Gephyromantis pseudoasper Guibé, 1974

Randrianiaina, Roger-Daniel, Glaw, Frank, Thomas, Meike, Glos, Julian, Raminosoa, Noromalala & Vences, Miguel, 2007, Descriptions of the tadpoles of two species of Gephyromantis, with a discussion of the phylogenetic origin of direct development in mantellid frogs, Zootaxa 1401, pp. 53-61 : 57

Gephyromantis pseudoasper Guibé, 1974

The following description refers to one tadpole in developmental stage 34 (field number FG/MV 2002.1920, catalogued as ZSM 709/2004, TL 34.0 mm, BL 10.7 mm) ( Fig. 2 ), from campsite 0 in Manongarivo Special Reserve. Tadpole of type IV of Orton (1953). In dorsal view, body ovoid elongated. Snout large. In lateral view, body depressed, maximum width attained behind midbody, BW 133 % of BH. Eyes of moderate size, ED 14 % of BL, not visible in ventral view, positioned dorsally and directed dorsally, situated at about 1/3 of body length. Nares elliptical, moderately sized, with dark spots, positioned dorsally, oriented dorsolaterally and closer to snout than to eye. NN 68 % of PP. Spiracle sinistral, inner wall free from body and formed such that aperture opens posteriorly, visible in dorsal view, spiracular opening oval, positioned laterally, directed dorsolaterally, situated at the height of the longitudinal axis of caudal musculature and much closer to the end of the body than to the snout, SS 65 % of BL. Medial vent tube with tissue between tube and fin, tubular. Caudal musculature well developed, myosepta visible in lateral view in the posterior half of the tail, not reaching the tail tip. TMH 69 % of BH and 66 % of MTH, TMW 46 % of BW; its height about 50 % of total height at midlength of tail. Dorsal fin height about 1/6 of tail muscle height at tail muscle insertion, getting wider quickly to maximum height, then diminishing gradually towards the tail tip. Ventral fin begins at the ventral terminus of the body; increases meticulously, then constant up to 3/4 of its length, finally diminishes meticulously towards the tail tip, tail tip rounded. MTH 105 % of BH, lateral line visible in the proximal half. