Chromosome evolution in lophyohylini (amphibia, anura, hylinae)

The hyline tribe Lophyohylini includes 87 species of treefrogs, of which cytogenetics aspects have been studied in less than 20% of them. In order to evaluate the evolution of some of its chromosome characters (NOR position, C-bands, and DAPI/CMA3 bands), we studied the karyotypes of 21 lophyohylines, 16 of them for the first time, and analyzed them in a phylogenetic context. Most species showed similar karyotypes regarding chromosome number (2n = 24) and morphology (FN = 48), excepting Phyllodytes edelmoi and Osteocephalus buckleyi with 2n = 22 (FN = 44) and 2n = 28 (FN = 50), respectively. The NOR location was variable among species and provided valuable phylogenetic information. This marker was located in pair 11 in all species of Trachycephalus, Itapotihyla langsdorffii, and Nyctimantis arapapa, representing the plesiomorphic condition of Lophyohylini. Besides, other apomorphic states were recovered for the clades comprising N. rugiceps and N. siemersi (NOR in pair 5), and Dryaderces pearsoni, Osteocephalus, and Osteopilus (NOR in pair 9). Phyllodytes presented variation for NORs position; they were in pair 2 in P. edelmoi, pair 7 in P. melanomystax, and pair 8 in P. gyrinaethes and P. praeceptor. Polymorphisms in size, number, and activity of this marker were observed for N. siemersi, Osteocephalus fuscifacies, and some species of Trachycephalus. Remarkably, in N. siemersi NORs were detected on a single chromosome in the two specimens studied by this technique, raising the question of how this complex polymorphism is maintained. Interstitial telomeric sequences were found in P. edelmoi,P. melanomystax, and Osteocephalus buckleyi, and their presence seems to be not related to the chromosome reorganization events. Finally, some species showed spontaneous rearrangements, possibly as a consequence of an uncommon phenomenon in anuran cytogenetics: the presence of fragile sites or secondary constrictions not associated with NORs. We propose that this rare feature would have played an important role in the evolution of this group of frogs. From the evidence obtained in this and previous studies, we conclude that Lophyohylini presents a complex chromosome evolution.Fil: Suarez, Pablo. 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: Ferro, Juan Martín. 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: Nagamachi, Cleusa Y.. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: 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: Blasco zuñiga, Ailin. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: Silva, Jéssica B.. Universidade Federal do Pará; BrasilFil: Marciano Jr, Euvaldo. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Costa, Marco A.. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Orrico, Victor G.D.. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Solé, Mirco. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; BrasilFil: Roberto, Igor J.. Universidad Federal del Amazonas.; BrasilFil: Rivera, Miryan. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; EcuadorFil: Wiley, John E.. University School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Faivovich, Julián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; 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; ArgentinaFil: Pieczarka, Julio. Universidade Federal do Pará; Brasi

Phyllodytes megatympanum Marciano-Jr, Lantyer-Silva & Solé, 2017, sp. nov.

<i>Phyllodytes megatympanum</i> sp. nov. <p>(Figs. 1, 3)</p> <p> <b>Holotype</b>. MZUFBA 14088, adult male collected in an epiphytic bromeliad in an arboreal <i>restinga</i> habitat of the Boa União Reserve (15°04’S, 39°03’W; 95 m above sea level), municipality of Ilhéus, state of Bahia, August 0 8th 2013 by E. Marciano-Jr and M. Solé.</p> <p> <b>Paratopotypes</b>. MZUESC 11671–11672, adult males collected on July 17th 2013, by E. Marciano-Jr, I. Jaloretto, M. Solé and H.R. Silva; MZUESC 16056, collected on April 0 7th 2015, by M. Solé and MZUESC 16061, collected on March 14th 2016 in an epiphytic bromeliad at ~ 5m height by I.R. Dias.</p> <p> <b>Paratype</b>. MZUESC 10336, adult male collected in an epiphytic bromeliad in the municipality of Uruçuca (14°35’S, 39°17’W; 90 m above sea level), state of Bahia on January 28th 2011, by M. Solé, I.R. Dias and C.V.M. Mendes.