@article {58454, title = {The distribution and calls of Vraem{\textquoteright} Treefrog, Dendropsophus vraemi (Caminer, Mil{\'a}, Jansen, Fouquet, Venegas, Ch{\'a}vez, Lougheed, and Ron 2017), with comments on its conservation status}, journal = {Amphibian \& Reptile Conservation}, volume = {15}, year = {2021}, pages = {311-317}, chapter = {311}, abstract = {

Dendropsophus vraemi is a recently described frog that is only known from the type locality, in La Mar province, Ayacucho, Peru. Here, we present new data on its geographic distribution, coloration in life, and habitat, as well as descriptions of the advertisement and aggressive calls of this species. The new localities extend the known distribution range 151 km northwest and the elevation range down to 250 m asl, which is nearly 450 m lower than previously known. Our findings are inconsistent with its current IUCN categorization of Least Concern (LC), and we suggest that this species should be categorized as Data Deficient.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Anura, Data Deficient, Peru, South America, vocalization}, author = {Germ{\'a}n Ch{\'a}vez and Andy C. Barboza and Michelle E. Thompson} } @article {58387, title = {Advertisement call of two threatened red-bellied-toads, Melanophryniscus cambaraensis and M. macrogranulosus (Anura: Bufonidae), from the Atlantic Rainforest, southern Brazil}, year = {2020}, abstract = {

In anuran amphibians, acoustic signals are fundamental mechanisms of mate recognition and mate choice, which makes frog calls a fundamental tool for anuran taxonomy. In this work, we describe the advertisement call of two species for the genus Melanophryniscus, M. cambaraensis and M. macrogranulosus and use the descriptions to try to solve a taxonomic problem between them. We collected data after heavy rains in three different sample sites in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between 2012 and 2013. The advertisement call of both species is composed of two segments. It always begins with part A (about 0.44\–6 seconds) composed of single modulated pulses separated by long time intervals. It is followed by part B, a long train of unmodulated pulses with short time intervals, lasting from 9 to 32.2 seconds. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) indicated some variation between temporal parameters of the two species, but Multivariate Analysis of Variance showed no significant differences. Within-individual Coefficient of Variation (CV) showed only two static parameters: pulse rate and peak frequency, both in the part B of the call. Despite intra-male variation in some acoustic parameters, it is not possible to differentiate between M. cambaraensis and M. macrogranulosus species only using bioacoustics.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Taxonomy; Bioacoustics; Amphibian; Endemic species; Endangered species}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4894.210.11646/zootaxa.4894.2.2}, url = {https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4894.2https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4894.2.2https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/viewFile/65968/64385}, author = {CAORSI, VALENTINA and BORDIGNON, DEBORA WOLFF and M{\'a}rquez, Rafael and BORGES-MARTINS, M{\'A}RCIO} } @article {57982, title = {Morerella cyanophthalma (Anura: Hyperoliidae) in south- eastern Ivory Coast: Additional data and implications for the species{\textquoteright} conservation}, year = {2019}, abstract = {

We report new data from a Morerella cyanophthalma population in the Tano\é-Ehy forests, south-eastern Ivory Coast. The population lives in swamp forests dominated by Raphia palms. Eye colour differed partly to the two other known populations of the species at Banco and Azagny forests. There, males have porcelain white to brownish iris and females have blue eyes. At the new locality, some females possess a grey iris, and some males\’ eyes were bluish. Several parts of the Tano\é- Ehy forest are threatened by anthropogenic impacts. Ongoing habitat degradation and the extremely limited distribution of this species suggest that it is highly endangered. The implementation of an official protection status for the Tano\é-Ehy swamp forests is urgently recommended in order to avoid further devastating effects to this irreplaceable ecosystem of national and regional importance.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Biodiversity hotspot, C{\^o}te d{\textquoteright}Ivoire, rainforest, Upper Guinea forest}, author = {Nakpobessaga Soro and Akoua Mich{\`e}le Kouam{\'e} and N{\textquoteright}Goran Germain Kouam{\'e} and Abouo B{\'e}atrice Adepo-Gour{\`e}ne and Mark-Oliver R{\"o}del} } @article {57640, title = {Integrative taxonomy reveals first country record of Hyalinobatrachium mondolfii Se{\~n}aris and Ayarzag{\"u}ena 2001, and distribution range extensions for Cochranella nola Harvey 1996, and Rulyrana spiculata Duellman 1976 (Anura: Centrolenidae) in Peru}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4691}, year = {2019}, month = {Apr-11-2019}, pages = {541 - 560}, abstract = {

