),
Guadun (=Kua un), Wuyishan ( o me Chungan Hsien),
and Fujian (=Fukien) P o ince, China, du ing a apid
He pe ozoa 38: 311–320 (2025)
DOI 10.3897/he pe ozoa.38.e162906
Copy igh Tianyu Qian e al. This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License
(CC BY 4.0), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal au ho and sou ce
a e c edi ed.
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
Tianyu Qian e al.: Tadpoles o h ee sympa ic spiny ogs
312
he pe ological su ey conduc ed on 26 July 2023. Speci-
mens we e pho og aphed in li e in a anspa en ac ylic box
be o e being eu hanized wi h bu e ed clo e oil and hen
ixed wi h 10% o malin o s o age. Tissue samples ( ail
in) we e p ese ed in 95% e hanol o molecula analy-
sis. All specimens we e deposi ed a he Chengdu Ins i u e
o Biology (CIB), Chinese Academy o Sciences (CAS),
Chengdu, China, wi h ouche numbe s CIB T1024–27.
Segmen s o he 16S ibosomal RNA gene (16S)
we e used o species iden i ica ion. P ime pai 16Sa -L
(5′-CGCCTGTTTACCAAAAACAT-3′) and 16Sb -H
(5′-CGCCTGTTTACCAAAAACAT-3′) om Palumbi e
al. (1991) we e used o PCR ampli ica ion. The ampli i-
ca ion p o ocol ollowed Ji e al. (2023). Sequencing was
conduc ed using an ABI3730 au oma ed DNA sequence
a Chengdu Youkang Jianxing Bio echnology Co., L d.
(Chengdu, China). The new sequences we e sea ched
on BLAST (NCBI), esul ing in app oxima e iden i y as
Quasipaa exilispinosa, Q. spinosa, and Q. jiulongensis,
espec i ely. Fo u he molecula analysis, we selec ed
26 samples ep esen ing 11 known species and an unde-
sc ibed lineage o Quasipaa (excluding Q. cou oisi and
Q. asciculispina, o which sequences we e una ailable,
and he ecen ly desc ibed Q. binhi and Q. ohle ae; see
Suppl. ma e ial 1), wi h Feje a ya limnocha is as he
ou g oup ollowing Pham e al. (2022). Gi en documen -
ed hyb idiza ion wi hin Quasipaa (Ye e al. 2013; Zhang
e al. 2018; Yan e al. 2021), assigning adpoles o speci ic
lineages is essen ial o accu a e iden i ica ion. To achie e
his, we downloaded all a ailable 16S sequences o Q. exil-
ispinosa and Q. jiulongensis om GenBank. Fo Q. spino-
sa, we downloaded all a ailable 16S sequences om eas
China (Fujian, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang), which ep-
esen he popula ion a ound i s ype locali y (Wuyishan,
Fujian). The ouche s, locali ies, and accession numbe s
o all sequences used in he s udy a e lis ed in Suppl. ma-
e ial 1. Samples we e aligned using he MUSCLE algo-
i hm wi h de aul pa ame e s (Edga 2004) in MEGA 12
(Kuma e al. 2024). A phylogene ic ee was cons uc ed
using Bayesian in e ence (BI) implemen ed in M Bayes
3.2.7a (Ronquis e al. 2012). Two independen uns we e
conduc ed du ing he BI analyses wi h 10,000,000 gene a-
ions each, and hey we e sampled e e y 1000 gene a ions,
wi h he i s 25% o samples disca ded as bu n-in. We
used a con e gence diagnos ic h eshold o PSRF ≤ 1.005
(s op al = 0.005) o au oma ically e mina e he MCMC
un once con e gence was achie ed.
