An extraordinary new species of Melanophryniscus (Anura, Bufonidae) from southeastern Brazil

PELOSO, P. L. V.; FAIVOVICH, J.; GRANT, T.; GASPARINI, J.L.; HADDAD, C. F. B.

AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES

AMER MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY

Lugar: New York; Año: 2012 vol. 3762 p. 1 - 31

0003-0082

We describe a new species of bufonid from a lowland, sandy soil, restinga habitat in thestate of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil. Based on the shared occurrence of putative morphologicalsynapomorphies of Melanophryniscus and the results of a phylogenetic analysis ofDNA sequences of a broad sample of bufonids, and other anurans, we assign the new speciesto Melanophryniscus. The new species possesses several peculiar character states that distinguishit from all other Melanophryniscus including, but not limited to: fingers II, III, and Vmuch reduced; nuptial pad with few enlarged, brown-colored spines on medial margin of fingerII; seven presacral vertebrae, the last fused with the sacrum; and ventral humeral crest prominent,forming a spinelike projection.