Genus Gastrotheca Research Articles

An assessment of the taxonomic validity of three species of marsupial frogs (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca) from the Yungas of Bolivia based on external morphology and cranial osteology.

The genus Gastrotheca (Anura: Hemiphractidae) is a group of marsupial frogs particularly diverse in Andean regions. Several taxonomic studies of this genus have been conducted in the humid cloud forestsor Yungasof the Andean eastern slopes of central Bolivia (departments of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz). Yet, the distinction among three species that occur sympatrically in these forests, G. lauzuricae (proposed as a junior synonym of G. coeruleomaculatus in 2015), G. piperata, and G. splendens, remains unclear since the morphological characters that purportedly support their differentiation are variable and partly shared among them. We have carried out external morphological studies, including multivariate morphometric analyses, to assess how they support the taxonomic status of these three species. We also evaluated characters of the cranial osteology of a sample of six individuals using micro CT-scanning. Principal component and linear discriminant analyses resulted in a great overlap among the putative species. Cranial osteological comparisons did not reveal highly significant differences among them, but suggested that different degrees of hyperossification could be related to the developmental state of individuals. Our results indicate that most morphological and osteological reported differences between the three species likely represent intraspecific variation. Thus, we propose that the three nominal species belong to a single biological entity, for which the name Gastrotheca splendens (Schmidt, 1857) has priority. We also restrict the name Gastrotheca coeruleomaculatus (Werner, 1899) to externally similar congeneric populations from the Yungas forests of department of La Paz, but highlighting the need of a detailed evaluation of their taxonomic identity.

A new species of marsupial frog (Anura; Gastrotheca) from the Cordillera de Colán in northeastern Peru

We describe a new species of marsupial frog, genusGastrotheca, using morphological characters and molecular data as lines of evidence. The new species was discovered in the páramo and the ecotone between páramo and humid montane forest of Cordillera de Colán, at elevations between 3136 and 3179 m a.s.l., in northeastern Peru. The new species is distinguished from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: coarsely granular skin on dorsum, a green dorsal coloration without pattern, finger I shorter than finger II, turquoise iris, and a venter without blotches, flecks or dots. Furthermore, we include a detailed osteological description of the newGastrothecaspecies based on Micro-CT scanning. Based on our phylogenetic analyses, the new species belongs to theGastrotheca marsupiataspecies group, is sister toG. oresbiosand closely related toG. psychrophila,G. spectabilis,G. stictopleuraand one undescribed species. Additionally, we test for the presence of the fungal pathogenBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd). NoBdinfection was detected forG. gemmasp. nov. specimens butBdprevalence was detected among syntopic frogs.

The advertisement call of Gastrotheca chrysosticta Laurent, 1976 (Anura: Hemiphractidae).

The genus Gastrotheca Fitzinger, 1843 currently harbors 75 species (Frost 2020). These marsupial frogs have a broad latitudinal distribution range in Central and South America, from Costa Rica southward to Argentina (Duellman 2015). The advertisement call features as the pulse structure, call duration, and repetition pulse rate are used by researchers to recognize the species of Gastrotheca (Duellman 2015). The availability of call descriptions is also crucial for recognizing these species with secretive life habits and implementing long-term passive acoustic monitoring programs (Vaira et al. 2011; Akmentins et al. 2014).

Nematode Parasites from Six Species of Marsupial Gastrotheca (Anura: Hemiphractidae) Frogs from the Peruvian Andean Highlands

The present study examined the helminth fauna of marsupial frogs (Gastrotheca spp.). Forty-one individuals of six species of the genus Gastrotheca (G. excubitor, G. griswoldi, G. marsupiata, G. monticola, G. peruana, and G. stictopleura) from the Peruvian Andean highlands were analyzed for parasites. Eleven species of nematodes were found: Rhabdias cff. elegans, Oswaldocruzia proencai, Aplectana hylambatis, A. membranosa, A. vellardi, Cosmocerca brasiliensis, C. cruzi, C. parva, Cosmocercoides lilloi, Parapharyngodon sp., and Oxyascaris sp. All the recorded nematode species are generalists with a direct life cycle that can colonize hosts through cutaneous infection, often through contact with soil, suggesting that the terrestrial habitat of the hosts is the main factor responsible for the observed infection patterns. All these nematode species represent new parasite records for the host species studied.

