Research Article |
Corresponding author: Miquéias Ferrão ( uranoscodon@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Angelica Crottini
© 2020 Miquéias Ferrão, Jiří Moravec, James Hanken, Albertina Pimentel Lima.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Ferrão M, Moravec J, Hanken J, Lima AP (2020) A new species of Dendropsophus (Anura, Hylidae) from southwestern Amazonia with a green bilobate vocal sac. ZooKeys 942: 77-104. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.942.51864
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Recent studies have shown that species diversity of the South American frog genus Dendropsophus is significantly underestimated, especially in Amazonia. Herein, through integrative taxonomy a new species of Dendropsophus from the east bank of the upper Madeira River, Brazil is described. Based on molecular phylogenetic and morphological analyses, the new species is referred to the D. microcephalus species group, where it is differentiated from its congeners mainly by having a green bilobate vocal sac and an advertisement call comprising 1–4 monophasic notes emitted with a dominant frequency of 8,979–9,606 Hz. Based on intensive sampling conducted in the study area over the last ten years, the new species is restricted to the east bank of the upper Madeira River, although its geographic range is expected to include Bolivian forests close to the type locality.
Amphibia, advertisement call, Amazonian biodiversity, Dendropsophus microcephalus species group, Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov., integrative taxonomy, morphology, upper Madeira River
The genus Dendropsophus Fitzinger, 1843 is a taxonomically difficult group of small and, for the most part, morphologically similar species. The group exhibits high species diversity – 108 species are currently recognized, of which 66 occur in Brazilian Amazonia (
The advertisement call is the most common mate-recognition signal among anurans; it has a direct impact on sexual selection and speciation (e.g.,
In the Dendropsophus microcephalus species group, a similarly high dominant frequency has been reported only for two “monophasic” species: D. meridianus (Lutz, 1954) and D. ozzyi Orrico, Peloso, Sturaro, Silva, Neckel-Oliveira, Gordo, Faivovich & Haddad, 2014 (
We believe that the unknown Dendropsophus with high dominant frequency calls represent at least two new species, which differ markedly in body shape, coloration and molecular characters. Herein, we provide formal description of the most strikingly distinct of these species, which to date is known only from the east bank of the upper Madeira River. In addition to its distinctive advertisement call, the species is characterized by a green bilobate vocal sac. Our description combines morphological, bioacoustic and molecular data.
We examined adult specimens of three forms of Dendropsophus collected in nine long-term ecological research (hereafter RAPELD) sampling sites (
Sampling site | Acronym | Geographic coordinates | Madeira River bank |
---|---|---|---|
Module 11 | M11 | 07°13'06"S, 63°05'31"W | West |
Teotônio | TEO | 08°48'26"S, 64°05'56"W | West |
Bufalo | BUF | 09°09'32"S, 64°37'59"W | West |
Pedras | PED | 09°06'28"S, 64°30'46"W | West |
Jirau-Esquerdo | JIE | 09°17'52"S, 64°46'10"W | West |
Jaci-Novo | JAN | 09°24'45"S, 64°26'33"W | East |
Jaci-Direito | JAD | 09°27'44"S, 64°23'32"W | East |
Jirau-Direito | JID | 09°21'43"S, 64°41'31"W | East |
Morrinhos | MOR | 09°04'34"S, 64°14'46"W | East |
The format for the description follows
Schematic map showing RAPELD sampling sites in the upper Madeira River, Brazilian Amazonia. Symbols: green squares, Dendropsophus sp. A; orange pentagons, Dendropsophus sp. B; red diamond and circle, type and paratype localities of Dendropsophus sp. nov., respectively; white circles, referred specimens of Dendropsophus sp. nov. West bank: M11, Module 11; TEO, Teotônio; BUF, Bufalo; PED, Pedras; JIE, Jirau-Esquerdo. East bank: MOR, Morrinhos; JAD, Jaci-Direito; JAN, Jaci-Novo; JID, Jirau-Direito.
We included samples of three forms of small-sized Dendropsophus collected in the area of the upper Madeira River during surveys in 2011–2013. The aim of those surveys was to detect phylogenetic diversity of Dendropsophus species distributed in this region. For the final dataset, we retrieved additional sequences of Dendropsophus from GenBank to locate phylogenetic positions of our new material in relation to DNA sequences published earlier, most importantly by
Genomic DNA was extracted from muscle tissue of 16 specimens of the three new forms. DNA extractions were obtained using the Wizard Genomic DNA Purification Kit (Promega Corporation, USA) following the manufacturer’s protocols. We used the 16sbr (GCCGTCTGAACTCAGATCGCAT) and 16sar (CGCCTGTTTATCAAAAACAT) primers (
Sequences were visually checked and edited with GENEIOUS 7.1.7 (GeneMatters Corp, Minneapolis, MN, USA). The final 16S rRNA matrix was composed of 63 terminals and 495 bp. BIOEDIT (
Phylogenetic trees were inferred through Maximum Likelihood (ML). The ML phylogenetic tree was calculated under the GTRGAMMA model with IQTREE webserver (
Advertisement calls of three males of the new Dendropsophus species (
Seven advertisement calls were analyzed for each recorded male. Advertisement call parameters were measured in RAVEN 1.5 (
The Maximum Likelihood (ML) analysis based on 16S rRNA recovers several well-supported clades within Dendropsophus (Fig.
Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic tree of Dendropsophus inferred from the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene (495 bp). Bootstrap values are shown close to nodes. Highlighted clades represent taxa from the upper Madeira River. Red horizontal bar denotes specimens from the east bank of the river; green and orange bars indicate specimens from the west bank.
Specimens from the east bank of the river, which are characterized by high-pitched calls and a bilobate vocal sac of green color when deflated (hereafter referred as Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov.), are grouped in a well-supported clade (ML support = 96) consisting of D. mathiassoni (Cochran & Goin, 1970), D. juliani Moravec, Aparicio & Köhler, 2006, D. juliani A (sensu
Interspecific pairwise genetic distances (expressed as a percentage and based on the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene) between species of Dendropsophus, especially those in the D. microcephalus species group. Lower diagonal: uncorrected p-distance. Upper diagonal: Kimura-2-parameters (K2P).
Species | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | D. rhodopeplus | 8.0 | 11.7 | 10.2 | 10.5 | 11.3 | 10.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.9 | 9.1 | 9.4 | 9.3 | 7.4 | 10.7 | 9.1 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 9.0 | |
2 | D. leali | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 7.0 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 6.2 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 7.4 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 7.7 | |
3 | D. gaucheri | 10.6 | 8.0 | 14.9 | 13.2 | 10 | 9.3 | 8.7 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 9.4 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 9.3 | 10.2 | 9.1 | 7.5 | 9.1 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 8.4 | |
4 | D. microcephalus | 9.5 | 7.9 | 13.3 | 3.7 | 12.1 | 11 | 10.3 | 9.5 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 10.6 | 11.5 | 12.1 | 12 | 10.6 | 13 | 11.5 | 11.1 | 10.6 | 10.4 | |
5 | D. microcephalus COL | 9.6 | 6.6 | 12 | 3.6 | 11.1 | 10.4 | 9.0 | 9.4 | 10.4 | 11 | 9.0 | 10.8 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 10.8 | |
6 | D. sp. A | 10.4 | 7.8 | 9.2 | 11 | 10.2 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 9.1 | 10.5 | 9.1 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 7.8 | |
7 | D. sp. B | 9.5 | 7.2 | 8.7 | 10.1 | 9.7 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 10.4 | 8.2 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.5 | |
8 | D. reichlei | 8.6 | 6.3 | 8.1 | 9.6 | 8.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 7.0 | |
9 | D. coffea | 8.6 | 6.6 | 8.3 | 8.9 | 8.8 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 9.2 | 8.6 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 7.1 | |
10 | D. nanus/walfordi | 8.7 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 6.0 | 7.1 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 6.5 | |
11 | D. meridianus | 8.6 | 6.0 | 8.7 | 10.7 | 10.1 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 5.6 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 6.1 | |
12 | D. bipunctatus | 9.2 | 6.3 | 9.8 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 5.8 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 4.9 | 6.0 | |
13 | D. berthalutzae | 8.5 | 5.9 | 8.5 | 10.6 | 9.9 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 4.6 | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.4 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 6.0 | |
14 | D. cachimbo A | 8.8 | 8.0 | 8.7 | 11.1 | 10.5 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 6.6 | 7.4 | 6.9 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 3.4 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 5.2 | |
15 | D. rozenmani | 8.7 | 8.2 | 9.5 | 11 | 9.9 | 8.2 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 5.2 | 7.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 6.1 | |
16 | D. mathiassoni | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 9.8 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 4.7 | |
17 | D. minusculus | 9.9 | 8.5 | 7.1 | 11.8 | 11.4 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.8 | |
18 | D. sanborni | 8.5 | 7.9 | 8.5 | 10.6 | 9.7 | 8.5 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 4.1 | |
19 | D. juliani | 8.5 | 7.0 | 8.7 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 4.2 | |
20 | D. juliani A | 7.9 | 7.5 | 8.6 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 3.4 | |
21 | D. bilobatus sp. nov. | 8.4 | 7.3 | 7.8 | 9.6 | 9.9 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 5.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 |
Dendropsophus specimens from the west bank of the upper Madeira River cluster in sister position to D. reichlei Moravec, Aparicio, Guerrero-Reinhard, Calderon & Köhler, 2008 from Bolivia (ML support = 98). These frogs sort into two well-supported sister lineages (ML support = 98; Fig.
