Microcaecilia marvaleewakeae Maciel & Hoogmoed, 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Maciel, Adriano O.
name: Hoogmoed, Marinus S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Gymnophiona
Caeciliidae
Microcaecilia
Microcaecilia marvaleewakeae

description: Microcaecilia marvaleewakeae sp. nov.
(Figs. 1–4; Tables 1 –2)
Holotype. MPEG 21896, mature female (Fig. 1), from Platô Bacaba (S 1° 46’ 23’’, W 56° 22’ 14’’, elevation 76 m), Flona Saracá-Taquera, municipality of Oriximiná, State of Pará, Brazil, 8-VI-2007, collected by G. F. Maschio.
Paratypes. 6 specimens. MPEG 20655, mature male, from Platô Bela Cruz (S 1° 48’ 1’’, W 56° 30’ 20’’, 160 m), Flona Saracá-Taquera, municipality of Oriximiná, State of Pará, Brazil, 24-XII-2006, collected by E. G. Pereira; MPEG 26946, mature male, from municipality of Urucará, State of Amazonas, Brazil, 11:13 am, 6-II- 2009, collected by E. G. Pereira using general herpetological search methods in a forested area; MPEG 28117, mature female, from municipality of Urucará (S 2° 24’ 9’’, W 57° 37’ 45’’, 50 m), State of Amazonas, Brazil, 6-X- 2009, collected by H. Kuffner using general herpetological search methods in a forested area; MNRJ 47878, mature female, from Flona Saracá-Taquera (S 1° 48’ 1’’, W 56° 30’ 20’’, 160 m), municipality of Oriximiná, State of Pará, Brazil, 29-XII-2006, collected by E. G. Pereira. MNRJ 56700, mature female (Fig. 2), from municipality of Urucará (S 2° 23’ 50’’, W 57° 37’ 45’’, 90 m), State of Amazonas, Brazil, 11:44 am, 2-II-2009, collected by E. G. Pereira, R. A. K. Ribeiro, R. W. Ávila & J. A. Scalzo using general herpetological search methods in a forested area. MNRJ 64012 male, from Marajatuba, municipality of Urucará, State of Amazonas, Brazil, 5-X-2009, collected by R. W. Ávila.
Referred specimen. MNRJ 872, from Serra do Ererê (approximately S 1° 52’, W 54° 11’, 65 m), municipality of Monte Alegre, State of Pará, Brazil with no more data. Excluded from the type series because it was very desiccated and we could not record most measures, or determine the sex.
Diagnosis. The new species is a Microcaecilia because it has the eye under bone, tentacle aperture closer to eye than to naris, and no diastema between vomerine and palatine teeth. Microcaecilia marvaleewakeae has a known range of 124–138 primary annuli, 21–33 secondary grooves, premaxillary-maxillary teeth extend behind posterior margin of choanae; vomeropalatine teeth bicuspid; dermal scales present; no indication of subdermal scales.
Microcaecilia marvaleewakeae differs from M. albiceps (Boulenger, 1882), M. grandis Wilkinson, Nussbaum & Hoogmoed, 2009, M. rabei (Roze & Solano, 1963), M. savagei Donnelly & Wake, 2013, M. trombetas Maciel & Hoogmoed, 2011, M. unicolor (Duméril, 1863), M. iyob Wilkinson & Kok, 2010, and M. dermatophaga Wilkinson, Sherratt, Starace & Gower, 2013 in having more primary grooves (more than 123). Distinct from M. dermatophaga also in having more secondary grooves (more than 9), and a greater maximum number of complete secondary grooves (more than 3). From M. supernumeraria Taylor, 1969 it differs in having fewer primary (less than 143) and secondary grooves (less than 93). Distinct from M. grandis and M. rochai Maciel & Hoogmoed, 2011 in having fewer secondary grooves (less than 42). Distinct from M. albiceps, M. savagei, M. supernumeraria, M. trombetas, and M. unicolor in having bicuspid instead of monocuspid vomeropalatine teeth.
Microcaecilia marvaleewakeae differs slightly from M. taylori in having a greater maximum number of primary grooves (138 versus 130), and the new species has more secondary grooves (more than 20; Table 1, 2), and a greater maximum number of complete secondary grooves (more than 6; Table 1, 2).
Description of the holotype. Adult female (Fig. 1), total length 158 mm. Multiple small oocytes, abundant fat bodies. Longitudinal ventral incision approximately 10 mm long near end of body (89th to 98th primary annulus). Total length 41.6 times body width. Head slightly narrower than body; dorsum of head slightly convex in lateral view. Margin of upper jaw straight in lateral view, no concavity formed at level of tentacular openings. Snout projects 1 mm beyond mouth. Tip of snout rounded. Nostrils subcircular, visible from above. Eyes not visible. Tentacular openings circular, slightly elevated above skin, laterally positioned, near margin of mouth, slightly closer to corner of mouth than to nostrils, visible from above.
