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This illustration of a related species,
Brachycephalus ephippium shows the
reduced digits on the hands and feet.
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The family
Brachycephalidae holds 47 species in two genera, Brachycephalus and Ischnocnema.
These anurans have toad-like
bodies, don’t jump very far, and are often brightly colored with yellow or orange
on the dorsum. The 16 members of the genus Brachycephalus are commonly
known as Saddle-back Toads due to the presence of bony shields above their
vertebrae, or Pumpkin Toads, because of the bright orange or yellow coloration
of some species. But, two species: B. didactylus and B. hermogenesi
are known as flea toads because of their exceptionally small size, they are in
the 8 to 9 mm range. Marcello Felgueiras Napoli and colleagues have now
described a new species of flea toad from Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. The new species, Brachycephalus pulex,
was found on Serra Bonita Mountain which contains a remnant of the Atlantic
rainforest and is within the Municipality of Camacan, Bahia, Brazil, this
locality represents the northernmost record for the genus. Brachycephalus
pulex was found in the leaf litter
and on a tree trunk in an area that is 800- 930 m above sea level, is
only known from the type locality. Four specimens were between 8.0 and 8.4 mm
in body length. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this tiny frog are its greatly
reduced fingers and toes, there are two digits or digit remnants on each
appendage.
Citation
NAPOLI, M. F., U.
CARAMASCHI, C. A. GONÇALVES CRUZ and I. RIBEIRO DIAS. 2011. A new species of flea-toad, genus Brachycephalus
Fitzinger (Amphibia: Anura: Brachycephalidae), from the Atlantic rainforest
of southern Bahia, Brazil. Zootaxa 2739: 33–40
Labels: Brachycephalus, new species, reduced digits
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