ImageJ 1.54 g so wa e (Schneide e al. 2012) was used
o measu e he adpoles om pho og aphs o p ese ed
specimens aken nex o a ule (Table 1). The s aging ol-
lows Gosne (1960), and he e minology o ex e nal mo -
phology ollows Al ig and McDia mid (1999). Measu e-
men s ollow In ha a e al. (2009), which e e enced Al ig
and McDia mid (1999) and G osjean (2006): A2R, leng h
o he second ke a odon ow on he uppe labium; BH,
maximum heigh o body; BL, body leng h; BW, maximum
wid h o body; DG, leng h o he do sal papilla gap; ED,
maximum diame e o eye; KRF, ke a odon ow o mula;
LFH, maximum heigh o lowe ail in; MTH, maximum
ail heigh ; NND, in e na ial dis ance; NPD, na io-pupila
dis ance; ODW, o al disc wid h; PPD, in e pupila dis-
ance; RND, os o-na ial dis ance; SSD, dis ance om
ip o snou o opening o spi acle; SUD, dis ance om
ip o snou o inse ion o uppe ail in; SVL, snou – en
leng h; TAL, ail leng h (dis ance om opening o en o
ip o ail); TTL, o al leng h; TMH, maximum heigh o
ail muscle; TMW, maximum wid h o ail muscle; UFH,
maximum heigh o uppe ail in.
Resul s
Tadpole iden i ica ion
The econs uc ed phylogeny is p esen ed in Fig. 1. Ou
newly collec ed samples o med h ee dis inc lineages.
Specimen CIB T1027 clus e ed wi hin he monophyle ic
Q. jiulongensis clade, which included sequences om he
same locali y as ou new samples. Samples o Q. spinosa
om i s ype locali y clus e ed in o mul iple lineages; how-
e e , he clade con aining only Q. spinosa samples om
Zhejiang, Fujian, and Hunan p o inces, wi h s ong suppo
(BPP = 1.00), was conside ed he “ ue” Q. spinosa lineage
and included ou adpole sample CIB T1026. Specimens
CIB T2024 and CIB T1025 clus e ed wi h 13 Quasipaa ex-
ilispinosa samples om he same locali y (Wuyishan, Fuji-
an P o ince) and one sample om Dehua, Fujian P o ince,
wi h s ong suppo (BPP = 1.00). Al hough some Q. ex-
ilispinosa samples we e in e mixed wi h Q. spinosa in a
highe -le el clade, ou new samples we e clea ly iden i ied
as Q. exilispinosa based on hei clus e ing wi hin a dis inc
lineage con aining only Q. exilispinosa samples.
Table 1. Measu emen s o adpoles o h ee Quasipaa species.
“-” indica es da a no a ailable.
Species Q. exilispinosa Q. spinosa Q. jiulongensis
Vouche CIB T1024 CIB T1025 CIB T1026 CIB T1027
S age 25 37 37 25
BH 6.5 8.0 9.4 4.9
BL 14.7 15.7 22.2 11.5
BW 8.8 9.1 12.6 6.5
DG 1.4 1.4 2.8 1.7
ED 1.6 1.7 2.6 1.5
LFH 2.0 - 3.2 1.5
MTH 8.2 - 11.7 6.1
NND 3.3 3.2 4.3 2.6
NPD 2.8 2.8 3.9 2.0
ODW 3.8 3.6 5.6 3.3
PPD 5.5 5.6 7.7 4.0
RND 2.3 2.3 3.1 1.8
SSD 7.6 9.2 13.8 7.3
SUD 13.7 14.9 22.2 10.4
SVL 17.7 19.3 27.3 12.8
TAL 29.4 - 45.5 20.6
TTL 46.6 - 72.6 33.2
TMH 4.7 4.8 7.9 2.5
TMW 3.8 4.4 6.7 2.4
UFH 3.2 - 4.3 2.2
A2R 2.5 2.4 4.5 2.3
He pe ozoa 38: 311–320 (2025)
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
313
Figu e 1. Recons uc ed Bayesian opology o Quasipaa based on he 16S gene. New samples epo ed in his s udy a e highligh ed
in ed. Samples o Q. spinosa and Q. exilispinosa om hei ype locali ies a e backg ounded in a g een g adien . Numbe s on nodes
a e Bayesian pos e io p obabili y (BPP) alues.
