Scinax cruentomma (Duellman, 1972)

Schiesari, Luis, Rossa-Feres, Denise De Cerqueira, Menin, Marcelo & Hödl, Walter, 2022, Tadpoles of Central Amazonia (Amphibia: Anura), Zootaxa 5223 (1), pp. 1-149 : 70-71

Scinax cruentomma

External morphology. Description based on one tadpole at Stage 38 (KU 125924). Total length 28.6 mm. Body ovoid in dorsal view and triangular/depressed in lateral view ( Fig. 40A, B ). Snout rounded in dorsal and lateral views. Eyes small, positioned and directed laterally. Nostrils small, circular, dorsolaterally positioned, near to eyes, with opening anterolaterally directed, without a projection on the marginal rim. Oral disc ( Fig. 40C ) anteroventral, ventrolaterally emarginate; marginal papillae blunt, uniseriate, with a dorsal gap. Submarginal papillae present laterally. LTRF 2(2)/3; A1 and A2 of the same length; P1 and P2 of similar length; P3 slightly smaller than P2. Anterior jaw sheath narrower than posterior jaw sheath, both finely serrated; anterior jaw sheath arch-shaped, posterior jaw sheath V-shaped. Spiracle single, sinistral, conical, short and wide, posteriorly directed, opening in the posterior third of the body, with the centripetal wall fused to the body wall and longer than the external wall. Vent tube dextral, fused to the ventral fin, with a dextral opening that does not reach the margin of the lower fin. Caudal musculature of moderate width; in lateral view gradually tapering to a pointed tip. Dorsal fin shallow, originating on the posterior third of the body, convex; ventral fin shallow and convex. Tail tip pointed.

Colour. In preservative body and caudal musculature light olive brown; a lateral brown stripe from oral disc to caudal musculature; fins translucent; caudal musculature and fins with dark reticulation. Tadpoles of S. cruentomma from Ecuador have body olive-green with a brown streak from the snout to the orbit; venter white with a silvery sheen; caudal musculature pale yellow; fins transparent, both with brown flecks; iris bronze with a red horizontal streak ( Duellman 1972, 1978). Recently metamorphosed young from Ecuador were olive-green with brown flecks dorsally; diffuse creamy yellow dorsolateral stripes; flanks brown; thighs pale greenish yellow; venter greenish white; iris bronze with a red horizontal streak ( Duellman 1972).

Natural history. Eggs were not observed in Central Amazonia. Clutches of S. cruentomma from Ecuador contain from 590 to 1,200 eggs ( Crump 1974). Tadpoles in temporary ponds in terra-firme forests and, most frequently, forest edge and deforested land.

Comments. Tadpoles of S. cruentomma were described by Duellman (1972) from Ecuador. They differ from these herein characterized by presenting snout rounded in lateral view, nostrils midway between the snout and the eyes, spiracle posterodorsally directed, oral disc with row of marginal papillae biseriate ventrolaterally, oral disc laterally emarginate (although Duellman´s Fig. 3 shows an oral disc without emarginations), LRTF 2(2)/3(1), and anterior jaw sheath M-shaped. Even though Duellman (1978) characterized the same tadpole (KU 125932), he considered the snout sloped in lateral view and truncate terminally, the other differences in relation to tadpoles herein characterized are the same presented for the Duellman (1972) tadpole description.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Study sites, numbered according to sampling effort: (1) Reserva Florestal Adolfo Ducke, Manaus; (2) Campus of the Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus; (3) Experimental Farm of the Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus; (4) Reserva Biológica do Uatum„, Presidente Figueiredo, S„o Sebasti„o do Uatum„ and Urucará; (5) Lago Catal„o, Iranduba; (6) Lago do Lim„o, Iranduba; (7) Presidente Figueiredo, and (8) Reserva Gavi„o, Manaus. Map kindly constructed by Marcio RC Martins using the software QuantumGIS and land cover layer provided according to the Global Land Cover 2000 (EU 2010, http://bioval.jrc.ec.europa.eu/products/glc2000/products.php).

FIGURE 40. Tadpole of Scinax cruentomma (KU 125924) at Stage 38: (A) lateral view, (B) dorsal view (scale = 10 mm), and (C) oral disc (scale = 1 mm).