Publications |

Peer Reviewed papers

2024

Unexplored Urban Diversity: A New Species of Adenomera (Anura, Leptodactylidae) Related to Adenomera ajurauna from the Atlantic Forest of Southeastern and Southern Brazil

Carla S. Cassini, Thiago R. Carvalho, Pedro P. G. Taucce, Célio F. B. Haddad, and Mirco Solé

Herpetologica, 2024

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The Atlantic Forest is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot because of the high species richness and the remaining natural areascomprising less than 30% relative to its primary vegetation. Even though many anuran species from this biome are ecologically restricted to pristine ecosystems, there are some examples of new species discovered from anthropized areas. Adenomera represents a widespread and abundant frog genus in Atlantic Forest ecosystems, with species occurring in areas with varying degrees of human disturbance. In this paper, we name and describe a new species of Adenomera endemic to the Atlantic Forest typically found in human-altered ecosystems, such as urba and rural sites. The new species was recovered as belonging to the Adenomera marmorata clade, and sister to A. ajurauna. These two species have allopatric distributions in southeastern and southern Brazil, with a single known sympatric occurrence. They display different calls and occupy distinct habitats. The newly described species of Adenomera is an additional case of new species discovered from urban sites in the Atlantic Forest hotspot.

2023

Traditional taxonomy underestimates the number of species of Bokermannohyla (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae) diverging in the mountains of southeastern Brazil since the Miocene

Tuliana O. Brunes, Felipe C. S. Pinto, Pedro P. G. Taucce, Marcus Thadeu T. Santos, Luciana B. Nascimento, Daniel C. Carvalho, Guilherme Oliveira, Santelmo Vasconcelos, and Felipe S. F. Leite

Systematics and Biodiversity, 2023

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Despite the huge difference in land coverage between mountains and lowlands, most species are indeed found in mountains and foothills. The causes of this pattern have challenged biogeographers and evolutionary biologists. The Espinhaço and Mantiqueira Ranges are large mountain ranges from eastern Brazil that are global biodiversity hotspots located between the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (AF) and the Cerrado. However, Espinhaço and Mantiqueira species diversity may still be underestimated, either due to taxonomic complexity or morphological cryptic species complexes. Two hylid frogs, Bokermannohyla nanuzae and Bokermannohyla feioi, are endemic, respectively, distributed in these two mountain ranges. These species were recently synonymized based on traditional taxonomy. We used data from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene 16S and two nuclear genes to undertake phylogenetic and network, distance-based, and multispecies coalescent analyses on B. nanuzae, B. feioi, and an extensive outgroup dataset. We tested the monophyly of B. nanuzae, as well as the presence of candidate new species. Based on 16S phylogenetic analysis, we recovered B. nanuzae as paraphyletic, with B. sagarana nested within it. We recovered two main groups, with the geographic distribution generally corresponding to the Cerrado and AF boundaries. Probably due to ancestral polymorphism, both nuclear haplotype genealogies failed to distinguish B. nanuzae from the former B. feioi and/or from B. sagarana. The time-calibrated mtDNA tree revealed that B. martinsi, B. sagarana, and B. nanuzae have diverged during the Late Miocene, subsequently splitting into the remaining species/lineages during the Plio-Pleistocene. Taken together, our distance-based barcode and nuclear Bayesian analyses identified the former B. feioi, referred to as the AF group, as a distinct evolutionary lineage from B. nanuzae (Cerrado group). We provide the first insights into how different evolutionary lineages speciated in the highlands of southeastern Brazil and revalidated B. feioi for the AF group.

2022

Draft genome and multi-tissue transcriptome assemblies of the Neotropical leaf-frog Phyllomedusa bahiana

Pedro Andrade, Mariana L Lyra, Juliana Zina, Deivson F O Bastos, Andrés E Brunetti, Délio Baêta, Sandra Afonso, Tuliana O Brunes, Pedro P. G. Taucce, Miguel Carneiro, Célio F B Haddad, and Fernando Sequeira

