Marcelo Felgueiras Napoli

A New Species of the Bokermannohyla circumdata Group (Anura: Hylidae) from the Coastal Forests of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract We describe a new species of tree frog related to the Bokermannohyla circumdata group, the northernmost record from Atlantic Forest remnants in eastern Bahia, northeastern Brazil, within regions known as Vale do Jiquiriçá, Baixo Sul, and Litoral Sul. The new species is diagnosed by medium size (snout–vent length 46.8–64.1 mm), head longer than wide, small tympanum, posterior surfaces of thighs with dark brown transverse stripes without additional thin stripes between them, vocal slits in adult males, and distinct advertisement call with a single note composed of 30–110 pulses distributed within 2–9 pulse groups, similar to the bleating of a goat. The new species is morphologically similar to B. hylax and B. lucianae, but is readily distinguished by the presence of barred posterior surfaces on the thighs without thin stripes between them (immaculate in B. lucianae; thin stripes intercalated with wider stripes in B. hylax) and by its distinct vocalization.

Two New Species of the Hyla circumdata Group from Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira, Southeastern Brazil, with Description of the Advertisement Call of Hyla ibitipoca (Anura, Hylidae)

Abstract Two new species of the Hyla circumdata group are described from southeastern Brazil. The type localities of both species occur in the Atlantic Forest Domain. Hyla feioi sp. nov. is described from Serra do Ibitipoca, a regional designation within the Serra da Mantiqueira, and Hyla ahenea sp. nov. is described from Serra da Bocaina, a regional designation within the Serra do Mar. Descriptions of the tadpole, advertisement call, and information on natural history are provided for H. feioi sp. nov. The advertisement call of Hyla ibitipoca is described.

Biogeography of Anurans from the Poorly Known and Threatened Coastal Sandplains of Eastern Brazil.

The east coast of Brazil comprises an extensive area inserted in the Tropical Atlantic Domain and is represented by sandy plains of beach ridges commonly known as Restingas. The coastal environments are unique and house a rich amphibian fauna, the geographical distribution patterns of which are incipient. Biogeographical studies can explain the current distributional patterns and provide the identification of natural biogeographical units. These areas are important in elucidating the evolutionary history of the taxa and the areas where they occur. The aim of this study was to seek natural biogeographical units in the Brazilian sandy plains of beach ridges by means of distribution data of amphibians and to test the main predictions of the vicariance model to explain the patterns found. We revised and georeferenced data on the geographical distribution of 63 anuran species. We performed a search for latitudinal distribution patterns along the sandy coastal plains of Brazil using the non-metric multidimensional scaling method (NMDS) and the biotic element analysis to identify natural biogeographical units. The results showed a monotonic variation in anuran species composition along the latitudinal gradient with a break in the clinal pattern from 23°S to 25°S latitude (states of Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo). The major predictions of the vicariance model were corroborated by the detection of four biotic elements with significantly clustered distribution and by the presence of congeneric species distributed in distinct biotic elements. The results support the hypothesis that vicariance could be one of the factors responsible for the distribution patterns of the anuran communities along the sandy coastal plains of eastern Brazil. The results of the clusters are also congruent with the predictions of paleoclimatic models made for the Last Glacial Maximum of the Pleistocene, such as the presence of historical forest refugia and biogeographical patterns already detected for amphibians in the Atlantic Rainforest.

A NEW SPECIES OF CHIASMOCLEIS (ANURA, MICROHYLIDAE) FROM THE ATLANTIC RAIN FOREST OF NORTHEASTERN BAHIA, BRAZIL

Abstract A new species of the genus Chiasmocleis is described from the Reserva Sapiranga, an Atlantic Rain Forest remnant in the Municipality of Mata de São João, northeastern State of Bahia, Brazil. This species belongs to the C. leucosticta group, characterized by well-developed webbing on feet. Chiasmocleis sapiranga sp. nov. is diagnosed by having the fingers extensively fringed in males and only slightly fringed in females, and by the dorsal region uniformly dark brown and ventral region finely marbled in brown and pale cream.

Multilocus Phylogeography of the Treefrog Scinax eurydice (Anura, Hylidae) Reveals a Plio-Pleistocene Diversification in the Atlantic Forest

We aim to evaluate the genetic structure of an Atlantic Forest amphibian species, Scinax eurydice, testing the congruence among patterns identified and proposed by the literature for Pleistocene refugia, microrefugia, and geographic barriers to gene flow such as major rivers. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate predictions of such barriers and refugia on the genetic structure of the species, such as presence/absence of dispersal, timing since separation, and population expansions/contractions. We sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear genetic markers on 94 tissue samples from 41 localities. We inferred a gene tree and estimated genetic distances using mtDNA sequences. We then ran population clustering and assignment methods, AMOVA, and estimated migration rates among populations identified through mtDNA and nDNA analyses. We used a dated species tree, skyline plots, and summary statistics to evaluate concordance between population’s distributions and geographic barriers and Pleistocene refugia. Scinax eurydice showed high mtDNA divergences and four clearly distinct mtDNA lineages. Species tree and population assignment tests supported the existence of two major clades corresponding to northeastern and southeastern Atlantic Forest in Brazil, each one composed of two other clades. Lineage splitting events occurred from late Pliocene to Pleistocene. We identified demographic expansions in two clades, and inexistent to low levels of migrations among different populations. Genetic patterns and demographic data support the existence of two northern Refuge and corroborate microrefugia south of the Doce/Jequitinhonha Rivers biogeographic divide. The results agree with a scenario of recent demographic expansion of lowland taxa. Scinax eurydice comprises a species complex, harboring undescribed taxa consistent with Pleistocene refugia. Two rivers lie at the boundaries among populations and endorse their role as secondary barriers to gene flow.