We used an integrative taxonomy approach to investigate the taxonomic identity of several populations of glassfrogs from Peru, which are notoriously challenging to identify due to their overall similarity in morphology and coloration. We relied on comparisons of morphology, bioacoustics, and partial fragments of 16S rRNA DNA sequences. We report for the first time the presence of Hyalinobatrachium mondolfii in Peru, being this the southernmost locality known for the species. Likewise, we update and extend the distribution ranges of Rulyrana spiculata and Cochranella nola in the Andes of Peru, provide a 16S sequence of a topotype of R. spiculata, and confirm its presence in Bolivia. For all three species, we increase the current knowledge on their geographic distribution and genetic and phenotypic variation.

}, keywords = {16S rRNA, Amphibia, Andes, barcoding, bioacoustics, glassfrog, molecular analysis}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4691.5.7}, author = {CH{\'A}VEZ, GERM{\'A}N and PRADEL, RENZO and Alessandro Catenazzi} } @article {57573, title = {Bioacoustics of Pithecopus rusticus (Anura, Phyllomedusidae): A Rare Species Possibly Threatened with Extinction}, journal = {South American Journal of Herpetology}, volume = {14}, year = {2019}, month = {Jan-12-2019}, pages = {196}, abstract = {

Vocalization is an important means of intra- and interspecific communication in anurans and is essential for reproduction. Here, we describe the advertisement and territorial calls of Pithecopus rusticus and determine the influence of air temperature and morphometric variables on advertisement call parameters. We recorded the vocalizations at the type-locality, in the municipality of \Água Doce, state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, from September 2015 to February 2016. The advertisement call was composed of a short note, emitted sporadically, with a duration of 0.023 \± 0.002 ms (0.019\–0.033 ms; n = 244). We recorded two types of territorial calls that were observed during the interaction between males. Territorial call I was composed of two notes and had a duration of 0.095 \± 0.043 ms (0.033\–0.166 ms; n = 27). Territorial call II was a multipulsed note lasting 0.911 \± 0.340 ms (0.504\–1.346 ms; n = 9) composed of 7\–58 pulses emitted after territorial call I. Advertisement call duration was negatively related to air temperature. The duration and number of notes of the advertisement call of P. rusticus were similar to those of phylogenetically close species. Information on vocal repertoires of amphibians and factors influencing acoustic parameters are essential to understand the systematic taxonomy and evolution of groups, especially little-known species such as P. rusticus.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Atlantic Forest, Highlands of southern Brazil, vocalizations}, doi = {10.2994/SAJH-D-17-00071.1}, url = {https://bioone.org/journals/south-american-journal-of-herpetology/volume-14/issue-3/SAJH-D-17-00071.1/Bioacoustics-of-Pithecopus-rusticus-Anura-Phyllomedusidae--A-Rare-Species/10.2994/SAJH-D-17-00071.1.full}, author = {Boschetti, Joana Priscilla and De Bastiani, Veluma Ial{\'u} Molinari and Lingnau, Rodrigo and Lucas, Elaine Maria} } @article {57370, title = {A new striped species of Dendropsophus (Anura: Hylidae) with a composite advertisement call and comments on the D. rubicundulus group}, journal = {Vertebrate Zoology}, volume = {69}, year = {2019}, pages = {227{\textendash}246}, chapter = {227}, abstract = {

