scholarly journals Notes on some Glass Frogs (Anura: Centrolenidae) from Western Ecuador: Taxonomy, natural history and conservation status, with the description of a new species

Author(s):  
Diego F Cisneros-Heredia ◽  
Roy W. McDiarmid

Ecuador has the biggest number of amphibian species per unit of area in the world (425 species in 283,560 km2). In the last decade, conservative estimates indicate that at least 26 species of Ecuadorian amphibians have declined or gone extinct. The reasons for this crisis are not clear but have been related to habitat destruction, climate change, and/or diseases, such as chytridiomycosis. The Río Palenque Science Center (RPSC) was among the last remnants of tropical rainforest in the western lowlands of Ecuador. Twenty years ago, investigations done by R. McDiarmid, Ken Miyata and others lead to the discovery of an amazing herpetofauna, including several undescribed species. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier and transformation of the forest remnants into oil palm and banana plantations destroyed this site. Among the species identified from RPSC were five species of glass frogs (family Centrolenidae): Centrolene prosoblepon, Cochranella spinosa, Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, Hyalinobatrachium sp. (cf. valerioi), and an undescribed species of the genus Centrolene. This research analyzed the morphological characters and natural history of the five glass frogs of RPSC in order to describe the new species of Centrolene from RPSC, which seems to be critically endangered, if not extinct. The new species is characterized by a combination of the following characters: 1) distinctive coloration in life with dark flecks and yellow dorsolateral stripes on a green dorsum; 2) parietal peritoneum white, covering about ½ of the venter, pericardium white, liver and stomach without guanophores, large intestine with guanophores; 3) presence of exposed prepollical spines; 4) humeral spines in males; 5) unique glandular nuptial pad between fingers I and II; and 5) reddish iris.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego F Cisneros-Heredia ◽  
Roy W. McDiarmid

Ecuador has the biggest number of amphibian species per unit of area in the world (425 species in 283,560 km2). In the last decade, conservative estimates indicate that at least 26 species of Ecuadorian amphibians have declined or gone extinct. The reasons for this crisis are not clear but have been related to habitat destruction, climate change, and/or diseases, such as chytridiomycosis. The Río Palenque Science Center (RPSC) was among the last remnants of tropical rainforest in the western lowlands of Ecuador. Twenty years ago, investigations done by R. McDiarmid, Ken Miyata and others lead to the discovery of an amazing herpetofauna, including several undescribed species. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier and transformation of the forest remnants into oil palm and banana plantations destroyed this site. Among the species identified from RPSC were five species of glass frogs (family Centrolenidae): Centrolene prosoblepon, Cochranella spinosa, Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, Hyalinobatrachium sp. (cf. valerioi), and an undescribed species of the genus Centrolene. This research analyzed the morphological characters and natural history of the five glass frogs of RPSC in order to describe the new species of Centrolene from RPSC, which seems to be critically endangered, if not extinct. The new species is characterized by a combination of the following characters: 1) distinctive coloration in life with dark flecks and yellow dorsolateral stripes on a green dorsum; 2) parietal peritoneum white, covering about ½ of the venter, pericardium white, liver and stomach without guanophores, large intestine with guanophores; 3) presence of exposed prepollical spines; 4) humeral spines in males; 5) unique glandular nuptial pad between fingers I and II; and 5) reddish iris.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego F Cisneros-Heredia ◽  
Roy W. McDiarmid

Ecuador has the biggest number of amphibian species per unit of area in the world (425 species in 276,840 km2). In the last decade, conservative estimates indicate that at least 26 species of Ecuadorian amphibians have declined or gone extinct. The reasons for this crisis are not clear but have been related to habitat destruction, climate change, and/or fungal disease such as the chytridiomycosis. The Río Palenque Science Center (RPSC) was among the last remnants of tropical rainforest in the western lowlands of Ecuador. Twenty years ago, investigations done by R. McDiarmid and others lead to the discovery of an amazing herpetofauna, including several undescribed species. However, the expansion of the agricultural frontier and transformation of the forest remnants into oil palm and banana plantations destroyed this site. Among the species identified from RPSC were five species of glass frogs (Family Centrolenidae): Centrolene prosoblepon, Cochranella spinosai, Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, Hyalinobatrachium valerioi, and an undescribed species of the genus Centrolene restricted to the RPSC. This research analyzed the morphological characters and natural history of the five glass frogs of RPSC in order to describe the new species of Centrolene from RPSC, which is critically endangered, if not extinct. The new species is characterized by combination of the following characters: 1) a distinctive coloration with yellow dorsolateral stripes; 2) the presence of an exposed prepollical spine; 3) a humeral spine in the males; and, 4) a unique nuptial pad between the fingers II and I.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4442 (4) ◽  
pp. 551 ◽  
Author(s):  
FLÁVIO KULAIF UBAID ◽  
LUÍS FABIO SILVEIRA ◽  
CESAR A. B. MEDOLAGO ◽  
THIAGO V. V. COSTA ◽  
MERCIVAL ROBERTO FRANCISCO ◽  
...  

