Ameerega hahneli (Boulenger, 1884)

Schiesari, Luis, Rossa-Feres, Denise De Cerqueira, Menin, Marcelo & Hödl, Walter, 2022, Tadpoles of Central Amazonia (Amphibia: Anura), Zootaxa 5223 (1), pp. 1-149 : 37-39

Ameerega hahneli

External morphology. Description based on five tadpoles at Stages 36 and 37 (CZPB-LA 184/411, 196/439, 200/453). Total length 24.8 ± 1.9 mm (N = 5). Body oval in dorsal view and globular/depressed in lateral view ( Fig. 14A, B ). Snout rounded in both dorsal and lateral views. Eyes medium-sized, dorsally positioned and directed laterally. Nostrils small, oval, positioned and directed laterally, near to snout, without a projection on the marginal rim. Oral disc ( Fig. 14C ) anteroventral, laterally emarginate; marginal papillae triangular, uniseriate, positioned only on the posterior labium. Submarginal papillae absent. LTRF 1/2; P1 slightly longer than P2. Jaw sheaths narrow, finely serrated; anterior jaw sheath W-shaped with a medial notch, posterior jaw sheath V-shaped. Spiracle single, sinistral, conical, short and wide, posteriorly 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 dextral, 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 and convex originating at the anterior third of the tail; ventral fin shallow, convex. Tail tip narrow rounded. Lateral line visible.

Colour. In preservative, body dark brown; caudal musculature light brown; fins translucent; caudal musculature and fins with innumerous small dark brown spots.

Variation. Number of marginal papillae varied from 10–14 at Stage 25 to 16 at Stage 38 ( Menin et al. 2017). Variations in ventral coloration were observed at all stages, revealing or concealing the digestive tract ( Menin et al. 2017).

Natural history. Eggs are deposited either in leaves on the ground or in large litter-trap leaves of small palms, where males frequently call to attract females (WH pers. obs.). One egg clutch contained eight eggs ( Haddad & Martins 1994). Tadpoles are carried on the dorsum of the male ( Haddad & Martins 1994) to small streamside temporary puddles in terra-firme forests. Puddles range from 16 cm 2 to 0.34 m ² in area, and from 2 to 16 cm in depth ( Menin et al. 2017).

Comments. Tadpoles were described by Haddad & Martins (1994) from Presidente Figueiredo, Central Amazonia, and by Duellman (2005) from Peru. Tadpoles at Stage 25 from Presidente Figueiredo differ from those herein characterized by presenting body highly depressed (body width nearly two times body depth), eyes and nostrils dorsolaterally positioned and directed, labial teeth not yet keratinized, posterior jaw sheath U-shaped ( Haddad & Martins 1994). The description of tadpoles from Peru is too short and there is not a drawing, but Duellman (2005) mentions that these tadpoles are similar to those described by Haddad & Martins (1994).

HYLIDAE . Tadpoles of the hylid species occurring in Central Amazonia belong to nine genera, all of them with free-swimming tadpoles. The morphology of these genera varies considerably.

Genus Boana . Tadpoles of genus Boana found in Central Amazonia share the following morphological characteristics: moderate to large size; body ovoid or elongate oval in dorsal view and depressed in lateral view; spiracle sinistral, short and wide; dorsal fin of moderate height, ventral fin generally shallow; vent tube medial with a dextral opening; oral disc anteroventral or ventral; marginal papillae generally uniseriate (biseriate in B. boans ); LTRF variations of 2/3, 2/4 and 3/5.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Tadpole of Ameerega hahneli (CZPB 196/449) at Stage 36: (A) lateral view, (B) dorsal view (scale = 10 mm), and (C) oral disc (scale = 1 mm).