M. marvaleewakeae M. taylori Nuchal grooves distinct dorsally, laterally and ventrally, completely encircling body. First collar (1.1 mm) shorter than second (1.6 mm). Single dorsal transverse groove present on each collar, approximately same size. Body subcylindrical, slightly wider than deep. Width along body varies slightly, narrower at terminal region. Primary annuli 129. Primary annular grooves completely encircling the body, except two that are interrupted by the vent. Small terminal cap present posterior to vent. Secondary grooves 27; seven secondary grooves complete. One secondary annular groove posterior to level of posterior margin of vent. Vertical “keel” present on tip of body terminus. Vent with 13 denticulations: seven anterior, six posterior. Dermal scales starting at 45th annular groove, with at most 4 rows per annulus. Scales at 45th primary groove small, narrow, (0.1 x 0.2 mm); larger posteriorly (e.g. 0.3 x 0.5 mm at 100th primary groove).
Choanae circular, due to the partially closed mouth it was not possible to measure them. Tongue anteriorly attached to mandibular mucosa, without narial plugs. Lower jaw broken anteriorly. Mouth slightly opened, premaxillary-maxillary and dentary teeth visible externally. Premaxillary-maxillary teeth 20, little variation in size, posterior maxillary teeth smaller. Premaxillary-maxillary series extending behind level of choanae. Vomeropalatine teeth 22, bicuspid, with no apparent variation in size; teeth smaller than in all other series. Dentary teeth 15, slightly larger than premaxillary-maxillary teeth; size of teeth decreasing posteriorly. Also see Table 2.
Colour. In life (based on photographs of MNRJ 56700 made in the field by R. A. K. Ribeiro; Fig. 2): body dark lavender, gradually paler towards pinkish head. Venter and lateral surface slightly paler than dorsum along entire body. Area surrounding vent less pigmented, as are mandible and part of head. Annular grooves on sides of body slightly paler than general body colour. In preservative grayish or brownish with lateral and ventral surfaces of body slightly paler than dorsum. Annular grooves on sides of body slightly darker than general body colour.
Variation. There is little variation among the type specimens (Table 2). Two specimens (MNRJ 56700 and 64012) lack a dorsal transverse groove on the first collar. The referred specimen from the easternmost known locality (MNRJ 872) has five more primary annuli than the types and one of the lowest counts of secondary grooves, but it is too poorly preserved to make more detailed comparisons of many features.
Distribution. Only known from the localities where holo- and paratypes were collected in the States of Amazonas, and Pará, Brazil. (Fig. 3).
Etymology. It is with great pleasure that we name this species in honor of Dr. Marvalee H. Wake, professor of the Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA; one of the most important present day researchers of caecilians and author of many publications on development, morphology, phylogeny, and reproductive biology of these secretive animals.
Remarks. Microcaecilia marvaleewakeae apparently differs from M. taylori in having a more slender and smaller head (Fig. 4). For example, a paratype of M. taylori (RMNH 15165B; male, total length 122 mm; head width 3.3 mm; head length 4.5 mm) has a wider head than male paratypes of M. marvaleewakeae with greater total lengths (e.g. MPEG 20655, total length 164 mm; head width 3.1 mm; head length 4.2 mm, and MPEG 26946, total length 135 mm; head width 2.6 mm; head length 4.2 mm). However, in comparisons of ratios of head measures and body size we find no clear differences between the species (Table 1), only total length:head width seems to be different, but more specimens are necessary to solve this question.
Wilkinson et al. (2013) described M. dermatophaga based on nine specimens from French Guiana, very similar to M. taylori but reportedly differing from it in lacking a transverse groove on the first collar. Re-examining the specimens of M. taylori documented by Maciel & Hoogmoed (2011b) and additional recently collected specimens, we found that we previously overlooked that some individuals have no transverse groove on the first collar (27 of 161 analyzed specimens; 16.7% of the sample). However, M. dermatophaga remains distinct from M. taylori (sensu Maciel & Hoogmoed, 2011b) because it generally has fewer primary grooves (107–113 [n = 9] vs. 113–130 [n = 125]), and a higher mean number of secondary grooves (7.2 [n = 9] vs. 2.2 [n = 123]).
description: Published as part of Maciel, Adriano O. & Hoogmoed, Marinus S., 2013, A new species of Microcaecilia (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae) from the Guianan region of Brazil, pp. 387-394 in Zootaxa 3693 (3) on pages 388-393, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3693.3.9, http://zenodo.org/record/221494