Herein we describe Dendropsophus rozenmani sp. nov. based on morphological, bioacoustic, and molecular data. This new species is distinguished from other species of Dendropsophus by its small size (SVL 18.7\–21.1 mm in adult males and 19.6\–23.2 mm in females); in life, dorsal ground coloration brown, with two anterior parallel and straight, dark brown stripes and a middorsal sacral stripe; and lateral limits of dorsal coloration above tympanum. In addition, the new species differs from all other species of the D. rubicundulus group (along with D. anataliasiasi) by having a composite advertisement call, i.e., a series of calls consisting of two call types. In a phylogenetic tree based on 494 bp of the 16S mitochondrial gene, four species of Dendropsophus, D. cruzi, D. juliani, and D. sanborni and one candidate species, D. juliani A, are positioned within the rubicundulus species group which poses questions on the monophyly of this group as well as its morphological definition. The occurrence of both single and composite calls in the D. rubicundulus group suggests future studies on the call evolution in that group as well as the whole genus.

}, keywords = {advertisement call, Amphibia, bioacoustics, Cerrado, Chiquitan{\'\i}a, Dendropsophus tritaeniatus, species delimitation, taxonomy}, issn = {1864-5755}, doi = {10.26049/VZ69-3-2019-01}, author = {Martin Jansen and Diego Jos{\'e} Santana and Bernardo Franco da Veiga Teixeira and Gunther K{\"o}hler} } @article {53543, title = {Almost a hundred years later, the advertisement call of Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro 1920 (Anura: Hylidae) from the Atlantic Forest}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4550}, year = {2019}, month = {Jan-01-2021}, pages = {428}, abstract = {

The Neotropical genus Aparasphenodon Miranda-Ribeiro is composed of five recognized species commonly referred as \“casque-headed frogs\” (Frost 2018). Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro occurs in Atlantic Forest lowlands from the states of S\ão Paulo to Bahia, Brazil (Feio et al. 1998; Mollo Neto \& Teixeira Jr. 2012; Ruas et al. 2013). The biology of most Aparasphenodon species is poorly known. Within the genus, until now only Aparasphenodon arapapa Pimenta, Napoli \& Haddad has its call formally described (Louren\ço-de-Moraes et al., 2013, Forti et al., 2018, Guerra et al., 2018). Herein, we describe the advertisement call of Aparasphenodon brunoi Miranda-Ribeiro.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4550.310.11646/zootaxa.4550.3.10}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4550.3https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4550.3.10}, author = {FREIRE, IASODHARA RODRIGUES and THOMASSEN, HANS and ROCHA, PEDRO CARVALHO and LEITE, FELIPE S{\'A} FORTES} } @article {53531, title = {A name for the nurse-frog (Allobates, Aromobatidae) of Floresta Nacional de Caraj{\'a}s, Eastern Brazilian Amazonia}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4550}, year = {2019}, month = {Oct-01-2020}, pages = {71}, abstract = {

We describe a new species of nurse-frog (Aromobatidae, Allobates) from Floresta Nacional de Caraj\ás, southeastern Brazilian Amazonia. Allobates carajas sp. nov. is distinguished from similar congeneric species by the combination of the following characters: body-size range (snout-to-vent length 16.5\–19.1 mm), dorsal color pattern with a dark brown hourglass-shaped mark, by the absence of a pale dorsolateral stripe and presence of a pale ventrolateral stripe, absence of a pale paracloacal mark, by overall bright yellow ventral colors of live male and female specimens, and by the posterior labium of tadpoles, with a single row of pyramidal papillae medially. The advertisement call of the new species is highly variable, with four possible temporal arrangements of notes (continuous emission of notes separated by regular silent intervals, continuous emission of notes separated by irregular silent intervals, emission of discrete note trills, and sporadic emission of single notes). Duration of notes range between 0.020\–0.060 s, and the dominant frequency of notes range from 4.75 to 5.38 kHz. The new species is currently known only from forested habitats within Floresta Nacional de Caraj\ás.