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis</b>. A small sized species (SVL 21.3–23.7 mm in males) characterized by: (1) dorsum of body, arms, and legs uniformly light brown; (2) a dark brown stripe extending from the posterior corner of the eyes, upper contour of the tympanum, and reaching the inguinal region; (3) groin yellow; (4) snout pointed in dorsal view, protruding in profile; (5) tympanum large with round distinct tympanic annulus; (6) supratympanic fold well marked extending to shoulder; (7) vomerine teeth in two dense patches almost unified, horizontally positioned, behind the choanae; (8) two anterior large odontoids followed by a series of indistinct, smaller odontoids on each side of the mandible of adult; (9) dorsal skin slightly rough; (10) venter cream with two paramedial rows of developed tubercles parallel to which run additional rows of indistinct tubercles; (11) well-developed tubercle near tibio-tarsal joint.</p> <p> <b>Comparisons with other species.</b> The dorsal color pattern (immaculate brown) distinguishes <i>Phyllodytes megatympanum</i> from <i>P. gyrinaethes</i>, <i>P. melanomystax, P. punctatus, P. tuberculosus, P. wuchereri</i> and <i>P. maculosus</i> (all have some kind of dorsal pattern). The absence of distinct lateral dark stripes distinguishes <i>P</i>. <i>megatympanum</i> from <i>P. kautskyi</i> and <i>P. luteolus</i>. The yellow groin distinguishes <i>P. megatympanum</i> from all species of <i>Phyllodytes</i> (red groin in <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> and with no highlighted color in all remaining species). The small size (<24 mm in males) separates <i>P</i>. <i>megatympanum</i> from <i>P. kautskyi</i> (> 39 mm) and <i>P. maculosus</i> (> 39 mm). The large tympanum, corresponding to 7.73 % of SVL, distinguishes <i>P</i>. <i>megatympanum</i> from all congeners, in which this ratio is less than 7 %. Only <i>P</i>. <i>acuminatus</i> presents a higher value for this same ratio (8.16 %). However, the latter presents a highly granulated venter (only two marked rows of tubercles in <i>P</i>. <i>megatympanum</i>). Two large anterior odontoids on each side of the mandible distinguish <i>P</i>. <i>megatympanum</i> from <i>P. edelmoi</i>, <i>P. kautskyi</i>, and <i>P. punctatus</i> which possess only one large odontoid, and from <i>P. brevirostris</i> and <i>P. melanomystax</i> which have no large odontoid.</p> <p> <b>Description of holotype.</b> Body robust. Head wider than long, its width exceeding the body width; snout pointed in dorsal view, protruding in profile. Nostril small, elliptical, slightly directed posterodorsally; <i>canthus rostralis</i> distinct, mainly near the eyes; loreal region oblique, not concave; eyes large, directed anterolaterally. Eye diameter 30.7 % (29.1–32.7 % in the paratypes) of head length; interorbital space and dorsum of snout flat; tympanum large, with tympanic annulus distinct and round; its diameter is 18.7 % of head length and 61.1 % of eye diameter; supratympanic fold distinct, covering upper quarter of tympanum. Vocal sac subgular, poorly developed; vocal slits near angle of jaws, at posterior border of tongue; tongue large, almost cordiform, fixed behind; two groups of vomerine teeth, almost uninterrupted in straight line behind and between choanae; each side of mandible with two large odontoids, remaining odontoids small, discrete; horizontal pupil divides the iris into dorsal and ventral parts.</p> <p>Forearms slightly more robust than upper arms; fingers slender, relative lengths I <II = IV <III; subarticular tubercles discrete, round; supernumerary tubercles few, small, low; palmar and thenar tubercles well developed, the first one spatulate, projecting laterally, triangular; the latter elongate, elliptical; discs of fingers well developed, diameter of third finger disc 44.4 % (44.4–46 % in the paratypes) of eye diameter; webbing absent between fingers I and II, very reduced between fingers II–III–IV.</p> <p>Legs slender; tibia longer than thigh; sum of thigh and tibia lengths 98.6 % (98.6–109.4 % in the paratypes) of SVL. Foot with distinct, round subarticular tubercles; supernumerary tubercles few, round, low; inner metatarsal tubercle ovoid, spatulate, projecting laterally; outer metatarsal tubercle round; a row of distinct tubercles on the outer margins of tarsus; toes slender, relative lengths I <V <II <III <IV; discs on toes almost equal in size to discs of fingers; webbing absent between toes I–II; webbing formula I – II 2 + – 3- III 2+ – 3+ IV 3 – 2 + V.