Comparative morphology of pond, stream and phytotelm-dwelling tadpoles of the South American Redbelly Toads (Anura: Bufonidae: Melanophryniscus)

BALDO DIEGO; FLORENCIA VERA CANDIOTI; BELÉN HAAD; FRANCISCO KOLENC; CLAUDIO BORTEIRO; MARTÍN O. PEREYRA; CAROLINE ZANK; PATRICK COLOMBO; MARCOS R. BORNSCHEIN; FLAVIA NETTO SISA; FRANCISCO BRUSQUETTI; CARLOS E. CONTE; PAULO NOGUEIRA-COSTA; PATRICIA ALMEIDA-SANTOS; MARCIO R. PIE

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2014 vol. 112 p. 417 - 441

0024-4066

We present a comprehensive review of larval morphology in the Neotropical toad genus Melanophryniscus. Studied taxa included 23 species with representatives of recognized phenetic groups and different larval ecomorphological guilds: pond, stream and phytotelm-dwelling tadpoles. External morphology variation is congruent with current phenetic arrangement based on adult features, but also reflects habitat where larvae develop. Lotic tadpoles (i.e., M. tumifrons group and M. krauczuki) in general exhibit a more depressed body, a longer tail with lower fins, and larger oral discs than lentic forms (i.e., M. stelzneri group, M. moreirae, M. sanmartini, and M. langonei). Despite their peculiar, confined microhabitat, phytotelm larvae do not diverge markedly from non-arboreal species. Distinctive features of all species are the presence of pineal end organ and the placement of the intestinal reversal point at the left of the abdomen in typical larval stages. Buccal cavity and musculoskeletal anatomy are quite conserved between species, yet some characters differ from those of other bufonids. The presence of one pair of subhyoid muscles is apparently an exclusive trait of Melanophryniscus among Bufonidae.