Head in the clouds: a new dwarf frog species of the Physalaemus signifer clade (Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae) from the top of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract

In an elevational gradient, the mountain top generally presents a reduced species diversity. However, it is there where we often find microendemic and quite often still undescribed species. That prediction is very common in underexplored Neotropical mountains, like those of the Caparaó National Park – a protected area that includes the highest peak of the Atlantic Forest, a megadiverse domain. Up in its top, we found a dwarf frog of the genus Physalaemus (Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae), belonging to the P. signifer clade. After an integrative (morphological, bioacoustical, and genetic) analysis, we were able to describe it as a new species and found it to be sister to P. maculiventris. Due to its very restricted distribution at a site with extreme environmental conditions (which includes fires and frosts) and current instability in national environmental policy, we suggest this to be classified as an endangered species. A brief description of its natural history and the description of the species itself will now enable its proper conservation status categorization and the future planning for conservation actions.

The Taxonomic Status of Physalaemus cuqui Lobo, 1993, with the Description of a New Species of Physalaemus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Argentina and Paraguay

“…24, 26, their Tables 1–2, their Appendix I); Hepp and Pombal (2020b: 599); Pereyra et al (2020: their Fig. 2); Andrade-Díaz et al (2021: 3342, 3349); Leal et al (2021: their supplementary Table 1); Pereyra et al (2021a: 153).…”

“…Diagnosis Comparison with other species.-Physalaemus albonotatus can be diagnosed from all species assigned to the P. signifer clade (Lourenc ¸o et al 2015;Leal et al 2021) by the presence of tarsal tubercle, head longer than wide, biarmed chromosome Pair 11 and absence of V-shaped dorsal pattern. A telocentric chromosome Pair 11 was described for P. atlanticus, P. crombiei, P. moreirae, P. nattereri, P. spiniger, and P. signifer (Bec ¸ak 1968;de Lucca et al 1974;Silva et al 2000;Lourenc ¸o et al 2006;Ananias et al 2007).…”

“…7). Dubois et al (2021: 689, their Appendix A2); Leal et al (2021: their supplementary Table 1); Segalla et al (2021: 180); de Melo et al (2021: their Table 2); Rosset et al (2021: 237); Cacciali and Buongermini (2022: 68–69). [In part.]…”

“…In addition, some authors pointed out significant differences between the advertisement calls of P. albonotatus and P. cuqui (Barrio 1965; Ferrari and Vaira 2001; Duré et al 2003). Despite these morphological and bioacoustic differences, in the most inclusive phylogenetic analyses of Physalaemus (i.e., Lourenço et al 2015; Leal et al 2021), the unique terminal of P. cuqui (from Aguas Blancas, Salta Province, Argentina) appeared nested in a clade composed of P. albonotatus “sensu stricto” from Mato Grosso, Brazil, which suggests that the taxonomic status of the first should be re-evaluated. Moreover, a clade including specimens from northeastern Argentina and Departamento Concepción in Paraguay, named P. sp.…”

Sexual dimorphism, female fertility, and diet of Physalaemus feioi (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from southeastern Brazil

“…Physalaemus Fitzinger, 1826 is a genus of small to medium frogs that occur in South America (Cassini et al 2010, Brasileiro and Haddad 2015, Frost 2021, Leal et al 2021. It was divided into seven groups, based on morphometric, morphological, osteological, and adult patterns (Nascimento et al 2005), but without defined phylogenetic relationships.…”