Oreophrynella weiassipuensis, Señaris, Josefa Celsa, Donascimiento, Carlos & Villarreal, Osvaldo, 2005
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.1590/s0031-10492005000600001 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15693423 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03DB4514-E908-E95B-2B7A-7BDBAD2DF814 |
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treatment provided by |
Carolina |
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scientific name |
Oreophrynella weiassipuensis |
| status |
sp. nov. |
Oreophrynella weiassipuensis View in CoL sp. nov
( Figs. 1-4 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 )
Oreophrynella sp. Villarreal, Señaris and DoNascimiento, 2002.
Holotype. MHNLS # 15913 ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ), Wei-Assipu-tepui , Sima de los Guácharos, 280 m north of the heliport, 2280 m a.s.l. (coordinates of the heliport 5°13’1”N, 60°42’19”W), Brazil-Guyana border, collected by Juan Nolla and Joaquim Astor on 25 July 2000. GoogleMaps
Etymology. The specific epithet weiassipuensis refers to the name of the locality where the species was collected.
Diagnosis. A species of the genus Oreophrynella that can be distinguished of the other species by following combination of characters: 1) frontoparietal crests absent; post orbital crests well developed; 2) dorsal skin minutely granular with scattered large tubercles, especially on the upper eyelids and flanks; 3) ventral skin granular, with few small tubercles; 4) webbing of hand and foot well developed; 5) in life dorsum reddish brown with scattered darker brown marks and a fine dark mid-dorsal line; flanks dark brown; dorsum of hands light brown with minute reddish brown spots; 6) throat and chest reddish brown; belly slightly darker than the remaining ventral surface; fingers and toes light brown ventrally.
Description of the holotype. Adult male; head about as long as wide (HL/HW=1.05), slightly wider at corners of mouth than at the tympanic region; head length 35.8% of SVL; eye-nostril distance 59.3% of eye diameter; snout with an anteromedial fleshy projection of rounded tip and wide basally, truncate in lateral view ( Figs. 2-3 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 ); canthus rostralis distinct, angular, short; loreal region vertical, smooth; nostrils protuberant, smooth, directed laterally, located near the anterior edge of the snout; internarial area concave; interorbital distance approximately equal to upper eyelid width, with scattered tubercles, other tubercles along the canthus rostralis. Premaxillae, maxillae, and vomer edentate; choanae small, round; tongue large, oval, narrowing anteriorly, about 30% longer than wide, attached anteriorly. Tympanum and axillary membrane absent. Forelimbs long, slender; hands with fingers short, flattened, tips slightly expanded; relative lengths of fingers 1<2<4<3; basal webbing between fingers; palm and webbing completely covered with small, flat, round tubercles; inner and outer tubercles conspicuous, large, rounded, similar in size. Subarticular tubercles conspicuous, somewhat elliptical or ovoid. ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ). Hindlimbs long, slender; foot with short, somewhat flattened toes; the first three toes united at the base, opposed to the other two; relative lengths of toes 2=3<5<1<4; sole completely tuberculate, with a large, elongate inner metatarsal tubercle, and smaller, round subarticular tubercles ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). When the hindlimb is extended forward along the body, the knee reaches the shoulder. Dorsal skin minutely granular with scattered large, rounded or oval tubercles; upper eyelids with large, rounded, elevated tubercles, with those close to the external margin aligned in a distinct row ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ); limbs with a greater density of large rounded tubercles. Ventral skin granular with scattered small flattened tubercles. Cloacal opening directed posteriorly at level of the thighs.
Color in preservative. Dorsum reddish brown with a thin dark brown mid dorsal line and small spots, slightly darker in the occipital region, eyelids, and flanks; nostril area lighter than background coloration. Loreal region and postorbital area reddish brown with irregular darker brown bars surrounding the postorbital crests. Limbs light reddish brown with darker tubercles; hands and feet light brown dorsally with numerous minute brown spots that delimited the margins of the fingers and toes. Throat, chest, and ventral surfaces of limbs light reddish brown; flanks and cloacal area dark brown with some lighter tubercles; palms and soles light brown with a gray wash. Color in life. The same pattern described above, but more intense and contrasting.
Measurements of the holotype. SVL 21.2; head length 7.6; head width 7.7; eye diameter 2.7; thigh length 9.1; tibia length 7.7; eye-nostril distance 1.6; interorbital distance 2.2; width of eyelid 2.0.
Distribution and ecology. Oreophrynella weiassipuensis is known only from the type locality on Wei-Assipu-tepui on the frontier between Brazil and Guyana. It was collected on moss in a wet forest at the bottom of a large chasm. Other anurans found on the summit of the Wei-Assipu-tepui include Colostethus sp. , Oreophrynella quelchii , three undescribed species of Stefania (goini group) and Tepuihyla sp. (Villarreal et al., 2002).
Comparisons with other species. Oreophrynella weiassipuensis can be distinguished from all other species of the genus by the well developed webbing and the reddish brown dorsal and ventral coloration. Furthermore, O. weiassipuensis differs from O. macconnelli , O. nigra, O. quelchii , and O. vasquezi by the presence of postorbital crests and dorsal skin with a low or medium density of tubercles. Oreophrynella . weiassipuensis differs from O. cryptica and O. huberi by the absence of frontoparietal crests ( Figs. 5 View FIGURE 5 A-C) and the reddish brown dorsal and ventral coloration.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.