12,232 research outputs found
Callulina hanseni Loader, Gower, Müller & Menegon, 2010, sp. nov.
No full textCallulina hanseni sp. nov. Figures 1, 2, 3, 4; Tables 1, 2, 3. Callulina sp. 2 Menegon et al. (2008) p. 114, appendix 1, and table 3, 4. Holotype. BMNH 2008.130 (Field Tag MW 6960), an adult female, BMNH 2008.17. Collected on the Maskati side of the Nguru South Forest Reserve, Tanzania, 06º 03' 51.1 "S, 37 º 30 ' 33.3 "E, 1790 m (Figure 1 b) by David Gower, Roy Hinde, Simon Loader, Hendrik Müller, Maria Perkins, and Mark Wilkinson on January 19 th 2008. Paratypes. 13 specimens: BMNH 1983.45 collected near Maskati Mission 1900m West side of Nguru Mountains, Mwomero District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania by Jan Keilland in Sept. 1982. BMNH 2008.127 - 128, 2008.131 - 134, 2008.136 - 138 collected on the Maskati side of the Nguru South Forest Reserve, Mwomero District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania, 06º 03' 51.1 "S, 37 º 30 ' 33.3 "E, 1790 m by David Gower, Roy Hinde, Simon Loader, Hendrik Müller, Maria Perkins, and Mark Wilkinson between January 19 th– 21 st 2008. MTSN 8138, 8140 and 8192 collected on the Maskati side of the Nguru South Forest Reserve, Mwomero District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania, 06º 03' 51.1 "S, 37 º 30 ' 33.3 "E, 1790 m by Michele Menegon between October 26 th– 30 th 2004 (see Menegon et al. 2008, Table 1, Nguru Site 1 ‘Maskati’). BMNH 2008.136 and MTSN 8138 and 8140 have been sequenced for partial fragments of 12 S, 16 S, and cytb (see Genetic difference section and Appendix 1). Diagnosis. The new species of Callulina is assigned to the brevicipitid genus based on the following characteristics: Truncated or expanded terminal phalanges (simple in Spelaeophyrne, Probreviceps, Breviceps, and Balebreviceps); single posterior denticulated row in the palate of Callulina (two denticulated rows in Probreviceps, glandular mass in Breviceps). A large, robust Callulina. SUL 20.6– 42.5mm. TL: SUL ratio 36–42 %. Tympanum present, 0.25– 0.60 % of SUL. Tympanum to eye distance 1.2 – 3.0 mm, 0.04–0.07 % of SUL. Fingertips expanded (width of subarticular tubercle> 0.78–0.94 % of the width of fingertips). Dark brown dorsally, and ventrally, with distinctive darker brown colouration on anterior margin of chin against cream colouration. Legs have large continuous glandular ridge on both tibiofibulae and tarsal joints. Callulina hanseni differs from C. laphami and C. shengena in the presence of a tympanum, more granular skin, expanded fingertips, and absence of interocular patterning. Callulina hanseni differs from C. dawida in having expanded fingertips. Callulina hanseni differs from C. stanleyi and C. kisiwamsitu in the presence of large continuous glands on legs. Callulina hanseni differs from C. kreffti in the degree of expansion of fingertips and the presence of large continuous glands on legs (see also Table 2 and Figure 4 for comparative measures). The distinctiveness of C. hanseni from other Callulina species is also supported by its disjunct distribution, and mtDNA sequence data (see Genetic difference). The extent of the expansion of the fingertips is, in general, a useful character to distinguish Callulina species but some specimens of some species fall outside the main range of variation and might question the usefulness of this character. Some specimens of C. kreffti (BMNH 2000 - 189, 2000 - 196, 2005.1508, FMNH 250471) have> 0.75 % width at first subarticular, relative to expansion at fingertip. Also C. stanleyi FMNH 251384 has larger expansion of finger tips ( 0.00096), although relative proportions of limbs are not significantly different (tibia, tarsus, and humerus, student t-test = 0.048); and the position of the tympanum relative to the eye (ttest => 0.046) is significantly different. Colour in life. A brown or dark brown animal with scattered black mottlings (especially in smaller animals) and white tipped warts on flanks, throat and belly. Wide paler dorsolateral bands can be present. Iris is bright orange. See Figure 3. Advertisement call. No calls were recorded for this species. Natural history. The specimen collected by Jan Keiland in 1982 was found inside a rotting log in moist evergreen forest. The new series collected in 2004 (MTSN) and 2008 (BMNH) were mainly collected from branches both below and above head height. This included specimens located low down on small shrubs but also climbing to a great heights (observed and collected ca. 10 m above ground) on branches, tree trunks and bare rock in montane forest (see Figure 9). All specimens were collected in primary montane rainforest. Conservation status. Callulina hanseni has been found only in the Nguru South Forest Reserve at an elevation of 1790m and above (Figure 1 c). This distribution comprises a maximum distributional area of less than 100km 2, qualifying this species as critically endangered (CR B 1 b (iii)) under IUCN criteria. The conservation status will need to be re-evaluated if specimens are discovered below 1790m. Population density is unknown. The distribution pattern is similar to that seen in the recently described species Arthroleptis nguruensis (Poynton et al. 2008), and is indicative of a distinct Nguru upper montane fauna. Other undescribed taxa also appear to be confined to this upper montane belt (e.g. Callulina sp. Hoplophryne sp., and Probreviceps sp.). Etymology. The species name is a patronym for Dr. James Hansen, who has made important scientific contributions towards climate science and as a supporter of the African Rainforest Conservancy trust has contributed towards the conservation of Eastern Arc forests. The specific epithet should be treated as a noun in genitive case.Published as part of Loader, Simon P., Gower, David J., Müller, Hendrik & Menegon, Michele, 2010, Two new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) from the Nguru Mountains, Tanzania, pp. 26-42 in Zootaxa 2694 on pages 28-33, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19964
Callulina shengena Loader & Gower & Ngalason & Menegon 2010, SP. NOV.
No full textCALLULINA SHENGENA SP. NOV. <p>(FIGS 1, 3, 5B, 6–8, TABLE 1, 2)</p> <p> <i>Holotype:</i> MTSN 9285, adult (gravid) female, collected at Chome Forest Reserve, South Pare Mountains (04°17′42.907″S, 37°56′18.612″E) by MM on 12 March 2008. This specimen has been sequenced for <i>12S</i> and <i>16 S</i>. Good condition, with midventral incision into coelom, and incision around left and right tympanic region.</p>Published as part of <i>Loader, Simon P., Gower, David J., Ngalason, Wilirk & Menegon, Michele, 2010, Three new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) highlight local endemism and conservation plight of Africa's Eastern Arc forests, pp. 496-514 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160 (3)</i> on page 502, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00652.x, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/5494130">http://zenodo.org/record/5494130</a>
Schematic drawings of the ventral view of head region of <i>H</i>. <i>ukaguruensis</i> sp. nov. and comparison to previous drawings from Barratt <i>et al</i>. (2017) and Loader <i>et al</i>. (2015).
