Rhinella martyi Fouquet, Gaucher, Blanc & Velez-, 2007, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Fouquet, Antoine
name: Gaucher, Philippe
name: Blanc, Michel
name: Velez-, Claudia M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Bufonidae
Rhinella
Rhinella martyi

description: Rhinella martyi sp. nov.
Holotype. MNHN 2006.2601, an adult female (Fig. 3), collected 14 January 2006 by Antoine Fouquet and Christian Marty from Brownsberg Nature Park, Suriname, Brokopondo district (4°56’N / 55°10’W), 510 m above sea level (see Fig. 1: 21).
Paratypes. MNHN 2006.2602, MNHN 2006.2603, MNHN 2006.2605, three females collected in the same time and place. MNHN 2006.2604, a male collected in the same time and place. MNHN 2006.2606, MNHN 2006.2607, collected 10 January 2006 by Antoine Fouquet and Michel Blanc nearby the road to Apura and Goliathberg, Para district, Suriname (5°11’N / 55°37’W, 50 m above sea level); UTACV 55742-3, collected 20 and 21 December 2002 by Brice Noonan near the Ellerts de Haan airstrip, Sipaliwini district, Suriname (3°6’N / 56°28’W); UTACV 55740-1 collected 13 December 2002 by Brice Noonan at Ralleighvallen, Sipaliwini district, Suriname (4°43’N / 56°13’W); BPN 897-904, collected 19 May 2003 by Brice Noonan nearby the road to Apura and Goliathberg, Para district, Suriname (5°11’N / 55°39’W); BPN 984, 990- 91, collected 26 and 30 May 2003 by Brice Noonan near the Sipaliwini village, Sipaliwini district, Suriname (2°2’N / 56°7’W); BPN 1053, 1062, collected 3 and 4 June 2003.by Brice Noonan in the Lely Mountains, Suriname, (4°16’N / 54°44’W); UTACV 55744 collected 4 January 2002 by Brice Noonan from the type locality; BPN 42, 59 collected 21 and 23 May 1997 by Brice Noonan near Bartica Cuyuni/Mazaruni region, Guyana, (6°22’N / 58°39’W); ROM 20652-20654; collected 11 October 1990 by Ross MacCulloch at Kurupukari, west side of Essequibo River, Potaro-Siparuni District, Guyana (4°40’N / 58°39’W, 60 m above sea level); ROM 22813, 22833; collected 24 September and 1 October 1992 by Ross MacCulloch at Baramita, Barima-Waini District (aka Northwest Dist.), Guyana (7°22’N / 60°29’W, 100 m above sea level); T3022 (Universite Montpellier-2) collected 10 March 2001 by Philippe Gaucher at Mitaraka, French Guiana (02°16’N / 54°31’W).
Diagnosis. A large species of the R. margaritifera group as defined genetically by Fouquet et al. (2007) and morphologically by Hoogmoed (1990) and Vélez-Rodriguez (2004). It is distinguished from all other species of this complex by the following combination of characters (Fig. 3): (1) SVL of 4 females 64.7 ± 3.4mm, of three males 55.3 ± 5.8mm; (2) protruding bony knob at the angle of jaws; (3) canthus rostralis with a crest, concave laterally; (4) heel just reaches posterior margin of eye when hindlimbs adpressed; (5) cephalic crests hypertrophied in females and postorbital crests laterally extending very distinct in males; (6) neural spines protruding in females, distinct in males; (7) tympanum large round or ovoid but smaller than eye diameter; (8) parotoid glands relatively small, triangular, posteriorly elongated; (9) upper eyelid without projections; (10) toes about three-quarters webbed, three phalanges free on toe 4; (11) tarsal fold absent; (12) skin tuberculate on dorsal and dorsolateral surfaces, more spinous on limbs; (13) oblique row of tubercles extending from posterior end of postorbital crest to groin; (14) snout pointed dorsally and acute latterally with small fleshy ridge going from tip of snout to the upper lip; (15) iris golden with black reticulations.
