[Herpetology • 2022] Phantasmarana curucutuensis & P. tamuia • Unveiling the Diversity of Giant Neotropical Torrent Frogs (Anura: Hylodidae): Phylogenetic Relationships, Morphology, and the Description of Two New Species

Phantasmarana curucutuensis 

Sá, Condez, Lyra, Haddad & Malagoli, 2022

DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2022.2039318 

Abstract

The Neotropical family Hylodidae comprises 46 currently recognized rheophilic Torrent frog species, today classified in the genera Crossodactylus, Hylodes, Megaelosia, and Phantasmarana, all endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Megaelosia and Phantasmarana are distributed along the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira mountain ranges, southeastern Brazil, and are the least speciose genera of the family, including all the mute giant hylodids. Megaelosia is a monotypic genus, whereas Phantasmarana comprises six currently recognized species: P. apuana, P. bocainensis, P. boticariana, P. jordanensis, P. lutzae, and P. massarti. Herein, we provide a taxonomic revision of these Giant Neotropical Torrent frogs, offering a comprehensively sampled species-level molecular phylogeny. By combining molecular and morphological data, we confirm that Megaelosia and Phantasmarana are valid genera. We provide diagnostic traits for both genera, redescribe the poorly known species P. jordanensis, and describe two new species from distinct localities at Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Phantasmarana curucutuensis sp. nov. and P. tamuia sp. nov., presenting details of adult and larval morphology, and notes on their natural history and behaviour. We further discuss systematic and taxonomic concerns, and evolutionary processes related to distribution, body sizes, and communication in the family Hylodidae.

 

Key words: Amphibia, Anura, Atlantic Forest, gigantism, Hylodes, Megaelosia, mountain ranges, muteness, Phantasmarana, visual communication

Phantasmarana curucutuensis sp. nov.

 P. tamuia sp. nov.

Fábio P. de Sá, Thais H. Condez, Mariana L. Lyra, Célio F. B. Haddad and Leo R. Malagoli. 2022. Unveiling the Diversity of Giant Neotropical Torrent Frogs (Hylodidae): Phylogenetic Relationships, Morphology, and the Description of Two New Species. Systematics and Biodiversity. 20(1); 1-31. DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2022.2039318  [2022-03-14]

  twitter.com/SBHerpetologia/status/1504205229272801285

 infraestruturameioambiente.sp.gov.br/fundacaoflorestal/2022/03/duas-novas-especies-de-ras-gigantes-de-corredeira-sao-descobertas-no-parque-estadual-da-serra-do-mar/

[Herpetology • 2021] Phantasmarana gen. nov. • Paraphyly in the Giant Torrent-frogs (Anura: Hylodidae: Megaelosia) and the Description of A New Genus

preserved male Phantasmarana boticariana (D) and live male P. apuana (E) with contrasting white vocal sacs.

Adult male Crossodactylus caramaschii (A) highlighting its partially translucent vocal sac;
Adult male Hylodes phyllodes (B) and Hylodes asper (C) with completely translucent vocal sacs.

Phantasmarana gen. nov. 

in Vittorazzi, Augusto-Alves, Neves-da-Silva, ... et Bruschi. 2021. 

  Researchgate.net/publication/351590303 

photos: A by D. Perrella; B by L. F. Toledo; C by M. Martins; D by L. F. Toledo; E: by G. Augusto-Alves.

 Abstract

 The family Hylodidae is composed of 46 species distributed in three genera: Crossodactylus (13 species), Hylodes (26 species), and Megaelosia (seven species). Although the monophyly of the Hylodidae is supported by previous molecular phylogenetic inferences, the monophyly of Megaelosia and/or Hylodes has been questioned. Crossodactylus and Hylodes share the plesiomorphic diploid chromosomal number 2n = 26, whereas in the species of Megaelosia as karyotyped up to now, diploid numbers have ranged from 28 to 32. Here, we expand to six (of seven) the number of species of Megaelosia sampled in a phylogenetic approach based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and describe the 26-chromosome karyotype of M. goeldii for the first time. Our results provide an improved perspective on the relationships among the frogs described previously in the genus Megaelosia, and we propose a new taxonomic arrangement, in which Megaelosia is a monotypic genus, with a new genus being described to accommodate the remaining species allocated previously to Megaelosia. We also confirm that 2n = 26 is the plesiomorphic diploid number in the Hylodidae, and conclude that an increased diploid chromosome number, together with two morphological traits and one ethological characteristic, are potential synapomorphies of the new genus. 

