Anomaloglossus
Creators: name: Kok, Philippe J. R.
name: Macculloch, Ross D.
name: Lathrop, Amy
name: Willaert, Bert
name: Bossuyt, Franky
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Aromobatidae
Anomaloglossus

description: Western Pantepui Anomaloglossus species
Among the Western Pantepui Anomaloglossus species, A. ayarzaguenai (La Marca, 1998) and A. moffetti Barrio-Amorós and Brewer-Carías, 2008 are the geographically closest species to A. megacephalus (ca. 400 km airline to the west). Anomaloglossus ayarzaguenai and A. moffetti are very similar to each other, geographically close (from Cerro Jaua and Cerro Sarisariñama, respectively) and possible synonyms (Kok & Barrio-Amorós unpubl. data). Anomaloglossus megacephalus is distinguished from A. ayarzaguenai and A. moffetti in having a comparatively longer snout, and a larger, somewhat more massive head [compare Figs. 1 and 2 B with fig. 4 a–c illustrating A. moffetti in Barrio-Amorós & Brewer-Carías (2008)], in having a distinct tympanum in life (barely distinct in A. ayarzaguenai and A. moffetti), separated from eye by 42–60% of its greatest length (25% or less in A. ayarzaguenai and A. moffetti), and in lacking a dark area spotted with white ventrolaterally at the level of arm insertion (always present in A. ayarzaguenai and A. moffetti).
Anomaloglossus megacephalus mostly differs from A. guanayensis (La Marca, 1998) by (characters of A. guanayensis in parentheses) its larger size, female SVL max 28.3 mm (n=3) in A. megacephalus (23.5 mm in A. guanayensis, n=3), and in having less developed keel-like lateral folds on fingers (extensive, present pre- and postaxially on all fingers).
Anomaloglossus megacephalus can be distinguished from A. parimae (La Marca, 1998) by (characters of A. parimae in parentheses) its larger size, female SVL max 28.3 mm (n=3) in A. megacephalus (23.1 mm in A. parimae, n=2), in having a short, wider than long median lingual process (slender, noticeably longer than wide), and in having distinctly more webbing on toes.
Anomaloglossus megacephalus can be distinguished from A. shrevei (Rivero, 1961) in having (characters of A. shrevei in parentheses) a weakly to distinctly curved, slightly tuberclelike tarsal keel, (short, straight, not tuberclelike), less developed keel-like lateral folds on fingers (extensive, present pre- and postaxially on all fingers), and dark blotches on throat and belly (throat and belly immaculate).
Anomaloglossus megacephalus mostly differs from A. tamacuarensis by (characters of A. tamacuarensis in parentheses) its larger size, female SVL max 28.3 mm (n=3) in A. megacephalus (25.0 mm in A. tamacuarensis, n=2), in having a comparatively longer snout, and a larger, somewhat more massive head [compare Figs. 1 and 2 B with figs. 11 and 13 illustrating A. tamacuarensis in Myers & Donnelly (1997)], less developed keel-like lateral folds on fingers (extensive, present pre- and postaxially on all fingers), a conspicuous tympanum (inconspicuous), and in having a short, wider than long median lingual process (slender, noticeably longer than wide).
description: Published as part of Kok, Philippe J. R., Macculloch, Ross D., Lathrop, Amy, Willaert, Bert & Bossuyt, Franky, 2010, A new species of Anomaloglossus (Anura: Aromobatidae) from the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana, pp. 18-32 in Zootaxa 2660 on pages 28-29, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.199004