Leptodactylus mystaceus (Spix, 1824)

Schiesari, Luis, Rossa-Feres, Denise De Cerqueira, Menin, Marcelo & Hödl, Walter, 2022, Tadpoles of Central Amazonia (Amphibia: Anura), Zootaxa 5223 (1), pp. 1-149 : 90-91

Leptodactylus mystaceus

External morphology. Description based on five tadpoles at Stage 36, 37, 38, and 40 (MZUSP 64374, 64375). Total length 30.7 ± 2.0 mm (N = 5). Body ovoid in dorsal view and globular in lateral view ( Fig. 57A, B ). Snout rounded in dorsal view and truncate in lateral view. Eyes small, dorsally positioned and dorsolaterally directed. Nostrils medium-sized, circular, dorsolaterally positioned near to snout, with opening anterolaterally directed, without a projection on the marginal rim. Oral disc ( Fig. 57C ) anteroventral, non-emarginate; marginal papillae elongate, uniseriate anteriorly and biseriate posteriorly, with a dorsal gap. Submarginal papillae absent. LTRF 2(2)/3(1); A1 and A2 of the same length; P1, P2 and P3 of the same length. Jaw sheaths moderately wide, finely serrated; anterior jaw sheath arch-shaped, posterior jaw sheath V-shaped. Spiracle single, sinistral, conical, short and wide, posterodorsally directed, opening in the medial third of the body, with the centripetal wall fused to the body wall and longer than the external wall. Vent tube medial, fused to the ventral fin, with a medial opening. Caudal musculature of moderate width; in lateral view gradually tapering to a pointed tip. Dorsal fin shallow, originating at the tail-body junction, convex; ventral fin shallow, convex. Tail tip rounded.

Colour. In preservative body and caudal musculature brown; venter transparent brown; fins translucent; caudal musculature and fins with dark brown flecks. In life body olive green with scattered white chromatophores (Hero 1990).

Metamorphs. Dorsum light brown wih dark brown transverse marks; distinct white stripe along the anterior lip; a black band extends from the nostril to the posterior margin of the tympanum (based on photo and description by Lima et al. 2012).

Natural history. Gravid females of L. mystaceus from Ecuador contain from 171 to 425 ovarian eggs ( Duellman 1978; Ĥdl 1990). Foam nests in floor, small basin or burrow excavated by males in mud, under trunks and tree roots, near to isolated ponds in terra-firme forest, forest edge or deforested land; tadpoles move to the ponds when the basin is flooded by rain ( Lima et al. 2012). Tadpoles are found in the rainy season.

Comments. Tadpoles of L. mystaceus from Ecuador described by Duellman (1978) differ from those herein characterized by presenting eyes of moderate size, oral disc ventral and emarginate laterally, one row of marginal papillae, LRTF 2(2)/3, and tail tip pointed. No morphological variation was observed between tadpoles herein characterized and those from Central Amazonia, Brazil, illustrated by Hero (1990) and northeastern Brazil, characterized by Dubeux et al. (2020).

Figures

FIGURE 57. Tadpole of Leptodactylus mystaceus (MZUSP 64375) at Stage 38: (A) lateral view, (B) dorsal view (scale = 10 mm), and (C) oral disc (scale = 1 mm).