Because Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov. also differs from other congeneric species by its remarkably distinct morphology, we here describe it as a new species. Resolution of the taxonomic status of D. sp. A and D. sp. B is pending the results of additional species delimitation tests, which will be treated in a future study.
Holotype.
Paratopotypes.
Five males:
Paratypes.
Two males:
Referred material.
Three males:
We assign this species to Dendropsophus based on our molecular phylogenetic analysis (Fig.
A species of the Dendropsophus microcephalus species group, distinguished from other species of Dendropsophus by the following combination of characters: (1) small size, SVL 18.8–20.8 mm (N = 8) in males (females unknown), head slightly wider than body; (2) snout short, truncate in dorsal and lateral views; (3) tympanum evident, round, about one third of eye diameter, tympanic annulus distinct anteriorly, ventrally and partly posteriorly; supratympanic fold barely evident; (4) dentigerous processes of vomers small, barely prominent, and separated medially between posterior halves of choanae; (5) skin on dorsal surfaces smooth; (6) tarsal fold and tubercles on outer edge of tarsus absent; ulnar folds and tubercles absent; (7) axillary membrane extensively developed; (8) fingers about half webbed; toes about three-fourths webbed; (9) bifid distal subarticular tubercle under fourth finger; (10) pectoral glands absent; (11) generally darker coloration of the loreal-tympanic region contrasts sharply with the lighter dorsal head coloration, one or two white spots below the eye; (12) in life, ground coloration of dorsum light brown; head greenish brown laterally; flanks ventrally and posteriorly a translucent pinkish white without chromatophores; hidden surfaces of thighs yellow without melanophores; (13) in life, throat green in males; belly yellowish-white in pectoral and central parts, translucent pinkish-white in posterior and lateral parts; ventral surfaces of thighs translucent pinkish white; (14) in life, iris pale to dark brown with barely visible tiny brown veins, iris periphery dark brown to black; bones white; (15) advertisement call consisting of 1–4 notes (usually 1–2 notes), emitted regularly in series of 7–35 calls; high-pitched, monophasic, pulsed notes (3–8 pulses) with a duration of 12–24 ms and a dominant frequency of 8,979–9,606 Hz.
Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov. is readily distinguished from all congeners by having a green bilobate subgular vocal sac (some members of the D. marmoratus species group have a bilobate vocal sac, but not green) and a monophasic advertisement call with a remarkably high dominant frequency (8,979–9,606 Hz). Below we describe additional important differences between the new species and other members of the D. microcephalus species group (sensu
Three species of the Dendropsophus microcephalus species group have advertisement calls with a high dominant frequency: D. meridianus (Lutz, 1954), D. minusculus, and D. ozzyi. However, D. meridianus differs from D. bilobatus in having a snout slightly acuminate in lateral view (truncate), a single subgular yellow vocal sac (bilobate, green), dark dorsal lines or stripes on the dorsum (absent), absence of white subocular spots (present;
The dark-greenish-brown coloration of the loreal-tympanic region of Dendropsophus bilobatus , which sharply contrasts with the light brown dorsal head coloration, resembles the head color pattern of D. coffea (Köhler, Jungfer & Reichle, 2005), D. cruzi (Pombal & Bastos, 1998), D. studerae (Carvalho-e-Silva, Carvalho-e-Silva & Izecksohn, 2003), D. juliani, D. meridianus, D. microcephalus (Cope, 1886), D. minusculus, D. shiwiarum Ortega-Andrade & Ron, 2013, D. tintinnabulum (Melin, 1941), and D. reichlei, but the new species is easily distinguished from each named species as follows (species already distinguished above are not listed here): D. coffea lacks white subocular spots (present) and has dark brown dorsal stripes (absent;
In our phylogenetic analysis, the clade that contains Dendropsophus bilobatus is closely related to D. bipunctatus (Spix, 1824), D. meridianus and D. berthalutzae (Bokermann, 1962) from the southern and southeastern Brazilian coast (Fig.
