John D. Lynch

A Review of the Leptodactylid Frogs of the Genus Pseudopaludicola in Northern South America

The monophyletic genus Pseudopaludicola (synapomorphy: hypertrophied antebrachial tubercle) occurs widely in northern South America where it is represented by the monophyletic Pseudopaludicola pusilla group (synapomorphy: T-shaped terminal phalanges on toes). The P. pusilla group consists of four species: P. boliviana Parker, distributed in an Amazonian arc from Surinam to Colombia to Bolivia and Paraguay; P. ceratophyes Rivero and Serna, known only from Leticia, Colombia; P. pusilla (Ruthven), distributed in northern Colombia (and south into the valley of the Rio Magdalena) and northwestern Venezuela (trans-Andean); and a new species, described from the llanos of northeastern Colombia and adjacent Venezuela.

Is The Amphibian Tree of Life really fatally flawed

Wiens (2007 , Q. Rev. Biol. 82, 55–56) recently published a severe critique of Frost et al.s (2006, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 297, 1–370) monographic study of amphibian systematics, concluding that it is “a disaster” and recommending that readers “simply ignore this study”. Beyond the hyperbole, Wiens raised four general objections that he regarded as “fatal flaws”: (1) the sampling design was insufficient for the generic changes made and taxonomic changes were made without including all type species; (2) the nuclear gene most commonly used in amphibian phylogenetics, RAG‐1, was not included, nor were the morphological characters that had justified the older taxonomy; (3) the analytical method employed is questionable because equally weighted parsimony “assumes that all characters are evolving at equal rates”; and (4) the results were at times “clearly erroneous”, as evidenced by the inferred non‐monophyly of marsupial frogs. In this paper we respond to these criticisms. In brief: (1) the study of Frost et al. did not exist in a vacuum and we discussed our evidence and evidence previously obtained by others that documented the non‐monophyletic taxa that we corrected. Beyond that, we agree that all type species should ideally be included, but inclusion of all potentially relevant type species is not feasible in a study of the magnitude of Frost et al. and we contend that this should not prevent progress in the formulation of phylogenetic hypotheses or their application outside of systematics. (2) Rhodopsin, a gene included by Frost et al. is the nuclear gene that is most commonly used in amphibian systematics, not RAG‐1. Regardless, ignoring a study because of the absence of a single locus strikes us as unsound practice. With respect to previously hypothesized morphological synapomorphies, Frost et al. provided a lengthy review of the published evidence for all groups, and this was used to inform taxonomic decisions. We noted that confirming and reconciling all morphological transformation series published among previous studies needed to be done, and we included evidence from the only published data set at that time to explicitly code morphological characters (including a number of traditionally applied synapomorphies from adult morphology) across the bulk of the diversity of amphibians (Haas, 2003, Cladistics 19, 23–90). Moreover, the phylogenetic results of the Frost et al. study were largely consistent with previous morphological and molecular studies and where they differed, this was discussed with reference to the weight of evidence. (3) The claim that equally weighted parsimony assumes that all characters are evolving at equal rates has been shown to be false in both analytical and simulation studies. (4) The claimed “strong support” for marsupial frog monophyly is questionable. Several studies have also found marsupial frogs to be non‐monophyletic. Wiens et al. (2005, Syst. Biol. 54, 719–748) recovered marsupial frogs as monophyletic, but that result was strongly supported only by Bayesian clade confidence values (which are known to overestimate support) and bootstrap support in his parsimony analysis was < 50%. Further, in a more recent parsimony analysis of an expanded data set that included RAG‐1 and the three traditional morphological synapomorphies of marsupial frogs, Wiens et al. (2006, Am. Nat. 168, 579–596) also found them to be non‐monophyletic. Although we attempted to apply the rule of monophyly to the naming of taxonomic groups, our phylogenetic results are largely consistent with conventional views even if not with the taxonomy current at the time of our writing. Most of our taxonomic changes addressed examples of non‐monophyly that had previously been known or suspected (e.g., the non‐monophyly of traditional Hyperoliidae, Microhylidae, Hemiphractinae, Leptodactylidae, Phrynobatrachus, Ranidae, Rana, Bufo; and the placement of Brachycephalus within “Eleutherodactylus”, and Lineatriton within “Pseudoeurycea”), and it is troubling that Wiens and others, as evidenced by recent publications, continue to perpetuate recognition of non‐monophyletic taxonomic groups that so profoundly misrepresent what is known about amphibian phylogeny.