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
Tianyu Qian e al.: Tadpoles o h ee sympa ic spiny ogs
314
Tadpole desc ip ion
Quasipaa exilispinosa (Liu & Hu, 1975)
Figs 2, 5A, B, Table 1
Specimen examined. CIB T1024 (S age 25, ield ouche
WT01) and CIB T1025 (S age 37, ield ouche WT08),
collec ed on 26 July 2023 om Dazhulan, Guadun, Wuy-
ishan, Fujian P o ince, China.
Ex e nal mo phology. Based on he specimen CIB
T1024, s age 25, TTL 46.6 mm, BL 14.7 mm. In la e al
iew, he body is o al, and he snou is blun ; do sally,
he snou is ounded, he head is sligh ly wide han
unk, BW/BH 135%; he eyes a e mode a e in size,
posi ioned and di ec ed do sola e ally, no isible om
en al iew, ED/BL 11%; he pupils a e ound; na es
posi ioned and di ec ed an e ola e ally, close o snou
han o eye RND/NPD 82%, NND/PPD 60%; he im
o na es no aised om he body wall; he spi acle
is single, sinis al, and sho ; he opening o spi acle
o ien ed pos e odo sally, ee om he body wall a
he ip, and close o he ip o snou han o he anal
ube opening SS/BL 52%; he ail muscle is s ong,
g adually ape ing un il eaching he ail ip, TMH/
BH 72%, TMH/MTH 57%; he ail ins a e mode a e
in size, UFH/MTH 39%, LFH/MTH 24%, MTH/BH
126%; he uppe in a ises a he body- ail junc ion,
SUD/BL 93%; he lowe in is connec ed o he unk;
he ail ip is ounded; he anal ube is app oxima e-
ly conical in shape, medial, and en i ely a ached o
lowe in, opening on la e al igh side, pos e io ly di-
ec ed; he o al disc is posi ioned and di ec ed an e o-
en ally, ema gina ed, ellip ical wi h a median no ch
on he lowe labium, ODW/BL 26%, ODW/BW 43%;
a ow o papillae on uppe labium, wi h a la ge papilla
gap, DG/ODW 37%; wo en i e ows o papillae on
lowe labium, he inne ow is dis inc ly la ge ; KRF
1:4+4/1+1:2; he 1s –3 d oo h ows on uppe labium a e
subequal, he inne 4 h–5 h ows g adually sho ened;
he 1s –3 d oo h ows on lowe labium g adually sho -
ened; he jaw shea hs a e ke a inized wi h ine se a-
ions; he uppe shea h is hin, co e s he lowe jaw,
and he lowe shea h is wide.
In li e, he body is da k b own la e ally; he ail mus-
cle is ligh b own sca e ed wi h da k spo s on uppe
edge and smalle spo s on lowe pa s; ail in wi h
spa se da k pigmen a ion; do sally, he body and ail
a e b own, and he unk is da ke ; he la e al lines a e
goldish and clea ly isible; he i is is b onze, and he
pupil is black; en ally, he body and ail is semi- ans-
lucen ; he ches is pink; he abdomen is sca e ed wi h
dense goldish speckles, he gu coil is clea ly isible;
he anal ube is co e ed by goldish pigmen s; he low-
e ail in and bo om o ail muscle a e sca e ed wi h
spa se golden pigmen s; he mou h pa is su ounded
by goldish ch omocy es.
Figu e 2. Li e adpole o Quasipaa exilispinosa (CIB T1024, s age 25) in la e al iew (A), do sal iew (B), and en al iew (C).
Scale ba : 10 mm.
He pe ozoa 38: 311–320 (2025)
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
315
Quasipaa spinosa (Da id, 1875)
Figs 3, 5C, D, Table 1
Specimen examined. CIB T1026 (S age 37, ield ouch-
e WT06) collec ed on 26 July 2023 om Dazhulan, Gua-
dun, Wuyishan, Fujian P o ince, China.