G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics, 2022

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Amphibians are increasingly threatened worldwide, but the availability of genomic resources that could be crucial for implementing informed conservation practices lags well behind that for other vertebrate groups. Here, we describe draft de novo genome, mitogenome, and transcriptome assemblies for the Neotropical leaf-frog Phyllomedusa bahiana native to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Caatinga. We used a combination of PacBio long reads and Illumina sequencing to produce a 4.74-Gbp contig-level genome assembly, which has a contiguity comparable to other recent nonchromosome level assemblies. The assembled mitogenome comprises 16,239 bp and the gene content and arrangement are similar to other Neobratrachia. RNA-sequencing from 8 tissues resulted in a highly complete (86.3%) reference transcriptome. We further use whole-genome resequencing data from P. bahiana and from its sister species Phyllomedusa burmeisteri, to demonstrate how our assembly can be used as a backbone for population genomics studies within the P. burmeisteri species group. Our assemblies thus represent important additions to the catalog of genomic resources available from amphibians.
Anurans (Amphibia: Anura) of the Brazilian state of Amapá, eastern Amazonia: species diversity and knowledge gaps

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Carlos Eduardo Costa-Campos, Thiago R. Carvalho, and Fernanda Michalski

European Journal of Taxonomy, 2022

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We herein present the first annotated anuran checklist for the Brazilian state of Amapá, eastern Amazonia, based on a thorough literature review. We recorded the occurrence of 111 species belonging to 13 anuran families distributed across 48 localities throughout Amapá, within two biomes. Among these species, 62.5% occur exclusively in the Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest biome, 8% occur exclusively in the Tropical Savanna biome, and 29% occur in both. Two species were considered endemic to Amapá and were registered only in the central portion of the state. Regarding the conservation status, only one species (Dendropsophus amicorum) is classified as threatened, assigned to the “critically endangered” category. The other species are categorized as either “least concern” or “data deficient” (85 and 8, respectively), whereas 21 are not evaluated. The current annotated list contributes to the incipient knowledge on anuran species richness in Amapá and, despite the research regarding anuran taxonomy has considerably progressed over the past 20 years, there is still much to do. Our data highlight the need for trained taxonomists to develop research in the state.

2021

A new terraranan genus from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest with comments on the systematics of Brachycephaloidea (Amphibia: Anura)

Ana Paula Motta, Pedro P. G. Taucce, Célio F. B. Haddad, and Clarissa Canedo

Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 2021

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“Eleutherodactylus” bilineatus has long been an enigma. Recent phylogenetic analyses have recovered this species as part of a clade including Barycholos and Noblella, but the relationship among these groups still remains contentious. In this study, we test the phylogenetic position and reassess the taxonomic status of this long-term incertae sedis species. We use phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences and data for external morphology and osteology of “E.” bilineatus and its related genera. We recover the species as an independent lineage forming a fully supported clade with Barycholos and Noblella. The combination of inferred relationships and morphological traits supports the erection of a new genus that we name and diagnose. Our analyses also recover a non-monophyletic Noblella and the species of the genus, although morphologically similar, are part of different clades: one including species from central Andes and the other one including species from northern Andes. Moreover, distribution patterns point out connections among distant biogeographical areas of South America and a widespread distribution of an ancestor for the clade including Barycholos, “E.” bilineatus, and Noblella. We also compare the relationships among clades of Brachycephaloidea and, hence, the family and subfamily classifications in different studies. We show that the family classification is probably far from becoming stable, mostly due to arbitrary selections of hierarchy of the clades. However, we show that by assigning a family to each of the highly supported and frequently recovered clades would render a more stable taxonomy of Brachycephaloidea.

2020

One step beyond a broad molecular phylogenetic analysis: Species delimitation of Adenomera marmorata Steindachner, 1867 (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

Carla S. Cassini^*, Pedro P. G. Taucce^*, Thiago R. Carvalho, Antoine Fouquet, Mirco Solé, Célio F. B. Haddad, and Paulo C. A. Garcia

PLOS ONE, 2020

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Taxonomists always have had intense discussions about how species should be delimited and recently many studies have used integrative approaches by combining molecular, morphological, and bioacoustic data. Although these studies are paramount for understanding species diversity, few of them actually formalize species delimitations to the final step of nomenclatural acts. Historically, the Neotropical frog genus Adenomera has been considered as a difficult taxonomic group because it comprises many morphologically similar species exhibiting high levels of intraspecific polymorphism. A recent work using molecular data shed light on the phylogenetic relationships within the genus and identified several lineages that may correspond to undescribed species but did not delimit species boundaries. In the Atlantic Forest, a clade formed by A. marmorata and two putative species (Adenomera sp. J and Adenomera sp. K) were identified. In this paper, we combine morphological, acoustic, and molecular data in order to evaluate species limits within this Atlantic Forest Adenomera clade. We provide a redescription of A. marmorata and restrict its type locality to the Tijuca Massif, in the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Our results do not support A. marmorata and the two candidate species as diagnosable distinct species. Therefore A. marmorata corresponds to a species with pronounced morphological and acoustic variation in the genus and a complex phylogeographic structure.
Increasing our knowledge on direct-developing frogs: The ontogeny of Ischnocnema henselii (Anura: Brachycephalidae)