No full textSchematic drawings of the ventral view of head region of H. ukaguruensis sp. nov. and comparison to previous drawings from Barratt et al. (2017) and Loader et al. (2015).</p
Callulina meteora Menegon, Gower & Loader, 2011, sp. nov.
No full textCallulina meteora sp. nov. (Figs. 1 –3, 5– 7; Table 1) Callulina sp. 1 Menegon et al. (2008: p. 114, appendix 1, tables 3, 4). Holotype. BMNH 2008.450 (Field tag MW 6825) a mature female (Fig. 1). Collected from the Maskati side of the Nguru South Forest Reserve, Tanzania, 6.069027778 S - 37.50066667 E, 1980 m (Fig. 6) by David Gower, Roy Hinde, Simon Loader, Hendrik Müller, Maria Müller, and Mark Wilkinson in January 2008. Paratypes. MTSN 8129-8134 (MTSN 8134, 39 ova in vitellogenesis; MTSN 8130 cleared and stained), MTSN 8141, collected by Michele Menegon between October 26 and November 0 2, 2004 in the Nguru South Forest Reserve, 6.06630176 S - 37.49802743 E, Nguru Mountains, Morogoro Region. Tanzania. BMNH 2008.118 - 451-452 - 453-454 - 455-456 - 457-458 - 459-460 - 461-462 - 463-464 same collection data as holotype. Diagnosis. The species is assigned to Callulina within Brevicipitidae based on the following morphological features: Moderately sized wedge-shaped lobes on the mentomecklian elements, posteroventrally directed (variably reduced/enlarged in Probreviceps, Balebreviceps, and Breviceps, see Largen & Drewes 1989); cultriform process of the parasphenoid with broad base but narrow alary processes, tapering laterally (cultriform process of the parasphenoids widely variable in breviciptids, Largen & Drewes 1989); nasals almost meet at midline (broadly separated in Breviceps and Balebreviceps); clavicle well-developed and straight though slightly curved anteriorly at the point of contact between coracoid and scapulae (clavicle straight in Breviceps, Probreviceps, Spelaeophryne); omosternum large (rudimentary or small in Breviceps, Probreviceps, moderate in Balebreviceps); tympanum present and usually well-differentiated (absent in Balebreviceps and Probreviceps uluguruensis); double condylar articulation between the urostyle and the sacral vertebrae (fused in Balebreviceps, Breviceps, and Probreviceps); truncated terminal phalanges (simple in Spelaeophyrne, Probreviceps, Breviceps, and Balebreviceps); single posterior denticulated row in the palate of Callulina (two denticulated rows in Probreviceps, glandular mass in Breviceps). Callulina meteora is morphologically distinct from most other species of Callulina (C. kreffti, C. kisiwamsitu, C. dawida, C. kanga, C. laphami and C. stanleyi) in having large glands on the limbs. The new species is distinguished from C. shengena and C. hanseni (also with enlarged limb glands) by the presence of a tympanum (absent in C. shengena) and limb glands that are distinctly differently coloured to the rest of the limbs (no distinctive gland colour in C. hanseni). Description of holotype. Female. Body stout, head short but as wide as body. Snout truncate in lateral view, snout-tip extending slightly beyond upper and lower jaws. Snout tip rounded at edges, flattened not pointed at apex. Canthus rostralis rounded. Dorsal aspect of head covered by small, rounded, irregular-shaped warts. Ventral region with larger, granular like warts on chin and underside. Eyelids smooth with very small irregular shaped warts. Pupil was horizontal before preservation. Tympanum distinct, suboval (not as tall as long), smooth, with granular warts on slightly raised rim around edge of disc. Dorsum of body with small, irregular glandular masses giving warty appearance. Ventral surface with larger irregular shaped glandular masses, slightly larger and more granular on flanks. Forelimb slender. Massive continuous glands covering dorsal and ventral aspects of forearm. Surface of massive arm gland with smaller, irregular, slightly smoother bumps. Webbing almost absent on hand, only marginal rudimentary skin joining each finger. Distal phalanges moderately long, thick, truncate, expanded only slightly, rounded at edges. Inner tubercle smaller than outer tubercle, separated by a mid-palmar tubercle. First finger shortest, followed by second, fourth, third. Tubercles darker than silvery/metallic background of hand. Hind limbs stout, tibia, metatarsus and carpal area of tarsus covered by an enlarged glandular mass. Distal phalanges of feet moderately long, thick, truncate, expanded only slightly, rounded at edges. First toe marginally the shortest, followed by second, third, fifth, fourth. On toes and fingers, terminal phalanx darker, with a fold of skin, marked by a white line at the dorsal junction between the penultimate and ultimate phalanges. Webbing almost absent on foot, only marginal rudimentary skin joining each toe. Inner and outer tubercle in contact, equal in size. Vent ventro-posteriorly positioned. Measurement of holotype. SUL = 38.2; TL = 13.5; ED = 4.2; TD = 2.0; ETD = 2.2; ND = 2.5; NED = 2.8; JW = 13.8; LF 3 = 4.4; LT 4 = 5.7, TSL = 11; HL = 12.1; NLD = 1.7; WDF 3 = 1.3; WDTF 3 = 1.2; IOD = 6.1. Colour. In preservative, the holotype dorsal ground colour is pale grey/brown, with darker brown patterning as irregular lateral dorsal markings. The flanks are a paler grey/brown. The dorsal and ventral surfaces of the thighs are dark brown, contrasting strongly with the silvery/metallic colouration of the glands. The ventral surface of the body is cream, with a dark brown colouration on the lateral edges. In life, the holotype has the same patterning as in preservative but with more vivid colours. The massive glands on the limbs are silvery, giving a striking metallic sheen to the surface (see Fig. 2). Variation. The tympanum is usually distinct in Callulina meteora, but in some paratypes (BMNH 2008.464, BMNH 2008.453 - 455, BMNH 2008.461, BMNH 2008.451) it is poorly demarcated and was measured by dissecting the skin around the region. Otherwise there is little notable (non-colour) morphological variation among individuals apart from between the sexes. Males are significantly smaller in body length (T-test: <0.05, females, SUL= 34.8–40.6 mm, x= 41.55 mm, number= 8; males, 26.5–35.4 mm, x= 30.1 mm, number= 9), and head width (T-test: <0.05). All other morphological characters analysed are not significantly different between the sexes. Colour variation. Callulina meteora individuals show wide colour variability with some rather constant patterns. In all examined individuals, the massive limb glands are paler than surrounding areas, often whitish or silvery with, as in the rest of the body, a metallic sheen (see Fig. 2). The body can be almost completely white or coppery brown, with darker areas on the dorsum, inguinal, axillary and tympanic zones and on limbs. In some specimens (e.g., MTSN 8129), darker areas on the dorsum are extensive and almost black. The