Nine other small Amazonian species have been associated with the Dendropsophus microcephalus species group. These species differ from D. bilobatus in having the following combinations of characters: D. joannae (Köhler & Lötters, 2001) has tuberculate dorsal skin (smooth), a red inner iris in life (iris light to dark brown), and uniform head coloration without white subocular spots (coloration of loreal-tympanic region sharply outlined, subocular spots present;
Ten other small Amazonian species belong to the Dendropsophus rubicundulus clade of the D. microcephalus species group (sensu Faivovich 2005). These species can be distinguished from D. bilobatus as follows: D. anataliasiasi (Bokermann, 1972), D. araguaya (Napoli & Caramaschi, 1998), D. cerradensis (Napoli & Caramaschi, 1998), D. jimi (Napoli & Caramaschi, 1999), D. rhea (Napoli & Caramaschi, 1999), D. rozenmani, D. rubicundulus (Reinhardt & Lütken, 1862) and D. tritaeniatus (Bokermann, 1965) lack white subocular spots (present) and have conspicuous dark brown stripes or small dark brown spots arranged in longitudinal lines on the dorsum (dorsum with irregular pattern of irregular yellow spots or small dark brown dots;
The two unnamed forms of Dendropsophus in the D. microcephalus species group from the west bank of the upper Madeira River (D. sp. A and D. sp. B) differ from D. bilobatus in having a single yellow subgular vocal sac (bilobate, green) and pointed discs on toes and fingers (rounded).
Five Dendropsophus species distantly related to the D. microcephalus species group are reported from the area of the upper Madeira River (A. P. Lima personal data): D. kamagarini Rivadeneira, Venegas & Ron, 2018, D. koechlini (Duellman & Trueb, 1989), D. leucophyllatus (Beireis, 1783), D. minutus (Peters, 1872) and D. sarayacuensis (Shreve, 1935). These species differ clearly in their larger size and coloration (Rodriguez and Duellman 1994,
Currently, Dendropsophus amicorum (Mijares-Urrutia, 1998), D. battersbyi (Rivero, 1961), D. bromeliaceus Ferreira, Faivovich, Beard, & Pombal, 2015 and D. yaracuyanus (Mijares-Urrutia & Rivero, 2000) are not assigned with certainty to any species group. However, Dendropsophus bilobatus differs from D. amicorum, D. battersbyi and D. yaracuyanus by the SVL in males of 18.8–20.8 mm in males (SVL 22.8 mm in the male holotype of D. amicorum, SVL 33 mm in the male holotype of D. battersbyi, SVL 28.5–30.4 mm in males of D. yaracuyanus;
Dorsal view of the body (A) and ventral views of the body (B), hand (C) and foot (D) of the preserved holotype of Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov. (
Skin on head, dorsum, dorsal surfaces of limbs and flanks smooth; vocal sac and ventral surfaces of arms smooth; belly smooth laterally, coarsely granular medially; lower surfaces of thighs and surroundings of cloaca slightly granular. Cloacal opening directed posteroventrally at midlevel of thigh, covered dorsally by a wide cloacal sheath. Choanae small, vertically oval; dentigerous processes of vomers small, three vomerine teeth present on the right process, absent on the left process. Tongue cordiform, posterior third not attached to the floor of the mouth. Vocal slits long, extending from the midlateral base of the tongue to the angle of the jaw; anterior part covered by the lateral margin of the tongue. Vocal sac bilobate, subgular (Figs
Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov. from the Jaci-Parana River, a tributary of the east bank of the upper Madeira River, municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil, in life. A, B Holotype,
In life (Fig.
In alcohol (Fig.
Holotype measurements (in mm): SVL, 18.8; HL, 6.1; HW, 6.6; EN, 1.7; ED, 2.5; IOD, 2.3; TD, 0.8; 3FD, 0.8; 4TD, 0.8; TL, 14.4; THL, 10.3; TAL, 5.6; FL, 14.1.
The morphology of paratypes and paratopotypes does not deviate from that of the holotype. Morphometric measurements of all type specimens are shown in Table
Morphometric measurements of the type series of Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov. from the east bank of the Madeira River, Municipality of Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil. Bold font denotes the holotype. Abbreviations: Desv., standard deviation, Min., minimum, Max., maximum. Morphometric abbreviations are described in Materials and methods.