Ex e nal mo phology. A la ge adpole in s age 37,
TTL 72.6 mm, BL 22.2 mm; he body is o al, and he
snou is ound, BW/BH 134%; he eyes a e mode a e in
size, posi ioned and di ec ed do sola e ally, no isible
om en al iew, ED/BL 12%; he pupils a e ound; na-
es posi ioned and di ec ed an e ola e ally, close o snou
han o eye, RND/NPD 79%, NND/PPD 56%; he im o
na es sligh ly aised om he body wall; he spi acle is
single, sho , squa e, and sinis al; he opening o spi acle
o ien ed pos e odo sally, ee om he body wall a he
ip, and close o he ip o snou han o he anal ube
opening, SSD/BL 62%; he ail muscle is s ong, g adu-
ally ape ing un il eaching he ail ip, TMH/BH 84%,
TMH/MTH 68%; he ail ins a e mode a e in size, UFH/
MTH 37%, LFH/MTH 27%, MTH/BH 124%; he uppe
in a ises in on o he body- ail junc ion, SU/BL 100%;
he lowe in is connec ed o he unk; he ail ip is ound-
ed; he anal ube is app oxima ely conical in shape, me-
dial, and en i ely a ached o lowe in, opening on la e al
igh side, pos e io ly di ec ed; he o al disc is posi ioned
and di ec ed an e o en ally, ema gina ed, and ellip ical,
ODW/BL 25%, ODW/BW 44%; a ow o papillae on
uppe labium, wi h a la ge papilla gap, DG/ODW 50%;
wo ows o papillae on lowe labium; a median no ch on
he lowe labium, and he papillae on he inne ow a e
dis inc ly la ge ; KRF 1:4+4/1+1:2, he 3 d oo h ow on
lowe labium was unconnec ed on he le 1/3 (Fig. 5C,
D); he 1s –3 d oo h ows on uppe labium a e subequal,
he inne 4 h–5 h ows g adually sho ened; he 1s –3 d oo h
ows on lowe labium a e subequal; he jaw shea hs a e
ke a inized wi h ine se a ions; he uppe shea h is hin,
co e s he lowe shea h, and he lowe shea h is wide.
In li e, he body is da k b own la e ally; he ail muscle
is ligh b own sca e ed wi h pale b own spo s on uppe
edge, and smalle and pale spo s on lowe pa s; ail in
wi h spa se pale b own pigmen a ion; do sally, he body
and ail a e b own, and he unk is da ke ; a V-shaped
da k s ipe on body- ail junc ion; he la e al lines a e gold-
ish and clea ly isible; he i is is b onze, and he pupil is
black; en ally, he body and ail is semi- anslucen ; he
ches is deep pu ple sca e ed wi h whi ish pigmen a ions;
he abdomen is whi e, he gu coil is ba ely isible; he
anal ube and hindlimbs a e co e ed by goldish pigmen s;
he lowe ail in and bo om o ail muscle a e sca e ed
wi h spa se whi ish pigmen s; he mou h co ne is su -
ounded by goldish ch omocy es.
Rema ks. The adpoles desc ibed by Fei e al. (2009)
ha e anspa en abdomens wi h isible gu coils; ha is
no consis en wi h ou da a. Howe e , ou specimens a e
la ge (SVL 27.3 mm s. 18.7–22.1 mm; see Table 2),
po en ially indica ing de eloped pigmen a ion associa ed
wi h p epa a ion o me amo phosis.
Figu e 3. Li e adpole o Quasipaa spinosa (CIB T1026, s age 37) in la e al iew (A), do sal iew (B), and en al iew (C). Scale
ba : 10 mm.
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
Tianyu Qian e al.: Tadpoles o h ee sympa ic spiny ogs
316
Quasipaa jiulongensis (Huang & Liu, 1985)
Figs 4, 5E, F, Table 1
Specimen examined. CIB T1027 (S age 25, ield ouch-
e WT07) collec ed on 26 July 2023 om Dazhulan, Gua-
dun, Wuyishan, Fujian P o ince, China.