</p> <p>Dorsal surfaces of body shagreen, less so on limbs, venter, throat, and ventral surface of thighs; two medial indistinct series of round tubercles, accompanied by a few others, dispersed over venter; two distinct round tubercles at insertion of thigh. Ventral surface of forelimbs smooth.</p> <p> <b>Measurements of holotype (mm).</b> SVL 21.3; HL 8.8; HW 9.4; UEW 2.0; END 2.3; ED 2.7; TD 1.65; THL 9.7; TBL 11.3; FL 14.22.</p> <p> <b>Color in preservative.</b> Dorsum and dorsal surface of limbs brown. Brown stripe present behind the eyes, passing over the supratympanic fold and reaching the flanks. The color fades until it reaches the flanks. Ventral body and limb surfaces cream.</p> <p> <b>Color in life.</b> Dorsum uniformly brown; laterally, a dark brown stripe crossing the eye, tympanum, and reaching the inguinal region; venter white; upper half of the iris yellow or reddish and lower half yellow. Groin and concealed parts of the thigh are yellow.</p> <p> <b>Variation.</b> The type specimens present little variation in morphological aspects and color pattern. The measurements of the specimens from the type series are summarized in Table 1.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet refers to the prominent tympanum, one of the largest in relation to SVL among the other species of the genus. <i>Megatympanum</i> is a Latin vernacular name meaning “big tympanum”.</p> <p> <b>Natural History.</b> We found <i>Phyllodytes megatympanum</i> in syntopy with other <i>Phyllodytes</i> spp. (<i>P. maculosus</i>, <i>P. melanomystax</i>, and two other undescribed species) at the type locality. Yet, the former could be heard calling from bromeliads at heights of two to more than 10 meters, while the remaining species (except <i>P. maculosus</i>) call from bromeliads at ground level or in lower heights.</p> <p> <b>Advertisement call.</b> The advertisement call of <i>Phyllodytes megatympanum</i> is composed of a series of 10 to 19 unpulsed notes (n = 19 calls analyzed) with harmonic structure. Each note has seven visible harmonics and crescent modulation frequency. The first notes are shorter than the following ones, which are more intense. Notes show amplitude modulation from the beginning to the middle, when it decreases. The mean duration of each call is 5.913 ± 4.556 s (3.206– 23.633 s; n = 19 calls) emitted in intervals of 30.904 ± 10.313 s (6.960– 47.580 s; n = 15 intervals). The notes present mean duration of 0.092 ± 0.080 s (0.009– 0.245 s; n = 254 notes) and are emitted at intervals of 0.305 ± 0.100 s (0.105–0.619; n = 235 intervals). The mean dominant frequency is 3.985 ± 0.136 kHz (3.562–4.125 kHz; n = 113 notes analyzed) and corresponds to the second harmonic. Due to its ascendant modulation, the frequency at the beginning of the second harmonic is lower than the frequency towards the end of it, raising a mean bandwidth of 0.8 kHz.</p> <p> <b>Advertisement call comparisons.</b> <i>Phyllodytes megatympanum,</i> as the majority of the species within the genus <i>Phyllodytes</i>, has calls with more than one note. Out of the nine species whose advertisement call is available, only <i>P. acuminatus</i> and <i>P. melanomystax</i> have calls with one note. Based on its unpulsed structure, the call of <i>P. megatympanum</i> is readily distinguished from the pulsed calls of <i>P. luteolus</i>, <i>P. edelmoi, P. tuberculosus</i>, <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> and <i>P. wuchereri</i> (Weygoldt 1981; Lima <i>et al.</i> 2008; Juncá <i>et al</i>. 2012; Roberto & Ávila 2013; Cruz <i>et al</i>. 2014). Among the other species of <i>Phyllodytes</i> with unpulsed structure, <i>P. megatympanum</i> can be distinguished from <i>P. kautskyi</i> by the higher mean dominant frequency: 3.985 ± 0.136 kHz (3.562–4.125) in <i>P. megatympanum vs</i>. 1.37 kHz (0.87–1.81) in <i>P</i>. <i>kautskyi</i>, according to the first description of the latter. After the original description of the advertisement call from <i>P. kautskyi</i> by Simon & Gasparini (2003), Simon & Peres (2012) presented additional bioacoustic details from populations of <i>P. kautskyi</i> from southern Bahia. However, there is evidence that leads us to conclude that the studied populations could be actually assigned to <i>P. maculosus</i> (Marciano-Jr <i>et al.