Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus Jiménez de la Espada, 1870

Cruz, Carlos Alberto Gonçalves, Caramaschi, Ulisses, Fusinatto, Luciana Ardenghi & Brasileiro, Cinthia Aguirre, 2019, Taxonomic review of Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus Jiménez de la Espada, 1870, with revalidation of D. imitator (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920) and D. lauroi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926, and description of four new related species (Anura, Bufonidae), Zootaxa 4648 (1), pp. 27-62 : 31-34

Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus Jiménez de la Espada, 1870

( Figs. 1–2 )

Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus Jiménez de la Espada, 1870 .

Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus brevipollicatus— Miranda-Ribeiro 1926.

Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus lutzi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 .

Dendrophryniscus b. travassoi P. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1955 — nomen nudum.

Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus — Cochran 1955 (part); Izecksohn 1994 (part).

Neotype. MNRJ 91627 , adult male, collected at Açude da Solidão (22º57’S, 43º17’W, Datum WGS 84; 410 m above sea level), Parque Nacional da Tijuca , Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by A. L. Peracchi and E. Izecksohn, on 11 February1961.

Jiménez de la Espada (1870) did not designate the type specimens for D. brevipollicatus . Frost (2019) stated that the types were presumably in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain ( MNCN). However, according to the curator of the herpetological collection at MNCN, there are not extant type specimens of D. brevipollicatus . Based on the Article 75 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN 1999), we here designate a neotype for the species.

The original type locality of D. brevipollicatus was quoted as Hab. in Brasil; prope Rio de Janeiro, in monte Corcovado ( Jiménez de la Espada 1870) , and given as Corcovado , Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara by Bokermann (1966). The current neotype designation sets the type locality for D. brevipollicatus in the same general original region, in the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Diagnosis. The species is characterized by: (1) medium size for the genus ( SVL 18.3–25.1 mm in males, 20.9– 27.7 mm in females); (2) body slender; (3) snout mucronate in dorsal view; (4) canthus rostralis slightly curved; (5) elliptical set of unpigmented pronounced granules posterior to the corner of mouth; (6) surfaces of upper eyelid with numerous granules and with a conspicuous margin; (7) tip of third and fourth fingers laterally expanded; (8) skinfold well developed on the articulation of the first and second phalanges of the fingers II, III, and IV; (9) male with moderate nuptial pad with minuscule dark horny asperities on finger I; (10) fingers slightly fringed, webbed only at base.

Comparisons with other species. Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. proboscideus by the smaller size ( SVL 18.3–25.1 mm in males of D. brevipollicatus ; SVL 39.2–46.4 mm in males of D. proboscideus ); D. brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. krausae and D. stawiarskyi by the slender body with uniform shape (robust and enlarged posteriorly in those species); D. brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. berthalutzae , D. carvalhoi , D. krausae , D. lauroi , D. oreites , D. proboscideus , D. skuki , and D. stawiarskyi by the snout mucronate in dorsal view (snout rounded in D. berthalutzae , D. carvalhoi , D. lauroi , and D. stawiarskyi ; snout truncate in dorsal view in D. krausae , D. oreites , and D. proboscideus ; snout long, narrow, spatulate, with parallel lateral borders and rounded tip in D. skuki ); by the canthus rostralis slightly curved, D. brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. davori sp. nov., D. carvalhoi , D. krausae , D. lauroi , and D. stawiarskyi (canthus rostralis straight); D. brevipollicatus presents an elliptical set of white granules posterior to the corner of mouth (longitudinal set in D. berthalutzae , D. krausae , D. leucomystax , and D. oreites ; two pronounced granules in D. imitator ; absent in D. carvalhoi , D. haddadi sp. nov., D. organensis , D. proboscideus , D. skuki , and D. stawiarskyi ); D. brevipollicatus presents the surfaces of upper eyelid with numerous granules densely distributed and with a conspicuous margin (few granules sparse and external margin prominent in D. haddadi sp. nov. and D. imitator ; few granules sparse and external margin con- spicuous in D. davori sp. nov.; D. brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. berthalutzae , D. carvalhoi , D. haddadi sp. nov., D. imitator , D. krausae , D. oreites , and D. stawiarskyi by the tip of the third and fourth fingers laterally expanded (poorly or not expanded in those species); D. brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. davori sp. nov., D. berthalutzae , D. carvalhoi , D. haddadi sp. nov., D. imitator , D. krausae , D. lauroi , D. leucomystax , D. oreites , and D. stawiarskyi by the presence of a skinfold well developed on the articulation of the first and second phalanges of the fingers II, III, and IV (poorly developed in those species); D. brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. davori sp. nov., D. carvalhoi , D. izecksohni sp. nov., D. leucomystax , and D. stawiarskyi by the presence of moderately developed nuptial pad in males (absent in D. leucomystax ; very developed in D. davori sp. nov., D. carvalhoi , D. izecksohni sp. nov., and D. stawiarskyi ); D. brevipollicatus is distinguished from D. berthalutzae , D. carvalhoi , D. haddadi sp. nov., D. imitator , D. lauroi , D. oreites , D. skuki , and D. stawiarskyi by the fingers slightly fringed and webbed only at base (fingers not fringed nor webbed in those species), from D. krausae (fingers not fringed and webbed only at base), and from D. izecksohni sp. nov. and D. jureia sp. nov. (fingers fringed and webbed about one third).

