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| Rupirana kaatinga Mângia, Amaral, Müller & Santana. 2025 |
Abstract
The Caatinga, a semi-arid region with drought-adapted vegetation, supports unique biodiversity, including numerous endemic species. Serra do Assuruá in Bahia is one such high-altitude area, rich in ecological niches but largely understudied, especially regarding amphibians, and lacks conservation units. During fieldwork, we discovered a new Rupirana species approximately 200 km beyond its known range. Previously, Rupirana had remained monotypic for over two decades, restricted to the campo rupestre ecosystem in the northern mountain ranges of Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. This unexpected finding in Serra do Assuruá prompted detailed morphological, acoustic, and molecular analyses, confirming it as a new endemic species for the region. While wind farm expansion in remote areas like the Caatinga has enabled important scientific discoveries, including this Rupirana, it also poses risks to biodiversity through habitat changes. These findings highlight the need for enhanced conservation planning in the Caatinga biome, as such discoveries underscore both the ecological value and the vulnerability of these fragile ecosystems. Therefore, balancing renewable energy development with conservation efforts through rigorous environmental assessments is essential to protect these fragile ecosystems.
KEYWORDS: Amphibia, Caatinga, conservation, taxonomy
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| Live specimens of Rupirana kaatinga sp. nov.: A) adult male (ZUFMS-AMP20347, field number MAP 8594, SVL 30.45 mm), B), C) and D) adult males not collected, E) paratype (juvenile ZUFMS-AMP20354, field number MAP 8599), and F) juvenile not collected. |
Rupirana kaatinga sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Diagnosed by the following combination of characters: 1) snout vent-length of 26.41-30.45 mm in adult males, 2) snout round in profile and from above, 3) smooth skin on the dorsum, including the arms, legs, and upper eyelids, with only a few small, scattered tubercles, 4) belly and gular region is cream-coloured with light grey vermicular spots, 5) advertisement call lasting 0.075-0.135 s, with 20 pulses per call, 191.7 pulses/s, and a dominant frequency of 1,378.1-1,722.7 Hz.
Etymology: The name ‘Caatinga’ is derived from the Tupi-Guarani language and means ‘white forest’ (‘ka’a’ (forest) + ‘ting’ (white) + ‘–a’ (noun-forming suffix)). This name alludes to the whitish landscape presented by the vegetation during the dry season, when most plants shed their leaves, and the trunks become whitish and dry. The pronounced seasonality in this region significantly influences the life cycles of organisms inhabiting this type of environment to a lesser or more noticeable extent for some species, even determining whether a particular species is recorded in the area or not. We named this new species after the Caatinga region due to its endemism and strong connection to the cycles of rain and drought within this domain (see below). The specific epithet kaatinga is treated as a noun in apposition.
Sarah Mângia, Guilherme do Amaral, Márcia Müller and Diego J. Santana. 2025. New species of Rupirana (Heyer, 1999) (Anura, Leptodactylidae) from Serra do Assuruá, center-north of Bahia state, Brazil. Journal of Vertebrate Biology. 74 (24121), 24121.1-16. DOI: doi.org/10.25225/jvb.24121 (14 March 2025)