</i> in prep). Thus, the differences assigned to polymorphisms in the Bahian populations of <i>P. kautskyi</i> would represent diagnostic features of <i>P. maculosus</i>.</p> <p> The lower number of notes per call in <i>Phyllodytes megatympanum</i> (10–19) distinguishes it from <i>P. kautskyi</i> (21–22; Simon & Gasparini 2003; Simon & Peres 2012), <i>P</i>. <i>tuberculosus</i> (14–23; Juncá <i>et al</i>. 2012) and <i>P. edelmoi</i> (22–29; Lima <i>et al.</i> 2008). The higher number of notes can distinguish <i>P</i>. <i>megatympanum</i> from <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> (4–6; Roberto & Ávila 2013) and <i>P. luteolus</i> (8–15; Weygoldt 1981). The longer call duration in <i>P. megatympanum</i> 5.91 ± 4.56 s (3.20– 23.63 s) distinguishes it from <i>P</i>. <i>acuminatus</i> (0.03– 0.17 s; Campos <i>et al.</i> 2014), <i>P. melanomystax</i> (0.07 ± 0.04 s; Nunes <i>et al.</i> 2007), <i>P. kautskyi</i> (3.55 ± 0.19 s; Simon & Gasparini 2003; 3.48– 3.90 s in Simon & Peres 2012), <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> (1.7 ± 0.3 s; Roberto & Ávila 2013) and <i>P. edelmoi</i> (5.2 ± 0.44 s; Lima <i>et al.</i> 2008). The mean interval between notes of <i>P. megatympanum</i> 0.350 ± 0.10 s is longer than between notes of <i>P. tuberculosus</i> (0.214 ± 0.048 s; Juncá <i>et al</i>. 2012), <i>P. kautskyi</i> (0.060– 0.120 s; Simon & Gasparini 2003) and <i>P. wuchereri</i> (0.120 ± 0.019 s; Magalhães <i>et al.</i> 2015), but not longer than in <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> (0.400 ± 0.030 s; Roberto & Ávila 2013). Calls from <i>P. maculosus, P. brevirostris</i> and <i>P. punctatus</i> remain undescribed.</p>Published as part of <i>Marciano-Jr, Euvaldo, Lantyer-Silva, Amanda Santiago F. & Solé, Mirco, 2017, A new species of Phyllodytes Wagler, 1830 (Anura, Hylidae) from the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil, pp. 135-142 in Zootaxa 4238 (1)</i> on pages 136-141, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4238.1.11, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/345065">http://zenodo.org/record/345065</a&gt

Another new species of Phyllodytes (Anura: Hylidae) from the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil

Orrico, Victor G. D., Dias, Iuri R., Marciano-Jr, Euvaldo (2018): Another new species of Phyllodytes (Anura: Hylidae) from the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil. Zootaxa 4407 (1): 101-110, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4407.1.

Phyllodytes praeceptor Orrico & Dias & Marciano-Jr 2018, sp. nov.

<i>Phyllodytes praeceptor</i> sp. nov. <p>(Figs 1, 2 and 3A)</p> <p> <i>Phyllodytes</i> sp.— Faivovich <i>et al.</i> (2005); Jowers <i>et al.</i> (2008). <i>Phyllodytes</i> sp. 4—Dias <i>et al.</i> (2014)</p> <p> <b>Holotype</b>. MZUESC 17484, adult male (Fig. 1), collected at Serra da Jibóia (12.869436° S; 39.461494° W, 684 m a.s.l), municipality of Santa Terezinha and Elísio Medrado, State of Bahia, Brazil, on 0 2 March 2015, by Iuri R. Dias and Carlos Augusto S. Costa.</p> <p> <b>Paratypes</b>. Twenty eight specimens: MZUESC 17485, adult male, collected with the holotype; CFBH 23671, adult male, collected at the Municipality of Una, State of Bahia, Brazil, on 8 June 2009, by Adriano B. Kury, Amazonas Chagas Jr., Alessandro Giupponi, Denis R. Pedroso, and Victor G. D. Orrico; MZUESC 7297–7299, adult males, collected at “ Ponta da Tulha ”, Municipality of Ilhéus, on July 2008, by Mirco Solé; MZUESC 9169–9170 and MZUESC 9175, adult males and female, respectively, collected at “ Fazenda Capitão ”, Municipality of Itacaré, State of Bahia, on 29 November 2010, by Tadeu Medeiros; MZUESC 10498–10499, adult males, collected at “ Ponta da Tulha ”, Municipality of Ilhéus, on 21 August 2011 by Mirco Solé, Euvaldo Marciano Jr and Iuri Dias; MZUESC 10626, adult male, collected at “ São Roque do Paraguaçu ”, Municipality of Maragogipe, on June 2012, by Euvaldo Marciano Jr; MZUESC 11584–11585, adult males, collected at “ Lagoa Encantada ”, Municipality of Ilhéus, on 21 February 2011, by Iuri R. Dias and Mirco Solé; MZUESC 11610–11612, adult males, collected at the Municipality of Una, State of Bahia, on 18 February 2012, by Euvaldo Marciano Jr, Paulo Henrique Ribeiro and Leandro Oliveira; MZUESC 13016 and MZUESC 13026, adult males, collected at “ Reserva Michelin ”, Municipality of Igrapiúna, on 11 August 2012, by Euvaldo Marciano Jr; MZUESC 13027, adult male, collected at “ São Roque do Paraguaçu ”, Municipality of Maragogipe, State of Bahia, on 13 August 2012, by Euvaldo Marciano Jr; MZUESC 14199–14200, MZUESC 14207, and MZUESC 14212, adult males, collected at “ Acuípe ”, Municipality of Ilhéus, on 26 February 2015, by Euvaldo Marciano Jr and Mirco Solé; MZUESC 17481–17483, adult males, collected at the Municipality of Una, State of Bahia, on 0 6 June 2013, by Euvaldo Marciano Jr and Mirco Solé; MZUESC 17486–17487, adult males, collected at “ Reserva Michelin ”, Municipality of Igrapiúna, between 23–31 March 2015, by Iuri R. Dias, Euvaldo Marciano Jr, Caio V. Mira- Mendes, Francisco F.R. Oliveira and Leandro Drummond.