entire animal has a metallic sheen that persists after preservation. Eye colour in life is bright yellow to orange. Call. Advertisement calls of two males Callulina meteora were recorded at the collecting site by M.M. between October 26 and November 2 2004 both during the day and the night. Calling males were seen at the base of trees. The call is composed of a single periodic pulse train, introductory notes, and repeated notes. These three elements are sometimes arranged in different ways: a single periodic pulse train could be heard with or without introductory notes. Full calls in rainy weather were heard to comprise three or four modules of introductory notes followed by a single pulse train and a final introductory note followed by a group of similar pulse trains. The presence of the introductory note was previously known for the recently described C. kanga only (Loader et al., 2010 b). The last call element of C. meteora considered alone shows temporal properties similar to the call of the other Callulina species. The single periodic pulse train is composed of six pulses and has a length ranging from 0.067 to 0.078 sec, but the temporal properties of repeated note remains the same. The introductory notes usually rising in intensity are composed of 16 to 21 pulses and have a length ranging from 0.203 to 0.238 sec. All sound emissions have an average intensity maximum around 1.6 kHz (see Fig. 3). Habitat and natural history. Callulina meteora is partly sympatric with C. hanseni (Loader et al., 2010 b) and seems to be restricted to the montane and upper montane forest of the Nguru South Forest Reserve (Menegon et al., 2008). All specimens were collected between 1950–2100 m asl but calls were heard up to 2200 m. This distribution is similar to that reported for Arthroleptis nguruensis (Poynton et al., 2009). Some specimens were found during the day by digging in soft soil and leaf litter accumulating at the base of large trees. This microhabitat together with the presence of strongly keratinized and well-raised metatarsal tubercles is suggestive of semifossoriality. On the basis of the presence of large eggs found in the oviduct of a dissected female, we presume that the species is oviparous with direct development. Although no direct evidence is known for the genus Callulina, oviparity with direct development is regarded as the most likely reproductive mode for this genus of breviciptids (Müller et al., 2007). Conservation status. Based on current knowledge of the species’ distribution and habitat preference, the estimated extent of occurrence of Callulina meteora is equal to or less than 42 km 2, and the estimated area of occupancy not larger than 26 km 2; these are respectively the area including the elevational distribution (1980–2100 m) of this species in the Nguru South Forest Reserve and the area included in the polygon obtained by linking the localities where the presence of the species was recorded (Fig. 6). Therefore, according to Red List (IUCN 2009) categories based on the criterion of an extent of occurrence estimated to be less than 100 km 2, the presence of one population at only a single location, compounded with an observed decline in area, extent and quality of the habitat (IUCN, 2010), we suggest that C. meteora qualifies as critically endangered or, more technically, CR B 1 b (iii). The proposed conservation status would need to be re-evaluated if specimens are recovered below 1980 m, but herpetological surveys examining species turnover between 800–2200 m have been conducted in the area over the past seven years (S.P.L. and M.M. unpublished data; Owen et al., 2008) and C. meteora has never been recovered below 1980 m. Currently the population density appears to be locally high but with increasing pressure due to land-use changes in the region (pers. obs.), and predicted climate-mediated changes that could affect the high montane zone, the species is clearly facing threats. Etymology. The specific epithet is used as an adjective and derives from the greek word meteoron, meaning "thing high up," in reference to the type locality of the species, situated close to the top of the Nguru Mountains. Molecular analyses. To examine the distinctiveness of and relationships among Callulina species, we analysed sequence data for 12 S, 16 S, and cytb mt genes for all nine nominal species, including C. meteora. The dataset comprised 24 individuals and 1124 unambiguously aligned characters, of which 707 were constant, 140 variable and uninformative, and 277 informative under parsimony. Breviceps mossambicus was used to root trees and Probreviceps m. macrodactylus and Spelaeophryne methneri were used as additional outgroups (see Loader et al. 2010 a). Parsimony analysis yielded two most parsimonious (MP) trees of 915 steps (Fig. 5 b). These topologies differ from the optimal likelihood tree (Fig. 5 a). The two MP trees differ in the position of C. shengena and C. kanga. In one MP tree, C. shengena is sister to C. laphami, and in the other it is sister to all other (except C. laphami) Callulina species. Callulina kanga is recovered as sister to a clade comprising a Nguru radiation (C. meteora, C. hanseni), C. dawida, C. stanleyi and C. kisiwamsitu in the former MP tree. In the second, C. kanga is sister to C. kreffti. Neither of the alternative topologies is well supported. Most analyses supported the monophyly of Callulina (best trees with a non-monophyletic Callulina are significantly suboptimal in Templeton but not likelihood topology tests). All nominal species are robustly monophyletic (Fig. 5). Likelihood analysis recovered a tree similar to that presented by Loader et al. (2010 a: fig. 8 b) differing only in the position of C. shengena. In Loader et al. (2010 a) C. shengena was sister to all other Callulina species (but not well supported) whereas here C. shengena is sister to C. laphami, also only very weakly supported. The new species, C. meteora, forms a clade with C. hanseni in all analyses. Pairwise distances values highlight the genetic distinctiveness of all named Callulina species (as previously shown in Loader et al., 2010 b), including the new species C. meteora (3.8 –4.0 % different to its sister group C. hanseni). Despite the genetic distinctiveness of the nominal species, the phylogenetic signal in the available mt sequence data is insufficient to provide a compelling resolution of their interrelationships using the methods employed here.Published as part of Menegon, Michele, Gower, David J. & Loader, Simon P., 2011, A remarkable new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) with massive, boldly coloured limb glands, pp. 15-26 in Zootaxa 3095 on pages 16-22, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20244
Callulina stanleyi Loader & Gower & Ngalason & Menegon 2010, SP. NOV.