Javier Goldberg, Pedro P.G. Taucce, Silvia Inés Quinzio, Célio F.B. Haddad, and Florencia Vera-Candioti

Zoologischer Anzeiger, 2020

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Due to the difficulty in finding newly fresh spawn in natural environments, few embryonic developmental studies have been carried out in anurans with direct development. Here we provide detailed data on the embryonic ontogeny of Ischnocnema henselii, and compare some morphological aspects related to its developmental mode within and outside of the brachycephaloid clade. Embryonic development in I. henselii is characterized by a unicuspid egg tooth (bicuspid in most other Brachycephaloidea), external gills present, open vent tube, and tail fins with dorsoventral orientation throughout the development. We also provide the first account of skin development in direct-developing frogs, revealing that the maturation of the integument has a typical dorsal to ventral sequence of changes as in most biphasic anurans. The early onset of thyroid development seems to be consistent with the hypothesis that the evolution of direct development in anuran amphibians involved precocious activation of the thyroid axis. A comparative analysis with the still few described embryonic ontogenies for direct-developing species reveals variation in the length of the embryonic period, rate of development, size at hatching and presence/absence of external morphological characters, which suggests heterochronic shifts in the rate of species-specific stage progression. All these details reinforce the idea of the high morphological variability among direct-developing frogs.
A New Rupicolous Species of the Pristimantis conspicillatus Group (Anura: Brachycephaloidea: Craugastoridae) from Central Bahia, Brazil

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Jamile S. Nascimento, Camila C. Trevisan, Felipe S. F. Leite, Diego J. Santana, Célio F. B. Haddad, and Marcelo F. Napoli

Journal of Herpetology, 2020

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We describe a new frog species of the megadiverse genus Pristimantis from the Chapada Diamantina, a regional designation of the Espinhaço mountain range in the state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil. We assign the new species to the genus Pristimantis, P. conspicillatus group, based on its phylogenetic position. This is the second rupicolous species of Pristimantis and the fourth species inhabiting northeastern Brazil. The new species is characterized by the following combination of characters: 1) dorsum background color light brown to yellowish-brown, maculated with blackish-brown marks, resembling a granite rock surface; 2) dorsum granular; 3) venter areolate; 4) dentigerous process of the vomer ovoid; 5) snout rounded or truncate in dorsal view; 6) snout rounded in profile; 7) dorsolateral folds absent; 8) finger fringes absent; 9) toe fringes weakly developed; 10) double, poorly developed nuptial pads; 11) vocal slits present in the male; 12) advertisement call composed of one note; 13) call duration 0.011–0.086 s; 14) dominant frequency varying from 2.41 to 3.49 kHz; and 15) decreasing amplitude modulation from the beginning to the end of call. We recovered the new species outside the clade containing the other three nominal species of Pristimantis from northeastern Brazil, as the sister species of P. gaigei, a species from Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. The new species seems to be restricted to the high-elevation areas (870–1,800 m a.s.l.) of the Chapada Diamantina, Central Bahia, Brazil. Both the genus Pristimantis and the P. conspicillatus group still lack morphological synapomorphies, and a thorough systematic review based on a stringent phylogenetic hypothesis is necessary for a better understanding of the evolution of these important lineages of Neotropical frogs.
A New Amazonian Species of the Diminutive Frog Genus Adelophryne (Anura: Brachycephaloidea: Eleutherodactylidae) from the State of Amapá, Northern Brazil

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Carlos E. Costa-Campos, Célio F. B. Haddad, and Thiago R. Carvalho

