Phyllomedusa ayeaye ( B. Lutz, 1966 )

Baêta, Délio, Caramaschi, Ulisses, Cruz, Carlos Alberto G. & Pombal, José P., 2009, Phyllomedusa itacolomi Caramaschi, Cruz & Feio, 2006, a junior synonym of Phyllomedusa ayeaye (B. Lutz, 1966) (Hylidae, Phyllomedusinae), Zootaxa 2226, pp. 58-65 : 60-64

Phyllomedusa ayeaye ( B. Lutz, 1966) .

( Figure 4 )

Pithecopus ayeaye B. Lutz, 1966 . Holotype: MNRJ 3722. Type locality: Morro do Ferro, Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Phyllomedusa ayeaye – Duellman, 1968.

Phyllomedusa itacolomi Caramaschi, Cruz & Feio, 2006 . Holotype: MNRJ 34650. Type locality: Lagoa Seca, Parque Estadual do Itacolomi , Municipality of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. New synonymy.

Diagnosis. A small species of Phyllomedusa included in the P. hypochondrialis species group, diagnosed by the following combination of characters: (1) small to medium size (SVL 34.0–42.5 mm in males, 44.4 mm in female); (2) body moderately robust; (3) snout acuminate in dorsal view, slightly rounded in profile; (4) blackish reticulations on flanks, arms, and legs; (5) reticulate pattern on the upper lip and borders of eyelids present; (6) ventral surfaces cream white with black reticulations; (7) blotches yellow–orange delimited by black reticulations; (8) dorsal surfaces uniformly green, without spots; (9) dorsal surfaces smooth without granules; (10) palpebral membrane transparent.

Description. The species was described and characterized by B. Lutz (1966; as Pithecopus ayeaye ) and Caramaschi et al. (2006; as Phyllomedusa itacolomi ).

Remarks. The holotype is a male is generally in good condition. The specimen has its arms bent over the chest and hands and fingers closed; the left arm is apparently broken; legs shrunk from the body, feet slightly closed. The reticulate pattern on the upper lip and borders of eyelids, blackish reticulations (cells) on flanks, arms, legs, and chest are visible ( Figure 5 ).

Geographic distribution. Phyllomedusa ayeaye is associated with the Espinhaço, Mantiqueira, and Canastra mountain ranges at Southeastern Brazil. The species is known from the following municipalities of the State of Minas Gerais: Poços de Caldas (type-locality), Arantina, Congonhas do Campo (Felipe Leite pers. comm.), Carrancas, Lavras and Luminárias (Felipe Fernandes pers. comm.), Ouro Preto (type-locatilty of P. itacolomi ), Ouro Branco, and São Roque de Minas; and from the State of São Paulo, in the Municipality of Pedregulho ( Figure 6 ).

Conservation status. Since its description, few specimens of Phyllomedusa ayeaye have been observed in nature. Giaretta & Oliveira (2007) observed the presence of a calling male perched on vegetation in locality 10 km from the area studied by Cardoso et al. (1989). According to those authors, this observation was the first reported in the last 26 years.

Phyllomedusa ayeaye is considered critically endangered in the Brazilian Red List of threatened species and in the IUCN Red List ( Caramaschi et al. 2008; Haddad & Sazima 2008). Criteria used for inclusion of this species in these lists include the restrict area, loss, alteration and fragmentation of habitat, fire, pollution by pesticides, and siltation. The IUCN also comments that this species does not occur within any protected areas. The ecological modeling used by Giovanelli et al. (2008) indicated nine potential Conservation Units where this species may occur in the States of Minas Gerais and São Paulo. All the new municipalities where P. ayeaye occur are in the areas indicated by these authors: Arantina, Congonhas do Campo, Carrancas, Lavras, Luminárias, Ouro Preto, and Ouro Branco. The synonymization of P. itacolomi with P. ayeaye increases to four the number of Conservation Units where this species is found: (1) Parque Estadual do Itacolomi (PEI), (2) Parque Estadual das Furnas do Bom Jesus (PEFBJ), (3) Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra (PNSC), and (4) Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Ovídio Pires (RPPN-Ovídio Pires). Similar to PEFBJ ( Araújo et al. 2007), the population size of P. ayeaye recorded the PEI is low. Despite the low density, adult individuals found in PEI are frequently found between the months of September and December when the first rains fill temporary ponds in which they occur followed by the presence of young newly metamorphosed in March ( Drummond 2006; D.B. pers. obs.)

Many Brazilian frog species have been reported as declining ( Heyer et al. 1988; Weygoldt 1989; Eterovick et al. 2005). However, in recent years some threatened amphibian species had their status reevaluated. Based on specimens recently collected in new localities, Pimenta et al. (2007) considered that Brachycephalus hermogenesi (Giaretta & Sawaya, 1998) (Brachycephalidae) cannot be categorized as threatened, since it occurs in protected areas and data on its geographic range are still being gathered. Pimenta et al. (2008) showed that the apparent decline of topotypic populations of Crossodactylus bokermanni Caramaschi & Sazima, 1995 (Hylodidae) was related to the lack of collections on poorly sampled regions and lack of taxonomic knowledge, not to a decline itself. Phyllomedusa ayeaye was included in Brazilian Red List and IUCN Red List by its insufficient knowledge, restricted geographic distribution, and questionable taxonomic designations (see discussion in Pimenta et al. 2005). Based on new data presented here, particularly the evidence for a wider distribution than previously thought (including many preserved areas), we suggest the exclusion of Phyllomedusa ayeaye from Brazilian Red List and IUCN Red List of threatened species.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Adult males of Phyllomedusa ayeaye from Morro do Ferro, Poços de Caldas (A and B CFBH 850) and Lagoa Seca, Ouro Preto (C, LZV 1101 A and D unvouchered specimen).

FIGURE 5. Phyllomedusa ayeaye holotype (MNRJ 3722), dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views.

FIGURE 6. Map of the geographic distribution of Phyllomedusa ayeaye in the States of Minas Gerais (MG) and São Paulo (SP), Southeastern Brazil: 1, Poços de Caldas (type-locality); 2, Ouro Preto; 3, Ouro Branco; 4, Congonhas do Campo; 5, Lavras; 6, Luminárias; 7, Carrancas; 8, São Roque de Minas; 9, Arantina; 10, Pedregulho.