On the identity of Bufo diptychus Cope, 1862 (Anura: Bufonidae)

The enigmatic toad Bufo diptychus was described by Cope (1862) based on a single individual (USNM 5841, now lost) of about 25 mm of SVL, collected during the expedition to La Plata River and tributaries, conducted by Captain Page between 1853 and 1856. As no dwarf species of toad was ever recorded in the surveyed area, and based on some tips that arise from Page?s narrative, we postulate that the description was based on a toadlet. With this hypothesis in mind, we compared Cope?s characterization of B. diptychus with juveniles of all species of Rhinella present in the region, finding an exact match in almost all characters shown by the juveniles of the common ?cururú? or ?rococo? toad, Rhinella schneideri (Werner 1894). Henceforth, we postulate that R. schneideri is a junior synonym of B. diptychus, under the combination Rhinella diptycha (Cope 1862).Fil: Lavilla, Esteban Orlando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; ArgentinaFil: BRUSQUETTI, FRANCISCO. Instituto de Investigación Biológica del Paraguay; Paragua

Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, Hypsiboas curupi: first record for Paraguay

Non

Lista comentada de los anfibios de Paraguay

La fauna de anfibios de Paraguay es una de las menos conocidas si la comparamos con la de otros países del sur de América del Sur. Luego de una exhaustiva revisión de las colecciones de diversos museos, así como de la bibliografía pertinente, estamos en condiciones de presentar una lista comentada que incluye tres especies de cecilias y 79 taxa de anuros para dicho país. De ellas, 12 son nuevas citas para Paraguay y se confirma la presencia de otras 8, que habían sido previamente mencionadas pero sin incluir ejemplares de referencia. Por otra parte, 34 taxa de anfibios se excluyen de la fauna paraguaya por diversos motivos (explicados en cada caso) y creemos probable la presencia de otros 28 taxa, registrados en diversas localidades de Argentina, Bolivia y Brasil próximas a la frontera con Paraguay.The Paraguayan amphibian fauna is one of the least known compared to those of other southern South American countries. Based on an exhaustive survey of museums and the literature, we present a comprehensive check list that reports three species of caecilians and 79 taxa of anurans for the country. Of these, 12 are new records for Paraguay, and we confirm the presence of 8 other species previously cited without voucher specimens. Furthermore, 34 taxa are excluded from the Paraguayan fauna due to a variety of reasons (explained in each case) and 28 taxa are predicted to occur in Paraguay based on nearby records from localities in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

Lista comentada de los anfibios de Paraguay

La fauna de anfibios de Paraguay es una de las menos conocidas si la comparamos con la de otros países del sur de América del Sur. Luego de una exhaustiva revisión de las colecciones de diversos museos, así como de la bibliografía pertinente, estamos en condiciones de presentar una lista comentada que incluye tres especies de cecilias y 79 taxa de anuros para dicho país. De ellas, 12 son nuevas citas para Paraguay y se confirma la presencia de otras 8, que habían sido previamente mencionadas pero sin incluir ejemplares de referencia. Por otra parte, 34 taxa de anfibios se excluyen de la fauna paraguaya por diversos motivos (explicados en cada caso) y creemos probable la presencia de otros 28 taxa, registrados en diversas localidades de Argentina, Bolivia y Brasil próximas a la frontera con Paraguay.The Paraguayan amphibian fauna is one of the least known compared to those of other southern South American countries. Based on an exhaustive survey of museums and the literature, we present a comprehensive check list that reports three species of caecilians and 79 taxa of anurans for the country. Of these, 12 are new records for Paraguay, and we confirm the presence of 8 other species previously cited without voucher specimens. Furthermore, 34 taxa are excluded from the Paraguayan fauna due to a variety of reasons (explained in each case) and 28 taxa are predicted to occur in Paraguay based on nearby records from localities in Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae, Melanophryniscus krauczuki: geographic distribution map and first record for Paraguay

Non

Ontogenetic changes in the ventral colouration of post metamorphic Elachistocleis haroi Pereyra, Akmentins, Laufer, Vaira, 2013 (Anura: Microhylidae)

Ontogenetic colour change (OCC) is defined as the progressive and non-reversible process of changes in colouration of organisms associated with their development. Among the many vertebrate groups, amphibians are particularly impressive for their strikingly wide variety of colours, colour patterns, and signals, whose evolutionary and ecological significance have been poorly studied.CONACYT – Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPROCIENCI

A new frog of the Leptodactylus fuscus species group (Anura: Leptodactylidae), endemic from the South American Gran Chaco

