A new species of the Atlantic Forest endemic genus Paratelmatobius (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Paratelmatobiinae) with a reappraisal of the advertisement calls in the genus

Abstract

The genus Paratelmatobius is endemic to the Atlantic Forest and comprises seven described species distributed across mountain ranges in southeastern and southern Brazil. An additional potentially new species was previously identified in a study addressing the phylogenetic relationships of the subfamily Paratelmatobiinae. To further investigate this lineage, we conducted field surveys to collect additional specimens and record its advertisement call. By integrating phylogenetic evidence with acoustic and morphologic data, we confirmed the distinctiveness of this lineage and formally describe it here. We also reanalyzed the advertisement calls of six of the seven congeners to enable direct acoustic comparisons. The new species is diagnosable from its congeners by a combination of characters, including a one-note advertisement call varying from 141 to 395 ms, formed by regular-spaced pulses produced at a repetition rate of 56 to 96 per second, and dominant frequency ranging from 3,639 to 4,113 Hz, the presence of vocal slits in males, nuptial pads in males that are not divided into two portions, and a belly coloration in life characterized by a gray or brown background with small white blotches and flecks. This species is currently known only from its type locality in the municipality of Salesópolis, state of São Paulo.