Odontophrynus carvalhoi Savage and Cei 1965
Creators: name: Caramaschi, Ulisses
name: Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Cycloramphidae
Odontophrynus
Odontophrynus carvalhoi

description: Odontophrynus carvalhoi Savage and Cei, 1965
Figures 4–6
Odontophrynus americanus —Miranda– Ribeiro, 1937. Odontophrynus carvalhoi Savage & Cei, 1965.
Holotype. MNRJ 0 313 (fig. 4), adult female, collected by Antenor Leitão de Carvalho, in 1936.
Type locality. Municipality of Poção (08o11’S, 36o42’W, ca. 1035 m a.s.l.), State of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil.
Diagnosis. A species belonging to the Odontophrynus cultripes group and associated with the “caatinga” and “dry forest” environments (decidual and semi-decidual forests) of northeastern Brazil, is characterized by the following combination of traits: (1) size large (SVL 51.6–69.4 mm in males, 53.3–76.5 mm in females); (2) snout vertical in profile; (3) parotoid glands large, elongated to elliptical; (4) glands on forearms and tibiae absent; (5) dorsum with scattered, shallow glands; (6) elongated gland on the ventrolateral surface of forearm poorly developed; (7) elongated gland along the external border of the tarsus/metatarsus poorly developed; (8) foot webbing formula I 1 ½–2+ II 1 ½–3+ III 2 ⅔– 3 IV vestigial V.
Comparisons with other species. Odontophrynus carvalhoi is distinguished from O. cultripes by the elongated to elliptical parotoid glands (ovoid in O. cultripes), presence of shallow glands scattered on dorsum (absent or few in O. cultripes), absence of a differentiated, large gland on the forearm (present in O. cultripes), elongated gland on the ventrolateral surface of the forearm poorly developed (absent in O. cultripes), absence of a conspicuous globose gland on the tibiae (present in O. cultripes), and elongated gland along the external border of the tarsus/metatarsus poorly developed (conspicuous in O. cultripes). From O. monachus sp. nov., O. carvalhoi is separated by the snout vertical in profile (obtuse in O. monachus sp. nov.), parotoid glands elongated to elliptical (globose, pearl - shaped in O. monachus sp. nov.), presence of shallow glands scattered on dorsum (absent in O. monachus sp. nov.), and foot webbing less developed (webbing formula in O. cultripes, I 1 ½–2+ II 1 ½–3+ III 2 ⅔– 3 IV vestigial V; in O. monachus sp. nov., I 1–2 II 1–2 III 1–3 + IV 3–1 V).
Description. Body stout (fig. 5); head wider than long, HL about 74% of HW, HL about 32% of SVL, HW about 43% of SVL. Snout short, semi-circular viewed from above (fig. 5 A), vertical in profile (fig. 5 C); canthus rostralis distinct, rounded; loreal region oblique, slightly concave. Nostrils closer to tip of snout than to eyes; internarial distance slightly smaller than eye to nostril distance and much smaller than eye diameter. Eyes prominent, lateral, slightly directed ahead; eye to nostril distance much smaller than eye diameter, upper eyelid width, and interorbital distance. Upper eyelid width smaller than interorbital distance. Tympanum concealed. Upper eyelid, head, dorsal skin, and dorsal surface of thighs rugose, with small tubercles uniformly distributed; shallow glands scattered on dorsum, without forming defined pattern. Postorbital glands evident, small, approximately rounded; temporal glands present, about the same size as postorbitals, sometimes masqueraded by color pattern; parotoid glands large, elongated to elliptical; forearm and tibial glands absent. Flanks and ventral skin barely rugose; lateral skin adhered to the middle of the arm; belly disk fold indistinct; a granular seat patch under thighs. Vocal sac developed, subgular. Vocal slits present, amply opened along the sides of tongue; vomerine teeth in two small transverse series, almost contacting medially, laying between the relatively large choanae; tongue large, approximately circular, largely notched behind. Hand (fig. 5 E) with fingers slender, not webbed nor ridged, tips rounded, not expanded; fingers lengths IV <II <I <III, first finger slightly longer than second; subarticular tubercles large, rounded, the proximals more developed than distals; numerous rounded supernumerary tubercles present; outer metacarpal tubercle large, longitudinally divided, the outer part about two to three times the inner part; inner metacarpal tubercle elliptical, about half of outer; nuptial pads on thumbs and prepollex absent; a weak, elongated gland on the ventrolateral surface of the forearm; skin on forearm, hands, and fingers smooth. Legs short, tibia length smaller than thigh length; sum of tibia and thigh lengths approximately 75% of SVL. Foot large (fig. 5 D), foot length larger than tibia and thigh lengths, about 60% of SVL. Toes slender, not fringed; toes lengths I <II <V <III <IV; toe tips rounded; webbing formula I 1 ½–2+ II 1 ½–3+ III 2 ⅔– 3 IV vestigial V; subarticular tubercles large, rounded; sole of foot with distinct, approximately aligned, supernumerary tubercles; outer metatarsal tubercle very small, rounded; inner metatarsal tubercle very large, shovel-like, with the free external border keratinized; inner tarsal fold distinct, approximately the length of the tarsus; a weak, elongated gland along the external border of the tarsus/metatarsus; skin on feet and toes smooth.
Measurements of holotype (mm). SVL 63.3; HL 22.9; HW 29.6; IND 5.4; END 5.3; ED 7.5; UEW 6.0; IOD 6.7; HAL 17.5; THL 26.6; TL 23.3; FL 38.8.