</p> <p> <b>Referred specimen</b>. MRT 6144, not examined, collected at “Brazil: Bahia, Uruci-Una”.</p> <p> <b>Generic placement.</b> A member of <i>Phyllodytes</i>, by possessing fang-like odontoids; molecular data also supports the placement of <i>P. praeceptor</i> as sister taxon of <i>P. luteolus</i> (Faivovich <i>et al.</i> 2005; Jowers <i>et al.</i> 2008).</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis</b>. A medium-sized species (SVL 20.7–25.8 mm in males) characterized by: (1) dorsum of body, arms, and legs cream with scattered dark brown spots; (2) a dark brown stripe extending from the eyes; (3) snout short, semicircular (to truncated) in dorsal view, vertical (to truncated) in profile; (4) vomerine teeth in two dense patches, disposed in a transverse plane, behind the choanae; (5) one anterior large, and additional smaller subequal odontoids on each side of the mandible; (6) dorsal skin smooth; (7) vocal sac externally visible; (8) venter areolate with two paramedial rows of developed tubercles; (9) small tubercles in the ventral side of the thighs, the most medial more developed; (10) a tubercle at the tibio-tarsal articulation; (11) unpigmented nuptial pad visible, rounded, moderately expanded, (12) advertisement call consisting of a series of 6–12 pulsed notes, average duration of 5.34 s with notes lasting 0.295 s and dominant frequency ranging between 2928.5–3273.0 Hz.</p> <p> <b>Comparison with other species.</b> Character states of <i>Phyllodytes praeceptor</i> in parentheses. All species of <i>Phyllodytes</i> have multiple tubercles on the tarsus in various arrangements (a single large tubercle on posteroventral internal margin of tarsus, near to the junction with shank) and, with the exception of <i>P. tuberculosus,</i> different snout shapes in dorsal view (semicircular to truncated). Below we list other diagnostic morphological characters. Specimens of <i>P. amadoi</i> have snout with a small apical tubercle (absent) and two large anterior odontoids on both sides of the mandible (one larger odontoid). Specimens of <i>P. acuminatus</i> and <i>P. megatympanum</i> have a large tympanum, TD> 7 % of SVL, (small, TD ~ 6 % of SVL). Specimens of <i>P. brevirostris, P. edelmoi, P. kautskyi, P. luteolus</i> and <i>P. megatympanum</i> have an immaculate dorsum (spots and blotches on dorsum). Specimens of <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> have a hidden tympanum (distinct) and a mottled dorsal pattern (spots and blotches on dorsum). Male specimens of <i>P. kautskyi</i> and <i>P</i>. <i>maculosus</i> are larger, combined SVL = 38.0– 43.5 mm (SVL = 20.7–25.8 mm). Specimens of <i>P. luteolus</i> have a snout mucronated in dorsal view (semicircular to truncated) and acute in lateral view (vertical to truncated), rows of tubercles in the forearm (inconspicuous), venter with various rows of developed tubercles (only the two paramedial are well-developed). Specimens of <i>P. maculosus</i> have a deeply mottled dorsal pattern (spots and blotches on dorsum). Specimens of <i>P. megatympanum</i> have a bright yellow groin in live specimens (no conspicuous coloration). Specimens of <i>P. melanomystax</i> have a conspicuous large dark brown stripe on the snout and <i>canthus rostralis</i> (absent or thin faded stripe in <i>P. praeceptor</i>) and lack organized paramedial ventral rows of enlarged tubercles (present). Specimens of <i>P. punctatus</i> lack organized paramedial ventral rows of enlarged tubercles (present). Specimens of <i>P. tuberculosus</i> lack organized paramedial ventral rows of enlarged tubercles (present) and have supranumerary tubercles in the plantar surface (absent). Specimens of <i>P. wuchereri</i> have a dorsal pattern consisting of large black and white stripes and blotches (spots and blotches on dorsum).