Cryptic species diversity in marsupial frogs (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca) in the Andes of northern Peru.

Molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of two undescribed species of the hemiphractid genus Gastrotheca in the Andes in northern Peru. Both species are similar morphologically to Gastrotheca dysprosita and G. monticola, but they differ from these species and from one another in subtleties of coloration and minor variances in size and proportions. Gastrotheca aguaruna sp. nov. (6˚10'50"S, 77˚37'01"W, 2480 m) is from humid forested areas in the northern part of the Cordillera Central, whereas G. aratia sp. nov. (6˚14'00"S, 78˚51'24"W, 2560 m ) is known from the northern part of the Cordillera Occidental.

Uma nova espécie de perereca-marsupial (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca ) dos Andes do norte de Perú

A new species of marsupial frog, genus Gastrotheca, is described from high-elevation grasslands in the Andes in Región Amazonas in northern Peru, where even calling males are well hidden in deep moss. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by its unique color pattern that includes a narrow, black-bordered, yellow middorsal stripe. The species apparently belongs to the Gastrotheca plumbea Group, which ranges in the Andes from northern Colombia to northern Peru.

Two new species of marsupial tree-frogs genus Gastrotheca Fitzinger, 1843 (Anura, Hemiphractidae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Two new species of Gastrotheca are described from northeastern Minas Gerais and southern Bahia, in the Atlantic Forestof Brazil. Data on morphology, calls, mitochondrial, and nuclear DNA are provided. Allied to G. fissipes and G.megacephala, the new taxa provide evidence for a higher diversity of species of Gastrotheca than previously thought atthe Atlantic Forest. The data also suggest that G. pulchra, another Atlantic Forest taxon, is more closely related to non-Atlantic Forest species than to the remaining analyzed Brazilian Gastrotheca species. This implies that the Gastrotheca at the Brazilian coastal forests have at least two independent origins.

Using sighting records to infer extinction in three endemic Argentinean marsupial frogs

Three species of marsupial frogs of the genus Gastrotheca are at the forefront of amphibian conservation concern in Argentina. Most of the data available on these amphibian species in the country are in the form of museum collections. In this study, we use the recent rediscovery of G. gracilis to test the applicability of a series of probabilistic methods and a trend analysis to analyse the sighting records in the marsupial frog species of Argentina, and to assess the probability that G. christinani and G. chrysosticta are still extant. The results suggest that the two marsupial frog species are still extant, but probably declining. Based on these results, we suggest as a precautionary measure to raise the actual conservation status of these marsupial frog species to Critically Endangered.

New Species of Marsupial Frog (Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca) from an Isolated Montane Forest in Southern Peru

