Brachycephalus auroguttatus
Brachycephalus auroguttatus | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Amphibia |
Order: | Anura |
Family: | Brachycephalidae |
Genus: | Brachycephalus |
Species: | B. auroguttatus
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Binomial name | |
Brachycephalus auroguttatus Ribeiro et al., 2015
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Brachycephalus auroguttatus is a species of frog in the family Brachycephalidae. It is very tiny and was one of seven new species described by LF Ribeiro and a team of scientists from the Mater Natura - Instituto de Estudos Ambientais in Brazil. Like all species in its genus, it is found in a very small strip of Atlantic Forest in the southeastern coast of the country, and has a vibrant colour pattern.[1] The speciation seen in this genus is thought to be a byproduct of the rift between the valley versus mountain terrain and its particular microclimates, to which they are adapted. It might be in population decline due to habitat loss.[2] Its name comes from the Latin aurum for "gold" and gutta "drop" or "speck", in reference to golden spots found throughout the skin of this species.
Description[]
It differs from its cogenerate species by its robust, bufoniform body; adult average length between 9.0 to 13.6 millimetres (0.35 to 0.54 in); its rough dorsum; and its dorsal coloration that shifts from a bright yellow colour on its head with increasingly brownish towards its posterior section, while its legs and arms carry yellow spots along the back; also, the skin on its dorsum shows no dermal co-ossification. Being a representative of the pernix group, its dorsum is similar to that of B. olivaceus and B. mariaeterezae, which is different to B. izecksohni or , for example. The species also possesses a yellow stripe on its back, which is less orange than B. pombali's. This species also shows dark spots along the sides of its body and lacks the dermal co-ossification specific within species of the theephippium group.[1]
Distribution[]
Brachycephalus auroguttatus is known only from its type locality, which is a cloud forest in the Pedra da Tartaruga, a rocky formation in the State of Santa Catarina, at a height of between 1,070 to 1,100 metres (3,510 to 3,610 ft) above sea level.[1]
References[]
- ^ a b c Ribeiro, Luiz F.; Bornschein, Marcos R.; Belmonte-Lopes, Ricardo; Firkowski, Carina R.; Morato, Sergio A.A.; Pie, Marcio R. (2015). "Seven new microendemic species ofBrachycephalus(Anura: Brachycephalidae) from southern Brazil". PeerJ. 3: e1011. doi:10.7717/peerj.1011. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4458131. PMID 26056613.
- ^ Webb, Jonathan (2015-06-04). "Seven tiny frog species found on seven mountains". BBC News. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
Further reading[]
- Clemente-Carvalho, Rute BG; et al. (2011). "Molecular phylogenetic relationships and phenotypic diversity in miniaturized toadlets, genus Brachycephalus (Amphibia: Anura: Brachycephalidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (1): 79–89. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.05.017. PMID 21693192.
- Da Silva, Helio Ricardo; Campos, Leandro Ambrósio; Sebben, Antonio (2007). "The auditory region of Brachycephalus and its bearing on the monophyly of the genus (Anura: Brachycephalidae)". Zootaxa. 1422: 59–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1422.1.4.
External links[]
- Brachycephalus
- Endemic fauna of Brazil
- Amphibians of Brazil
- Frogs of South America
- Amphibians described in 2015