Description of a new species of Bush frog (Anura: Rhacophoridae: Raorchestes ) from northwestern Yunnan, China

Approximately half of the species in speciose genus Raorchestes were described during the past 10 years, yet only 11 species are known from Southeast Asia and southern China (SEA-SC), adjacent Himalayas, and northeastern India. Field work in northwestern Yunnan province, China resulted in the discovery of one new species in the genus based on morphological and molecular analyses. The new species is diagnosed by small size with 15.0-19.0 mm SVL in adult males (n=3); tongue pyriform, notched posteriorly; rudimentary webbing between toes; fingers and toes with narrow lateral dermal fringes; tibiotarsal articulation reaching anterior of the eye when hindlimb is stretched along the side of the body; relative finger lengths: I 3.2%) by distance of 16S comparable to the divergence between recognized Raorchestes species. This study further enriches the diversity of rhacophorids, especially in northwestern Yunnan.