Hypsiboas pulchellus (Duméril & Bibron)

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 : 14-16

Hypsiboas pulchellus (Duméril & Bibron)

Figs. 2C, 2D and 3E

External morphology.— Lot ZVCB 16147, Fig. 6A and 6B. Body slightly depressed (BMH/BMW = 0.93 ± 0.07); body length little less than one third of total length (BL/TL = 0.31 ± 0.02); body oval in dorsal view, widest at middle third of body. In lateral view, ventral contour of body flat in gular and branchial regions, slightly convex in abdominal region. Dorsal contour of body smoothly convex. Snout semicircular in dorsal view, rounded in lateral view. Nostrils oval, with thin marginal rim, with a subtriangular or rounded elevated fleshy projection in medial margin; nostrils dorsolaterally located (EN/BWN = 0.59 ± 0.04), placed in a depression, closer to eyes than to the tip of snout (FN/END = 1.11 ± 0.13), more visible in dorsal than in lateral view. Eyes large (E/BWE = 0.27 ± 0.01), laterally positioned (EO/BWE = 0.87 ± 0.01), laterally directed, corneas visible in ventral view. Spiracle single, lateral and sinistral; its inner wall fused to body except for its distal end; its opening oval, elevated, with a diameter smaller than tube diameter, located in posterior third of body (RSD/BL = 0.73 ± 0.02), posterodorsally directed, visible in lateral and dorsal views. Lateral line system visible. Intestinal assa located at centre of abdominal region. Vent tube starts at midline, reaching free margin of lower fin, opening dextral. Tail large (TaL/TL = 0.69 ± 0.02), with both fins higher than body height (MTH/ BMH = 1.25 ± 0.06). Dorsal fin originates on end of body. Ventral fin origin concealed by vent tube. Tail axis straight, dorsal fin edge slightly convex and ventral fin edge almost straight, tail tapering markedly in last third, end acute; tail musculature reaching tail tip. Oral disc ( Figs. 8E and 9C) anteroventral, small (OD/BMW = 0.43 ± 0.04, disc measured folded), with a well marked infraangular constriction on each side. Marginal papillae simple, longer than wide, with rounded tip. Dorsal gap present, small (DG/OD = 0.29 ± 0.06). Row of marginal papillae single except for angular regions on which it is double; some wider and shorter lateral submarginal papillae present. Upper jaw sheath widely arch shaped with a convex central portion. Lower jaw sheath with V-shaped free margin. Jaw sheaths well developed, serrated and pigmented on their distal third. Labial tooth row formula 2(2)/3(1). A1 bent with an angle directed to the front. Length of P3 about half the length of P2. Tooth of all rows spatulated and concave bearing 8–10 well-marked distal cusps ( Fig. 10D).

Coloration in preservative.— Body yellowish-brown in dorsal view, dark brown on head and next to inner margins of nostrils, with small dark spots on head and body. Dark brown laterally. Venter translucent. Caudal musculature yellowish tan, with irregular darker regions that in some specimens made an alternating dark and light transversal pattern in dorsal view. Fins opalescent, with dark blotches.

Variation.— MLP DB 7144 : LTRF 2 (2) /3(1), except for one example 2(2)/3 and another one 2(1,2)/3(1). Three specimens with labial teeth placed on lateral submarginal papillae, on a infraangular lateral flap, or on the anterior labium on both sides of the dorsal gap. MLP DB 5051 : Body ovoid in dorsal view, widest on last third of body. Two specimens (stages 30 and 31) with scarcely evident supraangular constrictions on both sides of oral disc. LTRF 2 (2) /3(1). MLP DB 4257 : In two specimens (stage 31) LTRF 2 (1,2) /3(1), being 2(2)/ 4(1) in another one (stage 33), which has a short and fragmented P4. Row of marginal papillae double on posterior margin of oral disc in some specimens. P2 has a medial angulation (but is not divided) in six specimens. MLP DB 5306 : Row of marginal papillae single, sparse submarginal papillae laterally. LTRF 2 (2) /3(2). P3 about 1/3 the length of P2.

Oral cavity morphology.— ( Figs. 12A and 14A).

Buccal roof: Prenarial arena with a compact group of 3 short and blunt transversely oriented pustules, not fused forming a crest. 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. There are about 16 pustules, and 6 short papillae on the postnarial arena. The postnarial papillae are transversely oriented between the two lateral ridge papillae. The most lateral papilla of each side is bifid. Each square-shaped lateral ridge papilla possesses 4–5 digitiform projections on the free margin, none of them predominant in size. The low, rounded and wide median ridge presents 9–11 undulations on its free margin. There are approximately 140 pustules and only 10–12 short and conical papillae on the BRA. Most of them are uniformly distributed on the central region of the arena, posterior to the median ridge and anterior to the secretory pits. However, 10 pustules and 2–3 papillae are placed in each lateral area of the arena, separated from the main group by an area without papillation. Some of the lateral papillae are bifid. The longest papillae of the arena form a V-shaped pattern on the posterior margin of the central region. Posterior area of the roof with secretory pits and dorsal velum bearing lobated margin.

Buccal floor: Infralabial papillae on 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 and some pustules. Buccal pockets mostly transversal to the axial axis. Prepocket area scattered with 20 pustules and 16 short and conical papillae. There are 18 long and conical papillae, 4 short and conical papillae and about 100 pustules on the BFA. There is a flap (that resembles the lateral ridges of the roof) bearing 3 projections on its free end and placed posterior to the medial ridge of the pocket. The papillae are arranged in two V-shaped patterns, one anterior and other posterior. The ventral velum has a well-marked median notch, three weakly-marked projections at each side on the posterior margin and many secretory pits.