A new species of Dendrophryniscus (Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae) from the Atlantic Rainforest of southern Bahia, Brazil

A new species of the tree toad genus Dendrophryniscus is described from a rainforest habitat at Parque Nacional de Serra das Lontras, municipality of Arataca, southern Bahia, Brazil. Dendrophryniscus oreites sp. nov. is related to the Atlantic forest brevipollicatus group by hand morphology, skin texture, ventral coloration and bromelicolous habits. The new species differs from related species by having a larger size, warty skin, inner finger reduced with presence of a dark nuptial pad in males, and a yellowish coloration with discrete dorsal pattern. This discovery highlights the importance of southern Bahia in terms of conservation, and for our understanding of the evolution of the frog diversity within the Atlantic Rainforest.

A new species of Proceratophrys (Anura: Cycloramphidae) from western Brazil

A new species of Proceratophrys cristiceps group is described from western Brazil. The new species is characterized by absence of prominent palpebral appendages and postocular swellings, males measuring 44.2 +/- 2.1 mm SVL (41.1-47.3 mm) and females 56.4 +/- 2.8 mm SVL (52.7-59.8 mm), snout rounded in dorsal, and obtuse in lateral views, dorsal skin uniformly rugose, with no elevated warts, and tympanum defined as a depression on the skin. The new species was found in Guapore river drainage, a highly impacted area due to the construction of water dams.

A new species of torrent frog genus Hylodes (Anura : Leptodactylidae) from southeastern Brazil

We describe a new species of Hylodes from Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, Conceicao do Ibitipoca, Municipality of Lima Duarte, State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The new species is a member of the Hylodes lateristrigatus group, and it is characterized by small size, snout rounded in dorsal view and protruding in lateral view, presence of vocal slits and sacs, upper surface of finger discs without well developed scutes, dorsum light brown to gray with dark blotches, and details of the advertisement call. Descriptions of the tadpole, vocalizations, and information on natural history are provided. The tadpole has a ventral depression anterior to the coiled intestine, as in other species of the genus. Hylodes meridionalis (Mertens), previously considered a member of the H. nasus species group, is transferred to the H. lateristrigatus species group.

Unpalatability of Hyla semilineata tadpoles (Anura) to captive and free-ranging vertebrate predators

This study examines the unpalatability of Hyla semilineata tadpoles, relating this possible defence mechanism to their black, presumably aposematic, colouration. Bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana), similar in size to the H. semilineata larvae, were used as controls in the experiments. The palatability of H. semilineata tadpoles was tested by offering the tadpoles to Fish (Hoplias malabaricus), free-ranging passerine birds (Pitangus sulphuratus) and hawks (Buteo magnirostris), and domestic chickens (Gallus domesticus). All predators showed a significant preference towards the control R. catesbeiana tadpoles. However, in experiments with fish, this preference was not significant for tadpole capture, only for their ingestion, suggesting that the fish could not distinguish between the two species before tasting them. Although great kiskadees (P. sulphuratus) preferred the control R. catesbeiana tadpoles, they promptly ingested more than half of the test H. semilineata tadpoles when these were offered alone. The chickens, used as naive predators, clearly learned to avoid the black H. semilineata tadpoles after a few trials. The conspicuous colouration and unpalatability of H. semilineata tadpoles may benefit the individual as well as the group, depending on the predator involved.

On the identity of Hyla strigilata Spix, 1824 (Anura : Hylidae): redescription and neotype designation for a ghost taxon

Recent field work in Atlantic Rain Forest patches in the southern region of the State of Bahia, Brazil, resulted in the discovery of some populations of an unidentified species of the Scinax catharinae group. An extensive literature review, along with the examination of specimens and distribution patterns of all known species of this group, showed that Hyla strigilata Spix, 1824, a long confused species with lost type material, is an available name for the specimens from Bahia. In order to clarify the taxonomic problems surrounding this taxon, the nomenclatural history of Hyla strigilata is reviewed and a neotype is designated, described, and figured. The association of this name to extant populations from southern Bahia and its consequent stabilization is considered important since it is the type species of the genus Ololygon, a name available for the clade of Scinax catharinae. Data on habits, habitat, and geographic distribution are also presented.

The taxonomic status of Hyla pulchella joaquini (Anura : Hylidae) with description of its tadpole and vocalization

We redescribe Hyla pulchella joaquini and describe its tadpole and vocalization. The taxonomic status of this subspecies is reevaluated; and on the basis of morphology, geographic distribution, and vocalization, we propose the elevation of this subspecies to specific level with the name Hyla joaquini B. Lutz 1968. We also discuss the relationship of H, joaquini within the species groups of H. pulchella Dumeril and Bibron 1841 and H. circumdata (Cope 1871).

