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ABSTRACT: The genus Corythomantis was monotypic for over 100 yr, encompassing only the species C. greeningi. In 2012, a second species, C. galeata, was described, but this species was recently reassigned to Nyctimantis, rendering Corythomantis once again monotypic. The geographic distribution of C. greeningi covers the Caatinga and Cerrado biomes from northeast Brazil, with a western limit in Tocantins state and a southern limit in Minas Gerais state. Here we demonstrate the existence of a second species of Corythomantis through molecular, acoustic, and morphological data. The new species differs in morphology from C. greeningi in head shape and tibia coloration. The new species has an advertisement call with shorter duration, higher pulse rate, and different acoustic structure. Mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) data show a genetic divergence from C. greeningi of 2.88% in the 16S ribosomal DNA gene and 14.06% in the cytochrome oxidase I gene. The geographic distribution of the new species is restricted to the Espinhaco Mountain Range at elevations from 315 to 930 m above sea level.
Key words: Bahia state; Corythomantis botoque; Endemism center; Larval morphology; Lophyohylini; Minas Gerais state
The Caatinga is an exclusively Brazilian biome, but nevertheless is the least studied region in this country. It was long considered species poor, with low levels of endemism as a result of its harsh climate, sharing most of its species with neighboring biomes (Vanzolini 1988; Rodrigues 2003; Leal et al. 2005). Recent studies, however, have shown that it actually harbors a significant number of endemic species for all vertebrate groups, likely being one of the most diverse semiarid regions in the world (Garda et al. 2018). This region extends from northeastern Brazil to northern Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil. The vegetation is composed of xerophytic and open vegetation (i.e., reduced canopy cover) that encompasses a mosaic of different physiognomies adapted to low levels of annual rainfall and high solar radiation (Prado 2003; Silva et al. 2017). It lies in between the tropical Amazon and Atlantic rain forests, composing the South American diagonal of open formations, along with the Cerrado and Chaco biomes (Werneck 2011). Though this environment seems harsh for water-dependent biota, the last compilation for amphibian richness listed 98 species for the Caatinga biome, of which 39 are hylids...