No full textCALLULINA STANLEYI SP. NOV. <p>(FIGS 1, 4, 5C, 6–8, TABLE 1, 2)</p> <p> <i>Holotype:</i> BMNH 2000.207, adult (gravid) female, collected at Chome Forest Reserve, South Pare Mountains (04°09′60″S, 37°50′48″E) by MC on 18 April 1996. Found under a rotten log in forest. This specimen has been sequenced for <i>12S</i>, <i>16S</i>, and cyt <i>b</i>. Specimen in good condition, slightly desiccated in parts, with a cross-like midventral incision into the coelom.</p> <p> <i>Paratypes:</i> Ten specimens: BMNH 2008.467 (male; sequenced for <i>12S</i> and <i>16S</i>) and 2008.468 (male; cleared and stained), formerly MTSN 7540 and 7543, respectively; FMNH 251381–251384, collected by WTS, SMG, and CM in a pitfall trap, 7 km south of Bombo (4°20′S, 38°00′E; 1100 m a.s.l.), Chome Forest Reserve, South Pare Mountains on 20–24 July 1993; MTSN 7541 (male), 7542 (female), 7544, and 7559 (female), collected at Chome Forest Reserve, South Pare Mountains (04°19′41.382″S, 37°59′44.262″E; <i>c</i>. 1230 m a.s.l.), by MM between 13 and 15 March 2008.</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis:</i> A medium- to large-sized robust <i>Callulina</i>. Snout–urostyle distance reaching 42.5 mm, snout: tibia ratio 0.33–0.39. Tympanum present but sometimes obscured by granular skin. Finger tips usually expanded, with the ratio between the width at first subarticular and the width at distal phalanx 0.8–1.0. Subarticular tubercles of hands and feet prominent.</p> <p> <i>Callulina stanleyi</i> sp. nov. differs from <i>C. kreffti</i> in having a less expanded third finger (distal width at third terminal phalanx/distal width at subarticular tubercle> 0.75). <i>Callulina stanleyi</i> sp. nov. differs from <i>C. dawida</i> in having expanded finger and toe tips. <i>Callulina stanleyi</i> sp. nov. differs from <i>C. laphami</i> sp. nov. and <i>C. shengena</i> sp. nov. in the presence of a tympanum, and expanded toe and finger tips. <i>Callulina stanleyi</i> sp. nov. is morphologically very similar to <i>C. kisiwamsitu</i>, although the two species can be distinguished on the basis of DNA sequence, call, and distribution data. Additionally, the following morphometric characters (against SUL) differ significantly (<i>P</i> <0.05) in the two species, based on Student’s <i>t</i> -test analyses: ED, IOD, HW, ND, NLD, TD, snout length (as measured from lower lip to apex of anterior dorsal margin of snout), and outer metatarsal tubercle of the hand (as measured along its longest axis). Many of the head character differences between <i>C. stanleyi</i> sp. nov. and <i>C. kisiwamsitu</i> indicate the larger, more robust head of <i>C. stanleyi</i> sp. nov.</p> <p> <i>Description of holotype:</i> Body robust. Tips of fingers expanded, distal width of terminal phalanx 0.85 of the width of distal subarticular tubercle. Tips of fingers expanded laterally, with circummarginal grooves posterior to distal phalanx. First finger shortest, second and fourth equal, third longest. Inner metatarsal tubercle rounded and raised, separated by a middle palmar tubercle from an even larger, rounded, raised, outer metatarsal tubercle. Slightly smaller palmar tubercles present on palm. Subarticular tubercles at the base of each finger, large subarticular tubercles on third and fourth finger at the phalangeal joints. Third finger with smaller tubercles between basal articular tubercle and subarticular tubercles. Slightly dessicated but dorsoventrally expanded toe tips, with slightly folded but smooth ventral surfaces. Tips of toes slightly expanded laterally, with circummarginal grooves posterior to distal phalanx. Toe tips with smooth ventral surfaces. First toe same length as second, third and fifth equal, fourth longest. Inner metatarsal tubercle large, rounded, and raised, almost touching a similar sized, rounded, raised, outer metatarsal tubercle. Smaller palmar tubercles present on base of foot. Subarticular tubercles at the base of each toe, large subarticular tubercles on third and fourth toe at the phalangeal joints.</p> <p>All tubercles on hands and feet bluish grey against brown–grey background. Dorsum brown with scattered, darker brown–black symmetric vermiculations. Skin granular, with slightly larger glandular masses on lateral sides, and posterior end around the thighs and urostyle region. Large glandular mass slightly paler brown. Ventral surface paler brown, cream–tan. Tympanic region pale brown–cream. Dark edged tympanic ridge from posterior edge of eyelid to arm insertion. Incision around tympanic region on right side. Loreal and canthal regions dark brown. Snout visible from ventral view.</p> <p> <i>Measures of</i> <i>holotype (all measurements are given in mm):</i> ED = 3.0; ETD = 1.2; HL = 12.1; HW = 11.8; IN = 1.8; IOD = 7.2; LF3 = 4.7; LT4 = 6.6, NED = 2.2; NLD = 1.5; SUL = 42.5; TD = 1.3*; TL = 9.6; TSL = 10.8; WDF3 = 1.3; WDTF3 = 1.1. (* Difficult to discern, was dissected to clarify exact measurement.) <i>Measures of male paratype (MTSN 7541)</i> <i>:</i> ED = 4.6; ETD = 2.8; HL = 8.3; HW = 8.7; IN = 2.8; IOD = 4.4; LF3 = 3.6; LT4 = 4.7; NED = 3.1; NLD = 1.2; SUL = 24.6; TD = 1.7*; TL = 14.8; TSL = 6.9; WDF3 = 1.1; WDTF3 = 0.9. (* Difficult to discern, was dissected to clarify exact measurement.)</p> <p> <i>Morphological and colour variation:</i> Morphological features of paratypes generally match the holotype. The proportion of TL to SUL is 0.33–0.39. The size and position of the tympana varies: TD / TL = 0.04– 0.06; ETD / TL = 0.04–0.07. The ratio of the widths of the third distal phalanx to the subarticular tubercle is 0.77–1.0; most specimens are in the range 0.77– 0.86. FMNH 251381 is a small (19.9 mm SUL) juvenile that is dessicated, with only marginally expanded finger tips (WDF3 = 0.6; WDTF3 = 0.6; ratio = 1), and FMNH 251384 is a small juvenile with expanded finger tips (WDF3 = 0.7; WDTF3 = 0.5; ratio = 0.71).</p> <p>The juveniles FMNH 251381–251384 resemble the holotype in colour, but show different degrees of dark mottling on the dorsum, with FMNH 251382 most strongly mottled and FMNH 251383 the least mottled. The tympanum is obscured by granular skin in MTSN 7541, 7543, and 7544.</p> <p> <i>Colour in life:</i> Generally brown, with irregular darkbrown marbling. Warts on the lateral surfaces of body clearly white. Ventral surface cream with brown marbling on edges. Eyes orange to red (Fig. 3C).</p> <p> <i>Advertisement call:</i> Males were only calling during the night, from low bushes and branches of small trees. The call is a fast series of between seven and nine trills (Fig. 5), produced at a rate of approximately fve per second, with maximum energy at 1720 Hz. The quality of the few call recordings was not high enough to allow a detailed description of the train of pulses forming the trill. Pulse-group duration was about 25 ms, and intergroup duration was about 116 ms.</p> <p> <i>Natural history:</i> The holotype was collected in a rotten log in the forest. The FMNH specimens were all collected in bucket pitfalls in the forest. Specimens were found on low bushes during the night, both in dense forest and along a forest road.</p> <p> <i>Distribution and threat: Callulina stanleyi</i> sp. nov. was found only in submontane forest at elevations between 1200 and 1300 m. Based on current knowledge of the species’ distribution and evidence of dependency on the forest, the estimated extent of occurrence of <i>C. stanleyi</i> sp. nov. is less than or equal to 9.7 km 2: this is the area including an elevational distribution (1200–1600 m) of the submontane habitat in Chome. As with the two other newly described species, population density does not appear to be low, but <i>C. stanleyi</i> sp. nov. is confined to a small fragment of submontane forest existing along the eastern boundary of Chome forest reserve, which is bordered by extensive farmlands. The presence of one population at only a single, small location is compounded by an observed decline in the area and quality of the habitat (Hall <i>et al.</i>, 2009).</p> <p> <i>Etymology:</i> This species is named after our colleague and good friend William T. Stanley of the Field Museum, Chicago. Bill has made numerous contributions to understanding the biological diversity of the Eastern Arc Mountains. He has also made several important field discoveries of amphibians (including those we describe from the South Pare), and we name this species in recognition of his excellent work.</p>Published as part of <i>Loader, Simon P., Gower, David J., Ngalason, Wilirk & Menegon, Michele, 2010, Three new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) highlight local endemism and conservation plight of Africa's Eastern Arc forests, pp. 496-514 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160 (3)</i> on pages 505-509, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00652.x, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/5494130">http://zenodo.org/record/5494130</a>
Callulina laphami Loader & Gower & Ngalason & Menegon 2010, SP. NOV.