Voucher | SVL | HL | HW | EM | ED | IOD | TD | 3FD | 4TD | TL | THL | TAL | FL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
18.8 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 5.6 | 8.4 |
|
20.1 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 6.1 | 9.2 |
|
19.4 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 10.7 | 10.2 | 6.1 | 9.0 |
|
19.9 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 10.2 | 10.2 | 5.9 | 8.8 |
|
18.9 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 5.6 | 8.1 |
|
19.6 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 11.2 | 11.0 | 6.2 | 9.5 |
|
20.8 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 11.5 | 10.9 | 6.0 | 9.4 |
|
19.4 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 5.5 | 8.6 |
Mean | 19.6 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 5.9 | 8.9 |
Desv. | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.5 |
Min. | 18.8 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 10.2 | 9.5 | 5.5 | 8.1 |
Max. | 20.8 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 6.2 | 9.5 |
The advertisement call of Dendropsophus bilobatus (Fig.
Advertisement call of Dendropsophus bilobatus sp. nov. from the RAPELD Jaci-Novo sampling site, Jaci-Parana River, a tributary of the east bank of the upper Madeira River, municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil. A Oscillogram of a call series composed of 24 calls. Spectrograms (upper graphs) and oscillograms (lower graphs) of calls formed by B one C two D three and E four pulsed notes. Recorded male:
Our research team has sampled frogs at more than 150 permanent sampling sites distributed on both banks of the upper Madeira River and along the Purus-Madeira Interfluve. Yet, we have only observed Dendropsophus bilobatus in the lowland ombrophilous open forest on the east bank of the upper Madeira River. This area is close to the border between Brazil and Bolivia, and we expect that the new species also occurs in Bolivian lowland ombrophilous open forest, as do other anuran species that are known exclusively from the east bank of the upper Madeira River (e.g., Hydrolaetare caparu [Jansen, Gonzales-Álvarez & Köhler, 2007] and Hamptophryne alios [Wild, 1995];
To date, specimens of Dendropsophus bilobatus have been observed only in the rainy season (early November to late March), which coincides with the species’ breeding season. Calling males were observed in flooded areas connected to rivers of moderate (Jaci-Parana River) to large size (Madeira River). Males typically call in a large chorus while perched on leaves and tiny trunks that range in height from just a few centimeters above the water surface to ~ 2 m high. Males start calling in the crepuscule (~ 18:00 hs) and call activity has been observed at least to approximately midnight. When call activity ends remains unknown. Amplexus has not been observed. Other sympatric frogs include Rhaebo guttatus (Schneider, 1799), Boana cinerascens (Spix, 1824), B. lanciformis (Cope, 1871), Scinax sp. 6 (sensu
The specific name bilobatus is derived from the Latin noun bilobate. The name refers to the characteristic bilobate shape of the vocal sac of males of the new species.
The upper Madeira River is characterized by high biodiversity; several priority areas for conservation are identified in this region (Capobianco 2001). Yet, recent studies have revealed that knowledge of the species diversity of amphibians inhabiting forests in the upper Madeira River is still incomplete, and description of new species is ongoing (e.g.,
Based on general morphological similarity with specimens in the type series, we tentatively refer specimens from Jirau-Direito and Morrinhos, two localities in the east bank of the upper Madeira River, to D. bilobatus. However, these specimens differ from the type material in some otherwise conserved characters (e.g., dorsal skin texture and color of iris), and there are no molecular data from them that might clarify their taxonomic relationship to the sequenced type specimens. Therefore, we have chosen not to include these specimens in the type series of D. bilobatus to avoid confounding specimens of the new species with what might turn out to be a second, but undescribed, cryptic species.