Copeia, 2020

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During recent field expeditions to an Amazonian region in eastern Guiana Shield (Serra do Navio, state of Amapá, northern Brazil), we collected and recorded calls of a species of Adelophryne, a diminutive leaf-litter-dwelling, direct-developing frog genus. After a careful integrative taxonomic evaluation using morphological, molecular, and bioacoustic data, we concluded that the series of specimens collected represent a new taxon, which we describe herein. The new species of Adelophryne is distinguished from all ten congeners by the following combination of character states: (1) male SVL = 12.5 mm; female SVL = 13.0–14.4 mm; (2) tympanic membrane present; (3) tympanic annulus present, incomplete; (4) vomerine teeth absent; (5) finger terminal discs absent; (6) tips of Fingers I–IV mucronate; (7) finger pads present (formula 1–1–2–1); (8) three phalanges in Finger IV; (9) dorsum smooth; (10) cloacal flap absent; (11) multi-note advertisement call composed of non-pulsed notes; (12) the call dominant frequency (4,802–5,706 Hz) coincides with the fundamental harmonic. Our study describes the eleventh species of Adelophryne, and, despite the increase in taxonomic knowledge within the past few years, there are still some species in the genus lacking a formal taxonomic description.
Skeleton in the closet: hidden diversity in patterns of cranial and postcranial ontogeny in Neotropical direct-developing frogs (Anura: Brachycephaloidea)

Florencia Vera-Candioti, Javier Goldberg, Mauricio S. Akmentins, Paulo Nogueira-Costa, Pedro P. G. Taucce, and José P. Pombal

Organisms Diversity & Evolution, 2020

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Direct development implies transformations with respect to the anuran biphasic life cycle, including changes in embryonic anatomy. In the clade Brachycephaloidea, skeletal ontogeny is known in Eleutherodactylus coqui of the basal family Eleutherodactylidae. In this work, we study it in four species representing the two other families in the group. We worked with developmental series of Oreobates barituensis, Haddadus binotatus, Ischnocnema henselii, and Brachycephalus ephippium. Specimens were prepared following protocols of clearing and staining and histology. In the cranium, results show an overall shared pattern that, as summarized for E. coqui, combines a partial recapitulation of aspects of the ancestral biphasic ontogeny with a profound remodeling that includes lost/novel structures and heterochronic shifts of developmental events. Among these transformations are the absence of suprarostrals and trabecular horns and the precocious ossification of jaw and suspensorium. In addition, each lineage shows particular features such that skull ontogeny varies interspecifically. In turn, the morphogenesis of the axial and appendicular skeleton is highly conserved, with main variations including the extent of ossification at hatching. Along with some external features such as the egg tooth and the enveloping tail with transversely arranged fins, an ossification sequence with extremely accelerated ossification of jaws and suspensorium could be distinctive of Brachycephaloidea.

2019

A New, Morphologically Cryptic Species of Adenomera Closely Related to Adenomera araucaria from the Atlantic Forest of Southern Brazil (Anura, Leptodactylidae)

Thiago R. Carvalho, Carla S. Cassini, Pedro P. G. Taucce, and Célio F. B. Haddad

Journal of Herpetology, 2019

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We describe a new species of Adenomera from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest corresponding to one of the candidate species indicated in the published phylogeny of the genus (“sp. R”). The new species differs from all 18 congeners by the combination of small size, absence of toe discs, and the advertisement call composed of a single nonpulsed note with pronounced frequency upsweep. From the closest related and morphologically cryptic Adenomera araucaria, the new species is distinguished only by its nonpulsed advertisement call (multipulsed call in A. araucaria). The new species is distributed in the Serra do Tabuleiro mountain range and the Santa Catarina Island, as well as localities in between them in the eastern portion of the state Santa Catarina. This is the second Adenomera species endemic to the Atlantic Forest of eastern Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, sympatric to Adenomera engelsi and allopatric to the sibling A. araucaria.
A new species of Ischnocnema Reinhardt and Lutken, 1862 (Anura: Brachycephalidae) of the I. lactea species series from southeastern Brazil

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Bárbara F. Zaidan, H. Zaher, and Paulo C. A. Garcia

Zootaxa, 2019

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We describe a new species of Ischnocnema from the Serra da Bocaina mountain range, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, based on morphological, bioacoustic, and mtDNA data. The new species is retrieved with high support values within the I. lactea species series as the sister species of I. spanios. Ischnocnema bocaina sp. nov. is characterized by its medium size (18.6-19.0 mm), a smooth venter, a rounded snout in dorsal view and acuminate in lateral view, a slightly expanded subgular, single vocal sac, a round and whitish, poorly-developed glandular-appearing nuptial pad on the dorsal surface of the thumb, and a nonpulsed advertisement call with 9 to 18 notes. We raise to 38 the number of Ischnocnema species, the 12th described in the past 10 years.