No full textCALLULINA LAPHAMI SP. NOV. <p>(FIGS 1, 2, 5A, 6–8; TABLES 1, 2)</p> <p> <i>Holotype:</i> BMNH 2002.37, an adult (gravid) female, collected in Kindoroko Forest Reserve, North Pare Mountains, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania</p> <p>All measurements are given in mm. See Material and methods for a definition of the abbreviations.</p> <p> (03°43′43.5″S, 37°39′16.1″E) by DJG, SPL, and WN on 10 May 2002 (see Fig. 1). This specimen has been sequenced for <i>12S</i>, <i>16S</i>, and cyt <i>b</i>. Specimen in good condition, with midventral incision into coelom, and incision around tympanic region on left and right.</p> <p> <i>Paratypes:</i> Seventeen specimens (where determined, sex is listed): BMNH 2002.38, male, cleared and stained; BMNH 2002.39, female; BMNH 2002.40, sequenced for <i>12S</i>, <i>16S</i>, and cyt <i>b</i>; BMNH 2002.41, male; BMNH 2002.44, collected at same time and place as holotype; BMNH 2005.951, collected by NC, Kindoroko Forest Reserve, North Pare Mountains, July 1993; nine specimens collected by MM at Kindoroko Forest Reserve, North Pare Mountains, MTSN 8609, 8611, 8611 (male), 8612 (female), 8613, 8614, 8621 (female), 8622 (female), and 8632 (female); two specimens collected on 12 July 1993 by NC, Kindoroko Forest Reserve, CAS 225134 and 225135.</p> <p> <i>Referred material:</i> Four specimens collected by MM from Minja Forest Reserve, North Pare Mountains (03°44′55.96″S, 37°38′47.09″E), October 2005: MTSN 8640, 8641, 8648 (male), and 7123.</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis:</i> A large, stout, and robust <i>Callulina</i>. Snout– urostyle distance reaching 45.4 mm. Snout– urostyle: tibia ratio 33–37%. Tympanum absent. Toe and finger tips truncate. Dark-brown dorsally, pale- brown ventrally. Interocular band, often red, sometimes green, darkened in preservative. Subarticular tubercles of hands and feet prominent. Arms and legs show weak development of continuous glandular ridge.</p> <p> <i>Callulina laphami</i> sp. nov. differ from <i>C. kreffti</i>, <i>C. kisiwamsitu</i>, and <i>Callulina stanleyi</i> sp. nov. in the absence of a tympanum, smoother, less granular skin, truncate finger and toe tips, and presence of bright colour in the ocular region. <i>Callulina laphami</i> sp. nov. and <i>C. dawida</i> are similar in overall appearance: both have interocular coloration, but <i>C. dawida</i> has a tympanum, albeit sometimes obscured (Loader <i>et al.</i>, 2009). <i>Callulina laphami</i> sp. nov. and <i>Callulina shengena</i> sp. nov. are most similar in external appearance, but the latter lacks prominent glands on the arms and legs. The distinctiveness of <i>C. laphami</i> sp. nov. from other <i>Callulina</i> is also supported by call, distribution, and DNA sequence data.</p> <p> <i>Description of holotype:</i> Body robust and stout. Tips of fingers truncate (equal to width of distal subarticular tubercle), rounded edges with lateral circummarginal grooves; first finger shortest, second and fourth finger equal, third finger longest. Inner metatarsal tubercle large, rounded, and raised, separated by a middle palmar tubercle from an even larger, rounded outer metatarsal tubercle, which is raised and elongated along the margin of the hand. Smaller palmar tubercles present. Subarticular tubercles at the base of each finger, large subarticular tubercles on third and fourth finger at the phalangeal joints. Third finger with two small tubercles between basal articular tubercle and subarticular tubercle. Truncate and dorsoventrally swollen toe tips without any lamellae on the ventral surface; tips of toes not expanded laterally, with circummarginal grooves; First toe same length as second. Third and fifth toes equal, fourth toe longest. Inner metatarsal tubercle large, rounded, and raised, touching a smaller, rounded, raised, outer metatarsal tubercle. Palmar tubercles present on base of foot. Subarticular tubercles at the base of each toe, large subarticular tubercles on third and fourth toe at the phalangeal joints. All tubercles on hands and feet bluish grey against a brown–grey background.</p> <p> Mean, standard deviation (SD), minimum (min.), maximum (max.), and number of samples (<i>N</i>).</p> <p>Dorsolateral and dorsoventral aspects of arms and legs have a raised glandular area; on the arms slightly raised glandular mass from the wrist to the elbow joint on dorsal and dorsolateral surface; slightly raised glandular mass on legs from one part from knee joint to the tibiotarsal joint on the dorsal, lateral, and ventral surfaces, and on the tibia to the tibiotarsal joint to the base of the foot on the dorsal, lateral, and ventral surfaces to the foot.</p> <p>Dorsum dark brown with a bright-red interocular bar that has faded to dull orange in preservative. This band connects each eyelid, marking precisely their anterior and posterior edges. Relatively smooth dorsal body surface, only slightly granular, with granular glandular masses on lateral and ventral sides, and posterior end, around the thighs and urostyle region. These glandular masses marked by slight pale-cream colour. Ventral surface pale brown. Flanks darker brown with yellowish grey mottling.</p> <p>Tympanic region greyish brown. A door-like incision on surface of skin around tympanic region reveals underlying musculature and absence of any tympanum or vestigial elements. Weakly defined but darkly edged tympanic region. Loreal and canthal regions pale grey. Nostrils, snout tip, and jaw angle slightly darker grey. Snout visible from ventral view.</p> <p> <i>Measures of</i> <i>holotype (all measurements are given in mm):</i> ED = 3.5; ETD = n/a; HL = 13.9; HW = 12.1; IN = 2.9; IOD = 6.7; LF3 = 5.1; LT4 = 7.7; NED = 3.1; NLD = 1.5; SUL = 45.4; TD = n/a; TL = 15.1; TSL = 11.8; WDF3 = 1.0; WDTF3 = 1.0.</p> <p> <i>Measures of male</i> <i>paratype (BMNH 2002.41):</i> ED = 2.6; ETD = n/a; HL = 8.7; HW = 8.7; IN = 2.0; IOD = 4.8; LF3 = 3.8; LT4 = 4.7; NED = 2.1; NLD = 1.1; SUL = 28.6; TD = n/a; TL = 9.7; TSL = 6.8; WDF3 = 0.8; WDTF3 = 0.8.</p> <p> <i>Morphological and colour variation:</i> In general the morphological features outlined in the holotype description are present in all paratype material. All specimens show truncate toe and finger tips. T-shaped distal phalangeal bones are clearly seen in cleared and stained specimen and radiographs. Male paratype MTSN 8648 has a slightly more raised glandular mass on the legs, although not as distinctive as in <i>C. shengena</i> sp. nov. Females (33.5–45.4 mm) are larger than males (22.8–29.0 mm), otherwise no clear sexual differences are noted externally. Some specimens have a less clear interocular band, and this has become even more faded in preservation (e.g. MTSN 8648, 8613, and 8622). Interocular band green instead of red in life in BMNH 2002.41 (faded to pale orange/ brown in preservative). In some juvenile specimens (e.g. MTSN 8640 and 8612) the dorsum is reddish.