Steindachner's Robber Frog; Ra Da Mata

Ischnocnema guentheri is a small direct-developing frog (19-40mm SVL, belonging to the I. guentheri species series of Hedges et al. (2008) and closely related to I. parva (Heinicke et al. 2007). The snout is fairly long and acuminate in dorsal view. Nostrils lateral. Eyes large, fairly prominent, with the diameter about 1.5 times the snout length. The tympanum is distinct, with the diameter about 1/5 that of the eye. Single vocal sac weakly indicated, males with vocal slits. The first finger is about the same length as the second. Fingers free, without webbing, fairly long, all with dilated tips, a pronounced rounded tubercle at the base of the first finger; metacarpal tubercles well developed. Legs and toes long, with enlarged discs, fifth toe longest. Outer metatarsal tubercle rounded. Dorsal texture smooth or very finely granular. Ventral texture smooth.Dorsal color can vary greatly from dark brown, uniform dark, brick red, green or pale cream. Posterior surface of the thigh almost uniform brown. Dark sacral spots present. Most individuals bear an interrupted or complete dark stripe in the anterior surface of the tibia. The belly is smooth and can vary from light yellow to golden yellow or cream, just like the inner side of the tibia. Heel with tubercles (Cochran 1955; Heyer 1984; Heyer et al. 1990). The species exhibits sexual size dimorphism, with males being smaller than females (Heyer 1984). Mean body mass is 1.77g (Rocha et al. 2007).The species has a diploid chromosomal number of 2n = 22 (Beçak 1968; Siqueira et al. 2004).The name of the genus comes from the Greek words ischnos, meaning slender or weak, and kneme, meaning calf of the leg (Hedges et al. 2008). The species is named for Albrecht Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther (October 3, 1830 - February 1, 1914), a German-born British zoologist. A photo of the holotype is available in Kwet and Solé (2005). A table with distinctive traits that can differentiate I. guentheri from other members of the group from southeastern Brazil is available from Heyer (1984: 21). Kwet and Solé (2005) stated that there are at least three cryptic species under the name of I. guentheri, revealing the necessity of taxonomic clarification.

Ischnocnema guentheri is found in the Atlantic Rain Forest of Brazil from southern Bahia to western Paraná and northeastern Santa Catarina, above 1,200m (Kwet and Solé 2005; Hedges et al. 2008). This species lives on the forest floor.

Ischnocnema guentheri is a forest ground dweller and is commonly found on the leaf litter during the day or night. This is a species with low mobility. Although it mainly inhabits forest habitats it can also be encountered near the forest edge in surrounding vegetation (Heyer et al. 1990; Pombal 1997; Ramos and Gasparini 2004; Ribeiro et al. 2005). Males call at late afternoon and early night from low vegetation (20-60 cm) in the rainy season from October to February away from water bodies, but inactive individuals can be found from the very end August throught June (Heyer et al. 1990; Haddad and Sazima 1992; Pombal and Gordo 2004). The advertisement call was described by Heyer et al. (1984; 1990) and can be heard on Haddad et al. (2003). The call is given sporadically, beginning quietly and ending loudly; call duration 1.10-1.75s. Some variations in call structure within the geographic range of I. guentheri and its taxonomic implications are discussed in Kwet and Solé (2005). This species has direct development, laying small clutches (usually 20-30 eggs) in small hollows, like miniature roofed caves, in banks of earth (Lynn and Lutz 1946; Lutz 1947; Izecksohn and Carvalho-e-Silva 2001; mode 23 of Haddad and Prado 2005). Dixo and Verdade (2006) reported that they found 12 individuals during 32 days in their study site. Van Sluys et al. (2007) found 6 individuals during one year of sampling, at a density of 1.3 individuals/100m2 using small plots. Rocha et al. (2007) found similar results; I. guentheri was the dominant species within the leaf-litter frog fauna in their study site, comprising 29.5% of the anuran fauna, with a density of 2.71 ind/100m2. Steinicke (2008) found 383 specimens in four forest fragments during two rainy season sampling periods in southeastern Brazil. Additionally, I. guentheri was more commonly found inside small forest fragments, compared with a control site (a forest reserve). Furthermore, it tended to have a higher survival rate in fragmented habitats, demonstrating to be an intermediate habitat specialist. Giaretta et al. (1997) found that I. guentheri was more common at a higher altitude locality in their study site, due to more leaf-litter accumulation and humidity, moreover, I. guentheri comprised 83% of the individuals caught, being the dominant species at this site. There are reports of infection by nematodes in a population of I. guentheri from Rio de Janeiro. Five species of worms infected the frogs and were found in the lungs and intestine (Martins and Fabio 2005). An analysis of food items ingested by the pirapitinga do sul (Brycon opalinus, an endangered fish in rivers of the Atlantic Forest of the Serra do Mar, in southeastern Brazil) revealed the occurrence of Ischnocnema guentheri as a prey item, but the authors pointed out that this fish is an opportunistic omnivore (Gomiero et al. 2006). The defense strategy is death feigning (Haddad et al. 2008).