</p> <p> <b>Description of holotype.</b> An adult male in good state of preservation, with a piece of muscle removed from the right thigh for molecular analyses. Raw measurements are detailed in Table 1. Head wider than long (HL 89.5 % of HW; HW 37.7% of SVL; HL 33.8 % of SVL); snout truncated in dorsal and lateral views (Figs 1 and 2); nostrils small, rounded, slightly protuberant, situated dorsally and directed anteriorly, nearer to the tip of snout than to eye; internarial distance smaller than eye–nostril distance (IND 65.2 % of END), eyes large (ED 33.8% of HL; 30.2 % of HW; 113 % of END), prominent, situated laterally, directed anterolaterally; interorbital space and dorsum of snout flat; <i>canthus rostralis</i> distinct, rounded; loreal region oblique, slightly concave; tympanum evident, relatively large (TD 18.2 % of HL), nearly circular, separated from posterior border of eye by approximately the diameter of tympanum; tympanum diameter smaller than internarial distance (TD 93.3 % of IND, eye to nostril distance (TD 60.9 % of END), eye diameter (TD 53.8 % of ED), and interorbital distance (TD 31.8 % of IOD); its diameter slightly larger than width of discs on third finger (TD/DF3 = 116.7 %) and of fourth toe (TD/4TD = 127.3 %); tympanic annulus evident; supratympanic fold developed, covering dorsal edge of tympanum, nearly straight, slightly curved downwards and extending until the insertion of arm; vocal sac externally developed, subgular, single; vomerine teeth forming a straight line behind small, rounded, widely separated choanae; each side of mandible with one anterior, large, and smaller subequal odontoids; pupil horizontal.</p> <p>Forelimbs not hypertrophied, forearms slightly larger (in cross-section) than arms, with four outer tubercles in the forearm near to the hand being the closest to the hand the larger. Hands large (HAL 84.4 % of HL), outer and inner carpal tubercles developed, elliptical; fingers not webbed, small fringe present between fingers III and IV, and IV and V; fingers in crescent order of size, II <V <III <IV; adhesive discs developed (adhesive discs diameter approximately two times finger width), transversally elliptical; disc on finger II, smaller than of other fingers; prepollex indistinct; nuptial pad on the internal base of the finger II, no dark nuptial excrescence; subarticular tubercles large, rounded, single; no supernumerary tubercles.</p> <p>Hind limbs long (THL+TBL+TAL+FL equals 155.3 % SVL, not hypertrophied; thigh length smaller than tibia length (THL 94.4 % of TBL; THL 44.3 % of SVL; TBL 46.9 % of SVL); sum of thigh and tibia lengths smaller than SVL (THL+TBL 91.2 % of SVL); a single large tubercle on posteroventral internal margin of tarsus, near to the junction with shank. Tarsal length smaller than foot length (TAL 73.8 % of FL). Foot length smaller than thigh and tibia lengths (FL 83.2 % of THL; FL 78.5 % of TBL). Plantar surface without supernumerary tubercles; inner metatarsal tubercle large, rounded; outer metatarsal tubercle small and rounded; toes fringed; discs on toe I, smaller than of other toes; plantar formula, I 0+ – 2½ II 1 – 2 III 1 ½ – 2½ IV 3 ½ – 2 V.</p> <p>Dorsal surfaces smooth; calcar appendage and supra-cloacal crest absent. Venter and ventral surfaces of thighs warty, each thigh with a large mesal pericloacal tubercle; remaining ventral surfaces smooth.</p> <p>In preservative, dorsum uniformly creamy with small, irregular dark patches; wide brown stripe extending from the posterior corner of the eye to the insertion of arm; all ventral surfaces white, with the exception of a few minute dark flecks in the mental region and the undersides of the jaws, tarsus, tibia and palmar, plantar surfaces.</p> <p> <b>Variation.</b> The type specimens are alike in morphological traits, although the female (n = 1) is larger than the males. Variation in measurements is presented in Table 1. Lateral dark brown stripe may extend from the eyes until or after the insertion of the arm. The amount of spots on the dorsum is variable. Only one specimen has no spots on the dorsum (MZUESC 17845). Some specimens (<i>e.g.</i>, MZUESC 7298; 10498; 11584; 13026) have black spots on limbs, especially more evident on the hind limbs. A thin faded brown stripe on snout and <i>canthus rostralis</i> extending to the eyes can be found in some individuals (<i>e.g</i>., MZUESC 9175; MZUESC 11610; MZUESC 14207; MZUESC 14212). Snout in dorsal and lateral views vary from semicircular to truncate.