We describe a new species of marsupial frog (genus Gastrotheca) from an isolated patch of cloud forest in the upper reaches of the Pachachaca River, a tributary of the Apuro ´mac River in southern Peru (Apuro ´mac Region). The new species is small with males less than 30 mm and a single female 35.3 mm in snout-vent length. A juvenile was collected from inside an epiphytic bromeliad at ,3 m, suggesting that this species is arboreal or uses bromeliad tanks as microhabitats. We describe the advertisement call, which has a dominant frequency above 2.2 kHz. Based on morphology and advertisement call, the new species is most similar to Gastrotheca piperata described from the Yungas of Bolivia. The new species differs from G. piperata by having smaller size, no dermal fold on the tarsus, a bluntly rounded to vertical snout in profile, gray coloration on dorsal surfaces of Fingers I and II and by producing advertisement calls that have a higher dominant frequency and a smaller number of pulses. RESUMEN.—Describimos una nueva especie de rana marsupial (genero Gastrotheca) de un parche aislado de bosque nublado en las nacientes del ro ´o Pachachaca, un afluente del ro ´o Apuro ´mac en el sur de Peru ´ (Region Apuro ´mac). La nueva especie es pequena, con machos que miden menos de 30 mm y una hembra 35.3 mm en longitud hocico-cloaca. Un juvenil fue capturado dentro de una bromelia epo ´fita a una altura de ,3 m, lo cual sugiere que esta rana es arborea o usa las bromelias como microhabitats. Describimos el canto nupcial, cuya frecuencia dominante es de mas de 2.2 kHz. En base a morfologo ´a y canto nupcial, la nueva especie se asemeja masa Gastrotheca piperata descrita de las Yungas de Bolivia. La nueva especie se diferencia de G. piperata por su menor tamano, ausencia de pliegue tarsal, hocico redondeado o vertical en vista lateral, coloracion gris en la superfice dorsal de los dedos I y II y por producir un canto nupcial con frecuencia dominante mas alta y menor numero de pulsos. Biological inventories and phylogenetic and taxonomic research in the cloud forests of southeastern Peru over the past decade have led to the description of many new species of amphibians (Lehr and Catenazzi, 2008, 2009a,b). These recent discoveries point to the exceptional diversity of montane and high-elevation taxa in the eastern slopes of the Andes. Beta diversity of montane taxa is likely to be much higher than currently known, and as new inventories are conducted, we predict that many additional species will be discovered. These discoveries will help us better understand patterns of species abundance and distribution in relation to the heterogeneous environment of the eastern cordilleras and inter-Andean valleys of southern Peru. The herpetofauna of the Apurimac region is poorly known. The west and central portions of this region are dominated by species that have a wide geographic distribution in the puna and other high-elevation habitats of the Peruvian Altiplano, such as Gastrotheca marsupiata, Pleurodema marmoratum, and Tachymenis peruviana. However, the eastern portion of the Apurimac Region has more species, several of which are endemic. The inter-Andean dry valleys of the Apurimac canyon and of its tributaries, for example, are inhabited by two endemic squamates, the lizard Stenocercus apurimacus and the snake Drymoluber apurimancesis (Lehr et al., 2004). These valleys often present heterogeneous environments, from dry, scrublike vegetation in places where the cordilleras function as rain shadows, to cloud forests where local topography intercepts moisture and favors the formation of fog. Many of these habitats are difficult to access and are poorly known biologically. Based on museum collections, G. marsupiata is the only marsupial frog that has been reported previously from Apurimac. William E. Duellman collected a series of this species in four locations between Abancay and Huancavelica (voucher specimens at the Museum of Natural History,

RE‐EVOLUTION OF LOST MANDIBULAR TEETH IN FROGS AFTER MORE THAN 200 MILLION YEARS, AND RE‐EVALUATING DOLLO'S LAW

Dollo's law states that structures that are evolutionarily lost will not be regained. Recent phylogenetic studies have revealed several potential examples in which Dollo's law seems to be violated, where lost structures appear to have been regained over evolutionary time. However, these examples have recently been questioned and suggested to be methodological artifacts. In this article, I document a striking and incontrovertible phylogenetic example of the re-evolution of a lost, complex structure: mandibular teeth in the frog genus Gastrotheca. I use a time-calibrated phylogeny for 170 amphibian species to show that mandibular teeth were lost in the ancestor of modern frogs at least 230 million years ago (Mya) and have been regained in the last ∼ 5-17 My. I review recent studies on trait re-evolution and show that this long period of trait absence prior to re-acquisition is largely unprecedented. I also argue that there are several methodological issues that may cause trait re-evolution to be hardest to detect under those conditions when it is most likely to occur, leading to erroneous failures to reject Dollo's law. Finally, I discuss a mechanism that may facilitate trait re-evolution, and the evolution of mandibular teeth in frogs as an example of developmental constraint.

A new species of marsupial frog of the genus Gastrotheca Fitzinger (Anura: Amphignatodontidae) from the State of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil

A new species of marsupial frog of the genus Gastrotheca Fitzinger (Anura: Amphignatodontidae) from the State of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil

A new species of marsupial frog of the genus Gastrotheca Fitzinger (Anura: Amphignatodontidae) from the State of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil

A new species of Gastrotheca is described from Serra da Jibóia, Municipality of Santa Terezinha, State of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil. Gastrotheca flamma sp. nov. is characterized by the following combination of traits: SVL 55.3 mm; skin on dorsum weakly granulate; skin adherent on head; snout truncate in dorsal view and nearly vertical in profile; tympanum rounded; presence of two small supraocular tubercles (anterior tubercle bigger than posterior one); webbing poorly developed between fingers II-III and III-IV; calcars present; distinct color pattern. Comments on species habitat are provided.

