Advertisement call and female sexual cycle in Uruguayan populations of Physalaemus henselii (Anura, Leiuperidae)

Physalaemus henselii (Peters, 1872) is a little known leiuperid frog that has not been studied since the 1960’s. Herein, we redescribe its advertisement call, and assess the female sexual cycle and the reproductive period on the basis of the macroscopic analysis of the ovaries and field observations. The Ovarian Size Factor (OSF) was calculated. The study was made in Departamento de Rivera, northern Uruguay. The advertisement call consists of short (177 ± 21ms), multipulsed (20 ± 3 pulses/note) notes, with a note repetition rate of 1.57 ± 0.13 notes/s. Physalaemus henselii has a female sexual cycle with unimodal distribution of gravid females, which are present from February to September. The OSF and the ratio "females with mature oocytes / females without mature oocytes" reached the highest values from April to June. The number and size of oocytes were positively correlated with female size. The smallest female (SVL =18.94mm, weight =0.78g) with mature oocytes was found in July. The observed sexual cycle with a single annual reproductive period during the cold season (autumn and early winter), is an uncommon fact for anuran species in the region.

Impacto do desmatamento e formação de pastagens sobre a anurofauna de serapilheira em Rondônia

A riqueza e a diversidade de anfíbios anuros de serapilheira em áreas de floresta e de pastagem foram estudadas em Rondônia. A eficiência da utilização de armadilhas de interceptação e queda foi analisada. As armadilhas foram instaladas em três ambientes distintos: interior de floresta, distante de ambientes aquáticos permanentes; interior de floresta, a cerca de 100 metros de rio; área de pastagem, distante de ambientes aquáticos permanentes. Foram capturados 1.324 espécimes pertencentes a 27 espécies, distribuídas em nove famílias: Aromobatidae (1 espécie), Brachycephalidae (2), Bufonidae (4), Cycloramphidae (1), Dendrobatidae (1), Hylidae (5), Leiuperidae (1), Leptodactylidae (7) e Microhylidae (5). O emprego de armadilhas de interceptação e queda permitiu registrar 57% das espécies conhecidas para essa localidade, sendo particularmente eficiente para a captura de anuros de hábitos terrícolas e fossoriais. Foram capturados menos indivíduos nos três meses mais secos e houve maior diversidade durante a estação chuvosa. Maior riqueza e diversidade foram registradas nos ambientes florestados, em relação à pastagem, observando-se decréscimo de espécies com o desmatamento. A conversão da floresta em pastagens ocasiona modificações no ambiente (diminuição de locais para reprodução, diminuição da disponibilidade de alimento, perda da serapilheira, compactação do solo, alterações microclimáticas, aumento da abundância de espécies de áreas abertas, etc.) criando condições desfavoráveis para a sobrevivência de algumas espécies.

Two new species of Brachycephalus (Anura : Brachycephalidae) from the Atlantic Forest in Parana State, Southern Brazil

Two new species of brachycephalid frogs are described from Pico Marumbi, municipality of Morretes, and Pico da Igreja, municipality of Guaratuba, Parana State, southern Brazil. The new species share the following attributes: body bufoniform; skin on top of the head, and central part of the back body smooth with no dermal co-ossification; outer metatarsal tubercle distinct; dermal roofing bones of skull unornamented; all paired cranial bones distinct and not fused; quadratojugals, and maxillary odontoids present. The new species from Pico Marumbi is characterized by male SVL = 11.6-12.5 and female SVL = 13.0-14.5 turn; and general color orange with dorsal reddish-brown irregular markings, lateral surfaces with small dark brown spots, and belly with brownish spots and small dots. The new species from Pico da Igreja is characterized by male SVL = 12.6-13.9 and female SVL = 14.6-15.3 mm; and general color orange, lateral surfaces with small dark brown spots, and belly with brownish coalescent spots and small dots. Comparisons with other brachycephalid species and osteological data are provided.

A new frog of the genus Hylodes (Amphibia : Leptodactylidae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil

A new species of leptodactylid frog is described from Parque das Mangabeiras, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. The new species is a member of the Hylodes lateristrigatus group, and is characterized by medium size, snout rounded in dorsal view and protruding in lateral view, presence of vocal slits and sacs, upper surface of finger and toe discs with well-developed scutes, a weakly developed stripe on the upper lip, dorsum, arm, leg, and foot dark brown with small irregular brown and black dots, and absence of red and yellow spots in live specimens. The descriptions of the tadpoles and vocalizations, and information on natural history are provided. Hylodes perplicatus (Miranda-Ribeiro), previously considered a member of the H. nasus species group, is transferred to the H. lateristrigatus species group.