}, keywords = {Advertisement calls, Amphibia, conservation unit, Dendrobatoidea, mitochondrial DNA, Par{\'a}}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4550.110.11646/zootaxa.4550.1.3}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4550.1https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4550.1.3}, author = {Diana Rojas and Albertina Pimentel Lima} } @article {53503, title = {Five new country records of Amazonian anurans for Brazil, with notes on morphology, advertisement calls, and natural history}, journal = {Herpetology Notes}, volume = {12}, year = {2019}, pages = {211{\textendash}219}, abstract = {

We report for the first time the occurrences in Brazil of Boana hobbsi, Osteocephalus deridens and Tepuihyla shushupe (Hylidae), and confirm the occurrences of Ranitomeya defleri and Ranitomeya variabilis (Dendrobatidae) referring voucher specimens obtained from an expedition to Esta\ç\ão Ecol\ógica Juami-Japur\á, state of Amazonas, Brazil, in February 2017. Additionally, we provide data on morphology of voucher specimens, advertisement calls, field observations and geographic distribution of these species. We also describe the external morphology of the female R. defleri, which was previously unknown to science.

}, keywords = {Amazon, Amphibia, conservation units, Dendrobatidae, Hylidae, Japur{\'a} River}, author = {Rojas-Runjaic, Fernando MJ and Gagliardi-Urrutia, Giussepe and Castroviejo-Fisher, Santiago} } @article {53498, title = {The vocalization of Gastrotheca fissipes (Boulenger, 1888) (Anura, Hemiphractidae) from the state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4543}, year = {2019}, month = {Jun-01-2019}, pages = {284}, abstract = {

Gastrotheca Fitzinger, 1843 (Hemiphractidae) is composed of 70 species classified into four species groups, among which Gastrotheca fissipes (Boulenger, 1882) and G. microdiscus (Andersson, 1910) species groups are distributed in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Castroviejo-Fisher et al. 2015; Duellman \& Venegas 2016). The Gastrotheca fissipes group comprises six species: G. fissipes, G. flamma Junc\á \& Nunes, 2008, G. megacephala Izecksohn, Carvalho-e-Silva \& Peixoto, 2009, G. prasina Teixeira Jr. et al. 2012, G. pulchra Caramaschi \& Rodrigues, 2007, and G. recava Teixeira Jr. et al. 2012, and most of these species are distributed in the northern Atlantic Forest, the most threatened region of the Atlantic Forest Domain (Ribeiro et al. 2009).

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Anura, Hemiphractidae}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4543.210.11646/zootaxa.4543.2.6}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4543.2https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4543.2.6}, author = {ROBERTO, IGOR JOVENTINO and SANTOS, EDNILZA MARANH{\~A}O DOS and Thiago R. De Carvalho} } @article {53439, title = {The advertisement call of the treefrog Nyctimantis rugiceps Boulenger, 1882 (Anura: Hylidae), with notes on its natural history and toxicity}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4532}, year = {2018}, month = {Jul-12-2019}, pages = {441}, abstract = {

Nyctimantis rugiceps Boulenger, 1882 (Fig. 1A) is a Neotropical treefrog (Duellman \& Trueb 1976; Faivovich et al. 2005) known only from disjunct localities in Amazonian Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru (P\érez-Villota et al. 2009). This species has the skin of the skull co-ossified and reproduces\—including calling behavior, egg deposition and tadpole development\—in water-filled tree or bamboo cavities (Duellman \& Trueb 1976; Duellman 1978). Given its secretive behavior, this is a poorly known species and, as noted by Duellman (1978: 169), \“the major clue to the life history of Nyctimantis is the calling behavior of the males\”. Unfortunately, the only quantitative description of the advertisement call of N. rugiceps is a brief passage in Duellman (1978) based on four specimens from Santa Cecilia, Ecuador, where important variables are missing (e.g., call duration). More importantly, graphs illustrating the waveform and spectrogram are missing. Considering these limitations and the importance of advertisement calls to the study of anurans (K\öhler et al. 2017), we provide a quantitative description using a call recording obtained in Leticia, Amazonas, Colombia.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4532.310.11646/zootaxa.4532.3.8}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4532.3https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4532.3.8}, author = {Camila Camargo De Souza and Mauricio Rivera-Correa and Castroviejo-Fisher, Santiago} } @article {53417, title = {Reproduction and metamorphosis in the Myristica Swamp tree frog, Mercurana myristicapalustris (Anura: Rhacophoridae)}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {6}, year = {2018}, month = {Jan-01-2018}, pages = {e5934}, abstract = {

