Herpetology Notes, volume 14: 121-123 (2021) (published online on 19 January 2021) Pithecopus azureus (Cope, 1862) in Joaquim Pires Municipality, Piauí State, northeastern Brazil (Anura, Phyllomedusidae) Guilherme R. Silva¹,*, Ana M. P. T. Carvalho-e-Silva², Francineide S. Ribeiro¹, Jacilene C. Machado¹, and Natiele A. Couto¹ The genus Pithecopus Cope, 1866 was revalidated surface of the tibia (Caramaschi, 2006). This species by Duellman et al. (2016) creating new combinations is associated geographically with open areas of the for the Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis species group Chacoan regions of eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern (sensu Caramaschi, 2006), including Pithecopus Argentina, the Pantanal ecoregion of Bolivia, Brazil, and ayeaye Lutz, 1966, P. azureus (Cope, 1862), P. centralis Paraguay, the Cerrado regions of central and western (Bokermann, 1965), P. hypochondrialis (Daudin, 1800), Brazil, and the Amazonian biome, in a transitional area P. megacephalus (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926), P. nordestinus with the Cerrado (Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso (Caramaschi, 2006), P. oreades (Brandão, 2002), P. do Sul, Tocantins, Goiás, Distrito Federal, Minas Gerais, palliatus (Peters, 1873), P. rohdei (Mertens, 1926), and and São Paulo States) (Prado et al., 2008; Calderon et al., P. rusticus (Bruschi et al., 2015). Recently, Pithecopus 2009; Lucas et al., 2010; Frost, 2020), as well as Piauí araguaius was described by Haga et al. (2017), using State (Roberto et al., 2013). morphological, vocal and molecular data, totalling During field trips in Joaquim Pires Municipality eleven species for the genus. (3.5954°S, 42.1561°W) on 4 and 5 March 2017, The genus Pithecopus comprises medium-sized species we found several individuals of Pithecopus azureus (snout–vent length near 45 mm) characterized by the vocalizing from temporary pools along a trail in an area following characteristics: Toe I much longer than and of woodland vegetation called Cerradão, one of the opposable to Toe II; vomerine teeth absent; and tadpoles phytophysiognomies of the Cerrado biome (Ribeiro and with moderately small oral disc directed anteroventrally Walter, 1998), and we manually collected four of these. (Duellman et al., 2016). Pithecopus azureus is The collected specimens were euthanized with lidocaine characterized by: (1) medium size for the genus (SVL and preserved in 10% formalin and are housed in the 31.2–43.3 mm in males, 42.4–44.4 mm in females); (2) Amphibian Collection of the Universidade Federal do presence of a narrow white band on the upper lip that Estado do Rio de Janeiro (accession numbers UNIRIO does not reach the border of the lower eyelid and is not 5901–5904). All individuals are males with SVLs of visible in the dorsal aspect of the head; (3) black vertical 33.4–37.5 mm. bars on a red-orange background presence on the hidden The Cerradão phytophysiognomy is characterized by surfaces of the flanks and limbs; (4) presence of a broad 50–90% arboreal stratum with tortuous and erect trees, green band across the entire length of the upper thigh with an average height of 8–15 m that are deciduous surface; (5) absence of reticulated pattern in eyelids, lips, in the dry season and represented by only few species and lower surfaces of the body and limbs; (6) absence of a (Ribeiro and Walter, 1998). Pithecopus azureus was whitish band on the side of the body and on the posterior once previously recorded for Piauí State, in Cerrado environments of Ribeiro Gonçalves Municipality (Roberto et al., 2013). It is distinguishable from P. nordestinus by the presence of a white band on the upper lip (white 1 Universidade Estadual do Piauí, Campus Professor Alexandre band absent or very narrow in P. nordestinus), a greater Alves Oliveira, Avenida Nossa Senhora de Fátima s/n, number of narrow black bands on the hidden parts of the Parnaíba, Piauí 64202-220, Brazil. 2 Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Laboratório flanks and limbs (lesser number of black bands, wider in de Biossistemática de Anfíbios, Universidade Federal do P. nordestinus), a rounded snout profile in dorsal view Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Aveinda Pasteur 458/402, Urca, Rio (truncated in P. nordestinus) and in lateral view (oblique de Janeiro 22290-240, Brazil. in P. nordestinus), and larger and fewer palmar and plantar * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] subarticular tubercles (smaller and more numerous in P. © 2021 by Herpetology Notes. Open Access by CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. nordestinus) (Caramaschi, 2006; Fig. 1). This new record 122 Guilherme R. Silva et al. Figure 1. Male Pithecopus azureus from the Cerrado environments of Joaquim Pires Municipality, Piauí State, Brazil. Arrows show diagnostic characters of this species according to Caramaschi (2006), including (A) a narrow white stripe on the upper lip, (B) the inguinal region and sides of members with black transversal bars over a red-orange background, and (C) a wide green stripe along the dorsal surface of thighs. Photo by Jacilene C. Machado. expands