Species New to Science

 

The area around the Malagasy village of Andasibe, which includes Analamazaotra-Mantadia National Park as well as other protected areas, is characterized by very species-rich and well-studied communities of animals and plants, but new species are still regularly discovered. Three species of phytotelmic frogs of the subgenus Pandanusicola in the genus Guibemantis are known from this area, G. flavobrunneus, G. liber, and G. pulcher. Further Pandanusicola frogs from this area have been provisionally assigned to G. bicalcaratus or G. albolineatus, pending detailed taxonomic review. During preliminary exploration of the ecology of these specialized frogs that live and reproduce in the leaf axils of Pandanus screw pines, we noticed the syntopic presence of two differently colored and differently sized Pandanusicola in Andasibe that could not be unambiguously assigned to any known species. A genetic screening revealed that these correspond to yet two further species in the area. Based on our data, seven species of Pandanusicola occur in Andasibe and nearby forests: (1) G. liber, the only non-phytotelmic species of the subgenus in the region; (2) G. flavobrunneus which is the largest species and characterized by a diagnostic yellowish brown dorsal pattern; (3) G. pulcher, characterized by translucent-green color with purplish brown spotting not observed in any other species in the area; (4) G. methueni, a brownish species usually lacking contrasted dorsolateral bands that differs from the other species in the area by emitting a characteristic trill-like advertisement call series (rather than clicks or chirps) and according to our data is widespread along Madagascar’s east coast; as well as three new species: (5) G. ambakoana sp. nov., a brownish species, typically with contrasted incomplete light dorsolateral bands and with single click-like advertisement calls; (6) G. vakoa sp. nov., a species that is equally brownish but lacks contrasted light dorsolateral bands and that has single click-like advertisement calls of very short duration; and (7) G. rianasoa sp. nov., a species that is smaller sized and has less distinct femoral glands than all the others, and emits a short series of soft chirp-like advertisement calls. All these species are genetically highly distinct, with >5% uncorrected pairwise distances in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, and lack of haplotype sharing in two nuclear-encoded genes. The co-occurrence of seven Pandanusicola frogs in a relatively small geographic area is unprecedented in Madagascar and calls for in-depth studies of a possible differentiation in habitat use and life history.

Key words: Amphibia, Anura, Mantellidae, Pandanusicola, Guibemantis rianasoa sp. nov., Guibemantis ambakoana sp.nov., Guibemantis vakoa sp. nov., Pandanus, bioacoustics, phytotelmic breeding, microendemism, sympatry, phylogeny, systematics, taxonomy 

 Hugh Gabriel, Laila-Denise Rothe, Jörn Köhler, Sandratra Rakotomanga, Devin Edmonds, Pedro Galán, Frank Glaw, Richard M. Lehtinen, Andolalao Rakotoarison and Miguel Vences. 2024. Unexpected Diversity and Co-occurrence of phytotelmic Frogs (Guibemantis) around Andasibe, one of the most intensively surveyed Amphibian Hotspots of Madagascar, and Descriptions of Three New Species.  Zootaxa. 5397(4); 451-485. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5397.4.1

Three new species of Melanophryniscus are described from the Serra do Mar mountain range of the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. All species are found at intermediate to high altitudes and share phytotelm-breeding as their reproductive strategy. The new species are distinguished from other phytotelm-breeding Melanophryniscus based on different combinations of the following traits: snout-vent length, presence of white and/or yellow spots on forearms, mouth, belly and cloaca, pattern and arrangement of warts, and presence and number of corneous spines. The discovery of these species in a rather restricted geographical area suggests that the diversity of phytotelm-breeding species of Melanophryniscus might be severely underestimated. The conservation status of these species is of particular concern, given that one of them is at risk of extinction not only due to its restricted habitat, but also because of anthropogenic disturbances.

Etymology: The specific epithet stems from the Greek words xanthos (yellow) and stoma (mouth), indicating one of the most obvious diagnostic characters of the new species.

The life-history strategy of phytotelm-breeding is associated with a variety of differences in relation to its alternatives in Melanophryniscus. For instance, we collected a female of M. alipioi with 16 ovarian eggs (DZUP 344), which is less than half of the observed clutch size of M. moreirae (33–70 eggs; [29, 30]) and considerably fewer than the hundreds of eggs per clutch recorded in other species (56–223 in Melanophryniscus sp., 80–351 in M. stelzneri, 105 in M. dorsalis, 122 in M. montevidensis, and 294–401 in M. krauczuki), possibly indicating an adaptation for phytotelm-breeding. The reduced number of eggs recorded in a water tank (1–9) suggests that a complete clutch is laid in more than one tank. If so, the pair in amplexus might have to move from one tank to another, which might result in eggs being released accidentally. This could be the cause of the records of eggs out of the water and in apparently unusual locations.