Seed-finches are small-sized Neotropical granivorous birds characterized by extremely strong and thick beaks. Among these birds, the Great-billed Seed-Finch Sporophila maximiliani has been selectively and intensively trapped to the extent that has become one of the most endangered bird species in South America, yet its taxonomy remains complex and controversial. Two subspecies have been recognized: S. m. maximiliani (Cabanis, 1851), mainly from the Cerrado of central South America, and S. m. parkesi Olson (= Oryzoborus m. magnirostris), from northeastern South America. Originally, S. m. parkesi was diagnosed as being larger than the Large-billed Seed-Finch, S. c. crassirostris (Gmelin, 1789), but proper comparisons with S. m. maximiliani, which is larger than S. c. crassirostris, were never performed. Here we provide a review of the taxonomic and nomenclatural history of S. maximiliani, reevaluate the validity and taxonomic status of the subspecies based on morphological characters, and significantly revise its geographic distribution. Analyses based on plumage patterns and a Principal Component Analysis of morphometric characters indicated that S. m. parkesi is most appropriately treated as a synonym of the nominate taxon, which results in a monotypic S. maximiliani comprising two disjunct populations. Further, we conducted systematic searches for S. maximiliani in Brazil, in an attempt to obtain natural history information. After more than 6,000 hours of fieldwork in 45 areas of potential and historical occurrence, S. maximiliani was located only in two sites, in marshy environments called veredas, confirming the critical conservation status of this species, at least in Brazil. We discuss the conservation potential for, and the problems involved with, captive breeding of S. maximiliani for reintroduction into the wild. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2087 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
HAO HUANG ◽  
CHANG-CHIN CHEN

A checklist of the genus Platycerus Geoffroy is updated. A method for the observation of endophallus is introduced and used for the study of four species of Platycerus from China. The morphology of Chinese species of Platycerus is reviewed, and all the useful morphological characters are clarified. A character matrix is made to accumulate all the current information on morphology of Chinese species. Platycerus yingqii sp. nov. is described from the northern slope of Mount Taibaishan, southern Shaanxi, China. This new species is similar to Platycerus rugosus, but can be distinguished by male with a browner dorsal surface, remarkably shorter tarsi, lighter and redder ventrites, shorter gap between incisor teeth and mola, male genitalia with different endophallus, female with shorter metatarsi, and female genitalia with the inner apex of hemisternite not protruding beyond the outer apex. The morphological characters of the other three species from China are also studied. A key to the geographical species groups of Platycerus is presented. Keys to the Chinese species are provided for both males and females. Finally some natural history notes are given for some species of Platycerus from China.


Zootaxa ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1366 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAUL V. LOISELLE

The history of the genus Pachypanchax Myers, 1933 in the literature is reviewed and the utility of the diagnostic characters proposed by various authors is evaluated. On the basis of five synapomorphies, four skeletal and one squamational, six of the seven presently known Malagasy aplocheilids are found to be unambiguously referable to the genus Pachypanchax. The seventh, Poecilia nuchimaculata Guichenot 1866, known only from the unique type specimen, displays several peculiar skeletal and squamational features. Pending the acquisition of additional material, it is tentatively assigned to the genus. Of the six species treated here, Pachypanchax omalonotus (Duméril, 1861) and P. sakaramyi (Holly, 1828) are redescribed from recently collected topotypical material; and the following four are described as new: P. varatraza., P. patriciae, P. sparksorum, and P. arnoulti. Data on life colors, distribution, natural history and conservation status on all six Malagasy Pachypanchax species are presented.