2018

Two new species of Ischnocnema (Anura:Brachycephalidae) from Southeastern Brazil and their phylogenetic position within the I. guentheri series

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Clarissa Canedo, and Célio F. B. Haddad

Herpetological Monographs, 2018

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We describe two new species of Ischnocnema from the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil, based on morphological, bioacoustical, and molecular data. We use three mitochondrial and two nuclear genes in Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses to assess their phylogenetic placement within the I. guentheri series. The two new species group with I. oea in a well-supported clade in both analyses and have a calcar tubercle that is at least as long as wide. This type of tubercle seems to be a putative synapomorphy for the clade. We provide a revised diagnosis for the I. guentheri series, with characters shared by all its members, and discuss the close relationship between the I. parva and the I. guentheri series.
The mitochondrial genomes of five frog species of the Neotropical genus Ischnocnema (Anura: Brachycephaloidea: Brachycephalidae)

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Clarissa Canedo, Célio F. B. Haddad, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily M. Lemmon, Miguel Vences, and Mariana L. Lyra

Mitochondrial DNA Part B: Resources, 2018

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We report the mitogenomes for five species of the Ischnocnema guentheri series, being the first described for this genus of brachycephalid frogs. We assembled mitogenomes from anchored hybrid enrichment data and recovered the 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes for all species. The general structure agrees with most previously sequenced neobatrachians, with two exceptions: the origin of replication of L-strand (O_L) was found between tRNA-A and tRNA-N, and the position of tRNA-L and tRNA-T, which are dispersed in the control region. We provide a phylogenetic tree with outgroups, which is consistent with previous phylogenetic hypotheses.
Molecular phylogeny of Ischnocnema (Anura: Brachycephalidae) with the redefinition of its series and the description of two new species

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Clarissa Canedo, Júlia S. Parreiras, Leandro O. Drummond, Paulo Nogueira-Costa, and Célio F. B. Haddad

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2018

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We present a new phylogenetic hypothesis for Ischnocnema, a Neotropical brachycephaloid genus of ground-dwelling direct-developing frogs. We performed Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony analyses using two nuclear (RAG1 and Tyr) and three mitochondrial genes (12S rRNA, tRNA-Val, and 16S rRNA) in a matrix comprising more than 80% of the described species. We recover Ischnocnema nanahallux outside the Ischnocnema parva series, and it is now unassigned to any species series, nor are Ischnocnema manezinho and Ischnocnema sambaqui. We propose the Ischnocnema venancioi species series to comprise Ischnocnema venancioi, Ischnocnema hoehnei, and two new species described herein (Ischnocnema parnaso sp. nov. and Ischnocnema colibri sp. nov.). Furthermore, we designate a lectotype for I. venancioi. The nuptial pad present in males is an important character in the genus, and having a large, conspicuous, and glandular-appearing nuptial pad seems to be a synapomorphy for the clade composed of the I. parva, Ischnocnema guentheri, and the newly proposed I. venancioi series.

2015

Advertisement call and morphological variation of the poorly known and endemic Bokermannohyla juiju Faivovich, Lugli, Lourenço and Haddad, 2009 (Anura: Hylidae) from Central Bahia, Brazil

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Paulo D. P. Pinheiro, Felipe S. F. Leite, and Paulo C. A. Garcia

Zootaxa, 2015

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Bokermannohyla juiju is a member of the B. martinsi species group and it was described based on one male specimen. In order to enhance the knowledge about the species, we describe its advertisement call and morphological variation, including for the first time data on females. We also provide additional comments about its natural history, geographic distribution, and conservation. The advertisement call of B. juiju consists of a single note, non-pulsed, harmonic structured call emitted several times in a row. Four out of five males were found calling in bromeliads. The female, as it is common in many Bokermannohyla species, presents some morphological features not shared with the males, like a non-hypertrophied forearm and less developed prepollex.

2014

The advertisement call of the endemic Bokermannohyla martinsi (Bokermann, 1964) (Anura: Hylidae) from southern Espinhaço range, southeastern Brazil

P. D. P. Pinheiro, Pedro P. G. Taucce, Felipe S. F. Leite, and Paulo C. A. Garcia

Zootaxa, 2014

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The Brazilian hylid genus Bokermannohyla Faivovich, Haddad, Garcia, Frost, Campbell & Wheeler, 2005 is currently composed of four (B. circumdata, B. claresignata, B. martinsi, and B. pseudopseudis) species groups. To date, the Bokermannohyla martinsi species group comprises only three species: B. martinsi (Bokermann, 1964), B. langei (Bokermann, 1965), and B. juiju Faivovich, Lugli, Lourenço & Haddad, 2009, whose advertisement calls remain unknown to science. Bokermannohyla martinsi is a narrowly distributed hylid frog species endemic to the southernmost portion of the Espinhaço range, known as Quadrilátero Ferrífero (QF). Located in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, the QF is considered an area of “special biological importance”. Notwithstanding, because QF is one of the most important iron-ore mining districts in the world, it has increasingly been target of anthropogenic threats, being one of the most endangered Brazilian landscapes. Herein, we describe for the first time the advertisement call of a member of B. martinsi group, B. martinsi.

