Boana alemani (Rivero 1964)

Barrio-Amorós, César L., Rojas-Runjaic, Fernando J. M. & Señaris, J. Celsa, 2019, Catalogue of the amphibians of Venezuela: Illustrated and annotated species list, distribution, and conservation, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 180) 13 (1), pp. 1-198 : 61-62

Boana alemani (Rivero 1964) *

Holotype: MHNLS 238 .

Type locality: Cagua, Estado Aragua, Venezuela.

Distribution: Regions 1, 2. Cagua (Aragua State) Kunana, Sierra de Perija (Zulia State), and Hato Los Arrecifes (Guárico State); Cojedes and Falcón States.

Remarks: Currently in Boana punctata species group ( Faivovich et al. 2005). After original description no other specimens have been assigned with accuracy to this taxon. Taxonomic status unclear since the species description was based on two old and poorly preserved specimens from disparate bioregions (holotype from Cagua in Cordillera de La Costa, and paratype from Kunana in Sierra de Perijá) and probably not conspecific. Rivero (1964) said this species is narrowly related to Hyla granosa (= Boana cinerascens ) and recognized that the two species only can be differentiated by the dorsal spots and the inclination of the loreal region. La Marca (1992) said B. alemani and B. punctata are probably synonyms, but B. punctata is not known from extreme northern Venezuela. Juveniles of B. xerophylla and H. pugnax are also green and somewhat similar to B. punctata . Based on a preliminary examination of the type series (by FRR) we also suspect B. alemani could be conspecific with B. punctata , and the paratype (MHNLS 187) could be a juvenile B. xerophylla . Specimens assigned to B. alemani MHNLS 150 (also from Kunana) and MHNLS 407 (from Caracas) probably also correspond to juvenile B. xerophylla . We provisionally consider this name valid, but its taxonomic status should be confirmed, as well as the identity of additional records from Cojedes and Falcón ( Manzanilla et al. 2000), Guárico ( Camargo et al. 2014), and the tadpole description (Mijares-Urrutia 1992).

Selected references: Rivero (1964d, 1967c); Mijares-Urrútia (1992); Manzanilla et al. (1995); Barrio-Amorós (2013); Camargo et al. (2014).