</p> <p> <i>Colour in life:</i> Dark brown dorsally fading ventrally to a cream–yellowish hue. Flanks paler than dorsum, grading into ventral colour. Distinct interocular band marking the anterior and posterior edges of the eyelid, curving slightly posteromedially, generally bright red, sometimes green (Fig. 3A).</p> <p> <i>Advertisement call:</i> Males were heard calling only during the night, from low bushes and branches of small trees. The call is quite a fast series of <i>c</i>. 10–14 trills (Fig. 5), produced at a rate of approximately five per second, with maximum energy at 1550 Hz. Each trill consists of a group of six or seven high-energy pulses, with a pulse-group duration of about 6 ms, and an intergroup duration of about 125 ms. Compared with other <i>Callulina</i> species, call activity was less constant and less frequent, with few calls heard during our fieldwork.</p> <p> <i>Natural history:</i> Cordeiro notes that his specimens were found ‘under damp rocks of valley side of small stream in deep forest’. SL, DG, and WN found large adults during the day under rocks or logs in mature forest, and one small subadult was found at night perched on a shrub 0.3 m above the ground. MM found adults and juveniles during night searches, perched on bushes and small tree branches, from 0.3 to 1.5 m above the forest floor, both along a wet stream valley and on drier ridges.</p> <p> <i>Distribution and threat: Callulina laphami</i> sp. nov. was collected only in the Kindoroko and Minja montane forests, at elevations between 1730 m and 2000 m (Fig. 2A). Based on current knowledge of the species’ distribution and evidences on habitat preference, the estimated extent of occurrence is less than or equal to 16.5 km 2: this includes Kindoroko and Minja forest reserves. This small extent is compounded with an observed decline in area and quality of the habitat (Hall <i>et al.</i>, 2009). Currently the population density does not appear to be low, but because of the highly fragmented habitat, conservation measures for protecting the species might be important.</p> <p> <i>Etymology:</i> The species is named for Lewis H. Lapham, who has made generous donations towards conserving Tanzania’s forests. The future survival of this frog and other Eastern Arc endemics will in part depend upon such patronage.</p>Published as part of <i>Loader, Simon P., Gower, David J., Ngalason, Wilirk & Menegon, Michele, 2010, Three new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) highlight local endemism and conservation plight of Africa's Eastern Arc forests, pp. 496-514 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160 (3)</i> on pages 498-502, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00652.x, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/5494130">http://zenodo.org/record/5494130</a>
Nectophrynoides paulae Menegon, Salvidio, Ngalason & Loader, 2007, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Nectophrynoides paulae</i> sp. nov. <p>(Figs. 2-4)</p> <p>Holotype. An adult male in the Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, Trento, MTSN 5630 collected 25 January 2004 in Mamiwa-Kisara Forest Reserve by Michele Menegon and Wilirk Ngalason.</p> <p>Type locality. Mamiwa-Kisara North Forest Reserve (Fig. 1), at 1800 m above sea level, Ukaguru Mountains, Kilosa District, Morogoro Region, Tanzania (UTM coordinates: 37M 0 270973 / 9295414).</p> <p>Paratypes. MTSN 5621 (male), BM 2005.1589 (formerly MTSN 2622) (male), BM 2005.1590 (formerly MTSN 5623) (male), MTSN 2624 (male), MTSN 5625 (male), MTSN 2626, MTSN 5627 (male), MTSN 2628 (female containing about 20 yolking eggs), MTSN 2629 (male). All specimens were collected at the same locality, with the same collection data as the holotype.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The species is named in honour of Paola Magagnato, a dedicated natural sciences teacher. Paola conveyed her love and enthusiasm of nature to her family, friends and students; she tragically passed away in August 2004.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> A small-sized <i>Nectophrynoides</i> with snout-urostyle (SUL) ranging from 15.1 to 23.7 mm, characterised by prominent, large conical shaped spines covering head, eyelids, dorsum and hindlimbs. These spines are conical in shape ending with a conspicuous clear keratinized horny tip. A set of six spines, often larger than others, are arranged symmetrically on the region of the head and shoulder. (Fig. 1). Spines often are concentrated also on the anterior part of the head, dorsum, sacral region and limbs. Tips of fingers and toes are rounded, not or slightly expanded, never truncated. The foot length is greater than or equal to length of tibia (Table 1). Tympanum and tympanic annulus are present and clearly visible. Parotoid glands are absent. Hands are not webbed, while fingers are only webbed at their base. The two distal phalanges of the fifth toe are free of main webbing, the three distal phalanges of fourth toe are free of main webbing on both sides. The upper lips often show dark markings on a paler background colour (Figs 1 and 2). These features distinguish <i>N. paulae</i> from all others known species.</p>Published as part of <i>Menegon, Michele, Salvidio, Sebastiano, Ngalason, Wilirk & Loader, Simon P., 2007, A new dwarf forest toad (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Nectophrynoides) from the Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania, pp. 31-40 in Zootaxa 1541</i> on page 32, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/177858">10.5281/zenodo.177858</a>
FIGURE 7 in A remarkable new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) with massive, boldly coloured limb glands
No full textFIGURE 7. Similarity in enlarged limb glands in Callulina meteora sp. nov. (above) and Nectophrynoides viviparus (below).Published as part of Menegon, Michele, Gower, David J. & Loader, Simon P., 2011, A remarkable new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) with massive, boldly coloured limb glands, pp. 15-26 in Zootaxa 3095 on page 24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20244
Probreviceps durirostris Loader, Channing, Menegon & Davenport, sp. nov.
