Euphlyctis adolfi (Gunther, 1860)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Dicroglossidae > Subfamily: Dicroglossinae > Genus: Euphlyctis > Species: Euphlyctis adolfi

Dicroglossus adolfi Günther, 1860, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1860: 158. Syntypes: BMNH 1860.3.19.1365 (now reregistered 1947.2.28.46), 1860.3.19.1367 (now reregistered 1947.2.28.47), and 1860.11.6.5 (now reregistered 1947.2.4.60–61) according to museum records. Type locality: "Kulu and Simla, Himalaya (2400–4200 feet above the level of the sea", India. 

Rana cyanophlyctis var. seistanica Nikolskii, 1900 "1899", Annu. Mus. Zool. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Petersbourg, 4: 406. Syntypes: ZISP 2503 (3 specimens), according to Ananjeva, Milto, Barabanov, and Golynsky, 2020, Zootaxa, 4722: 110. Type locality: Neizar in Seistano, Iran [translated from Russian]; probably between Zabol and Varmal, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, approx. 30.89 N 61.41 E, according to  Ananjeva, Milto, Barabanov, and Golynsky, 2020, Zootaxa, 4722: 110; regarded as arguably associated with Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis by Dufresnes, Mahony, Prasad, Kamei, Masroor, Khan, Al-Johany, Gautam, Gupta, Borkin, Melnikov, Rosanov, Skorinov, Borzée, Jablonski, and Litvinchuk, 2022, Syst. Biodiversity, 20 (2102686): 13.

Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis microspinulata Khan, 1997, Pakistan J. Zool., 29: 108. Holotype: BMNH 1990.8, by original designation. Type locality: "side pool of a stream on the southwest of Khuzdar (southeast Kalat Division, Balochistan, Pakistan; lat. 27° 53′ N, long. 66° 36′ E)". See comment. Synonymy by Mohammadi, Khajeh, and Ghorbani, 2025, Taxonomy and Biosystematics, 16: 58.

Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis seistanica — Dutta, 1997, Amph. India Sri Lanka: 115.

Euphlyctis kalasgramensis Howlader, Nair, Gopalan, and Merilä, 2015, PLoS One, 10(2: e0116666): 4. Holotype: MZH 3376, by original designation. Type locality: "Kalasgram (22° 45′ N, 90° 18′ E), Barisal, Bangladesh". Zoobank publication registration: 6720DE44-4BDD-470B-B3F7-0E15F1AD7763. Synonymy by Dufresnes and Litvinchuk, 2022, Zool. J. Linn. Soc., 195: 704; Dufresnes, Mahony, Prasad, Kamei, Masroor, Khan, Al-Johany, Gautam, Gupta, Borkin, Melnikov, Rosanov, Skorinov, Borzée, Jablonski, and Litvinchuk, 2022, Syst. Biodiversity, 20 (2102686): 1. 

Euphlyctis kalisgraminensis — Lalronunga, Vanramliana, Lalrinchhana, Vanlalhrima, Sailo, Lalnunhlua, Sailo, Zosangliana, Lalhmangaiha, and Lalhmingliani, 2020, Sci. Vision, 20: 106. Incorrect subsequent spelling.

Euphlyctis seistanica — Dinesh, Channakeshavamurthy, Deepak, Ghosh, and Deuti, 2021, Zootaxa, 4990: 329. Unexplained arrangement. 

Euphlyctis (Euphlyctis) adolfi — Dufresnes, Mahony, Prasad, Kamei, Masroor, Khan, Al-Johany, Gautam, Gupta, Borkin, Melnikov, Rosanov, Skorinov, Borzée, Jablonski, and Litvinchuk, 2022, Syst. Biodiversity, 20 (2102686): 1.

Euphlyctis adolfi seistanica — Mohammadi, Khajeh, and Ghorbani, 2025, Taxonomy and Biosystematics, 16: 58.

Euphlyctis adolfi microspinulata — Mohammadi, Khajeh, and Ghorbani, 2025, Taxonomy and Biosystematics, 16: 58.

Common Names

Bangladesh Skittering Frog (Zug, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 653: 17).

Adolf's Speckled Frog (Safaei-Mahroo, Ghaffari, and Niamir, 2023, Zootaxa, 5279: 24).

Adolf Skipper Frog (Dinesh, Radhakrishnan, Deepak, and Kulkarni, 2023, Fauna India Checklist, vers. 5.0 : 3).

Seistan Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis cyanophyctis seistanicaKhan, 2002, Bull. Chicago Herpetol. Soc., 37: 160).