The few cases of reproduction by species of Melanophryniscus in epiphytic bromeliads suggest that terrestrial adults have limited access to plants that are high above the ground level. The Melanophryniscus species that reproduce in bromeliads use a large number of plant species, from several genera, suggesting a lack of specificity for the species and even for a given genus of this family. In addition, the use of fallen dead bamboo as a breeding site seems to be an opportunistic strategy, since bamboos die after reproduction, which takes place at an interval of decades. Although we did not see M. xanthostomus sp. nov. calling in a water tank inside of a broken bamboo, we observed males of a population of M. cf. alipioi calling exactly in this condition (MRB pers. obs.).

It is possible that M biancae sp. nov. is widely distributed in marshes associated with grasslands across the entire Serra do Quiriri, where it was recorded, and also in the adjacent region of Serra do Araçatuba, in Paraná. However, these herbaceous habitats encompass a relatively small area in terms of their extent of occurrence (4.742 ha, of which 3.503 ha in the Serra do Quiriri). In addition, this region has experienced increasing anthropogenic impacts, such as the loss of habitat quality as a consequence of regular burning, cattle grazing, and intense invasion of exotic trees of Pinus spp. (Pinaceae). Disturbances also include replacement of natural areas due by Pinus spp. plantations in Paraná, and the construction of small dams and kaolin mining in Santa Catarina. Indeed, there is mining activity only 28 m away from the marsh of the type locality of the species. Burning and grazing by livestock can be particularly critical for the reproduction of the species, given that they eliminate and also damage E. ligulatum, the plant species used by M biancae sp. nov. as a breeding site. Consequently, M. biancae sp. nov. fits the criteria to be considered as “Endangered” (criteria B.1.a.b.(i, ii, iii)).

We highlight that the montane habitats of the new species are also occupied by three additional frog species potentially under threat of extinction, specifically Brachycephalus quiririensis at Serra do Quiriri (which includes the type localities of M biancae sp. nov. and M. xanthostomus sp. nov.), B. mariaeterezae at Serra Queimada (another locality of occurrence of M. xanthostomus sp. nov.), and B. fuscolineatus at Morro do Baú (type locality of M. milanoi sp. nov.). This reinforces the need for conservation initiatives and additional research on montane regions of the Atlantic Rainforest, whose degree of endemicity can be very high, and yet their biodiversity is still poorly understood.

Marcos R. Bornschein , Carina R. Firkowski, Diego Baldo, Luiz F. Ribeiro, Ricardo Belmonte-Lopes, Leandro Corrêa, Sérgio A. A. Morato and Marcio R. Pie. 2015. Three New Species of Phytotelm-Breeding Melanophryniscus from the Atlantic Rainforest of Southern Brazil (Anura: Bufonidae). PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142791

 

New Guinea has the most diverse insular frog fauna in the world, and rates of species discovery and description have increased rapidly in the last two decades. Pelodryadid treefrogs are the second most diverse family of anurans on the island but their taxonomy, relationships, and especially ecology remain poorly documented. Based on differences in morphology, advertisement calls (where available) and phylogenetic analyses of a 787 base pair alignment from the mitochondrial ND4 gene and flanking tRNA, we describe five new species of small treefrogs from hill and lower montane forests in the high rainfall belt that straddles the southern versant of Papua New Guinea’s Central Cordillera. Three of these species are known only from forest growing on karst substrates, adding to the growing number of herpetofauna species currently known only from the extensive karst habitats of Papua New Guinea’s South-fold Mountains. We also describe the arboreal breeding strategies of two of the new species, and report obligate treehole (phytotelm) breeding in New Guinean frogs for the first time. The new phytotelm–breeding species has juveniles with colour and patterning that closely resemble bird droppings, suggesting defensive mimicry or masquerade. A preliminary phylogeny suggests that arboreal-breeding frogs do not form a monophyletic group and that arboreal breeding has evolved multiple times within the New Guinean pelodryadid radiation. A further striking feature of the phylogeny is poor support for most basal nodes in the most diverse radiation of Melanesian Pelodryadidae, suggesting rapid ecological diversification and speciation, potentially following colonisation from Australia and/or mountain uplift. These new taxa and observations highlight previously unrecognised ecological and reproductive diversity in the Melanesian Pelodryadidae.

 

Stephen J. Richards, Stephen C. Donnellan and Paul M. Oliver. 2023. Five New Species of the pelodryadid Genus Litoria Tschudi from the southern versant of Papua New Guinea’s Central Cordillera, with Observations on the Diversification of Reproductive Strategies in Melanesian Treefrogs. Zootaxa. 5263(2); 151-190. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.1