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| Brachycephalus actaeus Monteiro, Condez, Garcia, Comitti, Amaral & Haddad, 2018 |
Abstract
We describe a new species of Brachycephalus from municipality of São Francisco do Sul and municipality of Itapoá, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, southern Atlantic Forest. The new species is known from six localities from near sea level up to 250 meters and represents the first record of a “pumpkin-toadlet” occurring in the lowlands. Morphological traits and phylogenetic analysis of a fragment the 16S mtDNA gene place the new species in the Brachycephalus pernix group. The new species is supported by external morphology, osteology, advertisement call, and mtDNA divergence. It is characterized, among other traits by a dorsal body color dark green with a dark brown vertebral stripe, and an orange background; snout-vent length of 9.2–10.8 mm in males and 11.1–12.4 mm in females; and advertisement call short (0.02–0.03 seconds), composed of one high-frequency note (dominant frequency 6.6–7.3 kHz). We observed synchronized alternation in the emission of vocalizations among neighbor males, indicating that males of the new species are able to hear and use vocalizations to interact with each other. We provide descriptions of clutch, eggs, and juvenile and observations on parental care. The new species has not been recorded within any protected area and can be threatened by human-induced habitat loss and modification.
Keywords: Amphibia, Brachycephaloidea, elevational range, morphology, taxonomy
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| Color variation in Brachycephalus actaeus sp. nov. (A) Dorsolateral and (B) ventral views of CFBH 39864 (paratype), adult female, from municipality of Itapoá, state of Santa Catarina. (C) Dorsolateral and (D) ventral views of CFBH 39863 (paratype), adult female, from municipality of Itapoá, state of Santa Catarina. (E) Dorsolateral and (F) ventral views of CFBH 39876 (paratopotype), adult male, from municipality of São Francisco do Sul, state of Santa Catarina. (G) Dorsolateral and (H) ventral views of CFBH 39846 (paratype), adult male, from municipality of São Francisco do Sul, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. |
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| Eggs of Brachycephalus actaeus sp. nov. (A) Male left, CFBH 39861 (paratype) and female right, CFBH 39860 (paratype), after oviposition. (B) Detail of the eggs of B. actaeus sp. nov. |
Brachycephalus actaeus
Etymology. The specific epithet actaeus is a Latin adjective that means situated on the edge. It is derived from the Latin word acta, which was incorporated from Greek, and means shore, coast, or beach. The name is used in allusion to the typical habitat of the new species, the coastal lowlands of the Atlantic Forest.
Etymology. The specific epithet actaeus is a Latin adjective that means situated on the edge. It is derived from the Latin word acta, which was incorporated from Greek, and means shore, coast, or beach. The name is used in allusion to the typical habitat of the new species, the coastal lowlands of the Atlantic Forest.
Juliane Petry De Carli Monteiro, Thais Helena Condez, Paulo Christiano De Anchietta Garcia, Estevão Jasper Comitti, Ivan Borel Amaral and Célio Fernando Baptista Haddad. 2018. A New Species of Brachycephalus (Anura, Brachycephalidae) from the coast of Santa Catarina State, southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Zootaxa. 4407(4); 483–505. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4407.4.2
