Phyllomedusa bicolor (Boddaert, 1772)

Schiesari, Luis, Rossa-Feres, Denise De Cerqueira, Menin, Marcelo & Hödl, Walter, 2022, Tadpoles of Central Amazonia (Amphibia: Anura), Zootaxa 5223 (1), pp. 1-149 : 103-105

Phyllomedusa bicolor

External morphology. Description based on nine tadpoles at Stages 36 and 37 (CZPB-LA 141/274 and 141/275). Total length 43.7 ± 1.7 mm (N = 9). Body elongate oval in dorsal view and triangular in lateral view ( Fig. 69A, B ). Snout truncate in dorsal and lateral views. Eyes medium-sized, positioned and directed laterally. Nostrils small, oval, laterally positioned near to snout, with opening anterolaterally directed, without a projection on the marginal rim. Oral disc ( Fig. 69C ) anteroventral, ventrolaterally emarginate; marginal papillae conical, uniseriate, with a dorsal gap. Submarginal papillae present laterally. LTRF 2(2)/3(1); A1 and A2 of the same length; P2 slightly longer than P1; P3 of about half the length of P2. Anterior jaw sheath moderately wide, posterior jaw sheat narrow, both finely serrated; anterior jaw sheath M-shaped, posterior jaw sheath V-shaped. Spiracle single, ventrolateral, cylindrical, short and wide, posteriorly directed, with a large opening at the medial third of the body, and with the centripetal wall fused to the body wall and longer than the external wall. Vent tube dextral, fused to the ventral fin, with a dextral opening. Caudal musculature of moderate width; in lateral view gradually tapering to a pointed tip. Dorsal fin originating at the tail-body junction, shallow throughout its length, highest posteriorly, with a unique cord (thickening on the edge of the fin); ventral fin high, convex. Tail tip pointed.

Colour. In preservative dorsum brownish gray; lateral side of body and belly gray; caudal musculature and the cord pale brown; fins translucent. In life dorsum and anterior part of the body orange; venter silver; caudal musculature with the unique cord pale orange; fins translucent orange; iris silver ( Fig. 69D ) ( Pinto et al. 2013).

Variation. LTRF 1(1)/2(1) at Stage 24, 2(2)/3(1) or 2(2)/3(1-2) at Stages 26, 27, 29 and 34 ( Pinto et al. 2013).

Metamorph. At metamorphosis froglets light grey, nearly white, with orange reflections over dorsum and flanks; sides of limbs and toes orange ( Fig. 69E ); later, body and limbs green with the presence of sparse white spots with dark outlines on the chest and hind limbs ( Pinto et al. 2013).

Natural history. Eggs are deposited in a gelatinous mass in leaf nests overhanging isolated or streamside temporary ponds in terra-firme forest and forest edge; upon hatching tadpoles fall in the water ( Lima et al. 2012; Pinto et al. 2013). Mean clutch size is 859 unpigmented eggs ( Neckel-Oliveira & Wachlevski 2004). Tadpoles are found in all months of the year. Tadpoles are nektonic. Eggs are preyed upon by phorid fly larvae, staphylinid beetles and capuchin monkeys (Neckel-Oliveira 2004; Neckel-Oliveira & Wachlevski 2004). Tadpoles are preyed upon by Pipa arrabali ( Buchacher 1993) . In experiments tadpoles of P. bicolor were consumed by dragonflies and fish ( Hero 1991). The bright orange color is presumably aposematic.

Comments. These tadpoles were described by Rada de Martinez (1990) from Venezuela, from Colombia by Lynch & Suárez-Mayorga (2011), and by Hero (1990) and Pinto et al. (2013) from Central Amazonia. Tadpoles from Venezuela differ from those herein characterized by the absence of submarginal papillae (although Fig. 9 clearly shows submarginal papillae laterally on oral disc, as those herein characterized; Rada de Martinez 1990). Tadpoles illustrated by Hero (1990) and by Lynch & Suárez-Mayorga (2011) differ from those herein characterized for lacking a ventrally emarginate oral disc and submarginal papillae, which drove Pinto et al. (2013) to conclude that the tadpole illustrated in Hero (1990) is not P. bicolor . No morphological variation was observed between tadpoles herein characterized and those described by Pinto et al. (2013).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Tadpole of Rhinella marina (LCS 649) at Stage 37: (A) lateral view, (B) dorsal view (scale = 10 mm), and (C) oral disc (scale = 1 mm).

FIGURE 69. Tadpole of Phyllomedusa bicolor (LCS 633) at Stage 37: (A) lateral view, (B) dorsal view (scale = 10 mm), and (C) oral disc (scale = 1 mm). (D) Dorsal view of live tadpole and (E) dorsolateral view of newly metamorphosed froglet.