The tadpole of Scinax melanodactylus (Lourenço, Luna & Pombal Jr, 2014) (Amphibia, Anura, Hylidae)

Abstract

Scinax melanodactylus is a small treefrog distributed within the Tropical Atlantic morphoclimatic domain (see Ab'Sáber 1977 for South American morphoclimatic domains), from northern Espírito Santo state to Sergipe state in Brazil (Lourenço et al. 2014). The species is usually found inhabiting herbaceous and shrubby xerophytic vegetation (e.g. terrestrial tank-bromeliads) from sandy plains of beach ridges known in Brazil as Restingas (see Rocha et al. 2007 for a Restinga definition), and also the edge of forest areas with temporary ponds and/or permanent lakes and streams near these environments (Bastazini et al. 2007, as Scinax agilis; Lourenço et al. 2014). Scinax melanodactylus is currently placed in the S. catharinae species group (Lourenço et al. 2014), which in turn is included in the S. catharinae clade (sensu Faivovich et al. 2005). The S. catharinae clade is currently comprised of 46 species, 33 placed in the catharinae group and 13 in the perpusillus group (Faivovich et al. 2010, Silva & Alves-da-Silva 2011, Lourenço et al. 2014, Frost 2015). From these, 32 species have tadpoles with external morphology and oral disc formerly described. Here, we describe the external morphology, oral disc and color patterns of the previously unknown tadpole of S. melanodactylus.

Treefrog Diversity in the Neotropics: Phylogenetic Relationships of Scinaxini (Anura: Hylidae: Hylinae)

“…45.1). The tadpole of O. melanodactyla (Abreu et al, 2015), a species in the O. agilis group, represents a typical tadpole of Ololygon and, therefore, shares many character-states with the remaining species of Ololygon . The species of the O. agilis group share some adult morphological character-states with the remaining species of Ololygon .…”

A survey of the external morphology, internal oral morphology, chondrocranium and hyobranchial apparatus of Elachistocleis larvae Parker, 1927 (Anura, Microhylidae)

“…The terminology used for description follows McDiarmid and Altig (1999), Altig (2007) and Mercês and Juncá (2010). Additional information follows Abreu et al (2015) (external morphology and measurements), Wassersug (1976) and Vera Candioti (2007) (internal oral morphology). Measurements of the main structures of the internal oral morphology follow those described by Weber and Caramaschi (2006) with modifications (addition of other measurements regarding the oral morphology of Elachistocleis , for example, narial wall papilla width).…”