A new species of Adenomera (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the Atlantic rain forest in Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

Abstract

As part of the remarkable biodiversity of anurans in the southern range of the Brazilian Mata Atlântica, Adenomera engelsi sp. nov. is described here as a new taxon occurring on the island of Santa Catarina and adjacent coastal mainland. This litter-inhabiting frog is restricted to the Atlantic rain forest biome, living in primary and secondary woods and semi-open areas from sea level to about 900 m a.s.l., partly in sympatry with its congener A. araucaria. Both species are also referred to the Leptodactylus marmoratus group. Adenomera engelsi sp. nov. is a medium-sized member of the genus (snout–vent length 20.9–22.7 mm in males), characterized by a brown dorsal coloration with a maculated pattern of variable dark spots and blotches and a unique advertisement call, consisting of single, unpulsed notes with duration of 95–160 ms, dominant frequency between 3500 and 4300 Hz, and note repetition rates of 10–24 notes/min.

Está descrita, como parte da enorme biodiversidade de anuros na região sul da Mata Atlântica brasileira, Adenomera engelsi sp. nov. que ocorre na Ilha de Santa Catarina e no litoral adjacente. A espécie está restrita ao bioma da Mata Atlântica, onde vive no folhiço em mata primária, secundária e áreas semi-abertas, desde o nível do mar até 900 m, parcialmente em simpatria com A. araucaria. Ambas as espécies também são atribuidas ao grupo Leptodactylus marmoratus. Adenomera engelsi sp. nov., de tamanho medio dentro do gênero (SVL 20.9–22.7 mm em machos), é caraterizada pela coloração dorsal marrom, com manchas escuras de tamanho e forma variável e um canto de anúncio distinto, que consiste de notas únicas e sem pulsos de 95–160 ms com frequência dominante entre 3500–4300 Hz e taxa de repetição de 10–24 notas por minuto.

Keywords:

• advertisement call
• Anura
• biodiversity
• Brazil Mata Atlântica
• Leptodactylus marmoratus group

Acknowledgements

This study is part of the project “Internal Dynamics of Rain Forest: Specificity of Animal–Plant Interaction” within the Brazilian–German program “Mata Atlântica” in cooperation with the Brasilien-Zentrum of the University of Tübingen, and we acknowledge the financial support of BMBF (01LB0205) and CNPq (690143/01-0). We would also like to thank Wolf Engels, Andreas Schlüter, Rodrigo Lingnau, Mirco Solé, and Tatiana Miranda for support and valuable field assistance, and Sabine Heinle for help with the figures. Ariadne Angulo, Mirco Solé, and Andreas Schlüter reviewed an early draft of this manuscript. Glaucia F. Pontes (MCP), W. Ronald Heyer (USNM), Rainer Günther (ZMB), Jakob Hallermann (ZMH) and Frank Glaw (ZSM) kindly allowed access to collections under their care.

Notes

^†In memoriam Marcos Di-Bernardo.