A NEW SPECIES of ISCHNOCNEMA (ANURA) FROM THE SAO FRANCISCO BASIN KARST REGION, BRAZIL

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

Revalidation and redescription of Elachistocleis cesarii (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920) (Anura: Microhylidae)

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

A molecular perspective on the phylogeny of the Hyla pulchella species group (Anura, Hylidae)

A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Hyla pulchella species group was performed to test its monophyly, explore the interrelationships of its species, and evaluate the validity of the taxa that were considered subspecies of H. pulchella. Approximately 2.8 kb from the mitochondrial genes 12s, tRNA valine, 16s, and Cytochrome b were sequenced. The analysis included 50 terminals representing 10 of the 14-15 species currently recognized in the H. pulchella group, including samples from several localities for some taxa, several outgroups, as well as two species previously suspected to be related with the group (Hyla guentheri and Hyla hischoffi). The results show that the H. pulchella and Hyla circumdata groups are distantly related, and, therefore, should be recognized as separate groups. As currently defined, the H. pulchella group is paraphyletic with respect to the Hyla polytaenia group; therefore, we recognize the Hyla polytaenia clade in the H. pulchella group. Two subspecies of H. pulchella recognized by some authors are considered full species including Hyla pulchella riojana because it is only distantly related to H. pulchella, and Hyla pulchella cordobae because molecular and non-molecular evidence suggests that it is specifically distinct. With the inclusion of the H. polytaenia clade, H. guentheri, and H. bischoffi, and the recognition of the two former subspecies of H. pulchella as distinct species, the H. pulchella group now comprises 25 described species. All representatives of the H. pulchella group with an Andean distribution are monophyletic and nested within a clade from the Atlantic forest from south-southeastern Brazil/northeastern Argentina, and Cerrado gallery forest from central Brazil. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

New species of Hylodes from the Atlantic forest of Brazil (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae)

A new species of leptodactylid frog is described from Eldorado, state of Sao Paulo, southeastern Brazil. The new species is a member of the Hylodes lateristrigatus group and is characterized by its large size, slightly rugose to rugose dorsal skin texture, robust body, and high number of notes per call. Descriptions of the advertisement call and information on natural history are provided.

New species of Phrynohyas from Atlantic rain forest of southeastern Brazil (Anura, Hylidae)

A new species of hylid frog is described from south of the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil in Atlantic rain forest. The new species is a member of the genus Phrynohyas and is characterized by snout rounded in dorsal view and nearly truncate in lateral view, small adhesive disks, fingers slightly webbed, nasal bones widely separated, and frontoparietals without medial articulation.

Phylogenetic systematics of dart-poison frogs and their relatives (Amphibia: Athesphatanura: Dendrobatidae)

The known diversity of dart-poison frog species has grown from 70 in the 1960s to 247 at present, with no sign that the discovery of new species will wane in the foreseeable future. Although this growth in knowledge of the diversity of this group has been accompanied by detailed investigations of many aspects of the biology of dendrobatids, their phylogenetic relationships remain poorly understood. This study was designed to test hypotheses of dendrobatid diversification by combining new and prior genotypic and phenotypic evidence in a total evidence analysis. DNA sequences were sampled for five mitochondrial and six nuclear loci (approximately 6,100 base pairs [bp]; x=3,740 bp per terminal; total dataset composed of approximately 1.55 million bp), and 174 phenotypic characters were scored from adult and larval morphology, alkaloid profiles, and behavior. These data were combined with relevant published DNA sequences. Ingroup sampling targeted several previously unsampled species, including Aromobates nocturnus, which was hypothesized previously to be the sister of all other dendrobatids. Undescribed and problematic species were sampled from multiple localities when possible. The final dataset consisted of 414 terminals: 367 ingroup terminals of 156 species and 47 outgroup terminals of 46 species. Direct optimization parsimony analysis of the equally weighted evidence resulted in 25,872 optimal trees. Forty nodes collapse in the strict consensus, with all conflict restricted to conspecific terminals. Dendrobatids were recovered as monophyletic, and their sister group consisted of Crossodactylus, Hylodes, and Megaelosia, recognized herein as Hylodidae. Among outgroup taxa, Centrolenidae was found to be the sister group of all athesphatanurans except Hylidae, Leptodactyidae was polyphyletic, Thoropa was nested within Cycloramphidae, and Ceratophryinae was paraphyletic with respect to Telmatobiinae. Among dendrobatids, the monophyly and content of Mannophryne and Phyllobates were corroborated. Aromobates nocturnus and Colostethus saltuensis were found to be nested within Nephelobates, and Minyobates was paraphyletic and nested within Dendrobates. Colostethus was shown to be rampantly nonmonophyletic, with most species falling into two unrelated cis- and trans-Andean clades. A morphologically and behaviorally diverse clade of median lingual process-possessing species was discovered. In light of these findings and the growth in knowledge of the diversity of this large clade over the past 40 years, we propose a new, monophyletic taxonomy for dendrobatids, recognizing the inclusive clade as a superfamily (Dendrobatoidea) composed of two families (one of which is new), six subfamilies (three new), and 16 genera (four new). Although poisonous frogs did not form a monophyletic group, the three poisonous lineages are all confined to the revised family Dendrobatidae, in keeping with the traditional application of this name. We also propose changes to achieve a monophyletic higher-level taxonomy for the athesphatanuran outgroup taxa. Analysis of character evolution revealed multiple origins of phytotelm-breeding, parental provisioning of nutritive oocytes for larval consumption (larval oophagy), and endotrophy. Available evidence indicates that transport of tadpoles on the dorsum of parent nurse frogs-a dendrobatid synapomorphy-is carried out primitively by male nurse frogs, with three independent origins of female transport and five independent origins of biparental transport. Reproductive amplexus is optimally explained as having been lost in the most recent common ancestor of Dendrobatoidea, with cephalic amplexus arising independently three times. © American Museum of Natural History 2006.