A new and threatened island-dwelling species of Cycloramphus (Anura : Cycloramphidae) from southeastern Brazil

We describe a new species of Cycloramphus of the eleutherodactylus group from the Ilha dos Alcatrazes, southeastern Brazil, with descriptions of advertisement and territorial calls and notes on natural history. Additionally, we describe the advertisement and territorial calls of C. eleutherodactylus. The new species is diagnosed by the following set of characters: snout truncate in lateral and dorsal views; head wider than long; eyes protruding; tibia shorter than thigh; and distinct advertisement call. The new species is known from a single population on the Ilha dos Alcatrazes, a 149 ha island about 35 kin off São Paulo State coast where these frogs are scattered in a small valley. The very restricted range of the new species of Cycloramphus and the declining quality of its habitat qualify this frog as critically endangered.

Phylogenetic position of Dendropsophus gaucheri (Lescure and Marty 2000) highlights the need for an in-depth investigation of the phylogenetic relationships of Dendropsophus (Anura: Hylidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Molecular phylogeny and karyotype differentiation in Paratelmatobius and Scythrophrys (Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Paratelmatobius and Scythrophrys are leptodactylid frogs endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic forest and their close phylogenetic relationship was recently inferred in an analysis that included Paratelmatobius sp. and S. sawayae. To investigate the interspecific relationships among Paratelmatobius and Scythrophrys species, we analyzed a mitochondrial region (approximately 2.4 kb) that included the ribosomal genes 12S and 16S and the tRNAval in representatives of all known localities of these genera and in 54 other species. Maximum parsimony inferences were done using PAUP* and support for the clades was evaluated by bootstrapping. A cytogenetic analysis using Giemsa staining, C-banding and silver staining was also done for those populations of Paratelmatobius not included in previous cytogenetic studies of this genus in order to assess their karyotype differentiation. Our results suggested Paratelmatobius and Scythrophrys formed a clade strongly supported by bootstrapping, which corroborated their very close phylogenetic relationship. Among the Paratelmatobius species, two clades were identified and corroborated the groups P. mantiqueira and P. cardosoi previously proposed based on morphological characters. The karyotypes of Paratelmatobius sp. 2 and Paratelmatobius sp. 3 described here had diploid chromosome number 2n = 24 and showed many similarities with karyotypes of other Paratelmatobius representatives. The cytogenetic data and the phylogenetic analysis allowed the proposal/corroboration of several hypotheses for the karyotype differentiation within Paratelmatobius and Scythrophrys. Namely the telocentric pair No. 4 represented a synapomorphy of P. cardosoi and Paratelmatobius sp. 2, while chromosome pair No. 5 with interstitial C-bands could be interpreted as a synapomorphy of the P. cardosoi group. The NOR-bearing chromosome No. 10 in the karyotype of P. poecilogaster was considered homeologous to chromosome No. 10 in the karyotype of Scythrophrys sp., chromosome No. 9 in the karyotype of Paratelmatobius sp. 1, chromosome No. 8 in the karyotypes of Paratelmatobius sp. 2 and of Paratelmatobius sp. 3, and chromosome No. 7 in the karyotype of P. cardosoi. A hypothesis for the evolutionary divergence of these NOR-bearing chromosomes, which probably involved events like gain in heteochromatin, was proposed.

A Cytotaxonomic Survey of the Genus Melanophryniscus Gallardo, 1961 (Anura: Bufonidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Phylogenetic relationships within anuran clade Terrarana, with emphasis on the placement of Brazilian Atlantic rainforest frogs genus Ischnocnema (Anura: Brachycephalidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Osteology and Intraspecific Variation of Leptodactylus podicipinus (Anura: Leptodactylidae), with Comments on the Relationship between Osteology and Reproductive Modes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Redescription of Physalaemus barrioi (Anura: Leiuperidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The phylogenetic relationships of the charismatic poster frogs, Phyllomedusinae (Anura, Hylidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Bioacoustic analysis of advertisement call in Hyla nana and Hyla sanborni (Anura, Hylidae) in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil

As características relacionadas à comunicação sonora em duas espécies aparentadas, Hyla nana e H. sanborni, pertencentes ao grupo nana de espécies, foram estudadas, entre agosto de 1997 e junho de 1999, em duas poças permanentes de grande porte em área aberta na região de Botucatu, Estado de São Paulo. Foram obtidas gravações de 131 exemplares, 71 indivíduos de H. nana e 58 de H. sanborni, durante início de atividade de vocalização e atividade de vocalização em coro. Houve diferença nos ritmos de emissão de notas dos cantos entre o início das atividades e durante os coros. O canto de anúncio das espécies consiste na emissão de séries consecutivas de notas simples, pulsadas, com taxa de repetição rápida. Hyla nana e H. sanborni apresentam dois tipos de notas em seu canto de anúncio, denominados aqui como tipos A e B. Notas do tipo A, introdutórias, apresentam maior duração e número de pulsos, e suas emissões foram mais freqüentes durante o início das atividades de vocalização. As notas introdutórias são as primeiras da série emitida em atividade de coro. As notas do tipo B, secundárias, são curtas e com menor número de pulsos, sendo emitidas durante as vocalizações em coro. Os dois tipos de notas encontrados diferem significativamente em sua estrutura temporal. As duas espécies apresentaram segregação acústica tanto na estrutura espectral como na temporal de seus cantos de anúncio.