Its range is within protected areas, like the Nova Baden State Park, at Lambari-MG, Ibitipoca State Park, at Lima Duarte-MG, Parque Nacional da Serra da Bocaina, São José do Barreiro-SP, Parque Nacional da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, at Teresópolis-RJ, Reserva Ecológica do Guapiaçu, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Parque Nacional do Caparaó, Estação Biológica da Boracéia, at Salesópolis-SP, Parque Estadual de Intervales, Estação Ecológica Juréia-Itains and Serra do Japi. It is little abundant in Ilha Grande. Declining according to IUCN. This species seems to have experienced a local decline at Boracéia between 1983 and 1984, compared with data from 1979, but recently appeared to be abundant again, as new data has been collected at the site, but there are no records of declines in another localities along the range of this species (Heyer et al. 1988; Eterovick et al. 2005). Ischnocnema guentheri is a common species within its range.

Diagnosis Distinct toe disks with circumferential grooves and lacking toe webbing or fringes. The first finger is about the same length as the second. The canthal portion of the eye mask is much narrower than the portion at the tympanum. Lacks a distinctive boldly mottled pattern in the groin. The toe disks are ovate or indented. Has vomerine teeth and the tympanum is distinct.

Present in the states of Santa Catarina, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais, Brazil

DIGITOXINA,GITOXINA, GITALOXINA (7)

Adult morphology Snout outline subelliptical or subovoid from above, rounded in profile; no cranial crests; upper eyelid with pronounced warty tubercles to weakly tuberculate: tympanum present, usually distinct, sometimes uppermost portion hidden, lower portion always distinct. Diameter about one half eye; vocal sac in males either weakly indicated or not indicated; vocal slits present in males; vomerine teeth in two small transverse series, narrowly separated, posterior to and between choanae; finger I just II=IV

LC. Least Concern.

Eleutherodactylus guentheri (Steindachner)

Hylodes guentheri Steindachner, 1864:246, pl. 17: figs. 1, la. [Type locality: “Brasil, Rio dos Macacos.” Holotype: Vienna 16515, juvenile.]

Hylodes henselii Peters, 1870:648. [Holotype lost; neotype established herein, p. 00: Vienna 16515, juvenile.

Elosia divisa Wandolleck, 1907:4, table 1, figs. 7, 7a. [Type locality: “Petrópolis, Brasil.” Holotype: Presumably destroyed, formerly in Königlichen Zoologischen Anthropologisch-Ethnographischen Museums zu Dresden.]

DIAGNOSIS.—Almost all individuals of E. guentheri have uniform or indistinctly mottled posterior surface of the thigh patterns. E. erythromerus have light areas on the posterior thighs next to the knee joint (pattern B in Figure 11) and E. nasutus have boldly mottled thigh patterns. The posterior thigh is red in life in E. erythromerus; there is no thigh flash color in life in E. guentheri. The head is broader in E. guentheri than in E. nasutus (Table 20). Many individual E. guentheri have an interrupted or complete dark stripe on the outer tibia (patterns B and C in Figure 10); no E. epipedus or gualteri have a dark outer tibial stripe. The body is more gracile in E. guentheri, more robust in E. epipedus and gualteri. Eleutherodactylus guentheri most closely resembles E. oeus. At the site of sympatry, guentheri differs most notably from E. oeus in size (SVL in male E. guentheri 28.0–30.5 mm, in male oeus 17.1–18.8 mm at Santa Teresa).