Predation on Scinax littoralis (Anura: Hylidae) by another treefrog, Hypsiboas albomarginatus (Anura: Hylidae)

Herein we report predation by the hylid anuran Hypsiboas albomarginatus on another hylid anuran Scinax littoralis, observed in a remnant of Atlantic Forest in the municipality of Santos, southeastern Brazil.

A new species of miniaturized toadlet, genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae), from the atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil

A new species of miniaturized froglet (genus Brachycephalus) is described from Morro Prumirim in the municipality of Ubatuba, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected from the leaf litter at approximately 800 m above sea level. The new species is distinguished from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: snout-vent length 8.7-13.4 mm; skin on head and dorsum with dermal ossification; general color orange, with a narrow brownish vertebral stripe and belly without spots; and skull, spinal processes of sacral and pre-sacral vertebrae, and process of the fourth vertebra hyperossified. Canonical variates analysis of linear body measurement demonstrates that the new species is easily discriminated from other Brachycephalus species with which it shares an intermediate condition of hyperossification. © 2012 by The Herpetologists League, Inc.

Correlações fisiológicas da carga parasitária em Rhinella icteriucus (Anura: marinus)

A presença de parasitas, que podem afetar inúmeros aspectos da biologia de seus hospedeiros, possivelmente levando a uma queda em seu desempenho. Entretanto, ao longo do estabelecimento da associação parasita-hospedeiro, alterações na fisiologia e morfologia deste último podem representar mecanismos compensatórios para os danos causados pelos parasitas. Sendo assim, carga parasitária deve ser um importante determinante do valor adaptativo (fitness) do hospedeiro. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi estabelecer possíveis correlações entre carga parasitária, massas de diversos órgãos e desempenho locomotor no sapo-cururu, Rhinella ictericus (Anura: Bufonidae). O desempenho locomotor dos indivíduos capturados de R. ictericus foi medido através do uso de uma pista circular de madeira. Durante um período de 10 minutos, os animais foram forçados a manter desempenho locomotor constante e a distância total percorrida foi corrigida para o comprimento rostro-cloacal. Depois das medidas de desempenho locomotor, os órgãos internos foram dissecados, tendo seus parasitas contabilizados. As massas de todos os órgãos escalaram positivamente com a massa corpórea. O número de parasitas nos pulmões e o índice corpóreo também se mostraram positivamente relacionados à variação em massa corpórea. Indivíduos com maior carga parasitária intestinal foram também aqueles que apresentaram um maior número total de parasitas, sugerindo a existência de variação individual na susceptibilidade a diferentes parasitas. O desempenho locomotor foi negativamente associado à carga parasitária total, demonstrando um efeito deletério causado pelos parasitas ao hospedeiro em um aspecto crucial de sua história de vida. Hospedeiros com maior carga parasitária pulmonar apresentaram maior massa intestinal e renal, sugerindo possíveis mecanismos compensatórios dos possíveis danos causados pelos parasitas

Advertisement call, colour variation, natural history, and geographic distribution of Proceratophrys caramaschii (Anura: Odontophrynidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)