Ex e nal mo phology. A adpole in s age 25, TTL
33.2 mm, BL 11.5 mm; he body is o al, BW/BH 133%;
he snou is sligh ly poin ed in la e al iew; he eyes a e
mode a e in size, posi ioned and di ec ed do sola e ally,
no isible om en al iew, ED/BL 13%; he pupils a e
ound; he na es posi ioned and di ec ed an e ola e ally,
Table 2. Compa a i e diagnosis and measu emen s (in mm) o Quasipaa adpoles. “-” indica es da a no a ailable. Numbe s in
pa en heses a e mean alues. ULPR = uppe labial papillae ows; LLPR = lowe labial papillae ows; N = numbe o specimens. Fo
o he abb e ia ions, see Ma e ials and me hods.
Species S age NTTL SVL KRF Tail ip ULPR LLPR Colo a ion Re e ence
Q. exilispinosa 25 1 46.6 17.7 1:4+4/1+1:2 ounded p esen 2 Body pale yellow, 3–5 da k spo s
do sola e ally on ail muscle,
dis inc in ea ly-s age adpoles,
spa se do s on ail ins.
This s udy
37 1 - 19.3 1:4+4/1+1:2
28 1 - 24.5 - blun ly
poin ed
Fei e al.
(2009)
42 1 49 17 -
30–36 7 54.1–60.9
(58.0)
18.2–20.5
(19.0)
-
- 153 - - 1:3+3/1+1:2 - Liu and Hu
(1975)
- 38 - - 1:4+4/1+1:2
Q. spinosa 37 1 72.6 27.3 1:4+4/1+1:2 blun ly
ounded
p esen 2 Body blackish g ay o b ownish
b ay, middle o back ligh colo ed,
3–5 da k spo s do sola e ally
on ail muscle, speckles on ins
dense on lowe ins ( his s udy;
Fei e al. 2009)
This s udy
34–38 20 - 18.7–22.1
(20.2)
1:4+4/1+1:2
1:5+5/1+2:2
1:3+3/1+1:2
Fei e al.
(2009)
Q. jiulongensis 25 1 33.2 12.8 1:4+4/1+1:2 ounded p esen 2 Body pale b own, ail muscle and
ins pigmen ed wi h cloud- o m
da k speckles, middle a ea o
body- ail junc ion da k in do sal
iew ( his s udy)
This s udy
Q. boulenge i - 1 55 18 1:3+3/1+1:2 blun ly
poin ed
p esen 2 Do sum yellowish b own o ligh
b own, ail ligh -colo ed wi h da k
do s, a black ans e se s ipe
be ween body and ail; 2–3 da k
ans e se ba s do sola e ally on
ail muscle (In ha a e al. 2009; Fei
e al. 2009)
Liu and Hu
(1960)
36–38 10 (51.9) 17.8–19.5
(18.6)
1:4+4/1+1:2;
1:3+3/1+1:2
Fei e al.
(2009)
26–28 10 40.0–49.0
(43.9)
15.3–18.1
(16.5)
-
31–36 10 55.1–64.0
(57.9)
18.9–21.9
(19.9)
-
Q. shini 36–38 10 (66.3) 20.0–25.2
(23.2)
1:5+5/1+1:2;
1:4+6/1+1:1;
2:5+5/1+1:1;
1:6+5/1+1:1;
2:4+4/1+1:1
blun ly
poin ed
- 2 Body oli e, ail ligh -colo ed, 3–4
da k spo s do sola e ally on ail
muscle; a pai o whi e spo s on
1/3 body in en al iew (In ha a
e al. 2009; Fei e al. 2009)
Fei e al.
(2009)
Q. obe inge i 26 - - - 1:3+3/1+1:2;
1:4+4/1+1:2
- absen 2 Do sum ligh b own o b ownish
yellow wi h da k do s on la e al
side; ail ligh -yellow, a b own
ans e se s ipe p esen o
absen be ween body and ail
(Fei e al. 2009)
Fei e al.
