Abstract
Osteocephalus vilarsi (Melin, 1941) is an Amazonian treefrog species known for over 75 years from its holotype only. Due to a lack of published data on its morphological diagnostic characters and their variations, as well as the absence of molecular, acoustic and ecological data supporting its identity, a highly dynamic taxonomic history has led this species to be confused and even synonymised with other Osteocephalus species from distinct species groups. The molecular phylogenetic relationships of O. vilarsi were investigated based on recently collected specimens from eight Northwestern Brazilian localities in the state of Amazonas, leading to its removal from the Osteocephalus taurinus species group and placement in the Osteocephalus planiceps species group. Furthermore, detailed data on morphology and colour variation are provided, as well as advertisement call and tadpole descriptions. Finally, the currently known geographic range of O. vilarsi is considerably extended, first data on the natural history of the species are provided, and the possible ecological preference of O. vilarsi for Amazonian white-sand forests is discussed.
Highlights
The spiny-backed treefrogs belonging to the genus Osteocephalus Steindachner, 1862 are medium to large-sized arboreal frogs inhabiting primary and secondary forests in the vast area of the Orinoco and Amazonian basins (Frost, 2019)
We provide a detailed phylogeny of Osteocephalus and report detailed data on morphological variation and colouration of O. vilarsi, describing its advertisement call and tadpoles
Examined material The examined material attributed to O. vilarsi consists of 29 adults, two juvenile specimens and 10 tadpoles collected by different researchers from eight Brazilian localities in the state of Amazonas
Summary
The spiny-backed treefrogs belonging to the genus Osteocephalus Steindachner, 1862 are medium to large-sized arboreal frogs inhabiting primary and secondary forests in the vast area of the Orinoco and Amazonian basins (Frost, 2019). They are distributed from Colombia, Venezuela and the Guyanas to Bolivia and Brazil (Jungfer et al, 2013) and their. Among the presently accepted species, O. vilarsi (Melin, 1941) is known only from its holotype and represents the most enigmatic species of Osteocephalus (Jungfer et al, 2013; Frost, 2019)
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