Boana geographica ( Spix 1824 )

Cassundé, Gisele F., Sturaro, Marcelo J., Maciel, Adriano O., Lima-Filho, Geraldo R., Lyra, Mariana L., Rodrigues, Miguel T., Haddad, Célio F. B., Aleixo, Alexandre & Peloso, Pedro, 2025, Neotype designations for Hyla geographica Spix, 1824 and Hyla geographica var. sive semilineata Spix, 1824, and comments on the phylogeny, taxonomy, and diversity of the Boana semilineata species group (Anura: Hylidae), Zootaxa 5660 (4), pp. 505-528 : 515-518

Boana geographica ( Spix 1824)

Holotype. Not designated in the original description; ZSM 35/0, according to Hoogmoed & Gruber (1983). Type figured on plate 11, figure 2 of the original publication (reproduced here in Fig. 1A). The type specimen is considered lost ( Hoogmoed & Gruber 1983; Glaw & Franzen 2006; Fouquet et al. 2016).

Neotype (designated herein). MZUSP 157060 (field number MTR 36895 ), a male specimen from Flutuante Mamirauá (-3.335733, -64.70330 —not -2.890867 -68.361287 as erroneously published in Fouquet et al. 2016), Lago Tefé , city of Tefé , municipality of Tefé , state of Amazonas, Brazil. Collected on 28 April 2015, by Rodrigues, M. T., Souza, S.M., Dal Vecchio, F., Recoder, R., Ghellere, J.M.B., Sena, M., Teixeira Jr., M., Prates, L. & Dias, P. ( Fig. 4A–B, Fig. 5A, Fig. 6A–B).

Type locality. Given as “ Flummen Teffe ” in Spix (1824). This locality probably refers to Lago Tefé (Lake Tefé) and not the city of Tefé per se. At the time of the visit of Spix and Von Martius to that region, the city was known as Ecga, or Egá. With the designation of the neotype, we restrict the type locality of Hyla geographica to “Flutuante Mamirauá (-3.335733, -64.70330), Lago Tefé , city of Tefé, municipality of Tefé, state of Amazonas, Brazil ”.

Diagnosis. The combination of the following characters can be used as a diagnosis for the taxon: (1) SVL of males 43.30 mm (n = 1); (2) presence of reticulated palpebral membrane; (3) prepollex not modified into a projecting spine; (4) nuptial pads absent; (5) fingers II–III webbed basal and III–IV–V half webbed; (6) underdeveloped calcar appendage; (7) presence of a tarsal fringe; (8) abdomen not immaculate (cream with scattered small dark spots); (9) Flanks light-brown (darker brown near the inguinal region) with dark brown spots; (10) anterior and posterior surface of thigh with numerous dark brown stripes; (11) light cream dorsal color pattern with dark X-shaped spot in the scapular region.

Description of neotype (MZUSP 157060). A subadult male, SVL 43.30 mm. Head almost as wide as long (HW/HL 1.06); snout rounded in view dorsal and slightly truncate in lateral view; inter-orbital distance more than two times the distance between the nostrils (IOD/IND 2.33); eye diameter almost large as eye-nostril-distance (END/ ED 1.05); canthus rostralis slightly concave; loreal region concave; nostrils protuberant, directed dorsolaterally; internarial area slightly convex. Eyes large and protuberant, larger than tympanum diameter (ED/TD 1.57); inter-orbital region concave; pupil horizontally elliptical and iris silver with black reticulations; palpebral membrane mostly transparent, with pigmented reticulations (silver in the middle and dark on the edges), its border dark pigmented. Supratympanic fold barely evident; tympanic membrane barely visible, but tympanic annulus is easily distinguishable. Choanae small, elliptical, not concealed by palatal shelves. Vomerine odontophores present; left and right series divided by a much narrow gap (11 odontophores on each side); tongue ovoid, with posterior end not adhered to floor of mouth. Vocal slits present, extending from edge of the base of tongue almost to the angle of the jaw; vocal sac indistinguishable.

Arms robust, slightly hypertrophied; dermal fold (fringe) on lateral margin of forearm and hand, extending from elbow to of Finger disc V; fold more evident on forearm, becoming less pronounced on hand; axillary membrane absent. Fingertips round; enlarged disks present and well developed in all fingers; relative lengths of fingers II<III<V<IV. Subarticular tubercles round, well developed and easily visible; narrower than finger width; one subarticular tubercle on Fingers II and III, two subarticular tubercles on fingers IV and V; distal subarticular tubercles of Fingers IV and V larger than proximal subarticular tubercles; prepollex not modified into a projecting spine; thenar metacarpal distinguish and palmar metacarpal indistinguishable. Webbing between Fingers II and III is basal, more extensive between III–IV and between IV–V; webbing formula II 21/2 – 21/3 III 1 + – 21/3 IV 2 + –2 - V (left), II 21/2 – 21/3 III 1 + – 21/3 IV 2 + –2 - V (right).

Legs long and slender. Calcaneus with an underdeveloped calcar appendage; tarsal fringe absents on lateral margin of tarsus, but faintly present along foot and Toe V. All toes well developed, bearing expanded, round, well developed disks; relative lengths of Toes I<II<V<III<IV. Subarticular tubercles round and well developed; one subarticular tubercle on Toes I, II and V; two subarticular tubercles on Toes III and IV; many supernumerary tubercles visible; inner metatarsal tubercle flat, slightly elliptical; outer metatarsal tubercle not visible; Webbing extensive between all toes; webbing formula webbing formula I 2⁺–2 - II 1–2 III 1–2 IV 2–1 + V (left), I 1 + –2 II 1–2 III 1–2 + IV 2–1 - V (right).

Dorsal skin shagreened, flanks slightly areolate; strongly areolate abdominal and femoral regions. Dorsum light cream with dark-brown blotches, one similar to an “X” shape, behind the eyes and scapular region, light-brown blotches on interorbital and nostril region. Flanks light-brown and increasing the intensities (dark brown) on inguinal region with dark-brown stripes. Arms and forearms light-cream with brown bands of variable thickness (wider on forearms). The calcar appendages have the same pattern present on legs. Thigh browns with lines on the posterior surface are always present (dark brown or black), continuous with the lines on the anterior surface. Gular and venter region white with few light-brown spots. Ventral surface of arms and legs white, with dark-brown stripe on lateral surface of the tibial regions. Palmar and plantar surface cream with dark melanophores on distal surface of the fingers IV and V and toes III–V.

Measurements of the neotype are given in Appendix 2.