2012

The advertisement call, color patterns and distribution of Ischnocnema izecksohni (Caramaschi and Kisteumacher, 1989) (Anura, Brachycephalidae)

Pedro P. G. Taucce, Felipe S. F. Leite, Patrícia S. Santos, Renato N. Feio, and Paulo C. A. Garcia

Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, 2012

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Ischnocnema izecksohni inhabits the gallery forests from the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Southern Espinhaço range, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, and it is considered endemic to this region. Its closest related species is I. nasuta according to the original description. We describe the advertisement call of I. izecksohni based on specimens recorded and collected at the municipality of Nova Lima, state of Minas Gerais, distant about 10 km straight line from its type locality. The advertisement call consists of a group of notes emitted sporadically without a regular interval between the calls. Call duration (n = 36 calls in four individuals) ranged from 1.03 to 1.85 s (= 1.52 ± 0.21 s) and the call rise time from 0.66 to 1.52 s (= 1.16 ± 0.25 s), with 34-57 notes per call (= 47.42 ± 6.03). Peak frequency ranged from 2250 to 2625 Hz, the dominant frequency from 1317.8 to 3128.0 Hz and interval between notes from 22.00 to 41.00 ms (= 28.63 ± 0.03 ms). From the examination of herpetological collections, morphological and bioacoustical data we extended the species known distribution ca. 200 km eastward, to ten new localities, all of them outside the Quadrilátero Ferrífero region, at the Mantiqueira mountain range. We analyzed color patterns and we find some dorsal patterns not described at the original description of I. izecksohni. We also make some comments concerning the taxonomic status of I. izecksohni and I. nasuta.

2011

Reproductive biology and isolation mechanisms in rupicolous species of the Acianthera prolifera complex (Orchidaceae) occurring in southeastern Brazil

Marcos Cabral Melo, Pedro P. G. Taucce, and Eduardo Leite Borba

Plant Systematics and Evolution, 2011

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We studied the floral biology and performed experimental intra- and interspecific pollinations in populations of a complex of four Acianthera (Orchidaceae) species occurring in Brazilian campo rupestre vegetation (A. hamosa, . limae, A. modestissima, and A. prolifera). All four species flower synchronously, are partially intercompatible, and exhibited some degree of self-sterility. Floral morphology is similar in all the species, with their principal differences associated with size of the floral structures. The four species were visited only by Diptera species of the families Phoridae (Megaselia spp.) and Chloropidae, but visits are rare and fruit set is very low. Sympatric species were not pollinated by the same Diptera species. Acianthera hamosa and A. modestissima have the smallest flowers, and no marked morphological differences between them were observed; they were both pollinated by very similar Megaselia species. Both prepollination barriers and postpollination events are important to maintaining the isolation of the species, functioning as overlapping filters that diminish the possibility of gene flow between them. However, putative hybrids between A. prolifera and A. limae have been found. Conversely, A. hamosa and A. modestissima, which are recognized only by vegetative characters that show high phenotypic plasticity, seem only to be isolated by geographical barriers, and they may actually constitute a single species or be sister species.

Book Chapters

2019

Anfíbios Ameaçados de Extinção no estado do Espírito Santo

Rodrigo B. Ferreira, Alexander T. Mônico, Carlos Alberto G. Cruz, Carlos Eduardo Guidorizzi, Cássio Zocca, Clarissa Canedo, Iago S. Ornellas, Jane C. F. Oliveira, João F. R. Tonini, João Victor A. Lacerda, L. Felipe Toledo, Pedro L. V. Peloso, Pedro P. G. Taucce, Ricardo Lourenço-de-Moraes, Thiago Silva-Soares, Vanessa K. Verdade, and Weslei Pertel

In Fauna e flora ameaçada de extinção no estado do Espírito Santo, 2019

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