Nomenclatural Status of the Synonyms of Hyla pardalis Spix, 1824, and Taxonomic Position of Hyla biobeba Bokermann and Sazima, 1974 (Anura: Hylidae)

Abstract The nomenclatural status of the synonyms of Hyla pardalis Spix, 1824, is reevaluated, the synonymy of Hyla (Lophopus) corticalis Burmeister, 1856, is supported, and Hyla rubropunctata Lutz, 1973 (nomen nudum), is synonymized with H. pardalis. Hyla lundii Burmeister, 1856, previously in the synonymy of H. pardalis, is revalidated. Hyla pustulosa Reinhardt and Lütken, 1862, and Hyllela punctatissima Reinhardt and Lütken, 1862, previously synonyms of H. pardalis, are transferred to the synonymy of H. lundii. Hyla biobeba Bokermann and Sazima, 1974, is synonymized with H. lundii. Diagnoses and comparisons with the members of the Hyla boans species group are provided for H. pardalis and H. lundii, and their geographical distributions are described. The type locality of H. pardalis is discussed and reallocated.

A New Species of the Scinax ruber Clade (Anura, Hylidae) from the Espinhaço Range, Northeastern Brazil

Abstract:  A new species belonging to the Scinax ruber clade, morphologically similar to S. cabralensis and S. rupestris, is described from the Municipality of Miguel Calmon, State of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. This locality belongs to the northern portion of the Espinhaço Range known as Chapada Diamantina, a semiarid region in central Bahia State. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners of the S. ruber clade by a combination of adult (size, morphology, color pattern, and advertisement call) as well as larval (external morphology, and oral cavity) characteristics. The description of this frog adds another species, and the first of the S. ruber clade, to those that are endemic to Chapada Diamantina.

Environmental Variables Influence the Composition of Frog Communities in Riparian and Semi‑Deciduous Forests of the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract. A central issue for ecologists is to understand the variables that determine species distribution. Many studies have suggested that environmental variables are the main factors that shape anuran communities. Nevertheless, several natural environments have not been assessed with ecological studies of this nature, including specific ecosystems of the South American Cerrado morphoclimatic domain. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between environmental variables and the spatial distribution of anurans in ecosystems of semi-deciduous and riparian forests in a transitional region between the Cerrado and Caatinga environments in the western Bahia state, Brazil. We collected fauna and environmental variables data in 10 sampling units during two rainy periods. The original information on species composition and abundance in the community was reduced to a single axis using a non-metric multidimensional scaling method (NMDS) and environmental data were reduced to two main factors using a principal component analysis (PCA). We tested the absence of an association between the structural variation of the environment and spatial distribution of the anuran community using a multiple regression analysis. The anuran community was ordered following a gradient of dry semi-deciduous seasonal areas toward riparian forest with areas of direct insolation and lentic water bodies. Among the components extracted by the PCA, only PC1 was associated with anuran community composition, explaining 69% of the ordination obtained by the NMDS according to variables related to the presence of water bodies. The great contribution of water bodies appears to reflect the degree of modification of the landscape in the region and seasonal restrictions in the availability of water, with both aspects increasing the expected influence of water bodies on the distribution of anurans in the western Bahia state. Future investigations exploring the structure of anurofauna during dry seasons could extend and complement the results provided by this study.

THE TAXONOMIC STATUS OF HYLA ELONGATA LUTZ, 1925

Conservaci6n y el Manejo de Caimanes y Cocodrilos de America Latina, Volumen 1., pp. 57-79. Fundaci6n Banco Bica, Santo Tome, Santa Fe, Argentina. WEBB, G. J. W., R. BUCKWORTH, AND S. C. MANOLIS. 1983. Crocodylus johnstoni in the McKinlay River Area, N.T. III. Growth, movement and the population age structure. Aust. Wildl. Res. 10:381-401. WILKINSON, L. 1988. SYSTAT. The System for Statistics. SYSTAT Inc., Evanston, Illinois. YAMASHITA, C., P. BRAZAITIS, AND G. REBELO. 1993. The crocodilians of Brazil and the identification of

Processes Influencing Anuran Coexistence on a Local Scale: A Phylogenetic and Ecological Analysis in a Restinga Environment

Abstract. Understanding species distribution patterns is a central aim in ecology. Traditionally, the study of such patterns emphasizes the ecological traits of the organisms that allow them to interact with other species and with the environment. The perception that ecological differences may reflect the evolutionary history of a species has also highlighted the importance of considering phylogeny in studies of communities at different spatial scales. Based on this perspective, our goal was to investigate phylogenetic and ecological patterns in a community of anurans in a restinga (sandy coastal plain) environment on the northern coast of the state of Bahia, Brazil. First, we tested whether two ecomorphological traits of the studied species presented phylogenetic signal. Then, we analyzed the phylogenetic and ecological relationships of the anuran species that coexisted in the same spatial unit using the net relatedness index (NRI) and nearest related-taxon index (NTI). The results indicated that ecomorphological traits were conserved in the evolutionary history of the studied species. Furthermore, the anuran community was not phylogenetically structured, but there was a trend toward phylogenetic and ecological overdispersion, with an emphasis on the latter. This result suggests that the stochastic (related to dispersion of individuals) and deterministic processes (as interactions between species and between species and the environment) are likely acting together and affecting the investigated community at the local scale. The observed patterns could be explained by (i) the phylogenetic and ecological singularity of Pristimantis paulodutrai, a dominant species in the community, and (ii) high environmental diversity, which might have diversified the environment and increased the co-occurrence of many ecological traits related to habitat use by species, regardless of whether these differences were reflected in the phylogenetic structure of the community. Better insights will be achieved by combining phylogenetic, ecological, and environmental data to clarify the processes that structure anuran communities at different spatial scales.