The reproductive biology of the Myristica Swamp tree frog (Mercurana myristicapalus- tris), a monotypic rhacophorid frog endemic to the foothills of the Western Ghats mountains of India, has remained unknown since the description of the genus and species. We monitored individuals from parental generation amplexus to the comple- tion of offspring generation tadpole metamorphosis. Surprisingly, our observations revealed that this species exhibits many previously unknown characteristics, including the first ever record of the female, and a diverse call repertoire, consisting of five different call types (the functions of which remain incompletely known). We were also able to determine that reproductive activity peaked during the late pre-monsoon season, that males engaged in intraspecific aggressive encounters to occupy and to defend desirable territories, and that oviposition took place in terrestrial nests made by females. Embryonic development in the unattended nest was followed by tadpole development, which concluded within 40 days. The specific breeding mode employed by Mercurana, which restricts its range to the endangered Myristica swamp ecosystem, likely renders it susceptible to multiple threats, which should be considered jointly in future conservation planning.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Animal Behavior, Conservation biology, Developmental Biology, ecology, India, Myristica swamp, Reproductive mode, Rhacophoridae, zoology}, doi = {10.7717/peerj.5934}, url = {https://peerj.com/articles/5934}, author = {Abraham, Robin Kurian and Mathew, Jobin Kuruvilla and Raju, David Valiaparampil and Rao, Ramprasad and Zachariah, Anil} } @article {53334, title = {Geographic variation in the advertisement call of Trachycephalus typhonius Anura: Hylidae) based on South American samples}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4521}, year = {2018}, month = {Feb-11-2019}, pages = {404}, abstract = {

Previously described calls of Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus, 1758) correspond to several populations from Central and South America, but in general, these descriptions were brief and often based on a single recorded individual. Here, based on an expressive sample, we re-describe the advertisement calls of T. typhonius using recordings from populations in Brazil and Argentina. Additionally, we discuss geographical variation of calls, comment on their frequency band structure and compare calls with those described for other species of Trachycephalus. Calls of 32 males were recorded and temporal and spectral features of 269 calls were measured. To search for discrimination among three populations sampled we used the Random Forest (RF) model, Multidimensional Scaling Analysis (MDS) and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Rank Sum Test. The advertisement calls of T. typhonius consist of a multipulsed note of 343\–540 ms of duration, emitted at regular intervals, with up to three emphasized frequency bands. Dominant frequency ranged between 1705\–2750 Hz. Calls from Rond\ônia (Brazil) were significantly different from those recorded in Argentina and Minas Gerais (Brazil) in relation to pulse rate and dominant frequency. Populations from Minas Gerais and Argentina differed in dominant frequency of calls. Such population differences can be partly attributed to differences in prevalence of calling sites (immersed in water vs. perches on vegetation), but can also hint at the existence of cryptic species diversity under this taxon.

}, keywords = {Amazon Milk Frog, Amphibia, Argentina, Brazil, call structure, differentiation, vocalizations}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4521.310.11646/zootaxa.4521.3.6}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4521.3https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4521.3.6}, author = {V{\'\i}ctor Hugo Zaracho and Leonardo Dionel Aguiar and Ariovaldo A. Giaretta} } @article {53248, title = {Description of the advertisement calls of four species of Amazophrynella (Anura:Bufonidae)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4459}, year = {2018}, month = {Feb-08-2019}, pages = {193}, abstract = {

