Emil José Hernández-Ruz

A new species of Pristimantis from eastern Brazilian Amazonia (Anura, Craugastoridae)

Abstract In this study a new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Craugastoridae) of the P. conspicillatus species group is described. Pristimantis latro sp. n. is known only from the municipalities of Altamira, Anapu, Brasil Novo, Medicilândia, Uruará and Aveiro (Flona Tapajós, right bank of Tapajós river), in Pará state, Brazil. Morphologically, the new species distinguishes from known congeners in the group mainly by the presence of dorsal tubercles and absence of discoidal folds, smooth belly skin, as well as the presence of supernumerary tubercles on hands. The call of the new species consists of seven ascending notes, the first of which has a dominant frequency of 2635 Hz and the last 3272 Hz. Molecular analysis of the 16S mtDNA indicates a genetic distance of 8% to P. chiastonotus, its closet relative, and between 9% and 11% to populations of P. fenestratus.

A new species of Isospora Schneider, 1881 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the twist-necked turtle Platemys platycephala (Schneider) (Testudines: Chelidae) in Brazil

A new coccidian species of the genus Isospora Schneider 1881 (Apicomplexa, Eimeriidae) is reported from a single specimen of chelid turtle, Platemys platycephala (Schneider, 1792), obtained in a flooded area of the Amazonian municipality of Altamira, in Pará State, northern Brazil. The oöcysts of Isospora platemysi n. sp. are subspheroidal, 19.0–24.0 × 22.5–18.5 (22.6 × 20.8) µm in size [length/width ratio 1.0–1.1 (1.1)], with a colourless wall, 1.0–1.9 (1.4) wide, with two smooth layers; polar granule is present, oöcyst residuum and micropyle are both absent. The sporocyst is ovoidal, 10.0–12.1 × 8.0–10.0 (11.0 × 9.1) µm [length/width ratio 1.1–1.3 (1.2), with a knob-like Stieda body. Sub-Stieda body is present, rounded irregular-trapezoidal; para-Stieda body is absent. Sporocyst residuum is dispersed and composed of granules of differing sizes. This is only the fifth record of Isospora in chelonians, and the first report of a coccidian parasite of the genus Platemys.

A Pan-Amazonian species delimitation: high species diversity within the genus Amazophrynella (Anura: Bufonidae)

Amphibians are probably the most vulnerable group to climate change and climate-change associate diseases. This ongoing biodiversity crisis makes it thus imperative to improve the taxonomy of anurans in biodiverse but understudied areas such as Amazonia. In this study, we applied robust integrative taxonomic methods combining genetic (mitochondrial 16S, 12S and COI genes), morphological and environmental data to delimit species of the genus Amazophrynella (Anura: Bufonidae) sampled from throughout their pan-Amazonian distribution. Our study confirms the hypothesis that the species diversity of the genus is grossly underestimated. Our analyses suggest the existence of eighteen linages of which seven are nominal species, three Deep Conspecific Lineages, one Unconfirmed Candidate Species, three Uncategorized Lineages, and four Confirmed Candidate Species and described herein. We also propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus and discuss its implications for historical biogeography of this Amazonian group.

Eastern extension of the geographic range of Mico emiliae

A distribuicao dos calitriquideos que habitam o interfluvio Tapajos-Xingu ainda e pouco conhecida, provavelmente devido ao limitado numero de estudos que ocorreram nesta regiao remota. Mico emiliae e um calitriquideo endemico do Brasil que ocorre na regiao limitada pelos rios Jamanxim e Teles Pires e pela Serra do Cachimbo ao oeste e Rio Iriri ao leste, nos estados do Para e Mato Grosso. Entretanto, sua distribuicao ainda e incerta. Apos ca. 430 km de levantamentos no Parque Nacional da Serra do Pardo, nos confirmamos a ocorrencia desta especie pela primeira vez aproximadamente 180 km ao leste de seu limite oriental reconhecido no Para. Esses novos registros expandem a distribuicao de M. emiliae ate a margem esquerda do rio Xingu, aumentando sua extensao de ocorrencia em 83%.

Corrigenda: A new species of Pristimantis from eastern Brazilian Amazonia (Anura, Craugastoridae). ZooKeys 687: 101–129 (2017). https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.687.13221

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.687.13221.].