Abstract
Scinax (Anura: Hylidae) is a species-rich genus of amphibians (113 spp.), divided into five species groups by morphological features. Cladistic analyses however revealed only two monophyletic clades in these groups: Scinax catharinae and Scinax ruber. Most species from the S. catharinae clade are found in Atlantic rainforest, except for Scinax canastrensis,S. centralis, S. luizotavioi, S. machadoi,S. pombali and S. skaios. In the present work, specimens of Scinax collected in Chapada dos Guimarães, central Brazil, were morphologically compatible with species from theS. catharinae group. On the other hand, genetic analysis based on mitochondrial (16S and 12S) and nuclear (rhodopsin) sequences revealed a nucleotide divergence of 6 to 20% between Scinax sp. and other congeners from the Brazilian savannah (Cerrado). Accordingly, Bayesian inference placed Scinax sp. in the S. catharinae clade with high support values. Hence, these findings strongly indicate the presence of a new species in the S. catharinae clade from the southwestern portion of the Brazilian savannah. To be properly validated as a novel species, detailed comparative morphological and bioacustic studies with other taxa from Brazil such asS. canastrensis, S. centralis, S. luizotavioi, S. machadoi, S. pombali and S. skaios are required.
Highlights
The genus Scinax encompasses 113 species with a widespread distribution from southern Mexico to Argentina, Uruguay, St
The groups S. rizibilis and S. x-signatus were regarded as synonyms of S. catharinae and S. ruber, respectively (Pombal et al, 1995a)
The only exceptions reported so far include S. canastrensis, S. centralis, S. luizotavioi, S. machadoi, S. pombali and S. skaios, which were observed in gallery forests within the Brazilian savannah (Cerrado) and in central and southeastern Brazil (Pombal and Bastos, 1996; Pombal et al, 2010; Lourenço et al, 2013)
Summary
The genus Scinax encompasses 113 species with a widespread distribution from southern Mexico to Argentina, Uruguay, St. Duellman and Wiens (1992) recognized seven species groups in this genus by means of morphological analyses (S. catharinae, S. perpusillus, S. rizibilis, S. rostratus, S. ruber, S. staufferi and S. x-signatus). Hypsiboas faber Scinax agilis Scinax berthae Scinax catharinae Scinax elaeochroa Scinax garbei Scinax nasicus Scinax sp.
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