Leptodactylus rhodomystax

Schiesari, Luis, Rossa-Feres, Denise De Cerqueira, Menin, Marcelo & Hödl, Walter, 2022, Tadpoles of Central Amazonia (Amphibia: Anura), Zootaxa 5223 (1), pp. 1-149 : 93-94

Leptodactylus rhodomystax

External morphology. Description based on five tadpoles at Stage 37 (INPA-H 15850). Total length 50.7 ± 1.2 mm (N = 5). Body elongate oval in dorsal view and globular/depressed in lateral view ( Fig. 60A, B ). Snout sloping in dorsal and lateral views. Eyes small, dorsally positioned and dorsolaterally directed. Nostrils small, oval, dorsolaterally positioned near to snout, with opening anterolaterally directed, without a projection on the marginal rim. Oral disc ( Fig. 60C ) anteroventral, non-emarginate; marginal papillae conical, uniseriate and alternate, with a dorsal gap. Submarginal papillae present laterally and lateroventrally. LTRF 2(2)/3; A1 and A2 of the same length; P1, P2 and P3 nearly 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. As typical to tadpoles of L. pentadactylus group, tail long, corresponding to about 66% of total length; 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 pointed. Lateral lines visible.

Colour. In preservative body and caudal musculature dark brown; venter lighter; fins transparent pale black ( Rodrigues et al. 2007). In life body and caudal musculature black; venter bluish or dark brown; fins translucent black ( Rodrigues et al. 2007).

Metamorph. Dorsum reddish brown with one dorsolateral stripe per side; there are transversal dark stripes between the eyes and at the level of arms; anterior lip with a broad white or creamy stripe; groin and posterior surface of the thighs black with small greenish yellow or creamy spots ( Fig. 60D ).

Natural history. Foam nests deposited between shrubs, roots, and fallen tree trunks near to ponds; tadpoles reach the pond after rainfall floods the nest ( Rodrigues et al. 2007). Clutches contained 247 and 290 eggs ( Rodrigues et al. 2007). Tadpoles are benthic. Tadpoles are observed during the rainy season. Tadpoles of L. rhodomystax are voracious predators of conspecific and heterospecific amphibian eggs and tadpoles ( Rodrigues et al. 2007). In experiments tadpoles of L. rhodomystax were preyed upon by fish ( Hero 1991).

Comments. Tadpole of L. rhodomystax were described from Ecuador ( Duellman 1978) and Central Amazonia (Hero 1990; Rodrigues et al. 2007). The description of Duellman (1978) is based on a single individual in Stage 25 tentatively identified as L. rhodomystax . Tadpole drawed by Hero (1990) differs from those herein characterized by presenting nostrils positioned at midway between eyes and the snout tip, and biseriate marginal papillae row. Tadpoles described by Rodrigues et al. (2007) differ from those herein characterized by presenting body ovoid in dorsal view, and submarginal papillae laterally and posteriorly.

Figures

FIGURE 60. Tadpole of Leptodactylus rhodomystax (LCS 483) at Stage 36: (A) lateral view, (B) dorsal view (scale = 10 mm), and (C) oral disc (scale = 1 mm). (D) Dorsolateral view of newly metamorphosed froglet.