ABSTRACT
Species of Brachycephalus has been having taxonomical issues due its morphological similarity and genetic conservatism. Herein, we describe a new species of Brachycephalus from the south Mantiqueira mountain range and semidecidual forests in the municipalities of Mogi das Cruzes, Campinas and Jundiaí, state of São Paulo, Brazil, based on an integrative approach. It can be distinguished from all species of the B. ephippium species group based on morphological characters (especially osteology and head shape), advertisement call and divergence in partial mitochondrial DNA gene sequences (16S). The new species is genetically similar to B. margaritatus and morphologically similar to B. ephippium. It can be differentiated from B. ephippium by the presence of dark faded spots on skull and post-cranial plates, presence of black connective tissue connective tissue scattered over dorsal musculature, parotic plate morphology, smaller snout-vent length (adult SVL: males 13.46-15.92 mm; females 16.04-17.69 mm) and 3% genetic distance. We also present natural history data and discuss the robustness of the integrative approach, geographic distribution, genetic data, behaviour, fluorescence in ontogeny, and conservation status.
Subject(s)
Anura , DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics , Phylogeny , Animals , Anura/anatomy & histology , Anura/classification , Anura/geneticsABSTRACT
Natural history of the marsupial frog Gastrotheca albolineata (Anura: Hemiphractidae) in lowland Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Gastrotheca albolineata is a marsupial frog endemic to the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. It remains poorly studied in nature and is uncommon in herpetological collections. We studied the natural history of G. albolineata during a four-year period (2015 to 2019), in Ubatuba, São Paulo state, Brazil, at its southernmost distribution. Our results show that G. albolineata is arboreal, perches from low to medium heights, and breeds during the dry season without chorus aggregation. Calling activity occurs during the day but is more intense during the first half of the night. We used dorsal body markings to identify individuals. Six individuals were recaptured during the study, indicating site fidelity during the active season. The defensive repertory of G. albolineata contains seven different behaviors, including a high-pitched distress call. Egg development in the female’s dorsal pouch took at least 87 days, and fully formed froglets were born with a snout–vent length of 16 mm. Our data substantially add to the knowledge of the natural history of Brazilian marsupial frogs and can be helpful to delineate conservation strategies for elusive species such as G. albolineata.