Intrageneric variation in vocal sac shape is not unusual in anurans, e.g., single subgular median in Osteocephalus subtilis and O. oophagus, single subgular expanded laterally in O. vilarsi, and paired lateral in O. taurinus (Jungfer and Schiesari 1995; Jungfer et al. 2013; Ferrão et al. 2019). As a result, vocal sac shape is a widely used character in anuran taxonomy and systematics. Aside from some members of the Dendropsophus marmoratus species group, D. bilobatus is the only species in the genus to possess a bilobate subgular vocal sac. All other congeners differ in the size and extent of a single subgular vocal sac, e.g., medium size in D. bromeliaceus, large size in D. juliani, well developed and extending laterally over the forearms in D. ozzyi (
Intrageneric differences in vocal sac shape have been associated with different breeding strategies in some neotropical anurans. For example, a small or indistinct single subgular vocal sac in phytotelmata-associated Osteocephalus is hypothesized to be a morphological adaptation for calling in small cavities relative to the large paired sacs of pond-breeding congeners (Jungfer and Hödl 2002;
We are in debt to Edgar Lehr and Jörn Köhler for their valuable comments on this manuscript. We thank Santo Antônio Energia S.A. for supporting our fieldwork on the upper Madeira River and Centro de Estudos Integrados da Biodiversidade Amazônica (CENBAM) for supporting fieldwork at central Purus-Madeira interfluve. Fernanda Werneck and Ariane Silva provided access to the
Programa de Apoio a Núcleos de Excelencia – PRONEX (FAPEAM/CNPq proj. 003/2009, proc. 653/2009). MF was financially supported by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (PDJ process 154325/2018-0) and by an Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. JM was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2019-2023/6.VI.b, National Museum Prague, 00023272).
Additional specimens used in comparisons.
Dendropsophus sp. A: BRAZIL: Amazonas: BR-319, RAPELD Module 11 (APL 19069-71, 20806); Rondônia: Porto Velho, RAPELD Teotônio (APL 22013, 22067).
Dendropsophus sp. B: BRAZIL: Rondônia: Porto Velho, RAPELD Bufalo (APL 19281, 20563), RAPELD Pedras (APL 19310, 19311, 20556, 20557).
Dendropsophus aperomeus: PERU: Amazonas: 8 km NNE of Balzapata (KU 181812 [holotype]); Huánuco: 30 km NE Tingo María, Cordillera Azul (AMNH 91917–18 [paratypes]); San Martín: Rioja: Venceremos, 89 km NW Rioja (KU 212085–98).
Dendropsophus coffea: BOLIVIA: La Paz: 55 km on road from Caranavi to Palos Blancos (NKA 6538 [holotype], ZFMK 80590 [paratype]); 5 km N Río Beni bridge, near Sapecho (CBF 5538, ZFMK 82182 [paratypes]).
Dendropsophus delarivai: BOLIVIA: Cochabamba: road from Paractito to Cochabamba via El Palmar (CBF 3332 [holotype], CBF 3331, CBF 3336–37, KU 224700, MNCN 23696–97, ZSM 1–3/1999, ZFMK 67139–42, ZFMK 70317 [paratypes]); La Paz: Colonia Eduardo Avaroa (NKA 6539, ZFMK 80587–88).
Dendropsophus joannae: BOLIVIA: Pando: Cobija (CBF 3323 [holotype], CBF 3324–26, KU 224701–03, ZFMK 67119–20, ZFMK 67121–24 [paratypes]); Nacebe (NMP6V 72169/1–2).
Dendropsophus leali: BOLIVIA: Beni: El Porvenir (CBF 2449–50, ZFMK 62826); Totaizal (CBF 2358–61); Bosque Chimanes (CBF 1859–60); Infierno Verde (CBF 1861–62); Puerto Almacén, Río Ibaré (ZFMK 60721–22); Rurrenabaque (CBF 1080); Cochabamba: 6.5 km N Chipiriri (KU 136281–94); Pando: Bolpebra (CBF 5806, NMP6V 72562). BRAZIL: Rondônia: Forte Príncipe da Beira (KU 92058–59 [paratypes]). PERU: Loreto: Puerto Almendras (NMP6V 71183); Madre de Dios: Cuzco Amazónico, 15 km E Puerto Maldonado (KU 205488–92, 205498–590, 207577–79).
Dendropsophus mapinguari: BRAZIL: Amazonas: kilometer 168 of the BR-319 federal highway, Purus-Madeira Interfluve (
Dendropsophus meridianus: BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: 20 km N of Rio de Janeiro (ZFMK 39499–500).
Dendropsophus microcephalus: COSTA RICA: Guanacaste: Colorado (ZFMK 62142–48). VENEZUELA: Sucre: Parare (ZFMK 36085–94).
Dendropsophus minimus: BRAZIL: Amazonas: Taperinha (near Santarem) (NMW 19436 [holotype]).
Dendropsophus minutus: BOLIVIA: Chuquisaca: W of Vaca Guzmán (ZFMK 66045); Santa Cruz: Samaipata (ZFMK 60403–07); Laguna de Bermejo (ZFMK 60440); Pando: Barracón (NMP6V 72803/1–2); Bolpebra (NMP6V 72566); Cobija (NMP6V 72466, ZFMK 66790); Sena (NMP6V 72802/1–4).