A New Species of Marsupial Frog (Anura: Hylidae: Gastrotheca) from the Amazonian Slopes of the Cordillera Oriental in Peru

A new species of marsupial frog, Gastrotheca, with prominent cranial crests is described from humid montane forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Departamento de Pasco, Peru. The frog has an exceedingly robust cranium that most closely resembles that of G. cornuta; however, the cranial crests of G. cornuta are less well developed, and less obvious externally, than those of the new taxon. Within the genus Gastrotheca, one of the most variable parts of the skull is the squamosal, which has a variety of articular arrangements with the maxilla, the pterygoid, and in some taxa, the frontoparietal. In contrast to the modifications of dermal cranial elements, the postcranial skeleton seems to be relatively conserved in Gastrotheca.Describimos una nueva especie de Gastrotheca de los bosques montanos de la vertiente oriental de los Andes en el Departamento de Pasco, Perú. La nueva especie se caracteriza por sus prominentes crestas craneales y por poseer un cráneo extremadamente robusto, similar al de G. cornuta; sin embargo, las crestas craneales de G. cornuta son menos evidentes extrenamente. En el género Gastrotheca, el hueso escamosal es una de las partes más variables del cráneo, teniendo una variedad de arreglos articulares con el maxilar superior, pterigoideo y, en algunos taxa, con el frontoparietal. En contraste con las modificaciones presentes en los elementos dermales del cráneo, el esqueleto postcraneal parece ser relativamente homogéneo en Gastrotheca.

Comparative Toe Pad Morphology in Marsupial Frogs (Genus Gastrotheca): Arboreal versus Ground-Dwelling Species

Comparative Toe Pad Morphology in Marsupial Frogs (Genus Gastrotheca): Arboreal versus Ground-Dwelling Species

Evolution of Marsupial Frogs (Hylidae: Hemiphractinae): Immunological Evidence

Marsupial tree frogs (Hylidae: Hemiphractinae) share the unusual feature of females brooding eggs on the dorsum or in a dorsal pouch. Results of studies of albumin evolution in these frogs suggest that the generic lineages are ancient (Cretaceous), that a minimum of four species groups can be identified within the genus Gastrotheca and that the monotypic Amphignathodon should be placed in Gastrotheca. The results also support recent suggestions that direct development is the plesiomorphic reproductive mode in egg-brooding hylid frogs. The estimated times of divergence of various lineages coincide with major orogenic events in South America.

Cryptic Species of Hylid Marsupial Frogs in Peru

Cryptic Species of Hylid Marsupial Frogs in Peru

Taxonomy of Brazilian Hylid Frogs of the Genus Gastrotheca

Analyses of coloration and morphological characters of Brazilian frogs of the genus Gastrotheca reveal the presence of two species. Gastrotheca fissipes (Boulenger, 1888) is a large species with a casqued, co-ossified skull; G. microdisca (Andersson, 1910) is a smaller species lacking casquing and co-ossification and having a highly variable color pattern. The nominal taxa Gastro- theca ernestoi Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920, and Gastrotheca viridis A. Lutz and B. Lutz, 1939, are placed in the synonymy of Gastrotheca microdisca. Marsupial frogs of the genus Gastro- theca are especially diverse in the An- des and tropical lowlands in north- western South America (Duellman and Fritts, 1972; Duellman, 1974a, 1977, 1983b; Trueb and Duellman, 1978), and four species occur in the Cordillera de la Costa and adjacent lowlands in northern Venezuela (Duellman, 1980). The presence of Gastrotheca in eastern and southeastern Brazil seems to be a

Notes on Birth, Development and Care of Gastrotheca riobambae Tadpoles in the Laboratory (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae)

Females of the hylid genus Gastrotheca carry developing eggs in a completely covered brood pouch on their backs. In our laboratory the birth of 76 tadpoles from a single, brooding G. riobambae female was observed. Development of the tadpoles, onset of metamor- phosis (94% had by 30 days), formation of the brood pouch (underdeveloped after 150 days), and initiation of calling (after 180 days) were all followed and recorded in our lab-born clutch. Froglets first displayed two distinct color morphs, which became similar with age. Coloration of the tadpoles was not influenced by changes in background color. Treatment with thyroxine (10-7M) of 6 animals immediately after birth stimulated metamorphosis within 4 days, whereas 6 untreated animals failed to transform. Finally, this account examines many aspects of the successful care of young anurans in captivity.