Species limits within the widespread Amazonian treefrog Dendropsophus parviceps with descriptions of two new species (Anura, Hylidae)

Abstract

The genus Dendropsophus is one of the most speciose among Neotropical anurans and its number of described species is increasing. Herein, molecular, morphological, and bioacoustic evidence are combined to assess species limits within D. parviceps, a widely distributed species in the Amazon Basin. Phylogenetic relationships were assessed using 3040 bp sequences of mitochondrial DNA, genes 12S, ND1, and CO1. The phylogeny shows three well-supported clades. Bioacoustic and morphological divergence is congruent with those clades demonstrating that Dendropsophus parviceps is a species complex. Dendropsophus parviceps sensu stricto occurs in the Amazon basin of Ecuador, northern Peru, southern Colombia and northwestern Brazil. It is sister to two previously undescribed species, D. kubricki sp. n. from central Peru and D. kamagarini sp. n. from southern Peru, northeastern Bolivia, and northwestern Brazil. Genetic distances (uncorrected p, gene 12S) between D. parviceps and the new species is 3 to 4%. Dendropsophus kamagarini sp. n. can be distinguished from D. parviceps by having a prominent conical tubercle on the distal edge of the upper eyelid (tubercle absent in D. parviceps). Dendropsophus kubricki sp. n. differs from D. parviceps by having scattered low tubercles on the upper eyelids (smooth in D. parviceps). Dendropsophus parviceps and both new species differ from all their congeners by their small size (adult maximum SVL = 28.39 mm in females, 22.73 mm in males) and by having a bright orange blotch on the hidden areas of the shanks and under arms. The advertisement call of the two new species has lower dominant frequency relative to D. parviceps. Probable speciation modes are discussed. Available evidence indicates that ecological speciation along an elevation gradient is unlikely in this species complex.

The phylogeny of Dendropsophini (Anura: Hylidae: Hylinae)

“…Due to the broad geographical distribution and taxonomic confusion of many species of Dendropsophus (e.g. Kaplan, 1994; Köhler and Lötters, 2001a; Hawkins et al, 2007; Ortega‐Andrade and Ron, 2013; Caminer and Ron, 2014; Gehara et al, 2014; Fouquet et al, 2015; Rivadeneira et al, 2018) we took several steps to correctly associate terminals with available names. First, we examined type specimens (or photographs of type specimens) of 80 species of Dendropsophus .…”

Acoustics suggests hidden diversity in Scinax garbei (Anura: Hylidae)

“…These call differences, along with previous studies reporting on morphological (e.g., Duellman 1972, Heyer 1977, Duellman and Wiens 1993) and molecular (Jansen et al 2011 divergences in this species, provide strong evidence that S. garbei may represent a complex of up to three species. Thus, this may be another case of what was assumed to be a widely distributed species representing a species complex, as has been recently demonstrated for other Amazonian frog and salamander species (e.g., Jungfer et al 2010, Simões et al 2010, Caminer and Ron 2014, Gehara et al 2014, Caminer et al 2017, Rivadeneira et al 2018.…”

“…The Neotropics harbor the greatest frog diversity in the world, especially in South America (Duellman 1999, Villalobos et al 2013. However, this species richness currently is underestimated given the existence of many complexes of morphologically cryptic species, particularly in the Amazonian region (e.g., Fouquet et al 2007, Funk et al 2011, Ferrão et al 2016, Caminer et al 2017, Vacher et al 2017, Rivadeneira et al 2018, Chasiluisa et al 2020, Mota et al 2020. In this context, integrative approaches that incorporate distinct lines of evidence (e.g., acoustics, molecular, cytogenetics, etc.)…”

A new species of Dendropsophus (Anura, Hylidae) from southwestern Amazonia with a green bilobate vocal sac

“…Five Dendropsophus species distantly related to the D. microcephalus species group are reported from the area of the upper Madeira River (A. P. Lima personal data): D. kamagarini Rivadeneira, Venegas & Ron, 2018, D. koechlini (Duellman & Trueb, 1989), D. leucophyllatus (Beireis, 1783), D. minutus (Peters, 1872) and D. sarayacuensis (Shreve, 1935). These species differ clearly in their larger size and coloration (Rodriguez and Duellman 1994, Peloso et al 2016, Caminer et al 2017, Rivadeneira et al 2018.…”