Color in life. The following description was based on two adult males and one adult female from Maracás, State of Bahia, Brazil (fig. 6, specimens not identified, but currently housed in UFBA collection). Dorsal ground color grayish green. Dorsum with a blackish to grayish green Y-shaped mark, from each upper eyelid to near the sacral region, bordered and defined on outside by grayish white bands of similar width and extension, clearly to poorly evident, which may be continuous with a grayish thin to wide mid-dorsal stripe over the sacrum. Parotoid, temporal, and postorbital glands dark brown, each one delimited by a black edge; other minor glands and enlarged warts cream to dark brown with or without black edgings. Flank marked by a broad grayish white dorsolateral stripe from the parotoid gland to near the groin. Head highlighted by the anterior border of the dorsal Y-shaped mark, which outlines a V-shaped inter-ocular grayish white bar with black edges. Snout marked by the presence of two blackish brown stripes from upper lip to nostrils, continuing until reaching the anterior corner of eyes, delimiting a cross-shaped mask filled with dorsal background color. An additional three to four blackish brown perpendicular stripes present on the upper lip, a pale one placed in the midpoint between nostril and anterior corner of eye and the remaining three from anterior to posterior corners of eye, over a cream to somewhat orange background color. Arms and legs with irregular light to dark brown crossbars, which become less distinct proximally. Upper arms and forearms sometimes with thin orange longitudinal glandular stripes. Belly grayish white. Sole of foot and tarsus dark gray, with light gray tubercles. Superior and inferior surfaces of iris white; anterior and posterior surfaces blackish brown; a thin vertical black stripe divides the eye, the lower half larger than the upper half.
A male from the Parque Estadual das Sete Passagens, Municipality of Miguel Calmon, State of Bahia, Brazil (UFBA 7350) varied in color pattern, as follows: the grayish green background color observed in the Maracás specimens only was noted on surfaces of arms, legs, and flanks; light dorsal markings cream (instead of grayish white); and background color of dorsum brown (instead of grayish green). A longitudinal brown stripe on outer surfaces of forearm and tibia was present. Additional color data obtained from specimen UFBA 7350: chest and throat greenish brown; ventral surfaces of arms, hands, thighs, tibia, tarsus, and foot dark purple, with tubercles and skin glands white.
Color in preservative. Follows the color in life, but with faded dorsal background color, which becomes light brown (grayish brown in live specimens). The ventral surfaces of arms, legs, feet, and hands become light brown; tubercles and ventral surfaces of fingers and toes become cream.
Variation. Other examined specimens are congruent respecting the morphological characters and color. Sexual dimorphism is indicated by the presence of vocal sac in males and size slightly larger in females. Descriptive statistics of measurement data of males and females are in Table 2.
Advertisement call. The following description was based on the advertisement call of a male from the Municipality of Maracás and a male from Serra do Ramalho, both in the State of Bahia, Brazil. The call (fig. 7 A–D) is composed by one multi-pulsed note. Pulses with highest peak intensities always localized around the middle of a note (fig. 7 B, C). Three main energetic bandwidths (sidebands) are distinguishable in the audiospectrogram (fig. 7 A, D), and possibly are due to the pulsatile nature of the call. Note with frequency modulation, rising to higher frequencies up to the first half of note, and then decreasing till the end of note. Detailed descriptive statistics is given in Table 1. For comparisons with other species of the O. cultripes group, see the O. monachus sp. nov. advertisement call description below.
Tadpole. The tadpole was described and figured by Caramaschi (1979).
Karyotype. The karyotype was described and figured by Beçak and Beçak (1970, 1974).
Geographic distribution and ecological remarks. Odontophrynus carvalhoi inhabits environments ca. 500 m above sea level (fig. 3), mainly found in altitudes above 600 m (70%). The species is geographically distributed between the Serra do Espinhaço mountain range (on west) and the Atlantic Ocean coastline (on east), from the Jequitinhonha river valley (on the south), in the State of Minas Gerais, up to State of Paraiba (on the north). The species occurs in the Caatinga biome (40% of geographic samples), in the Atlantic Forest biome (40%), and in the Cerrado biome (20%; see Rizzini 1979 for definitions of “Caatinga” and “Cerrado”). The Caatinga biome is characterized by a semi-arid to arid tropical or subtropical climate, covered by a super-xerophyte caatinga. This ecological scenario leads to a fallacious conclusion that O. carvalhoi is a caatinga plant cover inhabitant. The species is often associated with deciduous or semideciduous forests (see Silva & Casteleti 2005 for distribution and characterization of the Tropical Atlantic Forest sub-regions: interior forests, São Francisco, Chapada Diamantina, Brejos Nordestinos, and west of the Espinhaço Mountain Range, within the São Francisco basin, along the margins of the São Francisco river). Only two samples were obtained within areas of sub-xerophyte caatinga, and another from an area of cerrado, but always adjacent to deciduous or semideciduous forest areas. Geographic samples of O. carvalhoi are in three types of Köppen’s climate classification: Cwa (humid and sub-humid mesothermic climate; southern Bahia and northeastern Minas Gerais), megathermic humid and sub-humid climates (Aw, São Francisco river valley and Pernambuco State), and Am (Chapada Diamantina and adjacent areas). Odontophrynus carvalhoi can be considered a dry forest border inhabitant of northeastern Brazil.
Remarks. The holotype of Odontophrynus carvalhoi is well preserved, only slightly fade. External characters, measurements, and body proportions have not changed from those given in the original description.
description: Published as part of Caramaschi, Ulisses & Napoli, Marcelo Felgueiras, 2012, Taxonomic revision of the Odontophrynus cultripes species group, with description of a new related species (Anura, Cycloramphidae), pp. 1-20 in Zootaxa 3155 on pages 7-12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.212451