Five New Country Records of Amazonian Anurans for Brazil, with Notes on Morphology, Advertisement Calls, and Natural History
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Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 211-219 (2019) (published online on 17 January 2019) Five new country records of Amazonian anurans for Brazil, with notes on morphology, advertisement calls, and natural history Pedro Ivo Simões1,*, Fernando J. M. Rojas-Runjaic1,2, Giussepe Gagliardi-Urrutia1, and Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher1,3 Abstract. We report for the first time the occurrences in Brazil of Boana hobbsi, Osteocephalus deridens and Tepuihyla shushupe (Hylidae), and confirm the occurrences of Ranitomeya defleri and Ranitomeya variabilis (Dendrobatidae) referring voucher specimens obtained from an expedition to Estação Ecológica Juami-Japurá, state of Amazonas, Brazil, in February 2017. Additionally, we provide data on morphology of voucher specimens, advertisement calls, field observations and geographic distribution of these species. We also describe the external morphology of the female R. defleri, which was previously unknown to science. Keywords. Amazon, Amphibia, conservation units, Dendrobatidae, Hylidae, Japurá River Introduction complexes (e.g., Gehara et al., 2014; Ferrão et al., 2016; Rojas et al., 2018). A second source of discoveries of Brazil houses the greatest diversity of amphibian Amazonian species are expeditions to poorly sampled species in the world, with current estimates surpassing areas. Recent fieldwork in relict mountain landscapes a thousand species (Segalla et al., 2016). However, in the northern reaches of Roraima and Amazonas, for early assessments in the 21th century correctly assumed example, uncovered at least seven amphibian species amphibian species richness in Brazilian Amazonia to be severely underestimated, as the number of species unknown to science, additional species with taxonomic known to occur in the region at that time ranged between uncertainties and new geographic records (Moraes et ca. 160 and 230 species (Azevedo-Ramos and Galatti, al., 2017; Jung, 2018). 2002; Ávila-Pires et al., 2007). Roughly a decade later, The Estação Ecológica Juami-Japurá (ESEC Juami- 2 we know that at least 370 species inhabit Amazonian Japurá, hereafter) is an 8,315 km conservation unit ecosystems in Brazil (Segalla et al., 2016; Frost, located in northwestern state of Amazonas, in the 2018), a number that will likely increase as a result of municipality of Japurá. It encompasses the whole revisionary work on geographically widespread species drainage of the Juami River, a southern blackwater tributary of the larger Japurá River, and covers areas of seasonally flooded and terra-firme forest environments. This conservation unit was established in 1983 for the purpose of scientific research and biodiversity conservation, and no human settlements are currently 1 Escola de Ciências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga 6681, Prédio 40, sala found within the limits of the reserve (ICMBio, 2007). 110, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In a recent field expedition to ESEC Juami-Japurá, 2 Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Museo de Historia we discovered two species new to science (Allobates Natural La Salle, Apartado Postal 1930, Caracas 1010–A, juami Simões et al., 2018a and Phyzelaphryne nimio Venezuela. Simões et al., 2018b) and recorded for the first time the 3 Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural occurrence of five anuran species in Brazil. Below, we History, Central Park West & 79th St., New York, New York, 10024, USA. describe these noteworthy geographic records, providing * Corresponding author. E-mail: additional information on species identification, field [email protected] observations and geographic distribution. 212 Pedro Ivo Simões et al. Materials and Methods Results Fieldwork was carried out between 02 and 16 Ranitomeya defleri Twomey and Brown, 2009 February 2017, during the rainy season (November to Voucher specimens. One male (MCP 13916, SVL = May – ICMBio, 2007), within ESEC Juami-Japurá, in a 14.2 mm) and one female (MCP 13912; SVL = 15.5 mm) sampling site approximately 45 km upstream the mouth collected on 09 February 2017 (1.9620°S, 67.9346°W, of the Juami River, along a southern small tributary 81 m a.s.l.). One juvenile (MCP 13911; SVL = 9.5 mm) (Igarapé da Fartura). Both Juami and Igarapé da Fartura and one male (MCP 13915; SVL = 13.8 mm) collected are fast-running, blackwater courses. Streamside on 08 and 12 February 2017, respectively (1.9606°S, vegetation is composed of terra-firme and seasonally 67.9369°W, 71 m a.s.l.). flooded (igapó) rainforests, with frequent patches of General description. A brightly coloured species white-sand vegetation (campinaranas). Surveys were of Ranitomeya, distinguished from other congeneric conducted along trails radiating from an abandoned species by its small size and colour pattern (Fig. 1A). hunting site (1.9606°S, 67.9369°W). We explored the In