Rhaebo lynchi Mueses-Cisneros, 2007, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mueses-Cisneros, Jonh Jairo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2007
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Amphibia
Anura
Bufonidae
Rhaebo
Rhaebo lynchi

description: Rhaebo lynchi sp. nov.
(Figure 1 A–B, 3A–C, 4A–B)
Holotype. ICN 1161, an adult female collected between 28 April and 0 4 May 1972 by Pedro M. Ruiz-Carranza, Gustavo Lozano, F. Flórez and José Vicente Rodriguez.
Type locality. COLOMBIA, Antioquia, Urrao, boundaries with Caicedo, Vereda “El Chuscal”, 2585m. (Figure 2).
Diagnosis. A species of Rhaebo characterized by having a row of very prominent, subacuminate tarsal tubercles on the outer edge (Figure 1 A, 3A–B) and very prominent, subacuminate ulnar tubercles (Figure 3 C).
Comparison with other species. Rhaebo lynchi also differs from any other known Rhaebo by having a smaller size (37.5 mm SVL in the adult female) versus 190.5–234.5 mm. SVL in adult females of R. blombergi; 71.6–92.3 mm. SVL in adult females of R. caerulestictus (Hoogmoed 1989); 58.8–69.0 mm. SVL in adult females of R. glaberrimus; 121.3–146.9 mm. SVL in adult males of R. guttatus; 77.7–111.3 mm. SVL in adult females of R. haematiticus [although Savage (2002) reported adult females between 50–80 mm]; 64.4 and 66.5 mm. SVL in adult females of R. nasicus (Hoogmoed 1977).
Rhaebo glaberrimus and R. nasicus, like R. lynchi, have ulnar and tarsal tubercles, but these are very low and round in R. glaberrimus and R. nasicus (very prominent and subacuminate in R. lynchi); R. glaberrimus also has a short inner tarsal fold (absent in R. lynchi), R. glaberrimus lacks metacarpal and metatarsal folds (present in R. lynchi) and the cloacal opening is at lower level of thighs or ventral in R. glaberrimus (at upper level of thighs in R. lynchi). R. lynchi, like R. nasicus, has prominent metatarsal and metacarpal folds (Plates 1–3; Hoogmoed 1977), but R. nasicus differs also from R. lynchi in having a prominent inner tarsal fold and the head with low but prominent bony ridges (absent in R. lynchi). R. blombergi has low and round ulnar tubercles (very prominent and subacuminate in R. lynchi), R. blombergi lacks outer tarsal tubercles (very prominent and subacuminate in R. lynchi), R. blombergi has long limbs (short limbs in R. lynchi), R. blombergi lacks metacarpal and metatarsal folds (present in R. lynchi) and R. blombergi has an inner tarsal fold (absent in R. lynchi). R. caeruleostictus has tarsal tubercles, although these are not very prominent as in R. lynchi, R. caeruleostictus lacks ulnar tubercles (present in R. lynchi), R. caeruleostictus have long limbs (short limbs in R. lynchi) and R. caeruleostictus has an inner tarsal fold (absent in R. lynchi).
Description of Holotype. Toad of small size, female 37.5mm SVL. Head narrower than body width, slightly longer than wide. Width of head at corners of jaws slightly wider than at level of tympanum. HW 98.4% of the head length and 33.3% of SVL. Head length 33.9% of the SVL. Head subacuminate in dorsal view (Figure 4 A); snout acuminate dorsally, weakly truncate in lateral profile (Figure 4 B). Tip of snout with a fleshy vertical ridge. Distance between nostril and tip of snout 73.3% of distance between nostril and eye. Nostrils situated posterior to the anterior rim of the mouth, below canthus rostralis in a slightly swollen area. Nostrils oblique, oval, directed laterally. Distance between nostrils 130.0% of that between nostril and eye. Internarial area concave. Top of head up to anterior corner of eyelid weakly concave. Interorbital and occipital region flat, with some low and subacuminate tubercles extending up to inter-parotoid region and back. Upper eyelid narrower than interorbital area. Upper eyelid width 64.4 of IOD. Upper eyelid with some low and rounded tubercles in central area. Inner and outer rim of upper eyelid not delineated by tubercles. Outer rim of upper eyelid slightly projected beyond eye. Cephalic crests absent. Canthus rostralis straight and fleshy, projected over loreal region. Loreal region concave, with some, small and thin spines extending up to middle part of flanks. Spines on infra-parotoid and infra-tympanic regions much more prominent and denser than those on loreal region. Lips not flared. Eyes with horizontally oval pupil. Preorbital ridge absent. Tympanum large, rounded, 63.6% of eye length. Anterior near 4/5 (or all) of tympanum visible. Supratympanic fleshy ridge present. Parotoids distinct, oval, rounded anteriorly and pointed posteriorly. Parotoids longer than wide, parotoid width 40.2% of parotoid length and 34.5% of inter-parotoid distance. Parotoids with some pores. Outer margin of parotoids without indentations. Inter-parotoidal region with two very low and weakly evident crests. Skin of back smooth, bearing some low tubercles in sacral region and round warts on postsacral region. Interrupted lateral oblique row of five to six subacuminate tubercles, from parotoids to groin. Ventral skin finely tuberculate, with some minute spines mainly on chest and belly.