New species of minute leptodactylid frogs from the Andes of Ecuador and Peru

--A new species of Phyllonastes (P. heyerl) is named from the Andean ridges in the Huancabamba Depression in southern Ecuador and northern Peru. A similar species is described as a new species of Phrynopus (P. bagrecito) from the Andes of Cuzco, Peru. Based on the similarities in skeletons, Phyllonastes may share a common ancestry with frogs of the Phrynopus peruvianus group. An additional record is provided for Adelophryne adiastola (Amazonas, Colombia). A suite of minute (adults less than 20 mm SVL) leptodactylid frogs has been described from the lowlands of northern South America and along the eastern Andean flanks in Ecuador (Lynch, 1976; Heyer, 1977; Hoogmoed and Lescure, 1984). Lynch (1976) described the first two as species of the genus Euparkerella (previously known only from southeastern Brazil). Heyer (1977) placed these two species in a new genus (Phyllonastes) and named another new genus (Phyzelaphryne) from Amazonian Brazil. Lynch (1980) treated Phyzelaphryne miriamae as a synonym of Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus. Lastly, Hoogmoed and Lescure (1984) revalidated Phyzelaphryne miriamae and proposed a new genus with two new species (Adelophryne). At present, all of these minute frogs are placed in the tribe Eleutheradactylini. The five Amazonian species are placed in three genera: Adelophryne (A. adiastola and A. gutturosa), Phyllonastes (P. lochites and P. myrmecoides), and Phyzelaphryne (P. miriamae). These small frogs are rather imperfectly known, being separated generically on the basis of (1) presence/absence of vomerine dentition, (2) presence/absence of a tarsal tubercle, (3) digits flattened/round in cross section, and (4) reduction of fourth finger of hand (sometimes with reduction in number of phalanges). Hoogmoed and Lescure (1984) suggested that Adelophryne and Phyzelaphryne might be closely related because each has a peculiar form to the digital pads (lateral grooves not united at tip). They cautioned however that it was difficult to distinguish features that reflect adaptation to a leaf-litter habitat from t ose that are correlates of achieving very small size from those reflecting relationships. As Hoogmoed and Lescure noted, these frogs are all quite rare and too few specimens are available to permit skeletal preparations. The two new species described here are represented by sufficient material to permit osteological preparations. MATERIALS AND METHODS Specimens are identified with a catalogue number and museum abbreviation (following list in Leviton et al., 1980). Measurements were made with dial calipers (under magnification) and recorded to the nearest 0.1 mm. Specimens were cleared and stained (Alizarin and Alcian Blue) using the methods of Dingerkus and Uhler (1977). All drawings were made using a Wild M-5 with a drawing tube attachment. Terminology and measurements follow Lynch (1975).

Three New Atractus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from the Andes of Colombia

Abstract Three new species of Atractus are described from the northern Cordillera Central of Colombia. The new species, previously confused with older names, are easily distinguished from any currently recognized Atractus by unique combinations of morphological characters. Additionally, we provide comments on the Atractus diversity and distribution pattern in the Colombian Andes.

Snakes of the genus Oxyrhopus (Colubridae: Squamata) in Colombia: taxonomy and geographic variation

Cuatro especies del genero Oxyrhopus se encuentran en Colombia. De las cuatro especies, una (O. leucomelas) es una especie andina y las otras tres son especies de las tierras bajas. Variacion geografica no fue detecta en O. occipitalis pero mucha variacion se encuentra en O. petola, en terminos de patron y de conteos de escamas. Se posible de reconocer subespecies pero tal reconocimiento oscura mas que ilumina. La serpiente conocida antes como O. melanogenys o O. aff. melanogenys esta descrita como especie nueva.

Revision of Atractus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae) from Middle and Upper Magdalena Drainage of Colombia

Abstract We revised the taxonomic status of Atractus species occurring in the eastern slopes of Central Cordillera, Magdalena Valley, and west slopes of Eastern Cordillera of Colombia on the basis of morphological characters (meristics, morphometrics, color patterns, and hemipenes). A lectotype is designated for Atractus obtusirostris. Additional specimens of A. melanogaster are reported for the first time and a neotype is designated for the species. The status of A. werneri is restricted to include only specimens from the western slopes of the Eastern Cordillera. Three new species are described from the eastern slopes of the Central Cordillera. Additionally, we provided a key for species distributed from the eastern Central to the western Eastern Cordilleras of Colombia, and propose a new species group for Atractus based on the sharing of exclusive morphological features.

New Species of Eleutherodactylus from Bolivia (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae)

Eleutherodactylus fraudator is more widely distributed than previously known and is very similar to another allied species (E. pluvicanorus), which is described as a new species. In external morphology, the two species appear to be somewhat unusual species of the E. conspicillatus group, but their skulls are unlike those of all other described Eleutherodactylus. The jaw musculature of E. fraudator and E. pluvicanorus suggests that these are species of the subgenus Craugastor, otherwise known from Middle America and extreme northwestern South America. Eleutherodactylus fraudator es una especie comiun y de relativa amplia distribucion en los bosques de niebla de Bolivia, y es similar a otra especie afin, E. pluvicanorus, que se describe aqui como nueva. Externamente, las dos especies parecen ser atipicos miembros del grupo de E. conspicilatus, pero su osteologia craneana difiere de la de todas las demas especies de Eleutherodactylus. La musculatura mandibular de E. fraudator y E. pluvicanorus sugiere que estas especies podrian pertenecer al subgenero Craugastor, conocido solo de Centroamerica y extremo noroeste de Subamerica. AMONG the poorly studied anuran fauna of

A Small Amphibian Fauna from a Previously Unexplored Paramo of the Cordillera Occidental in Western Colombia

Four amphibian species were found on an isolated paramo (3300-3600 m) in the central part of the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia. The single salamander species is proposed as a new species of the Bolitoglossa palmata group, and the two Eleutherodactylus species are described as new. One of these appears to be a member of the E. leptolophus group Centrolene buckleyi, a widespread species in the northern Andes, was also found.

The Distribution of Leopard Frogs (Rana blairi and Rana pipiens) (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae) in Nebraska

Extensive collecting of leopard frogs (Rana blairi and R. pipiens) in Nebraska reveals that the large zone of sympatry heretofore recognized in central and eastern Nebraska is fragmented. Rana pipiens occurs as disjunct populations on the isolated Sandhills formations in south-central Nebraska. Within the largest zone of sympatry (in northeast Nebraska) hybridization is infrequent (hybrids comprise usually less than 5% of the pooled populations). Ecologic isolation is in part effected by selection of different substrates by the two species. Rana blairi occurs in loess soil areas whereas R,. pipiens predominates in areas of sandy soils.

Taxonomic Disposition of Some 19th Century Leptodactylid Frog Names

The Das Tierreich account of leptodactylid frogs (Gorham, 1966) perpetuated incorrect usage of several leptodactylid frog names. Six of these names are based on materials