(2009)
27–35 6 - 15.5–25.0 1:4+4/1+1/2
Q. e ucospinosa 29–40 - - - - - - 3–4 B own o yellowish-b own,
do sum lacks dis inc pa e n;
ail pale wi h i egula blackish
spo s on he lanks o he muscula
po ion and di use ound da k
spo s on he ins. The belly is
colo ed uni o mly wi h he body
lanks. The i is is golden wi h ou
adial black s eaks.
Fei e al.
(2009)
40 1 91 - 1:5+5/1+1:2
27–29 - 71.1–75.4 - 1:5+5/1+1:2;
2:4+4/1+1:2
- - - - 6(2-6)/3(1) blun p esen 3 Vassilie a e
al. (2025)
Q. yei 28–29 10 39.6–47.3
(43.8)
16.1–18.7
(17.6)
- blun ly
poin ed
o blun ly
ounded
p esen 2–3 Da k b own o g ayish b own
in ea ly s ages, body b igh and
yellowish g een o yellowish
b own in la e s ages; ail wi h o
wi hou pale g ay do s pos e io ly.
Fei e al.
(2009)
40 1 68.0 - -
26–40 94 - - 1:6+6/1+1:2
26–40 15 - - 1:7+7/1+1:2
26–40 23 - - 2:5+5/1+1:2;
1:8+8/1+1:2;
1:6+5/1+1:2
Q. asciculispina 28 1 71.9 30.6 2:5+5/1+1:2 sligh poin p esen 3 Body b own wi h da k do s, ail
c eamy b own wi h nume ous
black spo s.
In ha a e al.
(2009)
37 1 77.7 31.3 -
Q. delacou i 25 6 - 10.3–14.8 3:5+5/1+1:2 - p esen 2 Ligh g eyish-yellow, he uppe
pa o he back is da ke han he
en al su ace.
Thoai e al.
201 9
He pe ozoa 38: 311–320 (2025)
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
317
close o snou han o eye, RND/NPD 90%, NND/PPD
65%; he im o na es sligh ly aised om he body wall;
he spi acle is single, sho , and sinis al; he opening o
spi acle is na owe han he ube, o ien ed pos e odo -
sally, ee om he body wall a he ip, and close o he
ip o snou han o he anal ube opening, SSD/BL 63%;
he ail muscle is ela i ely weak, g adually ape ing un-
il eaching he ail ip, TMH/BH 51%, TMH/MTH 41%;
he ail ins a e mode a e in size, UFH/MTH 36%, LFH/
MTH 25%, MTH/BH 124%; he uppe in a ises in on
o he body- ail junc ion, SUD/BL 90%; he lowe in is
connec ed o he unk; he ail ip is ounded; he anal
ube is medial, en i ely a ached o lowe in, opening on
la e al igh side, and pos e io ly di ec ed; he o al disc
is posi ioned and di ec ed an e o en ally, ema gina ed,
and ellip ical, ODW/BL 29%, ODW/BW 51%; a ow
o papillae on o uppe labium, wi h a la ge papilla gap,
DG/ODW 52%; wo ows o papillae on lowe labium;
a median no ch on he lowe labium, and he papillae on
he inne ow a e sligh ly la ge ; KRF 1:4+4/1+1:2; he
1s –3 d oo h ows on uppe labium a e subequal, he inne
4 h–5 h ows g adually sho ened; he 1s –3 d oo h ows on
lowe labium g adually sho ened; he jaw shea hs a e ke-
a inized wi h ine se a ions; he uppe shea h co e s he
lowe shea h; bo h shea hs a e subequal in wid h.
In li e, he body is pale b own la e ally, sca e ed
wi h goldish speckles; he ail muscle and in a e pig-
men ed wi h cloud- o m da k speckles, and in e spe sed
wi h goldish ch omocy es; do sally, he body and ail
a e b own, he unk is da ke , especially he middle
a ea o body- ail junc ion; he la e al lines a e goldish
and clea ly isible; he i is is b onze, and he pupil is
black; en ally, he body and ail anslucen sca e ed
wi h whi ish speckles along he pe iphe y; he ches is
pink; he gu coil is dis inc ly isible.