life, dorsal background colour of head and body is streamside environments (igapó and campinarana solid black, with irregular iridescent yellow markings. vegetation physiognomies) and stablished narrow trails A greenish yellow interrupted vertebral stripe is present across terra-firme forests heading south and west of the on the posterior two-thirds of dorsum (Figs. 1 and 2). camping site. Trails were approximately 0.5 m wide, A yellow hourglass-shaped mark is present ventrally, and ca. 500–800 m long. All records were georeferenced from throat to chest, on black background (Fig. 1B). with a GPS receiver Garmin 60CSX with datum WGS Ventral surfaces of body and limbs with iridescent blue 84. reticulations on black background, forming round black We conducted nocturnal and diurnal visual and spots. Finger I distinctly shorter than Finger II. Disc of acoustic surveys along trails. When possible, call Finger III more than 2.0 times wider than finger width. recordings were conducted with Marantz PMD620 MKII Female description. Specimen MCP 13912 is the or Tascam digital recorders using built-in microphones, first female R. defleri known to science. To contribute at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. Air temperature at time to the knowledge on the variation of the species, we of recording was measured with a digital thermometer. report morphometric values and character states that Spectral analyses of calls were conducted with frequency differ from previous accounts based only on males, as resolution of 82 Hz and 2048 points, using Blackman well as the range of morphometric measurements for window type. Acoustic analyses were conducted in the two adult males (in parentheses). Measurements Raven Pro 1.4 (Bioacoustics Research Program, 2011). are in mm: Femur length = 7.5 (6.0–7.0), tibia length All specimens were captured manually, transported to = 7.1 (5.1–6.5); distance from knee to knee when legs an improvised laboratory in the field, anesthetized and are positioned orthogonally to body axis = 13.3 (10.6– killed with topical benzocaine solution (50 mg/g), fixed 11.2); foot length 6.2 (5.4–6.0); lengths of fingers I, II, in 10% formalin solution and preserved in 70% ethanol III and IV, respectively = 2.5 (2.0), 3.2 (2.5–2.7), 4.4 approximately 15 days after fixation. Snout-vent length (3.7–3.8) and 3.5 (2.0–3.0); width of disc on tip of (SVL) of preserved specimens was measured with Finger III = 1.1 (1.0); width of Finger III below disc = a digital caliper to the nearest 0.1 mm. All voucher 0.5 (0.4–0.5); head length = 6.5 (4.5); head width = 5.9 specimens were housed in the amphibian collection (4.6–5.0); body width measured at the level of axillae of Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia of the Pontifícia = 6.9 (5.4–5.8); width of upper eyelid = 1.5 (1.4–1.6); Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (MCP), interorbital distance = 1.8 (1.5); horizontal tympanum Brazil. diameter = 2.0 (1.0–1.1); horizontal eye diameter = The females of one of the species recorded for the 2.0 (1.8–2.0); distance from the posterior corner of the first time in Brazil, Ranitomeya defleri Twomey and eye to tympanum = 1.2 (0.4–0.3). Dorsal skin smooth, Brown, 2009, were previously unknown to science. weakly granular only on limbs. Skin smooth ventrally. Hence, we provide morphometric measurements and Body shape ovoid in dorsal and ventral views, head description of morphometric traits of the single female width evidently narrower than body width. Head longer voucher specimen. Measurements and morphological than wide, with a distinctively wider gap between terminology followed those of the original description posterior corner of the eye and tympanum than that (Twomey and Brown, 2009). of male specimens. Snout round to truncate in dorsal view, short and round in lateral view. Nares open Five new country records of Amazonian anurans for Brazil 213 Figure 1. New species records for Brazil obtained in Estação Ecológica Juami-Japurá, state of Amazonas, in February 2017. (A) Male Ranitomeya defleri (MCP 13916) photographed while carrying two tadpoles. (B) Ventral view of the same specimen. (C) Male Ranitomeya variabilis (MCP 13914). (D) Nocturnal colouration of a male Boana hobbsi (MCP 13361). (E) Male Osteocephalus deridens (MCP 13770). (F) Male Tepuihyla shushupe (MCP 13432). 214 Pedro Ivo Simões et al. laterally, visible in ventral view, not visible in dorsal view. Tympanum round, distinguishable only under magnification. Forearm length 56% of tibia length. Inner and outer metatarsal tubercles larger and more protruding than those of male specimens. Female larger than male specimens, with no overlap observed between morphometric measurements except eye diameter, width of eyelid and width of the distal phalanx of Finger III. The remaining morphological traits agree with the description of R. defleri (Twomey and Brown, 2009). Field notes. All specimens were found in terra-firme forest, always perched at least 1.2 m above ground on broadleaf understory vegetation (herbs from families Maranthaceae and Cyclanthaceae).