No full text<i>Probreviceps durirostris</i> Loader, Channing, Menegon & Davenport sp. nov. <p>Figures 1–5</p> <p>Holotype — A large female, snout­urostyle length (SUL) 40.1, BMNH 2005.1564 (field number MW 3058) deposited at the Natural History Museum, London (NHM).</p> <p>Collected 5 May 2002, by R. Hinde, S. P. Loader and J. Mariaux from Ikwamba Forest Reserve, Morogoro Region, Kilosa District, Ukaguru Mountains, Tanzania, 06º 21’ 31.5” S; 36º 58’ 57.8” E, 1500 m. Tissue has been preserved under the field numbers MW 3059 and 3060.</p> <p>Paratypes — Eleven specimens, MTSN 5545­51, collected by M. Menegon and Wilirk Ngalason from Mamiwa­Kisara Forest Reserve, 1850 m, 06° 22’ 48’’S, 36° 56’ 02’’ E, deposited at Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, Trento, Italy (MTSN 5547 is now accessioned in the NHM, as BMNH 2005.1573 and is cleared and stained. Tissue samples MW 4089–90 were taken from MTSN 5546–47 respectively); and four specimens MHNG 2670.32, MHNG 2670.33, MHNG 2670.31 and UDSM 2326 were collected by William T. Stanley from “Camp A”, which is in slightly degraded primary forest, and has the locality: Tanzania, Morogoro Region, Kilosa District, Ukaguru Mts, Mamiwa­Kisara Forest Reserve, 1 km E, 0.75 km S Mt. Munyera, 1900 m, 06° 22’ 45” S, 36° 56’ 10” E.</p> <p> <i>Diagnosis</i></p> <p> The species is a brevicipitid on account of the following combination of characters, mainly associated with the retention of the shoulder girdle (Parker, 1934, see Fig. 3): (1) Omosternum cartilaginous (2) Fully developed clavicles and procoracoid cartilages (3) Dilated coracoids (4) Cartilaginous sternum (5) Expanded vomer. The species is assigned to the genus <i>Probreviceps</i> based on the following characters, which separate it from other brevicipitines: (1) Fusion of the urostyle and the sacral vertebra (unfused in <i>Callulina</i> and <i>Spelaeophryne</i>). (2) Palate smooth with two serrated denticulate ridges <i>sensu</i> Parker, (1934); Largen and Drewes, (1989) (Fig. 4) (absent in <i>Breviceps</i>, single row in <i>Callulina, Spelaeophryne, Balebreviceps</i>). (3) Omosternum moderately large (reduced/vestigal in <i>Breviceps</i> and <i>Spelaeophryne)</i> (4) Moderately dilated coracoids (as in <i>Spelaeophryne</i> and <i>Callulina</i> but strongly in <i>Balebreviceps, Breviceps</i>) (5) Terminal phalange simple (expanded in <i>Callulina</i>).</p> <p> <i>P. durirostris</i> is a medium sized <i>Probreviceps</i> which can be easily distinguished from all other species: (1) Snout morphology: <i>P. durirostris</i> has a markedly pointed snout, which is hardened white with ridges along the canthus to the apex of the snout (see Fig. 1). <i>Probreviceps m. rungwensis</i> has a pointed snout, but is not hardened, white in colour, nor does it have a ridged canthus. All other species of <i>Probreviceps</i> have relatively rounded snouts. (2) Tympanum size: <i>P. durirostris</i> is sexually dimorphic with respect to tympanum size, which varies from 13 to 16% of SUL in males, and 4 to 7% in females. This is similar to <i>P. m. rungwensis</i>, which varies from 9 to 14% in males, and 4 to 7% in females. Both <i>P. m. loveridgei</i> and <i>P. m. macrodactylus</i> males do not possess such large tympani, varying from 4 to 7% in males, and 3 to 5% in females. Four <i>P. rhodesianus</i> specimens measured vary in typmanum size 3–5% of SUL. <i>P. uluguruensis</i> does not have a visible tympanum. (3) Finger ridging: Parker reported a fleshy ridge along the inner side of the second and third finger in <i>P. uluguruensis</i>. Finger ridging is present in <i>P. durirostris</i>, though in some specimen only faintly and not as strongly as <i>P. uluguruensis</i>. Similarly, in <i>P. m. rungwensis</i> and <i>P. rhodesianus</i> finger ridging is present, though very slight in the latter. The ridge is almost entirely absent in <i>P. m. macrodactylus</i> and <i>P. m. loveridgei</i>. (4) Position of vent: The vent opens posteroventrally in <i>P. durirostris</i> (as in <i>P. m. macrodactylus, P. m. loveridgei,</i> and <i>P. m. rungwensis</i>) (opens ventrally in <i>P. rhodesianus,</i> and <i>P. uluguruensis</i>). (5) Advertisement call: the new species can be distinguished from all other species recorded. The call of <i>P. durirostris</i> is a very slow series of clicks, slightly faster than one every two seconds (Fig.5). This contrasts with the calls of three taxa of <i>Probreviceps</i> in Tanzania that are rapidly pulsed chirps (Mkonyi et al 2004), varying from a mean of 20/sec (<i>P. uluguruensis</i>); 38/sec (<i>P. m. macrodactylus</i>) to 90/sec (<i>P. m. loveridgei</i>). The calls of <i>P. m. rungwensis</i> from Mount Rungwe and the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania, and <i>P. rhodesianus</i> from Zimbabwe, are unknown.</p> <p> <i>Description of holotype</i></p> <p>The SUL is 34.3mm. The head is flat on top with a protruding snout, 5.0mm, the canthal ridges, tip of snout and the upper lip are white and hardened (Fig 1). The canthal ridges, which form an apex at the anterior of the snout are continuous with the ridged skin of the eyelids. The apex of the snout is ridged and slightly raised and pointed in profile. Loreal region is almost vertical, slightly concave. Snout tip to mouth 3.0mm. Maximum head width 14.0mm. Nostrils are round, situated midway between lip and top of snout, with the openings visible laterally. Tongue longer than wider, posterior half and lateral edges not adhered to the lower jaw. Choanae are small and round. Internostril distance 3.3. Snout tip to nostril 2.2mm, and nostril to eye 2.5mm. The eyelid (4.7mm) extends back as a strong supratympanic ridge to above the arm as a fold in the dorsal skin. The eyes are visible from below, eye 3.6mm. Interorbital distance measured across the top of the head 4.3mm. The anterior corners of the eyes are 6.2mm apart. The tympanum is round, 2.8mm, placed 2.5mm from eye, and aligned vertically when viewed from the front. The tubercles of the hand are pale, large with faint skin ridges (fig 1). First finger is the shortest, with second and fourth toe slightly larger, the third being the longest. Length of third finger to include basal tubercle 7.25mm. The legs are relatively short, with a tibia length 17.2mm. First toe is the shortest, with second and fifth toes slightly longer, roughly similar in length, third toe is nearly twice as long as second and fifth, with the fourth the longest. The length of the fourth toe (Fig 1), including the outer metatarsal tubercle 18.6mm. The subarticular tubercles of the toes are rounded, pale, with faint skin ridges. Inner metatarsal tubercle well developed, rounded, length 2.9mm, while outer is large but flattened. Skin rough with small distinct glands that tend to merge on the lower back and upper legs. They are small anteriorly, becoming bigger posteriorly. The only parts not covered with glands are the plantar surfaces of the hands and feet. The vent opens posteroventrally. The following are the body proportions: Maximum head width/SUL 0.35, snout/eye 1.39, eye/ SUL 0.09, eye­tympanum distance/horizontal tympanum 0.89, tympanum/SUL 0.07, anterior corners of eyes/head width 0.44, snout tip to mouth/internostril distance 0.91, internostril/nostril­eye 1.32, third finger/head width 0.52, tibia/head width 1.23, tibia/SUL 0.43, fourth toe/SUL 0.40, inner metatarsal tubercle/fourth toe 0.16.