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| Scinax ritaleeae Marinho, Faivovich, Haddad & Araujo-Vieira, 2024 DOI: 10.1643/h2024012 |
We describe a new species in the Scinax granulatus group from the Atlantic Forest of northeastern Brazil and include the new species in an updated phylogenetic hypothesis for the group. The new species differs from all other species in the S. granulatus group by a combination of characters, such as a weakly bilobate vocal sac, moderately developed pre- and postaxial webbing of Toe IV, and advertisement call features. The newly described taxon is more similar with S. tropicalia, a species that is not closely related; both can be distinguished by the red-colored iris in the new species and differences in pulse rate of the call. The new species was recovered as the sister taxon of a clade including all other species of the S. granulatus group. However, the low support of some internal clades suggests that the knowledge about relationships in this group is still incomplete.
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| Holotype of Scinax ritaleeae, new species (CFBH 47526, SVL 33.8 mm), in life. (A) Anterolateral view, (B) belly, thighs, and legs in ventral view; flank and groin in ventrolateral view, (C) left thigh in posterior view. |
Scinax ritaleeae, new species
Etymology.— Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho, known as Rita Lee, was a Brazilian rock singer whose lyrics criticized the conservative, far-right, military dictatorship of the Brazilian government, which lasted from 1964 to 1985. She was a feminist activist, an ally of the LGBTQIAPN+ movement, and an environmentalist. Notably, Rita Lee is famous for her musical compositions and for her red-dyed hair, the latter trait considered unusual in her time. The reddish blotches in the iris of the new species are also an uncommon characteristic when compared to its congeners in the S. granulatus group. In this sense, we propose the new species epithet honoring the Queen of Brazilian rock music.
Pedro Marinho; Julián Faivovich; Célio F. B. Haddad and Katyuscia Araujo-Vieira. 2024. A New Species of the Scinax granulatus Group (Hylinae: Scinaxini) from Northeastern Brazil. Ichthyology & Herpetology. 112(3); 398–417. DOI: doi.org/10.1643/h2024012