Amazophrynella comprises 11 small bufonid species with a pan-Amazonian distribution (Fouquet et al. 2012a, b; Rojas et al. 2016, Rojas et al. 2018). All species inhabit the forest leaf litter, breed in seasonal puddles and are diurnally and nocturnally active (Fouquet et al. 2012b; Rojas et al. 2014; 2015; 2016). Until now only one nominal species, A. javierbustamantei, and two putative lineages\—A. moisesii (Rio Yuyapichis, Peru) and A. siona (Santa Cecilia, Ecuador)\—had their advertisement calls formally described (Duellman 1978; Schl\üter 1981; Rojas et al. 2016). Herein, we described for the first time the advertisement calls from additional four species of Amazophrynella.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Anura, Bufonidae}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4459.110.11646/zootaxa.4459.1.11}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4459.1https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4459.1.11}, author = {Vinicius Tadeu De Carvalho and Robson Waldemar {\'A}vila and KAWASHITA-RIBEIRO, RICARDO A. and Tomas Hrbek and Marcelo Gordo} } @article {53092, title = {On Rhinella gildae Vaz-Silva, Maciel, Bastos \& Pombal 2015 (Anura: Bufonidae): Phylogenetic relationship, morphological variation, advertisement and release calls and geographic distribution}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4462}, year = {2018}, month = {Mar-08-2020}, pages = {274}, abstract = {

Anurans in the Rhinella margaritifera group have a long history of taxonomic confusion, mainly by morphological similarity between species and lack of acoustic and genetic data for many of the 19 described species. Herein, we presented data for Rhinella gildae based on recently collected specimens from its type locality. We provide patterns of morphological variation, measurements, advertisement and release calls and infer the phylogenetic position of R. gildae. The species geographical distribution was updated, occurring in two Amazonian localities in Maranh\ão state, and Cerrado areas in Maranh\ão and Tocantins states and also in a rainforest enclave inside Caatinga domain in Cear\á state.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, bioacoustics, morphology, Rhinella margaritifera}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4462.2.9}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4462.2}, author = {Robson Waldemar {\'A}vila and Andr{\'e} Mansonato and Renata Perez and Vinicius Tadeu De Carvalho and Igor Joventino Roberto and MORAIS, DRAUSIO HONORIO and Alexandre Pinheiro De Almeida and Rommel R. Rojas and Marcelo Gordo and FARIAS, IZENI PIRES} } @article {52245, title = {Yet another small brown frog from high altitude on the Marojejy Massif,~northeastern Madagascar (Anura: Mantellidae)}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4347}, year = {2017}, month = {Feb-11-2018}, pages = {572}, abstract = {Madagascar hosts a high diversity of small brown frogs. In this paper, we add another one by describing Gephyromantis (Duboimantis) tohatra sp. nov. The new species is a small brown mantellid frog discovered on a recent expedition to Marojejy National Park in northeastern Madagascar. It is characterised, among other things, by its small size (snout-vent length ~33 mm), an orange to yellowish belly, two dorsolateral ridges, and a distinctive call composed of 7{\textendash}10 pulsed notes. The new species occurs sympatrically with other members of the subgenus Duboimantis at high altitude (~1700 m above sea level), including its sister species G. schilfi from which it radically differs by advertisement call and by a substantial genetic divergence of 4.3\% uncorrected pairwise distance in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. It thus joins the diverse assemblage of Gephyromantis species known from high altitudes on the mountain massifs of northern Madagascar.}, keywords = {Amphibia, Anura, Gephyromantis, Gephyromantis schilfi, Gephyromantis tandroka, Gephyromantis tohatra sp. nov., Mantellidae}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4347.310.11646/zootaxa.4347.3.9}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4347.3https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4347.3.9https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/viewFile/34380/30388https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/viewFile/34380/30388}, author = {Scherz, Mark D. and Razafindraibe, Jary H. and Rakotoarison, Andolalao and Dixit, Nadi M. and Bletz, Molly C. and Frank Glaw and Miguel Vences} } @article {50771, title = {A new species of smooth-skinned Spinomantis frog (Anura: Mantellidae) from south-eastern Madagascar}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4317}, year = {2017}, month = {Apr-09-2017}, pages = {379}, abstract = {