Dendropsophus miyatai: PERU: Loreto: Anguilla (NMP6V 71259).
Dendropsophus nanus: BOLIVIA: Beni: Puerto Almacén (ZFMK 60458–62); 6.5 km NE of Riberalta (NMP6V 70693/1–3), 2 km SW of Riberalta (NMP6V 70694); Santa Cruz: Buenavista (ZFMK 80011–14); San Ramón (ZFMK 60391–92); La Florida (ZFMK 60374–81); Santa Cruz de la Sierra (ZFMK 67001). PARAGUAY: Chaco: 23 km S of Filadelfia (ZFMK 53262–66).
Dendropsophus praestans: COLOMBIA: Huila: Parque Arqueológico San Augustín (MCZ-A 100216 [paratype]).
Dendropsophus riveroi: BOLIVIA: Beni: El Trimefo (CBF 1960–90); road San Borja–Trinidad, Río Matos (CBF 2456–57); Totaizal (CBF 2691); Cobija (ZFMK 67145–48); Santa Cruz: Buenavista (ZFMK 80015–17). COLOMBIA: Amazonas: Leticia (CM 37433 [holotype]).
Dendropsophus rhodopeplus: BOLIVIA: Pando: Bioceanica (CBF 5813–14, NMP6V 72568); Bolpebra (NMP6V 72569). PERU: Loreto: Puerto Almendras (NMP6V 71179). BRAZIL: AMAZONAS: Porong, Rio Juruá (
Dendropsophus cf. rubicundulus: BOLIVIA: La Paz: Puerto Moscoso, Laguna Piraña (CBF 5360–61).
Dendropsophus cf. schubarti: BOLIVIA: La Paz: La Paz: Puerto Moscoso, Laguna Piraña (CBF 5317).
Dendropsophus tritaeniatus: BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz: P.N. Noel Kempff Mercado (ZFMK 72688).
Dendropsophus walfordi: BRAZIL: Amazonas: Lago Catalão (
Dendropsophus xapuriensis: BOLIVIA: Pando: Bioceanica, (CBF 5684–89, NMP6V 72571/1–6).
Species, voucher numbers, GenBank accession numbers, and localities of samples used for phylogenetic analyses.
Species | Voucher | GenBank | Locality | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
D. berthalutzae | CFBH5418 | AY843607 | Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias |
|
D. bifurcus | QCAZA23802 | KY406446 | Ecuador: Morona Santiago, 4 Km N de Macas |
|
D. bipunctatus | MRT5946 | AY843608 | Brazil: Bahia, Jussari, Serra do Teimoso |
|
D. brevifrons | QCAZA48099 | KT721783 | Ecuador: Pompeya |
|
D. cachimbo A | MNKA9655 | JF790046 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Ñuflo de Chavez, San Sebastián |
|
D. cachimbo A | MNKA9656 | JF790047 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Ñuflo de Chavez, San Sebastián |
|
D. carnifex | QCAZA39333 | KY406456 | Ecuador: Ecuador: Imbabura, Santa Rosa |
|
D. coffea | ZFMK82181 | JF790050 | Bolivia: La Paz, Sur Yungas, near Sapecho |
|
D. counani | MNHN2015.107 | KT721771 | French Guiana: Montagne tortue grande |
|
D. decipiens | CFBHT07254 | KU495203 | Brazil: Sao Paulo, Cananeia |
|
D. elianeae | ITH0653 | AY843661 | Brazil: Sao Paulo, Buri |
|
D. gaucheri | 62BM | JF973303 | French Guiana: Savane Corossony |
|
D. gaucheri | UTAA61327 | JF973302 | Suriname: Sipaliwini |
|
D. juliani | CBF5926 | JF790052 | Bolivia: Pando, Madre de Dios, Borracón |
|
D. juliani | NMP6V72799/3 | JF790051 | Bolivia: Pando, Madre de Dios, Borracón |
|
D. juliani A | MNKA9579 | JF790053 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Velasco, Caparu |
|
D. juliani A | MNKA9919 | JX187447 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Velasco, Caparu |
|
D. leali | MNKA9706 | JF790057 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Ñuflo de Chavez, San Sebastián |
|
D. leali | MNKA10358 | KF723024 | Bolivia |
|
D. leucophyllatus | MNHN2015.127 | KY406356 | French Guiana: Petit-saut |
|
D. luddeckei | Chiquinquira03 | JF422599 | Colombia |
|
D. manonegra | MHUAA7336 | KF009943 | Colombia: Caqueta, Florencia, vereda Sucre |
|
D. mathiassoni | AJC1746 | KP149479 | Colombia: Meta, San Juan de Arama, Caserio Miraflores |
|
D. mathiassoni | AJC3923 | KP149474 | Colombia: Meta, San Juan de Arama, Caserio Miraflores |
|
D. melanargyreus | AS682 | KF723036 | Bolivia |
|
D. meridianus | KM390784 | Brazil | Chaves et al., unpublished | |
