Resolving taxonomic ambiguities in extant Himalayan lazy toads: A new species of the genus Scutiger (Anura, Megophryidae) from eastern Nepal

The biodiversity of the Himalaya remains significantly understudied and, at the same time, is increasingly threatened by habitat loss due to rising anthropogenic pressures and climate change. Lazy Toads of the genus Scutiger are endemic to the Himalaya-Tibet orogen and form a diverse and characteristic component of the Himalayan montane zone. In our study, we re-assess material of Scutiger sikimmensis s. lat. using both molecular and morphological data. Our findings support the description of a new species, Scutiger khumbu sp. nov., with the nominotypical subspecies distributed in the Nepalese Khumbu Himal, and the subspecies Scutiger khumbu makalu subsp. nov. from the adjacent Makalu range.