TOWARDS A MORPHOLOGICAL PHYLOGENY OF Phyllomedusa (ANURA: HYLIDAE): SEARCHING FOR USEFUL CHARACTERS WITHIN THE SKULL

RUIZ MONACHESI M.R.; MONTERO R.; LAVILLA E.O.

Punta del Este

Congreso; 9th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology; 2010

International Society of Vertebrate Morphologists

Recently, Faivovich et al. (2009) published a molecular phylogeny of Phyllomedusinae. Although osteology is a source of strong, discriminant characters among amphibians, almost nothing is known in that subfamily. We focused on the search of anatomical information to contribute to a total evidence approach of this peculiar group of Neotropical tree-frogs. We analyze the skull of two species of Phyllomedusa, P. sauvagii and P. azurea, from Argentina, as a step to fulfill this task. The analysis is based on dry and cleared and stained specimens, and our results are compared with those of Sheil and Alamillo (2005) on P. vaillanti and P. atelopoides. In Faivovich et al. phylogeny, P. sauvagii is related to P. vaillanti, and P. azurea to P. atelopoides. Supporting this hypothesis, we found that P. sauvagii and P. vaillanti show nasals relatively small, not contacting at the midline; the alary process of the premaxilla inclined posteriorly; a short otic branch of the squamosal, and a relatively elonged sphenoid in ventral view. On the other hand, P. azurea and P. atelopoides share relatively larger nasals, in midline contact; the alary process of the premaxilla in vertical position; the otic branch of the squamosal is long in relation to the rest of the bone, and a short sphenoid in ventral view. Not congruent to Faivovich et al. hypothesis, there are other characters, as the posterior fusion of the frontoparietals in P. sauvagii and P. azurea.