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| Brachycephalus lulai Bornschein, Pie, Nadaline, Confetti, Blackburn, Stanley, Mari, Alves, Sandretti-Silva, Lima & Ribeiro, 2025 |
Abstract
Brachycephalus are miniaturized diurnal frogs inhabiting the leaf litter of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, mainly in montane areas. The genus includes 42 currently recognized species, 35 of which being described since 2000. This study describes a new species of Brachycephalus from the B. pernix species group discovered at Serra do Quiriri, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Morphological and acoustic comparisons were made with other species in the species group, and high-resolution computed tomography was used for osteological examination. The phylogenetic position was based on partitioned Bayesian analysis of mitochondrial (16S rRNA) and nuclear DNA sequences (β–fibrinogen, ribosomal Protein L3, and tyrosinase exon 1). We collected 32 individuals and recorded 13 calls of the new species. It is distinguished by 18 characters including snout–vent length 8.9–11.3 mm for males and 11.7–13.4 mm for females, general bright orange coloration of the body with small green and brown irregular points, and advertisement call including note groups (two notes per group, with 1–4 pulses per note). Phylogenetic data indicate that the new species is closely related to B. auroguttatus and B. quiririensis, which also occur at Serra do Quiriri. A review of diagnoses among species of the B. pernix group is provided. We propose classifying the new species as Least Concern. Serra do Quiriri experienced semi-arid periods in the Quaternary, with forests likely occurring at lower altitudes. As the climate became wetter, these forests expanded upward as cloud forests, forming patches amidst grasslands, leading to speciation by allopatry (microrefugia) of B. quiririensis, B. auroguttatus, and the new species. This process continues, with recent observations of Brachycephalus colonizing newly formed cloud forests at high altitudes. We propose the creation of the Refúgio de Vida Silvestre (RVS) Serra do Quiriri to protect this and other endemic species, without requiring government acquisition of private land.
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| Holotype of Brachycephalus lulai sp. nov. (MHNCI 11592), male, in life. (A) Anterolateral view. (B) Ventral view. In B, white arrow indicates the presence of the linea masculinea. Photographs by Luiz F. Ribeiro. |
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| Variation in coloration of paratypes of Brachycephalus lulai sp. nov. Column one and column three show specimens in dorsal view in life and in preservative, respectively. Column two and column four show specimens in ventral view in life and in preservative, respectively. A1–A4 = MHNCI 11612. B1–B4 = MHNCI 11598. C1–C4 = MHNCI 11596. D1–D4 = MHNCI 11599. E1–E4 = MHNCI 11600. F1–F4 = MHNCI 11594. Scale bars equal 5 mm. Photographs by Luiz F. Ribeiro. |
Brachycephalus lulai sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Brachycephalus lulai sp. nov. is identified as a member of the B. pernix group (sensu Pie et al. [6] and Ribeiro et al. [13]) by having a bufoniform body shape (Figs 1–4), absence of dermal co–ossification, and presence of linea masculinea (Fig 2B). Brachycephalus lulai sp. nov. is distinguished from all of the species in the genus by the following combination of characters: 1) body shape bufoniform; 2) snout shape in dorsal view rounded; 3) SVL 8.9–11.3 mm for males and 11.7–13.4 mm for females (Table 1); 4) proportion of HL/SVL 32.5–41.4% for males and 31.8–34.9% for females; 5) presence of linea masculinea in males; 6) absence of dermal co-ossification; 7) dorsum with smooth texture; 8) sides of the body with densely rough texture; 9) tip of fingers I rounded, II rounded, and III pointed; 10) toe V externally absent; 11) outer metacarpal tubercle present; 12) iris black; 13) general color bright orange with small green irregular dots on sides of the body and belly and sometimes with brown dots on sides of the body; 14) general color in preservative pale cream with small light gray to dark gray irregular dots on sides of the body and belly and sometimes with dark spots on sides of the body; 15) advertisement call including note group; 16) two notes per note group; 17) advertisement call including attenuated notes; and 18) up to four pulses per note. The comparison with our ...
Etymology: The specific epithet honors Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has been elected President of Brazil on three occasions. Through this tribute, we seek to encourage the expansion of conservation initiatives focused on the Atlantic Forest as a whole, and on Brazil’s highly endemic miniaturized frogs in particular.
Marcos R. Bornschein, Marcio R. Pie, Júnior Nadaline, André E. Confetti, David C. Blackburn, Edward L. Stanley, Renata de Britto Mari, Gabriel Silveira Alves, Giovanna Sandretti-Silva, Felipe Farias de Andrade Lima, Luiz F. Ribeiro. 2025. A New Species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from Serra do Quiriri, northeastern Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, with A Review of the diagnosis among species of the B. pernix group and proposed conservation measures. PLoS One. 20(12): e0334746. DOI: doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0334746 [December 10, 2025]