D escription of neotype. Body slender, elongated ( Fig. 1 ); head triangular, longer than wide, head length 33.5% of SVL; snout mucronate in dorsal view, acute in lateral view ( Fig. 2 ), snout 49.7% of head length; nostrils not protuberant, small, elliptical, located laterally at the beginning of the distal third of the eye to snout distance, slightly below the canthus rostralis; internarial distance 65% of eye to snout distance; eye diameter 78% of eye to nostril distance, 81% of interorbital distance; eye slightly protuberant; canthus rostralis slightly curved; loreal region vertical; vocal sac indistinct; choanae small, circular, very far from each other; tongue long, narrow; vocal slits present. Arms robust, forearms more robust than upper arms; hand with fingers slender, slightly fringed and webbed only at base, distal end of the third and fourth fingers laterally expanded; finger I enlarged, covered by moderate nuptial pad with minuscule dark horny asperities; relative lengths of fingers I< II < IV < III; subarticular tubercles single, round; outer metacarpal tubercle large, rounded; inner metacarpal tubercle rounded, of the same size of subarticular tubercles; supernumerary tubercles present, small; skin fold developed on the articulation of the first and second phalanges of the fingers II, III, and IV. Thigh length slightly shorter than tibia length; sum of thigh and tibia lengths 80% of snout–vent length. Tarsal length 25% of the snout–vent length. Foot with toes slender, not fringed; interdigital webbing only at the base, webbing formula: I1–2 - II2 - –3 III2– 31 /2 IV3–2 V; distal end of toes globose, not expanded laterally, relative lengths of toes I< II < III <V< IV; subarticular tubercles single, rounded, larger than those of the fingers; outer metatarsal tubercle large, approximately rounded; inner metatarsal tubercle large, elliptical; supernumerary tubercles absent. Dorsal and lateral surfaces covered by spinulose granules densely distributed, with uniform different size; ventral surfaces rugose; presence of numerous granules on upper eyelid surface, with the external margin prominent; elliptical set of white granules posterior to the corner of mouth.

Color in preservative. Dorsum pale brown; the characteristic pattern of a transverse brown bar on interorbital region extending on the upper eyelids, an ‘X’ shaped brown blotch on the scapular region, an inverse ‘Y’ shaped brown blotch on the sacral region, and two small blotches on the urostyle is only discernible.

Measurements of neotype. SVL 20.6; HL 6.9; HW 5.3; IND 1.5; ESD 3.4; ED 1.8; IOD 2.2; THL 8.0; TL 8.5; TAL 5.2; FL 7.4.

Variation. Specimens are congruent with respect to the morphological characters. Variation of measurements and descriptive statistics of males and females are presented in Tables 2 and 3. Sexual dimorphism can be observed on SVL (longer in females), on arms (more robust in males), finger I (short and robust in males), and nuptial pad (on finger I of males). Nuptial pad can be pigmented or not.

Distribution. Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus is known from the following municipalities ( Fig. 17 ) in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Cachoeiras de Macacu, Reserva Ecológica de Guapiaçu (22 o 23’S, 42º43’W Datum WGS 84), Engenheiro Paulo de Frontin (22 o 32’S, 43 o 40’W, Datum WGS 84; 400 m altitude), Magé (22 o 37’S, 43 o 03’W, Datum WGS 84; 100 m altitude), Nova Iguaçu (22 o 50’S, 43 o 37’W, Datum WGS 84; 45 m altitude), Rio de Janeiro, Parque Nacional da Tijuca (22 o 57’S, 43 o 16’W, Datum WGS 84; 500 m altitude), Silva Jardim (22 o 39’S, 42 o 24’W, Datum WGS 84, 35m altitude).

Natural history. This species is associated to forested areas below 500 m altitude, breeding in Bromeliaceae and Asparagaceae plants, where its larvae develop in the water deposited in leaves axillae (C.A.G. Cruz, personal observation).

Remarks. Izecksohn (1971) described the vertebral pattern of this species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus Jiménez de la Espada, 1870, neotype, MNRJ 91627 (SVL 20.6 mm). Dorsal and ventral views.

FIGURE 2. Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus Jiménez de la Espada, 1870, neotype, MNRJ 91627 (SVL 20.6 mm). Dorsal and lateral views of head, ventral views of hand and foot.

FIGURE 17. Map of geographic distribution of species of Dendrophryniscus brevipollicatus group reviewed in this study. RJ, State of Rio de Janeiro; SP, State of São Paulo.