Spiny Skittering Frog (Euphlyctis cyanophyctis microspinulataKhan, 2002, Bull. Chicago Herpetol. Soc., 37: 160).

Distribution

Southern Iran (Hormozgan, Kerman, and Sistan va Baluchistan provinces), southern Afghanistan, and Pakistan and through India, low elevations and foothills of the Himalayas and throughout Bangladesh into Mizoram, northeastern India, Nepal, and Bhutan below 2500 m elevation; likely to extend into Rakhine state, Myanmar. 

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan

Likely/Controversially Present: Myanmar

Comment

See comment under Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis for access to literature (before 2022) when this species was confused with that one. Removed from the synonymy of Rana cyanophlyctis and placed as the senior name for Euphlictis kalagramensis by Dufresnes and Litvinchuk, 2022, Zool. J. Linn. Soc., 195: 704, where it had been placed by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 17. Confused with Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis, and the sister taxon of Euphlyctis mudigere + (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis + Euphlyctis ehrenbergii) according to the original publication of Euphlyctis kalisgraminensis. Ali, Javid, Hussain, Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Chabber, and Hemmatzadeh, 2020, MtDNA, Part B, 5: 1227–1232, reported the species in Punjab, Pakistan, confirmed by mtDNA analysis. Lalronunga, Vanramliana, Lalrinchhana, Vanlalhrima, Sailo, Lalnunhlua, Sailo, Zosangliana, Lalhmangaiha, and Lalhmingliani, 2020, Sci. Vision, 20: 106–117, provided a record from Mizoram, northeastern India, based on genetic barcode analysis. Khatiwada, Wang, Zhao, Xie, and Jiang, 2021, Asian Herpetol. Res., 12: 1–35, implied that previous records of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Nepal are based on this species. Decemson, Gouda, Lalbiakzuala, Lalmuansanga, Hmar, Mathipi, and Lalremsanga, 2021, J. Threatened Taxa, 13: 17918–17929, provided the record for Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mamit District, Mizoram, India. In the Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis group of Dinesh, Channakeshavamurthy, Deepak, Ghosh, and Deuti, 2021, Zootaxa, 4990: 329–353, who implied that the Pakistan requires verification. Akram, Rais, López-Hervas, Tarvin, Saeed, Bolnick, and Cannatella, 2021, Ecol. Evol., 11: 14175–14216, provided genetically-confirmed records from Rawalpindi District, Punjab Province, Pakistan, as well as discussing the systematics of the species, which, as regards populations assigned to Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis in Iran is problematic (DRF). Rais, Ahmed, Sajjad, Akram, Saeed, Hamid, and Abid, 2021, ZooKeys, 1062: 157–175, included this species in an identification key to the amphibian species of Pakistan as well as providing a photograph. Zug, 2022, Smithson. Contrib. Zool., 653: 17, discussed identification, habitat, and possible range in Myanmar, and noted that at least some of the records of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis from Myanmar are likely of this species. Dufresnes, Mahony, Prasad, Kamei, Masroor, Khan, Al-Johany, Gautam, Gupta, Borkin, Melnikov, Rosanov, Skorinov, Borzée, Jablonski, and Litvinchuk, 2022, Syst. Biodiversity, 20 (2102686): 1–25, discussed the systematics of this species and its phylogenetic place within the genus as well as providing a dot map. Safaei-Mahroo, Ghaffari, and Niamir, 2023, Zootaxa, 5279: 1–112, provided for Iran an identification key including this species, photographs, habitat, conservation threats and Red List recommendation, a review of the literature, as well as dot and modeled distribution maps. Reported (as Euphlyctis kalasgramensis) from central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, northern Pakistan by Majid, Azim, Nawaz, and Ud Din, 2023, Asian J. Res. Zool., 6: 56. Safaei-Mahroo, Ghaffari, and Anderson, 2025, In Heatwole, Das, and King (eds.), Amphibian Biology. Volume 11, Part 8 (Status of Conservation and Decline of Amphibians: Eastern Hemisphere): 195–233, provided photographs and reported on the conservation, morphology, systematics, and distribution of the species in Iran. Mohammadi, Khajeh, and Ghorbani, 2025, Taxonomy and Biosystematics, 16: 57–72, reported on mtDNA phylogenetics, noting three matrilines within Iran and noting discordance with morphology in southeastern Iran. They also discussed the status of Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis seistanica and Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis microspinulata in Iran, ultimately returning these populations of Euphlyctus adolfi microspinulata. See comment under Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis for relevant literature. 

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