Forelimbs slender and short, with numerous spines and some rounded and low tubercles on upper surface and flanks. Hand length 72.4% of SVL. Fingers basally webbed. Hand-web formula I 2–2 - II 2 -–3 III 3 –2.5 IV. Fingers with slender, fleshy and non bulbous tips; basally broadened. Finger I slightly shorter than II. Supernumerary palmar tubercles not evident. Subarticular tubercles rounded and low. Palmar and thenar tubercles weakly evident, palmar tubercle large, rounded, 1.1 times the size of oval thenar tubercle. A row of six to seven subacuminate ulnar tubercles and three to four low tubercles along inner edge. Ulnar fold absent. Metacarpal fold present, extending from metatarsus to nearly half of length finger IV.
Hind limbs short. Upper surface with some low tubercles extending up the thighs. Outer edge of tibia with four to six prominent and rounded tubercles and some spines. Inner tarsal fold absent. Tarsus bearing a row of five to six subacuminate tubercles on outer edge and a row of two to four low tubercles on inner edge. Foot length and tibia length 35.7% and 32.3% of SVL. Toes with slender, fleshy, with non bulbous tips; basally broadened or not. Toes basally webbed. Foot-web formula I 1–2 - II 1–3 - III 2–3 + IV 3.5– 2 V. Supernumerary plantar tubercles weakly evident. Metatarsal inner tubercle oval, elongated, 1.5 times size of rounded outer. Metatarsal fold present, extending from metatarsus to near tip of toe V. Musculus adductor longus absent.
Tongue oval, not notched posteriorly, 2/3 of its extension adherent to floor of mouth. Choanae rounded, not concealed by palatal shelf of maxillary arch. Cloacal opening at upper level of thighs. Supracloacal region with two rounded or prominent tubercles and some small tubercles on the sides.
Color in preservative (Ethanol 70%). Specimen bicolored, dorsally pale brown; sacral warts dark brown (Figure 1 A); flanks dark brown, separated from the dorsum by a delicate cream line (Figure 4 B); ventrally pale brown with reticulated dark brown stains (Figure 1 B).
Measurements in millimeters of Holotype. SVL 37.5; HW 12.5; head length 12.7; IOD 5.9; upper eyelid width 3.8; internarial distance 3.9; parotoid length 9.7; parotoid width 3.9; inter-parotoid distance 11.3; eye-parotoid distance 1.8; eye diameter 3.3; tympanum 2.1; eye-nare distance 3.0; nare-snout distance 2.2; tibia length 12.1; foot length 13.4; hand length 9.2.
Natural history. The holotype was captured in primary forest, under logs during a rainy season (Fieldnotes of the amphibian collection of ICN). The female has a mass of pale eggs and convoluted oviducts.
Etymology. This toad is dedicated to my professor Dr. John Douglas Lynch, in acknowledgment for his great help to my formation, for his unconditional support during my residence in the Amphibian Laboratory of ICN, and in recognition and admiration to his enormous contributions to the study of Colombian amphibians.
description: Published as part of Mueses-Cisneros, Jonh Jairo, 2007, A new species of Rhaebo (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia, pp. 53-59 in Zootaxa 1662 on pages 54-58, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.179977