We present molecular evidence for the presence of two species morphologically similar to Spinomantis bertini in Andohahela National Park, south-eastern Madagascar, differing by 5.5\−6.3\% pairwise DNA sequence divergences in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. One of these was observed at higher elevations of ca. 1650 m above sea level, whereas the other was found at lower elevations of ca. 715 m a.s.l., close to the type locality of S. bertini (Isaka-Ivondro), and in one other location (Andreoky, ca. 1050 a.s.l.). We herein assign these low- to mid-elevation specimens to S. bertini based on their occurrence near the type locality and general agreement in colour pattern with the type specimen of Gephyromantis bertini Guib\é, 1947. The high-elevation form is described as Spinomantis beckei sp. nov. based on its molecular divergence and reciprocal monophyly with respect to S. bertini, lower expression of greenish dorsal colour and less distinct frenal stripe. Based on a comparison of published call descriptions for S. bertini and our recordings of S. beckei, we hypothesize that S. bertini has a lower note repetition rate in advertisement calls. Molecular data suggest that the S. bertini species complex is more diverse than previously recognized, with at least two more candidate species identified: S. sp. Ca7 from Ranomafana National Park, and a newly identified candidate species S. sp. Ca12 from Pic d\’Ivohibe Special Reserve.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Andohahela National Park, Madagascar, Spinomantis beckei, Spinomantis bertini, taxonomy}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4317.210.11646/zootaxa.4317.2.12}, url = {https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4317.2https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4317.2.12}, author = {Miguel Vences and J{\"o}rn K{\"o}hler and Frank Glaw} } @article {47708, title = {A new species of the Boophis rappiodes group (Anura, Mantellidae) from the Sahamalaza Peninsula, northwest Madagascar, with acoustic monitoring of~its~nocturnal~calling activity}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {435}, year = {2014}, month = {Jun-08-2015}, pages = {111 - 132}, abstract = {

A new species of treefrog of the Boophis rappiodes group (Anura, Mantellidae) is described from the Sahamalaza \– Iles Radama National Park in northwest Madagascar. This new species is green in colour with bright red speckling across its head and dorsum; similar in morphology to other species of this group including: B. bottae, B. rappiodes, B. erythrodactylus and B. tasymena. The new species can be distinguished by its advertisement call and by a genetic divergence of more than 4.9\% in the analysed mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragment. Its call consists of two note types: a trill and a click; although similar sounding to B. bottae, the trill note of the new species has a faster pulse rate while the click note is predominantly two-pulsed rather than three. All individuals were detected from the banks of two streams in Ankarafa Forest. The new species represents the only member of the B. rappiodes group endemic to Madagascar\’s western coast, with the majority of other members known from the eastern rainforest belt. Despite its conspicuous call, it has not been detected from other surveys of northwest Madagascar and it is likely to be a local endemic to the peninsula. The ranges of two other amphibian species also appear restricted to Sahamalaza, and so the area seems to support a high level of endemicity. Although occurring inside a National Park, this species is highly threatened by the continuing decline in the quality and extent of its habitat. Due to these threats it is proposed that this species should be classified as Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List criteria.

}, keywords = {advertisement call, Amphibia, Boophis ankarafensis sp. n., conservation, Sahamalaza {\textendash} Iles Radama National Park}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.435.738310.3897}, url = {http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=3990}, author = {Penny, Samuel and Andreone, Franco and Crottini, Angelica and Rakotozafy, Lovasoa and Schwitzer, Christoph and Rosa, Gon{\c c}alo} } @article {47327, title = {The use of bioacoustics in anuran taxonomy: theory, terminology, methods and recommendations for best practice}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4251}, year = {2017}, month = {Nov-04-2017}, pages = {1}, abstract = {

