Hypsiboas cordobae (Barrio)

Kolenc, Francisco, Borteiro, Claudio, Alcalde, Leandro, Baldo, Diego, Cardozo, Dario & Faivovich, Julián, 2008, Advertisement call and female sexual cycle in Uruguayan populations of Physalaemus henselii (Anura, Leiuperidae), Zootaxa 1927 (2), pp. 1-66 : 11-12

Hypsiboas cordobae (Barrio)

Figs. 1E, 1F, 3B and 3C

External morphology.— Lot MLP DB 4722, Figs. 5A and 5B. Body slightly depressed (BMH/BMW = 0.94 ± 0.03); body length little less than one third of total length (BL/TL = 0.31 ± 0.01); body oval in dorsal view, widest at middle or posterior thirds of body. In lateral view, ventral contour of body flat in gular and branchial regions, slightly convex in abdominal region. Dorsal contour of body almost flat and sloping from nostrils to origin of dorsal fin. Snout semicircular in dorsal view and rounded in lateral view. Nostrils oval, with a thin marginal rim, with a small rounded fleshy projection in medial margin; nostrils dorsolaterally located (EN/ BWN = 0.51 ± 0.03), placed in a depression and closer to eyes than to the tip of snout (FN/END = 1.10 ± 0.17), more visible in dorsal than in lateral view. Eyes large (E/BWE = 0.23 ± 0.02), dorsally positioned (EO/ BWE = 0.83 ± 0.03), laterally directed, not visible in ventral view. Spiracle single, lateral and sinistral; its inner wall fused to body except for its very distal end; its opening oval, slightly elevated, with a diameter smaller than tube diameter, located in posterior third of body (RSD/BL = 0.76 ± 0.05), posterodorsally directed and visible in lateral and dorsal views. Lateral line system visible. Intestinal assa located at centre of abdominal region. Vent tube starts at midline, at posterior end of body, reaching free margin of lower fin, opening dextral. Tail large (TaL/TL = 0.69 ± 0.01), with both fins higher than body height (MTH/BMH = 1.09 ± 0.08). Dorsal fin originates on end of body. Ventral fin origin concealed by vent tube. Edges of both fins subparallel for first and second thirds, convergent in last third. Tail axis straight, tail tip acute or slightly rounded; tail musculature reaching tail tip. Oral disc ( Fig. 8C) anteroventral, small (OD/BMW = 0.39 ± 0.04, disc measured folded), with a well marked infraangular and a less evident supraangular constriction. Marginal papillae simple, longer than wide, subconical, with rounded tip. Dorsal gap present, but small (DG/OD = 0.29 ± 0.06). Row of marginal papillae single on both sides of dorsal gap, double at angular regions and double or single at posterior margin of oral disc; some infraangular submarginal papillae usually present. Upper jaw sheath widely arch-shaped. Lower jaw sheath with V-shaped free margin. Both jaw sheaths well developed, but upper one appears smooth and sparsely pigmented distally, while inferior one is finely serrated. Labial tooth row formula 2(2)/3(1). A1 bent at the middle with an angle directed to the front. Length of P3 about half the length of P2. Most specimens have short flaps with labial teeth at angular regions, unconnected with main rows. Tooth of all rows with spatulate, convex heads bearing 8–10 well marked cusps ( Fig. 10B).

Coloration in life.— Body light brown with small dark dots, more abundant in central region, a dark triangle between the eyes. Perinasal region dark brown. Gular region with small dark dots. Abdominal region whitish. Caudal musculature dark brown in dorsal view, orange-brown in lateral view, with a black horizontal band between epi- and hypaxial musculature running for first third of the tail’s length. Small golden flecks on dorsal and lateral sides of body and tail musculature. Fins translucid with golden dots. Iris gold, with three radial black dots arising from the pupil (a fourth dorsal dot is not evident).

Coloration in preservative.— Body dark brown in dorsal and lateral views with barely evident small dots. Abdominal region whitish. Caudal musculature in dorsal view dark brown; yellowish brown in lateral view, with rounded unpigmented regions and distal third entirely dark brown. A black horizontal band runs between epi- and hypaxial musculature for first third of the tail’s length. Fins opalescent with few dark flecks, more abundant in dorsal fin.

Variation.— Lot MLP DB 3280. Supraangular constrictions on both sides of oral disc are more evident than in lot MLP DB 4722. Perioral region pigmented. Some specimens lack submarginal papillae. Jaw sheaths smooth and almost lacking pigmentation. All specimens lacking lateral flaps with labial teeth.

Oral cavity morphology.— ( Fig. 11C and 13C).

Buccal roof: Prenarial arena with a low and wide transversal crest and some pustules surrounding it. Choanae transversely oriented, with anteromedial and rounded vacuities, posterior margins forming the narial valves, and both margins undulated by the presence of small prenarial pustules, in particular the anterior one ( Fig. 16 A, B). There are about 16 pustules and 8 short papillae on the postnarial arena. The set of postnarial papillae are arranged transversely. The most lateral papilla of each side is bifid. Each square-shaped lateral ridge papilla possesses 4–5 digitiform projections on the free margin, any of them predominant in size. The low, rounded and wide median ridge presents 17 undulations on its free margin. There are about 96 pustules and 44 short and conical papillae placed in the central region of the BRA. Almost all papillae are placed in the lateral regions and on the posterior margin of the arena. Posterior area of the roof with secretory pits and dorsal velum bearing lobated margins.

Buccal floor: Infralabial papillae on the infrarostral cartilages absent. There are two long and digitiform infralabial papillae placed at the level of cartilago meckeli (not figured). The lingual anlage bears 2 long and conical lingual papillae. Buccal pockets mostly transversal to the axial axis. Prepocket area bears 40 pustules and 44 conical papillae, two of them longer and bifid. There are 25 conical papilla of moderate size (6 of them longer than the rest), and about 50 pustules on the BFA. The papillae arranged in two V-shaped patterns but not as clear as in other species. There is a flap (that resembles the lateral ridges of the roof), bearing 5 projections on its free end, and placed posterior to the medial flange of each pocket. The ventral velum has a wellmarked median notch, three poorly-developed marginal projections at each side of the posterior margin and many secretory pits.