ADULT SPECIMEN DEFINITION.—Dorsal pattern uniform or mottled (patterns A-1–A-11 in Figure 1), or with dorsoconcolor (patterns B–1 and B–2 in Figure 1) or wavy line morph (pattern C in Figure 1); most individuals with light mid-dorsal pin stripes (patterns A-F in Figure 2); some individuals with a broad, light mid-dorsal stripe; a few individuals with light dorsolateral stripes; many individuals with light snouts (patterns A and B in Figure 4); many individuals with light interocular bars (patterns A and B in Figure 5); most individuals (80%) with an interrupted or complete dark stripe on the outer tibia (patterns B and C in Figure 10); posterior surface of the thigh pattern uniform or indistinctly mottled, very rarely boldly mottled or with a light area next to the knee region; no flash colors in life, dorsum brown or rich red brown, dorsal spots, if present, white or green, throat white, belly and under legs yellow, iris green dorsally, blending into bronze just above the pupil, then blending into brown, or pale yellow above blending to copper or entire iris copper; SVL measurement, males 16.4–32.3 mm, females 26.4–49.5 mm; moderate head width (Table 20); hind limbs relatively long (Table 20).

ADVERTISEMENT CALL.—Call duration 1.10–1.75 s; calls given sporadically; calls beginning quietly, ending loudly; 19–28 notes per call, given at a rate of 16–17 notes per second; note duration short, about 0.01 s; dominant (apparently, in this case, the same as the fundamental) frequency between 1900–2900 Hz; notes with weak harmonic structure (N = 3, Figure 22).

DISTRIBUTION.—Southeastern Brazil from the States of Espirito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul (Figure 23).

ESPIRITO SANTO. Santa Teresa (EI 7322, 7324–7325).

MINAS GERAIS. Mariana (MZUSP 912).

PARANA. Banhado (USNM 123896, 125507); Rio Cubatão, Baia de Guaratuba (MZUSP 15788, 23565); São João da Graciosa, 9–16 km W (MZUSP 59668–59669, USNM 235721, 235722); Serra de Araraquara (MNRio 1781 [5], 1793[26], USNM 149451–149454); Volta Grande (USNM 125506).

RIO DE JANEIRO. Angra dos Reis (Al 786–798, 819, 819a, 1472–1478, 2752, USNM 70583–70586, 96505–96518); Coronel Cardoso, Mun. Valença (EI 2540–2541); Correias (MNRio 2036); Guapi, Alcindo Guanabara (AL 3011–3016); Ilha Grande (MNRio 2200); Itatiaia (EI 914, L 76–78, MZUSP 7756–7758); Itatiaia, Maromba (L 70, MZUSP 4115, 4116, 4118, 4123, 4126, 13634); Leopoldina (MNRio 2014); Nova Friburgo (AL 2708–2711, 2713–2714, MZUSP 282); Palmeiras (AL 485); Parati (MNRio 2021 [3], 2464[8]); Petrópolis (AL 1695, 2804–2813, 4154, EI 716–717, 1306, 2542–2543, L 81–105, USNM 97646–97647); Rio de Janeiro (MZUSP 20856–20858, 20898, USNM 96383–96385); Sernambetiba, Recreio dos Bandeirantes (AL 2728–2731); Serra da Estrella (L 45, USNM 97232–97233); Serra de Macaé (MZUSP 171, 173, 517, 528, 531, 535); Serra do Peral (MNRio 2306); Serra Mambucaba (MNRio 2211, 2310); Sumaré (USNM 70587); Teresópolis (EI 2535–2536, L 20, 46–48, 71, 106–108, 111–115, 117–118, 120–127, 133, 148–153, 160–163, MNRio 2425, MZUSP 384, 392, 398, USNM 97680, 97724–97725, 235629); Tijuca (L 68–69, MNRio 1843, USNM 12999, 13300–13301, 96276–96283, 96285–96296, 97404–97414, WCAB 25362–25434); Tinguá (MNRio 1487, 2281[5], 2285[3], 2974[5], MZUSP 486).