the range of P. azureus by about 564 km in Acknowledgment. We thank Ulisses Caramaschi for the species straight line distance, making this locality the northern- identification, Sergio P. Carvalho-e-Silva for revising the text, and westernmost for this species, as well as a first locality Cyro de Luna-Dias for creating the map, Carlos Cruz for pre peer-reviewing the manuscript, and H. Christoph Liedtke and an in an arboreal Cerrado environment (Fig. 2). anonymous reviewer for suggestions and comments. The permit for Joaquim Pires Municipality is part of the Campo collecting the frogs was provided by the Instituto Chico Mendes de Maior Complex, one of the priority conservation areas Conservação da Biodiversidade and filed under the number 13256–1. of Caatinga, a Caatinga-Cerrado ecotone area with high biological integral protection importance (Silva et al., 2004). However, Piauí State has experienced a significant References amount of habitat degradation, mainly due to the expansion Angulo, A. (2016): Pithecopus azureus. The IUCN Red List of of agricultural activities and the production of vegetal Threatened Species. e.T135966A107296200. charcoal, which impacts a large number of species (Castro, Duellman, W.E., Marion, A.B., Hedges, S.B. (2016): Phylogenetics, 2000; Lima et al., 2015). classification, and biogeography of the treefrogs (Amphibia: Pithecopus azureus was listed as Data Deficient (DD) in Anura: Arboranae). Zootaxa 4104: 1–109. Calderon, L.A., Messias, M.R., Serrano, R.P., Zaqueo, K.D., Sousa, 2008 by the Global Amphibian Assessment (GAA) due to E.S., Nienow, S.S., et al. (2009): Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, the lack of information on its extent of occurrence, status, Phyllomedusinae, Phyllomedusa azurea: Distribution extension and ecological requirements (Angulo, 2016). Although and geographic distribution map. Check List 5: 317–319. some studies have been carried out (Rodrigues et al., Caramaschi, U. (2006): Redefinição do grupo de Phyllomedusa 2007; Freitas et al., 2008; Prado et al., 2008; Calderon et hypochondrialis, com redescrição de P. megacephala (Miranda- al., 2009; Costa et al., 2010; Filadelfo et al., 2013), it is Ribeiro, 1926), revalidação de P. azurea Cope, 1862 e descrição still necessary that further studies of natural history and de uma nova espécie (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae). Arquivos do Museu Nacional 64: 159–179. taxonomy be carried out on the different populations, Castro, A.A.J.F. (2000): Cerrados do Brasil e do Nordeste: produção, since it is possible that cryptic species are present. hoje, deve também incluir manutenção da biodiversidade. Therefore, we reinforce the recommendation of Angulo In: Benjamin, A.H., Sícoli, J.C.M., Eds., Agricultura e Meio (2016) to update the conservation status of the species. Ambiente, p. 79–87. São Paulo, Brazil, IMESP. Pithecopus azureus in Piauí State, Brazil 123 Figure 2. Map of Pithecopus azureus localities in Piauí State, Brazil, including the new record in Joaquim Pires Municipality (red circle) and previously known localities in Ribeiro Gonçalves Municipality (black circle). Costa, T.B., Guimarães, L.D.A., Bastos, R.P. (2010): Territorial and Prado, V.H.M., Borges, R.E., Silva, F.R., Tognolo, T.T., Rossa- mating behavior in Phyllomedusa azurea (Anura: Hylidae) at a Feres, D.C. (2008): Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae, Phyllomedusa temporary pond in west-central Brazil. Phyllomedusa 9: 99–108. azurea: distribution extension. Check List 4: 55–56. Filadelfo, T.M., Zimbres, B.Q.C., Dantas, P.T., Mello-Patiu, Roberto, I.J., Ribeiro, S.C., Loebmann, D. (2013): Amphibians of C.A., Brandão, R.A. (2013): Egg clutches and predation of the state of Piauí, Northeastern Brazil: a preliminary assessment. Phyllomedusa azurea (Anura, Hylidae) nests in a temporary Biota Neotropica 13: 322–330. pond in Central Brazil. Herpetology Notes 6: 485–488. Ribeiro, J.F., Walter, B.M.T. (1998): Fitofisionomias do bioma Freitas, E.B., Carvalho, C.B., Faria, R.G., Batista, R.C., Batista, Cerrado. In: Cerrado: Ambiente e Flora, p. 89–166. Sano, C.C., Coelho, W.A., Bocchiglieri, A. (2008): Nicho ecológico S.M., Almeida, S.P., Eds. Planaltina, Distrito Federal, Brazil, e aspectos da história natural de Phyllomedusa azurea (Anura: EMBRAPA - Centro de Pesquisa Agropecuária dos Cerrado. Hylidae, Phyllomedusinae) no Cerrado do Brasil Central. Biota Rodrigues, D.J., Uetanabaro, M., Lopes, F.S. (2007): Breeding Neotropica 8: 101–110. biology of Phyllomedusa azurea Cope, 1862 and P. sauvagii Frost, D.R. (2020): Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Boulenger, 1882 (Anura) from the Cerrado, Central Brazil. Reference. Electronic Database accessible at http://research. Journal of Natural History 41: 1841–1851. amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html. American Museum Silva, J.M.C., Tabarelli, M., Fonseca, M.T. (2004): Áreas e ações of Natural History, New York, USA. Accessed on 2 July 2020. prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade da Caatinga. Haga, I.A., Andrade, F.S., Bruschi, D.P., Recco-Pimentel, S.M., In: Biodiversidade da Caatinga: Áreas e Ações Prioritárias Giaretta, A.A.