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet is a Latin word meaning “teacher” or “instructor”. The name is given as homage to Dr. Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues for his continuous formation of herpetologists.</p> <p> <b>Geographic distribution.</b> Known from the coastal lowlands of Bahia, from municipality of Maragogipe to the south of the state in the municipality of Una. Specimens are also known from higher areas such as in Serra da Jiboia (684 m a.s.l), Santa Terezinha municipality (Fig. 4).</p> <p> <b>Advertisement call</b>. The advertisement call (Fig. 5) of <i>Phyllodytes praeceptor</i> has a total duration of 3.02– 9.41 s (5.34 ± 1.53, n = 28). It is emitted at intervals of 29.5– 99.2 s (48.5 ± 21.2, n = 27) and with a dominant frequency of 2928.5–3273.0 Hz (3045.4 ± 115.3, n = 28). Each call is composed of 6–12 notes (8.39 ± 1.55, n = 28) with structured pulses lasting 0.141– 0.538 s (0.295 ± 0.075, n = 235), emitted at intervals of 0.236– 1.057 s (0.389 ± 0.102, n = 207), resulting in a note rate of 1.28–2.02 (1.61 ± 0.2, n = 28) notes/s. The interval between the final two notes of the call is generally much larger than the previous intervals. The notes dominant frequency range is 1378.1–3617.6 Hz (2998.1 ± 275.1, n = 235).</p> <p>Notes are composed by isolated pulses and/or by 1–11 pulse groups with 2–8 pulses in each group. Usually, the last pulse group is the largest among them and always composed of 6–15 more aggregated pulses. The total number of pulses per note is 17–58 (28.7 ± 9.4, n = 89) and pulse emission rate is 67.2–141.8 pulses/s (98.9 ± 15.8, n = 89). The notes exhibit amplitude modulation, usually starting with low intensity and increasing during the note.</p> <p> <b>Bioacoustic comparisons with other species.</b> The advertisement call of <i>Phyllodytes praeceptor</i> has a pulsed structure being readily distinguishable from the call of <i>P. acuminatus</i>, <i>P. kautskyi</i>, <i>P. megatympanum</i> and <i>P. melanomystax</i>, which show unpulsed structure (Campos <i>et al.</i>, 2014; Nunes <i>et al.</i>, 2007; Simon & Gasparini, 2003, Marciano Jr. <i>et al.</i> 2017).</p> <p> The calls of <i>Phyllodytes amadoi, P. luteolus</i>, <i>P. edelmoi</i>, <i>P. tuberculosus</i>, <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> and <i>P wuchereri</i> (Weygoldt 1981; Lima <i>et al.</i> 2008; Juncá <i>et al.</i> 2012; Roberto & Ávila 2013 Cruz <i>et al.</i> 2014; Magalhães <i>et al.</i> 2015; Vörös <i>et al.</i> 2017) are more similar to <i>P. praeceptor</i> because all of them consist of a series of multipulsionated notes and present overlap in some acoustic parameters, mainly in dominant frequency and call duration (except <i>P. gyrinaethes</i>, with shorter call and <i>P. amadoi</i> with high dominant frequency).</p> <p> The number of notes per call is higher in <i>P. edelmoi</i> (22–29), <i>P. amadoi</i> (13-17) and <i>P. tuberculosus</i> (14–23), and their ranges do not overlap with the variation of <i>P. praeceptor</i> (6–12). The mean number of notes of <i>P. praeceptor</i> (8.39 ± 1.55, 6–12) is smaller than the mean of <i>P. wuchereri</i> (16.18±3.25, 10–21) and larger than of <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> (4.90 ± 0.60, 4–6).</p> <p> The note duration in <i>P. praeceptor</i> (0.295 ± 0.075) is longer than in all species of the genus with described calls: <i>P. luteolus</i> (0.125, no range available), <i>P. edelmoi</i> (0.10 ± 0.003, 0.04–0.16), <i>P. tuberculosus</i> (0.17 ± 0.047, 0.07–0.25), <i>P. gyrinaethes</i> (0.04 ± 0.01, 0.02–0.07), <i>P. wuchereri</i> (0.19 ± 0.04, 0.11–0.32 and 0.12 ± 0.013, 0.04–0.14), <i>P. kautskyi</i> (0.08 ± 0.012, no range available), <i>P. melanomystax</i> (0.07 ± 0.04, no range available), <i>P. acuminatus</i> (0.10 ± 0.03, 0.03–0.17), <i>P. megatympanum</i> (0.092 ± 0.08, 0.009–0.24) and <i>P. amadoi</i> (0.043 ± 0.02, 0.008–0.119).</p> <p> Finally, the call of <i>Phyllodytes praeceptor</i> differs from all species of the genus by having an accentuated increase in amplitude from the first to the last pulse of each note (Fig. 5), concentrating energy at the last cluster of pulses.</p> <p> <b>Molecular data.