Key words: Amphibia, cytogenetic, Hylodes, new genus, phylogenetic inferences, systematics, taxonomy.

preserved male Phantasmarana boticariana (D: photograph by L. F. Toledo: ZUEC 11843) and live male P. apuana (E: frame extracted from video by G. Augusto-Alves: ZUEC-VID 402; Augusto-Alves et al. 2018) with contrasting white vocal sacs.

Adult male Crossodactylus caramaschii (frame extracted from a video by D. Perrella: ZUEC-VID 800) highlighting its partially translucent vocal sac (A);
Adult male Hylodes phyllodes (photograph by L. F. Toledo) and Hylodes asper (photograph by M. Martins) with completely translucent vocal sacs (B-C).

 

Phantasmarana gen. nov. 

Type species: Elosia massarti de Witte, 1930

Content. Six species. 

Phantasmarana apuana (Pombal, Prado & Canedo, 2003) comb. nov.; 

P. bocainensis (Giaretta, Bokermann & Haddad, 1993) comb. nov.; 

P. boticariana (Giaretta & Aguiar-Jr., 1998) comb. nov.; 

P. jordanensis (Heyer, 1983) comb. nov.; 

P. lutzae (Izecksohn & Gouvêa, 1987) comb. nov.; and 

P. massarti (De Witte, 1930) comb. nov

Etymology. The name Phantasmarana is derived from the combination of Latin words phantasma (= phantom) + rana (frog), meaning “phantom frogs” in reference to the extraordinary rarity of frogs of this genus in the wild (only few herpetologists have seen these frogs in their natural habitats), the lack of an advertisement call, and the fact that some enigmatic sounds have been reported. The gender is feminine. 

Distribution. The genus Phantasmarana occurs in forested areas of the Atlantic rainforest biome, ranging from the state of São Paulo (southern limit) to the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo (northern limit). Endemic to Brazil.

Stenio Eder Vittorazzi, Guilherme Augusto-Alves, Dener das Neves-da-Silva, Ana Maria Paulino Telles de Carvalho-e-Silva, Shirlei Maria Recco-Pimentel, Luís Felipe Toledo, Luciana Bolsoni Lourenço and Daniel Pacheco Bruschi. 2021. Paraphyly in the Giant Torrent-frogs (Anura: Hylodidae: Megaelosia) and the Description of A New Genus. SALAMANDRA. 57(2): 274–284.

  Researchgate.net/publication/351590303_Paraphyly_in_the_giant_torrent-frogs_Megaelosia_and_the_description_of_a_new_genus

 salamandra-journal.com/index.php/home/contents/2021-vol-57/2032-vittorazzi-s-e-g-augusto-alves-d-neves-da-silva-a-m-p-t-de-carvalho-e-silva-s-m-recco-pimentel-l-f-toledo-l-b-lourenco-d-p-bruschi/file

 naturalhistory.com.br/publicacoes.html

 twitter.com/SBHerpetologia/status/1393690365379612675

preserved male Phantasmarana boticariana (D) and live male P. apuana (E) with contrasting white vocal sacs.
Adult male Crossodactylus caramaschii (A) highlighting its partially translucent vocal sac;
Adult male Hylodes phyllodes (B) and Hylodes asper (C) with completely translucent vocal sacs.

photos: A: frame extracted from a video by D. Perrella: ZUEC-VID 800; B: photograph by L. F. Toledo; C: photograph by M. Martins; D: photograph by L. F. Toledo: ZUEC 11843; E: frame extracted from video by G. Augusto-Alves: ZUEC-VID 402; Augusto-Alves et al. 2018