RIO GRANDE DO SUL. Cambará do Sul (MCN-AN 9955), Canela-Caracol (MCN-AN 8356), São Francisco de Paula (MCN-AN 7586, 7588, 7599–7601, 8024–8025).

SANTA CATARINA. Blumenau (MZUSP 1054); Campo Alegre, 3 km W (MZUSP 59670, Ibirama (MZUSP 512, 1836–1838); Novo Horizonte (MZUSP 35059–35087); Pirabeiraba (MZUSP 59671–59682, USNM 235723–235733); Queçaba (USNM 137696–137705); Rio Novo, Humboldt (= Corupá) (USNM 132380); Sta. Luzia (AL 2961 [2]); São Bento do Sul (AL 1864–1868, L 143–144, USNM 97173).

SÃO PAULO. Boracéia (MZUSP 23698–23703, 23705–23744, 23749–23754, 37806, USNM 235630–235698); Campo Grande da Serra (MZUSP 98, 106); Campos do Jordão (EI 809, MZUSP 86, 1293, 2749–2751, WCAB 34354–34372, 37726–37730, 45350–45354); Capivari (MZUSP 60, 1816); Caraguatatuba (MZUSP 23962); Casa Grande (MZUSP 37326); Cidade Azul (MZUSP 14942–14945, 14948, 14950–14954, 14957–14958); Cidade Jardim (AL 2658, 2670, 2672); Cubatão (AL 384–387, 389, 390[10], 715–717, 1290–1300, 1301[3], 1302–1308, 1309[2], 3351–3356, 4061–4069, MZUSP 10020, 10179–10180, 10310–10317, 10371, USNM 96805, 97819–97822, 97823[5], 97824, 97856–97857, 123899, 196318, WCAB 45771–45773); Eugenio Lefevre (MZUSP 11329, 53181–53186, 59648–59650, USNM 235717–235719); Fazenda do Veado, Serra da Bocaina (MZUSP 59651–59667, USNM 235699–235716); Ilha de São Sebastião (MZUSP 8811, 8991–8993, 9971, 23543, USNM 235720); Itanhaem (MZUSP 1839, 1841, 1843–1844, 1848); Itapercerica da Serra (MZUSP 23433); Paranapiacaba (L 44, MNRio 3867[5], MZUSP 319, 409–410, 412, 418, 421, 472, 1093, 1437, 1823, 1826, 1828–1830, 1832–1833, 8843–8848, 9016–9020, 9022, 9632–9633, 10598–10601, 10624–10626, 10651–10652, 10780–10782, 10944, 10992, 11015, 11268–11272, 13939, 13941–13945, 13947–13949, 13951, 13955–13956, 13958, WCAB 12223–12224); Piassaguera (MZUSP 342, 10702); Piedade (MZUSP 2280–2281, 23309); Piquete (MZUSP 51, 1297); São Paulo (MZUSP 579, 910, 1062, 1849, 2660–2662, 2666, 2674–2675, 2677–2680, 2734, 2973, 3309, 3311–3314, 3316, 3450, 3452, 3456–3457, 3459, 3462, 3465–3467, 3469, 3471–3472, 3474, 3476–3478, 3483, 3533, 3748–3751, 3753–3782, 3784–3785, 3788–3791, 3794–3795, 3797, 3799–3805, 3807–3808, 9323–9324, 9596, 9606–9607, 10569–10576, 23307–23308, 23537–23538, 23545–23547, USNM 129160–129162); Serra da Bocaina (AL 2079–2083, MNRio 2680, MZUSP 1073–1074, 1851–1854, 1856–1857, 23462–23463, 53060–53074, 53076–53095, USNM 102310–102311, WCAB 31116–31139); Serra da Bocaina, Bonito (AL 910–915, 2318–2323, L 6–9, 142, USNM 96724–96727); Serra da Bocaina, Corrego do Pinheiro (L 42–43); Serra da Bocaina, Garrafas (MNRio 2120); Serra da Bocaina, Mambucaba (L 156); Serra da Bocaina, descida da Ponte Alta (L 141); Serra da Bocaina, Posto de Biologia, Mun. Bananal (El 1179–1181, 1229); Serra da Cantareira (L 16–19).

Ischnocnema guentheri is a species of frog in the family Brachycephalidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and possibly Paraguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.