</b> Uncorrected pairwise genetic distances of 803 pb of 16S generated in this study are 1 % in relation to <i>Phyllodytes</i> sp. (AY843722; voucher MRT 6144) and 9.6 % to <i>P. luteolus</i> (AY843721). Given this results, we conclude that the specimen MRT 6144, sequenced by Faivovich <i>et al.</i> (2005), should be identified as <i>P. praeceptor</i>.</p>Published as part of <i>Orrico, Victor G. D., Dias, Iuri R. & Marciano-Jr, Euvaldo, 2018, Another new species of Phyllodytes (Anura: Hylidae) from the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil, pp. 101-110 in Zootaxa 4407 (1)</i> on pages 102-107, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4407.1.6, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1216486">http://zenodo.org/record/1216486</a&gt

New records of Pseudopaludicola pocoto Magalhães, Loebmann, Kokubum, Haddad & Garda, 2014 (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae) in the Caatinga Biome, Brazil

We provide new records of Pseudopaludicola pocoto Magalhães, Loebmann, Kokubum, Haddad & Garda, 2014 in the Caatinga Biome in the states of Paraíba and Pernambuco, which fill a distribution gap in this species’ range

The phylogeny of the Casque‐headed Treefrogs (Hylidae: Hylinae: Lophyohylini)

The South American and West Indian Casque-headed Treefrogs (Hylidae: Hylinae: Lophyohylini) include 85 species. These are notably diverse in morphology (e.g. disparate levels of cranial hyperossification) and life history (e.g. different reproductive modes, chemical defences), have a wide distribution, and occupy habitats from the tropical rainforests to semiarid scrubland. In this paper, we present a phylogenetic analysis of this hylid tribe based on sequence fragments of up to five mitochondrial (12S, 16S, ND1, COI, Cytb) and six nuclear genes (POMC, RAG-1, RHOD, SIAH, TNS3, TYR). We included most of its species (> 96%), in addition to a number of new species. Our results indicate: (i) the paraphyly of Trachycephalus with respect to Aparasphenodon venezolanus; (ii) the nonmonophyly of Aparasphenodon, with Argenteohyla siemersi, Corythomantis galeata and Nyctimantis rugiceps nested within it, and Ap. venezolanus nested within Trachycephalus; (iii) the polyphyly of Corythomantis; (iv) the nonmonophyly of the recognized species groups of Phyllodytes; and (v) a pervasive low support for the deep relationships among the major clades of Lophyohylini, including C. greeningi and the monotypic genera Itapotihyla and Phytotriades. To remedy the nonmonophyly of Aparasphenodon, Corythomantis, and Trachycephalus, we redefined Nyctimantis to include Aparasphenodon (with the exception of Ap. venezolanus, which we transferred to Trachycephalus), Argenteohyla, and C. galeata. Additionally, our results indicate the need for taxonomic work in the following clades: (i) Trachycephalus dibernardoi and Tr. imitatrix; (ii) Tr. atlas, Tr. mambaiensis and Tr. nigromaculatus; and (iii) Phyllodytes. On the basis of our phylogenetic results, we analyzed the evolution of skull hyperossification and reproductive biology, with emphasis on the multiple independent origins of phytotelm breeding, in the context of Anura. We also analyzed the inter-related aspects of chemical defences, venom delivery, phragmotic behaviour, co-ossification, and prevention of evaporative water loss

Indirect effects of habitat loss via habitat fragmentation: A cross-taxa analysis of forest-dependent species

Recent studies suggest that habitat amount is the main determinant of species richness, whereas habitat fragmentation has weak and mostly positive effects. Here, we challenge these ideas using a multi-taxa database including 2230 estimates of forest-dependent species richness from 1097 sampling sites across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. We used a structural equation modeling approach, accounting not only for direct effects of habitat loss, but also for its indirect effects (via habitat fragmentation), on the richness of forest-dependent species. We reveal that in addition to the effects of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation has negative impacts on animal species richness at intermediate (30–60%) levels of habitat amount, and on richness of plants at high (>60%) levels of habitat amount, both of which are mediated by edge effects. Based on these results, we argue that dismissing habitat fragmentation as a powerful force driving species extinction in tropical forest landscapes is premature and unsafe