A new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from white-sand forests of central Amazonia, Brazil

PeerJ. 2023 Jun 6:11:e15399. doi: 10.7717/peerj.15399. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

The white-sand ecosystems in the Solimões-Negro Interfluve are among the less studied in Amazonia. Recent herpetological surveys conducted west of Manaus, Brazil (central Amazonia) indicate that white-sand forests host a unique anuran fauna comprising habitat specialized and endemic species. In the present study we describe a new species of rain frog belonging to the Pristimantis unistrigatus species group from the white-sand forest locally called "campinarana" (thin-trunked forests with canopy height below 20 m). The new species is phylogenetically close to rain frogs from western Amazonian lowlands (P. delius, P. librarius, P. matidiktyo and P. ockendeni). It differs from its closest relatives mainly by its size (male SVL of 17.3-20.1 mm, n = 16; female SVL of 23.2-26.5 mm, n = 6), presence of tympanum, tarsal tubercles and dentigerous processes of vomers, its translucent groin without bright colored blotches or marks, and by its advertisement call (composed of 5-10 notes, call duration of 550-1,061 ms, dominant frequency of 3,295-3,919 Hz). Like other anuran species recently discovered in the white-sand forests west of Manaus, the new species seems to be restricted to this peculiar ecosystem.

Keywords: Advertisement call; Amphibia; Campinarana; Integrative taxonomy; Phylogeny; Pristimantis unistrigatus species group.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anura*
  • Brazil
  • Ecosystem*
  • Female
  • Forests
  • Male
  • Sand

Substances

  • Sand

Grants and funding

This study was funded by GreenPeace Brazil (program Tatiana de Carvalho de Pesquisa e Conservação da Biodiversidade da Amazônia, to A.T. Mônico), Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq Universal Grant no: 401120/2016-3, to A.P. Lima) and the Czech Republic Ministry of Culture (DKRVO 2019-2023/6.VI.d,e, National Museum Prague, 00023272, to J. Moravec). The publication fee was covered by a grant to Miquéias Ferrão from the Wetmore Colles fund of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Alexander T. Mônico received a PhD fellowship from CNPq (process no 142153/2019-2). Miquéias Ferrão received an Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology and a fellowship from the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies of Harvard University. Antoine Fouquet benefited from an “Investissement d’Avenir” grant managed by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (CEBA, ref. ANR-10- LABX-25-01; TULIP, ref. ANR-10-LABX-0041; ANAEE-France: ANR-11- INBS-0001). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.