Discussion
P e ious desc ip ions o Quasipaa adpoles ha e p i-
ma ily elied on line d awings (e.g., Fei e al. 2005,
2009; In ha a e al. 2009), which o en lack colo and
pigmen a ion de ails c i ical o ield iden i ica ion
(Haas e al. 2022; Qian e al. 2023). In his s udy, we
documen ed he li e colo a ion o adpoles o h ee Qua-
sipaa species, ollowing Vassilie a e al. (2025). Colo -
a ion pa e ns on he ail and ail in ypically inc ease
in p ominence du ing adpole on ogeny (G osjean
2006). Howe e , Fei e al. (2009) desc ibed “3–5 da k
spo s do sola e ally on ail muscle” in Q. exilispinosa
as “especially dis inc in ea ly-s age adpoles,” based
on examina ion o se en adpoles a s ages 30–36. This
ai acili a es in si u adpole moni o ing. Al hough we
obse ed he absence o la ge spo s on he uppe ail
muscula u e in a Q. jiulongensis adpole a s age 25,
gi en he limi a ion o he small sample size, he e may
exis a ious colo pa e ns ha we e no obse ed and
should be he ocus o u he in es iga ions.
Compa a i e diagnos ic ea u es among known Qua-
sipaa adpoles a e summa ized in Table 2. The adpole
Figu e 4. Li e adpole o Quasipaa jiulongensis (CIB T1027, s age 25) in la e al iew (A), do sal iew (B), and en al iew (C).
Scale ba : 10 mm.
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
Tianyu Qian e al.: Tadpoles o h ee sympa ic spiny ogs
318
Figu e 5. O al disks o Quasipaa exilispinosa specimen CIB T1024 (A, B. In li e and in p ese a i e, espec i ely), Q. spinosa
specimen CIB T1026 (C, D), and Q. jiulongensis specimen CIB T1027 (E, F). Images a e no o scale.
o Q. jiulongensis, desc ibed he e o he i s ime, ex-
hibi s a KRF ha o e laps wi h hose o Q. exilispino-
sa and Q. spinosa om his s udy, as well as Q. bou-
lenge i and Q. obe inge i epo ed by o he au ho s
(Table 2). Howe e , he papillae on he lowe labium
di e : he inne ow is app oxima ely wice as long as
he ou e ow in Q. exilispinosa (s age 25, n = 1) and
Q. spinosa (s age 37, n = 1) bu only sligh ly longe
in Q. jiulongensis (s age 25, n = 1). Th ee Quasipaa
species occu in sympa y in Wuyishan, wi h hei
adpoles co-occu ing in he same s eam. This s udy
p o ides ini ial obse a ions o di e ences among
hese sympa ic Quasipaa adpoles. Fu he s udies
on in e nal mo phology could p o ide addi ional di-
agnos ic cha ac e s (In ha a e al. 2009; Chuaynke n
e al. 2018; Thoai e al. 2019; Vassilie a e al. 2025).
He pe ozoa 38: 311–320 (2025)
he pe ozoa.penso .ne
319
Addi ionally, gi en he complex phylogene ic ela ion-
ships wi hin Q. spinosa, analyzing samples om hyb id
popula ions is essen ial o a oid misiden i ica ion.
Acknowledgmen s
We hank Fei ong Ji o assis ance wi h molecula ex-
pe imen s and Shuo Qi o expe ise in phylogene ic
analysis. Commen s om wo anonymous e iewe s
imp o ed his manusc ip . This wo k was suppo ed
by he Na ional Na u al Science Founda ion o Chi-
na (No. 32370482), he Na ional Key Resea ch and
De elopmen P og am o China (2022YFF1301401),
and he China Biodi e si y Obse a ion Ne wo ks
(Sino BON – Amphibian and Rep ile).
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