Lost in time: Unraveling the identity of Vitreorana parvula (Boulenger, 1895) (Anura: Centrolenidae)

Abstract

Vitreorana parvula was the first glassfrog described for the Atlantic Forest. The species, however, has become a taxonomic puzzle as the only known individual is the lectotype from the 19th century, which is not particularly well-preserved or accompanied by a detailed original description. To solve this problem, we collected topotypic specimens, as well as advertisement calls, tissue samples, and natural history data, and compared them to other Vitreorana species. Our results show clear morphological, acoustic, and genetic differences between V. parvula and other species of Vitreorana, except for V. uranoscopa. Following our results, we consider V. uranoscopa as a junior synonym of V. parvula and redescribe the species based on topotypic material, while summarizing relevant variation from across its distribution.