</p> <p> <i>Colour</i></p> <p>In life: The back and sides have dark warts on a tan brown background. Five faint transverse pairs of dark­grey narrow bands are evenly spaced on the posterior dorsum, angled diagonally and posteriorly from the midline. Small white­tipped warts are irregularly present on dorsum and upper limb surfaces. The snout tip is pale blue­grey, with the side of the head dark grey to black from side of the snout to the arm insertion, running below the upper eyelid and the supratympanic fold. Pupil horizontal with a gold iris. The tympanum is dark grey to black. The upper surfaces of the limbs are dark grey (Fig 2).</p> <p>In alcohol: The background dorsal colour is brown, with darker warts. Four pairs of darker transverse lines are just visible, from midway down the back to the legs. Glands are present on the belly. Back of ankle, and underside of forearm are white.</p> <p> <i>Paratype variation</i></p> <p>The paratypes are similar to the holotype in proportions and colour. Males vary in SUL from 25.8 to 26.8, with the females larger at 34.3 to 43.1. The males have large tympani, 13 to 16% of SUL, but 4 to 7% in females. Ranges of body proportions for the 11 paratypes include: Maximum head width/SUL 0.34–0.49, snout/eye 0.88–1.35, eye/SUL 0.08–0.13, eye­tympanum distance/horizontal tympanum 0.20–0.31 (males), 1.11–1.86 (females), tympanum/SUL 0.13–0.16 (males), 0.04–0.07 (females), anterior corners of eyes/head width 0.39–0.47, snout tip to mouth/internostril distance 0.65–0.94, internostril/ nostril–eye 1.05–1.45, third finger/head width 0.36–0.73, tibia/head width 0.88–1.30, Probreviceps durirostristibia/SUL 0.39–0.46, fourth toe/SUL 0.37–0.46, inner metatarsal tubercle/fourth toe 0.10–0.17. Finger ridges vary from prominent to faint.</p> <p>Advertisement call</p> <p>Males call actively during the day, with some residual calling at night. Calling takes place from within leaf litter or while the animals are concealed under logs or other forest debris. Choruses form rapidly after an individual starts calling. Males were recorded in the field at the Mamiwa­Kisara Forest Reserve. The call is a slow series of clicks (Fig 5), produced at a rate of approximately 32/minute. Each click consists of a single high­energy pulse with a duration of 6 ms. No real harmonics are present, although significant energy is present at 1.2, 1.6, 2.6, 4.3 and 5.4 kHz.</p> <p> <i>Phylogenetic analyses</i></p> <p> Alignment of sixteen DNA sequences (concatenated 12S and 16S sequences) resulted in a matrix of 717 unambiguously aligned characters, of which 557 were constant and 160 variable; of these, 81 were informative under parsimony. Fourteen <i>Probreviceps</i> were included in the analysis, one brevicipitine <i>Callulina</i>, and the microhylid <i>Hoplophryne uluguruensis</i> was used as an outgroup, based on its position outside of a brevicipitine clade in previous analyses (Loader et al. 2004). Maximum likelihood (heuristic search using 10 random­addition sequence replicates and TBR swapping) and Bayesian analyses were carried out under a GTR I + G model as calculated by Modeltest 3.04 (Posada and Crandall, 1998). Base frequencies were estimated as 0.3143, 0.2341, 0.2241, and 0.2275 for A, C, G and T respectively, substitution rates = 8.6657 26.7726 19.7332 3.2566 77.3197 with the proportion of invariant sites set at 0.4201 and a gamma distribution shape parameter 0.6367. The phylogeny recovered is shown in Fig. 6a. An exhaustive search option using parsimony yielded eight best trees (231 steps), identical to the phylogeny recovered in ML and Bayesian analyses, differing only in the resolution of <i>P. m. macrodactylus</i>, and <i>P. m. loveridgei</i> from Uluguru, Usambara and Udzungwa which collapse into a polytomy in the consensus tree. Support for clades was measured with P. durirostrisbootstrap proportions for 1000 pseudoreplicates (Felsenstein, 1985), Bayesian posterior probability, and decay indices (Bremer, 1988). In summary, the tree demonstrates that <i>Probreviceps durirostris</i> is monophyletic, and is the sister species to <i>Probreviceps m. rungwensis</i>. <i>Probreviceps m. rungwensis</i> is also shown to have two divergent lineages, which each correspond to distinct areas­ the Udzungwa and Southern Highlands. For further details of the analysis of species and intrageneric relationships in brevicipitines, see Loader et al. (2004).</p> <p> One alternative tree arrangement was investigated to evaluate a previous taxonomic hypothesis based on morphology (Parker, 1934), i.e. the monophyly of <i>P. macrodactylus</i>. Using parsimony, a Templeton test (Templeton, 1983) compared the optimal tree (Fig. 6 b) with constrained suboptimal topology (Fig. 6 c). Likelihood tests (Shimadairo­Hasegawa Test) were similarly applied to compare optimal and suboptimal trees (Fig. 6 c). The best suboptimal trees including a constrained monophyletic <i>P. macrodactylus</i> subspecies complex (see Fig. 6 c), are a significantly worse fit to the data than the optimal arrangements. This result indicates, as shown by Loader <i>et al.</i> (2004), that <i>P. macrodactylus</i> requires re­evaluation, the subject of a paper in preparation.</p> <p> <i>Distribution</i></p> <p>This new species is presently only known from two forest reserves in the Ukaguru Mountains; Mamiwa­Kisara Forest Reserve and the Ikwamba Forest Reserve (Fig 7).</p> <p> <i>Etymology</i></p> <p> The name <i>durirostris</i> is derived from the latin “dura” meaning hardened and “rostris” meaning nose. The name is used in reference to the distinctive hardened nose of the new species.</p> <p> <i>Remarks</i></p> <p> The new species <i>P. durirostris</i> resembles <i>P. m. rungwensis</i> in general body shape, including the enlarged snout. Their morphological similarity is mirrored in their close phylogenetic relationship as recovered in the optimal trees. It is unclear whether the pointed snout has any specific function, for example, the snout might be used to facilitate excavation of burrows. <i>Probreviceps</i> are believed to primarily burrow using their shovel like hind limbs, being backward burrowers (Van Dijk, 2001). Investigation of the behavioural ecology of each <i>Probreviceps</i> species (with and without pointed noses), and their associated habitats will need to be carried out to infer any functional associations.</p> <p> The distribution of Tanzanian <i>Probreviceps</i> species and subspecies is shown in Fig. 8.</p>Published as part of <i>Loader, Simon P., Channing, Alan, Menegon, Michele & Davenport, Tim R. B., 2006, A new species of Probreviceps (Amphibia: Anura) from the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania, pp. 45-60 in Zootaxa 1237</i> on pages 49-55, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/172816">10.5281/zenodo.172816</a>
FIGURE 1. a in Two new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) from the Nguru Mountains, Tanzania
No full textFIGURE 1. a) Map of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and southern Kenya showing the distribution of Callulina b) Distribution of C. hanseni sp. nov. (circle) and C. kanga sp. nov. (triangle) in the Nguru Mountains.Published as part of Loader, Simon P., Gower, David J., Müller, Hendrik & Menegon, Michele, 2010, Two new species of Callulina (Amphibia: Anura: Brevicipitidae) from the Nguru Mountains, Tanzania, pp. 26-42 in Zootaxa 2694 on page 27, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19964
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