Vocalizations of anuran amphibians have received much attention in studies of behavioral ecology and physiology, but also provide informative characters for identifying and delimiting species. We here review the terminology and variation of frog calls from a perspective of integrative taxonomy, and provide hands-on protocols for recording, analyzing, comparing, interpreting and describing these sounds. Our focus is on advertisement calls, which serve as premating isolation mechanisms and, therefore, convey important taxonomic information. We provide recommendations for terminology of frog vocalizations, with call, note and pulse being the fundamental subunits to be used in descriptions and comparisons. However, due to the complexity and diversity of these signals, an unequivocal application of the terms call and note can be challenging. We therefore provide two coherent concepts that either follow a note-centered approach (defining uninterrupted units of sound as notes, and their entirety as call) or a call-centered approach (defining uninterrupted units as call whenever they are separated by long silent intervals) in terminology. Based on surveys of literature, we show that numerous call traits can be highly variable within and between individuals of one species. Despite idiosyncrasies of species and higher taxa, the duration of calls or notes, pulse rate within notes, and number of pulses per note appear to be more static within individuals and somewhat less affected by temperature. Therefore, these variables might often be preferable as taxonomic characters over call rate or note rate, which are heavily influenced by various factors. Dominant frequency is also comparatively static and only weakly affected by temperature, but depends strongly on body size. As with other taxonomic characters, strong call divergence is typically indicative of species-level differences, whereas call similarities of two populations are no evidence for them being conspecific. Taxonomic conclusions can especially be drawn when the general advertisement call structure of two candidate species is radically different and qualitative call differences are thus observed. On the other hand, quantitative differences in call traits might substantially vary within and among conspecific populations, and require careful evaluation and analysis. We provide guidelines for the taxonomic interpretation of advertisement call differences in sympatric and allopatric situations, and emphasize the need for an integrative use of multiple datasets (bio-acoustics, morphology, genetics), particularly for allopatric scenarios. We show that small-sized frogs often emit calls with frequency components in the ultrasound spectrum, although it is unlikely that these high frequencies are of biological relevance for the majority of them, and we illustrate that detection of upper harmonics depends also on recording distance because higher frequencies are attenuated more strongly. Bioacoustics remains a prime approach in integrative taxonomy of anurans if uncertainty due to possible intraspecific variation and technical artifacts is adequately considered and acknowledged.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, Anura, call, call analysis, call description, call variation, definitions, note, pulse, sound, species delimitation, taxonomy, vocalization}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4251.110.11646/zootaxa.4251.1.1}, url = {http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4251.1}, author = {J{\"o}rn K{\"o}hler and Martin Jansen and Ariel Rodr{\'\i}guez and Philippe J. R. Kok and Lu{\'\i}s Felipe Toledo and Emmrich, Mike and Frank Glaw and C{\'e}lio F. B. Haddad and Mark-Oliver R{\"o}del and Miguel Vences} } @article {17292, title = {A new species of Phyllodytes Wagler, 1830 (Anura, Hylidae) from the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4238}, year = {2017}, month = {Feb-03-2017}, pages = {135}, abstract = {

We describe a new species of Phyllodytes from Ilh\éus (15\º04\’S, 39\º03\’W; 95 m above sea level), south of state of Bahia, in the northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Phyllodytes megatympanum sp. nov. is diagnosable by the following combination of characters: (1) dorsum of body, arms, and legs uniformly light brown; (2) groin yellow; (3) snout pointed in dorsal view, protruding in profile; (4) tympanum large with a round distinct tympanic annulus; (5) adult males with two anterior large odontoids followed by a series of smaller odontoids on each side of the mandible; (6) well-developed tubercle near tibio-tarsal joint; (7) advertisement call composed of a series of 12 to 19 unpulsed notes, with harmonic structure and (8) mean dominant frequency of 3.98 kHz.

}, keywords = {Amphibia, bioacoustics, diversity, morphometrics, phytothelm}, issn = {1175-5326}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4238.110.11646/zootaxa.4238.1.11}, url = {http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4238.1}, author = {Euvaldo Marciano Jr and Amanda Santiago F. Lantyer-Silva and Mirco Sol{\'e}} }