D. microcephalus | UTAA50632 | AY843643 | Honduras: Atlantida, Cordillera Nombre de Dios |
|
D. microcephalus | AJC4038 | KP149404 | Colombia: Santander, Reserva el arboretum |
|
D. microcephalus | AJC3887 | KP149423 | Colombia: Santander, Sabana de Torres, Sabana de Torres |
|
D. minusculus | 48mc | EF376061 | French Guiana | Salducci et al., unpublished |
D. minutus | MNRJ77141 | KJ833250 | Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo |
|
D. miyatai | JPC10772 | AY843647 | Ecuador: Sucumbios |
|
D. nanus | MNKA9474 | JF790086 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Sara, Buenavista |
|
D. nanus | MACN37785 | AY549346 | Argentina: Entre Rios, Dto. Islas del Ibicuy |
|
D. nanus | SMF88421 | JX187442 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Ichilo, Buenavista |
|
D. novaisi | ZUEC17858 | KY053470 | Brazil: Jequie, Bahia State |
|
D. reichlei | EBT1 | JF790109 | Bolivia: Pando, Manuripi, Estación Biológica Tahuamanu |
|
D. reichlei | EBT2 | JF790108 | Bolivia: Pando, Manuripi, Estación Biológica Tahuamanu |
|
D. rhodopeplus | QCAZA44584 | KY406466 | Ecuador: Orellana, Huiririma |
|
D. rhodopeplus | QCAZA44329 | KY406465 | Ecuador: Orellana, Chiroisla |
|
D. rozenmani | MNKA9531 | JF790112 | Bolivia: Santa Cruz, Velasco, Caparu |
|
D. rozenmani | MNKA9368 | JF790115 | Bolivia: Beni, Yucuma, Los Lagos |
|
D. sanborni | MACN38638 | AY843663 | Argentina: Entre Rios, Dto. Islas del Ibicuy, Ruta 12 vieja |
|
D. soaresi | ZUEC16867 | KY053471 | Brazil: Barreiras, Bahia State |
|
D. walfordi | MJH129 | AY843683 | Brazil |
|
D. xapuriensis | TG2812 | KJ940034 | Brazil: Acre, Tarauaca |
|
D. bilobatus sp. nov. |
|
MN977834 | Brazil: Rondonia, Porto Velho, Jaci Direito | This study |
D. bilobatus sp. nov. |
|
MN977835 | Brazil: Rondonia, Porto Velho, Jaci Novo | This study |
D. bilobatus sp. nov. |
|
MN977836 | Brazil: Rondonia, Porto Velho, Jaci Novo | This study |
D. bilobatus sp. nov. |
|
MN977837 | Brazil: Rondonia, Porto Velho, Jaci Novo | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. A | APL19069 | MN977838 | Brazil: Amazonas, BR-319, RAPELD M11 | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. A | APL19070 | MN977839 | Brazil: Amazonas, BR-319, RAPELD M11 | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. A | APL19071 | MN977840 | Brazil: Amazonas, BR-319, RAPELD M11 | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. A | APL20806 | MN977841 | Brazil: Amazonas, BR-319, RAPELD M11 | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. A | APL22013 | MN977842 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Teotônio | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. A | APL22067 | MN977843 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Teotônio | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. B | APL19281 | MN977844 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Bufalo | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. B | APL19310 | MN977845 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Pedras | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. B | APL19311 | MN977846 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Pedras | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. B | APL20556 | MN977847 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Pedras | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. B | APL20557 | MN977848 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Pedras | This study |
Dendropsophus sp. B | APL20563 | MN977849 | Brazil: Rondônia, Porto Velho, RAPELD Bufalo | This study |
Xenohyla truncata | CFBH7600 | AY843775 | Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Restinga de Marica |
|