Rhinella martyi is distinguished from R. sp. E, R. castaneotica, R. magnussoni, R. proboscidea, R. dapsilis, R. scitula and the other new species described below by larger SVL and the presence of prominent cephalic crests (Fig. 3). From R. stanlaii it differs by larger SVL, the presence of vertebral apophyses salient on dorsum in females and the absence of dermal projection on the eyelid. From R. hoogmoedi, the new species is distinguishable by the presence of vertebral apophyses salient on dorsum and by its slightly larger size. From R. margaritifera and R. alata, it differs by having a more developed bony knob at the angle of the jaw and the shape of its cephalic crests in females: supratympanic and supraorbital crests less high and distance beween supratympanic crests smaller than in R. margaritifera. Rhinella martyi is larger in SVL and has a proportionately wider and longer head than R. margaritifera (Table 1). Rhinella martyi can be discriminated from R. acutirostris by its angular corner of the jaws and well-developed cephalic crests and from R. sclerocephala by neural spines being prominent in females only and the presence of postorbital crests. From R. roqueana, R. martyi is distinguished by its smaller size and that the heel does not extend beyond the eye when hind limb carried forward along body.
Description of Holotype (Fig. 3). SVL 66.5 mm; HW 28.0 mm at angle of the jaws; head wider than long, HL 22.0 mm. In dorsal view, snout protruding and rounded laterally, a small, thin vertical fleshy ridge extends from tip of snout to mouth; canthus rostralis concave with crests; top of head flat; cephalic crests well developed; parotoids small, well developed, elongated posteriously; eyelids thick, wide, densely tuberculate; nares slightly protuberant, directed dorsolaterally; corner of mouth with a protruding bony knob; tympanum ovoid, clearly visible. Skin of dorsum and limbs covered with flat tubercules, more numerous and pronounced on limbs, flanks and sides of head, sides with lateral row of large pointed tubercules. Forelimbs slender, relatively long, digits long; tips of digits bulbous; lengths of fingers 4<2<1<3; rudimentary webbing; edges of webbing slighlty tuberculated; thenar (metacarpal) tubercule round, subarticular and supernumerary tubercules present and presence of two tubercules on the second articulation of the finger 3. Hindlimbs slender, inner metatarsal tubercule oval, approximately two times as large as outer; plantar surface with conical subarticular and many supernumerary tubercules. Length of toes 1<2<5<3<4, with well developed webbing; edges of webbing with numerous sipuculous tubercules.
Coloration: dorsum gray-brown with dark brown small patches; dark brown marks also on legs, tarsa and toes; belly cream slighlty orange with more and more small grey spots going to the flanks; throat light grey; interior suface of the tarsa and feet dark brown (except the webbing); no middorsal stripe.
Va r ia ti o n. This species is highly polymorphic. The coloration of the back varies from dark brown to light gray and sometimes even reddish (Fig. 3 a,f). The patterns are also very variable with a variety of leaf like patterns with successive shades of dark to light brown or gray. A whitish middorsal stripe can occur and can be very thin to 5 mm wide.
Vo c al iz a ti on. The advertisement calls are 295 ms long and composed of approximately 6 groups of pulses on average (Table 2, Fig. 4). These pulses are usually in pairs except the last pulse group that comprises more pulses (up to six). The frequency (mean=1.17 kHz) increases during the call while the time between pulse groups decreases.
Distribution and Ecology. This species occurs in most of Suriname including Brownsberg Nature Park, Goliathberg area, Lely mountains, Kaysergebergte, Sipaliwini and Raleighvallen; in southern French Guiana in "Savane layon ouest - Haute Wanapi" and "Sud-Mitaraka", and it is known from Guyana, i.e. Bartica, Kurupukari and Baramita. This species is probably also present in adjacent areas of Brazil and may extend into northeastern Venezuela. No difference in habitat or reproductive behaviour between this species and R. margaritifera have been noticed but we know very little about their respective ecologies. This species was observed calling at dawn and during the night in small groups on the road leading to the camp of Brownberg Nature Park after heavy rainfall in January 2006.
Etymology. The name of the species honors the herpetologist Christian Marty who has study the herpetofauna of French Guina for decades providing a geat contribution to our current knowledge.
description: Published as part of Fouquet, Antoine, Gaucher, Philippe, Blanc, Michel & Velez-, Claudia M., 2007, Description of two new species of Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae) from the lowlands of the Guiana shield, pp. 17-32 in Zootaxa 1663 on pages 21-24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180003