A new species of Leptodactylus frog (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the South American Gran Chaco, morphologically similar and previously confused with the widespread Leptodactylus mystacinus, is described through the use of multiple sources of evidence (molecular, external morphology, coloration, osteology, bioacoustics, and behavior). The phylogenetic analysis with partial sequences of mitochondrial rDNA genes (12S and 16S) recovered the new species within the L. fuscus group, being highly divergent (>3% genetic distance in 16S). The new species was recovered as sister taxa of L. mystacinus, from which it is distinguished by tympanum coloration, cephalic index, dorsum and legs coloration, and some osteological differences in nasals and prevomers. This new frog is characterized by a moderate body size (SVL 46.80?66.21 mm), distinctive color pattern (reddish dorsal surfaces of body with noticeable black stripes in the dorsolateral folds), a circular and dark tympanum with dark tympanic annuli, and behavior of males that call on top of fallen logs and tree branches close to the ground.Fil: Schneider, Rosio Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Cardozo, Dario Elbio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Brusquetti, Francisco. Instituto de Investigación Biológica del Paraguay; ParaguayFil: Kolenc, Francisco. Ministerio de Educación y Cultura. Museo Nacional de Historia Natural; UruguayFil: Borteiro, Claudio. Ministerio de Educación y Cultura. Museo Nacional de Historia Natural; UruguayFil: Baptista Haddad, Célio Fernando. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Basso, Nestor Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral; ArgentinaFil: Baldo, Juan Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Posadas; Argentin

Categorización del estado de conservación de los anfibios y reptiles de Paraguay

Se presentan los resultados de la categorización de la herpetofauna de la República del Paraguay, utilizando las categorías propuestas por la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN). El 10,9% de las 82 especies de anfibios analizados y el 14,9% de las 161 especies de reptiles, se encuentra en alguna de las categorías de riesgo de extinción propuestas por UICN. Esto indica que es necesario encarar acciones de conservación a corto y largo plazo para evitar y/o disminuir la pérdida de espécies.We present an arrangement of the herpetofauna from Paraguay according to the categories of threat proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The 10.9% of the 82 species of amphibians and 14.9% of the 161 species of reptiles analyzed here were in some category of threat of extinction. This means that both short and long term conservation actions are needed to avoid loss of species.Asociación Herpetológica Argentina (AHA

Taxonomic Review of South American Butter Frogs: Phylogeny, Geographic Patterns, and Species Delimitation in the Leptodactylus latrans Species Group (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

The Leptodactylus latrans species group currently comprises eight medium- to large-sized frog species with a convoluted taxonomic history, particularly related to the specific limits of the L. latrans complex, and the species pair Leptodactylus chaquensis–Leptodactylus macrosternum. Their homogeneous external morphology and continental geographic distribution in South America have posed severe limitations to a comprehensive review, such that taxonomic consensus and species limits remain uncertain. This is further worsened by the presence of chromatic polymorphism among coexisting species that can hardly be distinguished by external morphology. Based on a large-scale geographic sampling including multilocus DNA analyses, and acoustic and morphological data, we provide a comprehensive evaluation of the taxonomic status and species limits of the L. latrans group, focusing on the resolution of the L. latranscomplex and the species pair L. chaquensis–L. macrosternum. We gathered 728 mitochondrial sequences from 429 localities, encompassing the entire geographic distribution of the group. Both generalized mixed Yule coalescent and automatic barcode gap discovery species delimitation methods recovered four major mitochondrial evolutionary lineages within the L. latrans complex, also supported by distribution patterns, multilocus molecular, morphological and/or bioacoustic data. One lineage is linked to nominal L. latrans,one revalidated as Leptodactylus luctator, and the other two are formally named and described. Another lineage encompasses all specimens previously assigned to the species pair L. chaquensis–L. macrosternum, clustered as a single evolutionary entity and is now regarded as L. macrosternum. We provide a revised diagnosis for these species based on acoustic data, morphological/chromatic variation, and phylogenetic relationships of all species currently included in the L. latrans group. Our findings reinforce the view that Neotropical diversity is highly underestimated and stress that appropriate geographic sampling in an integrative framework is crucial for the establishment of specific limits among broadly distributed and morphologically cryptic Neotropical frogs

High Levels of Diversity Uncovered in a Widespread Nominal Taxon: Continental Phylogeography of the Neotropical Tree Frog

Species distributed across vast continental areas and across major biomes provide unique model systems for studies of biotic diversification, yet also constitute daunting financial, logistic and political challenges for data collection across such regions. The tree frog Dendropsophus minutus (Anura: Hylidae) is a nominal species, continentally distributed in South America, that may represent a complex of multiple species, each with a more limited distribution. To understand the spatial pattern of molecular diversity throughout the range of this species complex, we obtained DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and the 16S rhibosomal gene (16S) for 407 samples of D. minutus and closely related species distributed across eleven countries, effectively comprising the entire range of the group. We performed phylogenetic and spatially explicit phylogeographic analyses to assess the genetic structure of lineages and infer ancestral areas. We found 43 statistically supported, deep mitochondrial lineages, several of which may represent currently unrecognized distinct species. One major clade, containing 25 divergent lineages, includes samples from the type locality of D. minutus. We defined that clade as the D. minutus complex. The remaining lineages together with the D. minutus complex constitute the D. minutus species group. Historical analyses support an Amazonian origin for the D. minutus species group with a subsequent dispersal to eastern Brazil where the D. minutus complex originated. According to our dataset, a total of eight mtDNA lineages have ranges >100,000 km2. One of them occupies an area of almost one million km2 encompassing multiple biomes. Our results, at a spatial scale and resolution unprecedented for a Neotropical vertebrate, confirm that widespread amphibian species occur in lowland South America, yet at the same time a large proportion of cryptic diversity still remains to be discovered