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5633 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Andrew Jansen ◽  
Nico M. Franz

This contribution adopts the taxonomic concept approach, including the use oftaxonomic concept labels(name sec. [according to] source) and region connection calculus-5 (RCC–5) articulations and alignments. Prior to this study, the broad-nosed weevil genusMinyomerusHorn, 1876 sec. Jansen & Franz, 2015 (Curculionidae [non-focal]: Entiminae [non-focal]: Tanymecini [non-focal]) contained 17 species distributed throughout the desert and plains regions of North America. In this review ofMinyomerussec. Jansen & Franz, 2018, we describe the following four species as new to science:Minyomerus ampullaceussec. Jansen & Franz, 2018 (henceforth: [JF2018]), new species,Minyomerus franko[JF2018], new species,Minyomerus sculptilis[JF2018], new species, andMinyomerus tylotos[JF2018], new species. The four new species are added to, and integrated with, the preceding revision, and an updated key and phylogeny ofMinyomerus[JF2018] are presented. A cladistic analysis using 52 morphological characters of 26 terminal taxa (5/21 outgroup/ingroup) yielded a single most-parsimonious cladogram (Length = 99 steps, consistency index = 60, retention index = 80). The analysis reaffirms the monophyly ofMinyomerus[JF2018] with eight unreversed synapomorphies. The species-group placements, possible biogeographic origins, and natural history of the new species are discussed in detail.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Andrew Jansen ◽  
Nico M. Franz

ABSTRACTThis contribution adopts the taxonomic concept approach, including the use oftaxonomic concept labels(name sec. [according to] source) and Region Connection Calculus (RCC-5) articulations and alignments. Prior to this study, the broad-nosed weevil genusMinyomerusHorn, 1876 sec. Jansen & Franz, 2015 (Curculionidae [non-focal]: Entiminae [non-focal]: Tanymecini [non-focal]) contained 17 species distributed throughout the desert and plains regions of North America. In this review ofMinyomerussec. Jansen & Franz, 2018, we describe the following four species as new to science:Minyomerus ampullaceussec. Jansen & Franz, 2018 (henceforth: [JF2018]),new species,Minyomerus franko[JF2018],new species,Minyomerus sculptilis[JF2018],new species, andMinyomerus tylotos[JF2018],new species. The four new species are added to, and integrated with, the preceding revision, and an updated key and phylogeny ofMinyomerus[JF2018] are presented. A cladistic analysis using 52 morphological characters of 26 terminal taxa (5/21 outgroup/ingroup) yielded a single most-parsimonious cladogram (Length = 99 steps, Consistency Index = 60, Retention Index = 80). The analysis reaffirms the monophyly ofMinyomerus[JF2018] with eight unreversed synapomorphies. The species-group placements, possible biogeographic origins, and natural history of the new species are discussed in detail.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-247
Author(s):  
Massoud Ranjbar ◽  
Narges Rahchamani

Scrophularia dianatnejadii Ranjbar & Rahchamani, a new species from Tehran Province in northern Iran, is described and illustrated. It is closely related to S. amplexicaulis Benth. and shares with it some diagnostic morphological characters such as habit, plant indument, phyllotaxy, and corolla shape and color. Both species are placed in Scrophularia L. sect. Mimulopsis Boiss. Macro- and micromorphological characters of the two are examined and compared. Pollen morphology of these species is investigated using SEM. Detailed descriptions, illustrations, distribution maps, and conservation status of both species are provided.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Hosie ◽  
Jane Fromont ◽  
Kylie Munyard ◽  
Diana S. Jones

The subfamily Acastinae contains a diverse group of barnacles that are obligate symbionts of sponges and alcyonacean and antipatharian corals. Integrating morphological and genetic (COI) data to compare against known species, this paper reports on nine species of sponge-inhabiting barnacles of the subfamily Acastinae, including three undescribed species (Acasta caveata sp. nov., Euacasta acutaflava sp. nov., and E. excoriatrix sp. nov.) and three species previously not recorded in Australian waters (A. sandwichi, Pectinoacasta cancellorum, and P. sculpturata). The new species are distinguished from similar species by a suite of morphological characters as well as genetic distances. A lectotype for Pectinoacasta cancellorum is designated. Sponge hosts were identified for all specimens where possible and are represented by 19 species from eight families and five orders.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5061 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-368
Author(s):  
VINICIUS M. LOPEZ ◽  
RENAN KOBAL DE OLIVEIRA ALVES CARDOSO ◽  
RODRIGO R. CEZÁRIO ◽  
RHAINER GUILLERMO-FERREIRA ◽  
EDUARDO F. DOS SANTOS

We describe the new species Entypus renata, sp. nov., from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and report on its host. We also provide the first host records for Ageniella (Priophanes) erythroptera (Banks), Entypus bituberculatus (Guérin-Méneville) and an undetermined species of Poecilopompilus Ashmead. In addition, we report behavioral aspects for these species, including a new ethological sequence for Poecilopompilus.  


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