[Herpetology • 2017] Hylodes caete • A New Species of Hylodes (Anura, Hylodidae) from Serra do Mar, Southeastern Brazil: The Fourth with Nuptial Thumb Tubercles

Hylodes caete

Malagoli, de Sá, Canedo & Haddad, 2017 

   DOI: 10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-16-00069 

Abstract

Among the 25 Hylodes species described to date, only three species are known to have nuptial tubercles on the thumb, H. fredi, H. phyllodes, and H. pipilans. Careful analysis of the populations of these three species led us to discover a fourth, undescribed species from the Atlantic Forest of Serra do Mar in the State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. The new species exhibits light-colored, oblique lateral stripes and belongs to the Hylodes lateristrigatus group. The new species differs from its congeners by possessing the combination of three traits: (1) pointed nuptial tubercles, distributed in an elliptical area at the base of the dorsal surface of the thumb of males; (2) medium-sized; and (3) parameters of the advertisement call. Molecular analysis of a mitochondrial gene sequence (16S) strongly corroborates the description of phenotype by showing that the new species is genetically distinct from H. fredi, H. phyllodes, and H. pipilans. We also provide information on the natural history, behavior, and conservation status of the new species.

Keywords: Atlantic Forest, Brazilian torrent frogs, Hylodes phyllodes, Sympatry, Syntopy, Vocalization

FIG. 1.— Live adult male Hylodes caete sp. nov. (holotype CFBH 40524; snout–vent length ¼ 31.6 mm). Photograph taken in Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, municipality of Itanhaém, State of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. 

  

Hylodes caete sp. nov.

Hylodes sp. (aff. phyllodes); Trevine et al. (2014):130

Etymology.— The name of the new species, caete, is a noun in apposition that is derived from the combination of two indigenous Tupi words, ‘‘caa’’ and ‘‘ete.’’ The combination expresses ‘‘true forest’’ with, respectively, ‘‘caa’’ meaning forest and ‘‘ete’’ meaning true. Here, caete refers to the high preserved forests that harbor the fast streams with clear water in which the new species is known to breed. 

Distribution.— Hylodes caete is known from the crests and slopes in high montane, montane, and submontane dense ombrophilous forests of Serra do Mar in the State of São Paulo. ...

Leo R. Malagoli, Fábio P. de Sá, Clarissa Canedo and Célio F. B. Haddad. 2017.  A New Species of Hylodes (Anura, Hylodidae) from Serra do Mar, Southeastern Brazil: The Fourth with Nuptial Thumb Tubercles. Herpetologica. 73(2); 136-147.  DOI: 10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-16-00069

     Nova espécie de sapo é descoberta por cientistas em São Paulo -  http://sustentabilidade.estadao.com.br/blogs/ambiente-se/nova-especie-de-sapo-vive-em-sao-paulo/  @estadao

Resumo: Dentre as 25 espécies de Hylodes descritas, eram conhecidas somente três com tubérculos nupciais nos polegares, H. fredi, H. phyllodes e H. pipilans. A análise cuidadosa das populações destas três espécies de Hylodes permitiu a identificação da existência da uma quarta espécie não descrita para a Mata Atlântica da Serra do Mar no Estado de São Paulo, Sudeste do Brasil. Apresentando listras laterais oblíquas de coloração clara, a nova espécie também pertence ao grupo de Hylodes lateristrigatus. A nova espécie se diferencia dos seus congêneres pela combinação de três características: (1) tubérculos nupciais pontiagudos, distribuídos em uma área elíptica na base da superfície dorsal dos polegares dos machos; (2) tamanho médio; e (3) parâmetros do canto de anúncio. A análise molecular da sequência de um gene mitocondrial (16S) corrobora fortemente nossas conclusões fenotípicas, demonstrando que a nova espécie é geneticamente distinta de H. fredi, H. phyllodes e H. pipilans. São também apresentadas informações sobre a história natural, comportamento e o estado de conservação da nova espécie.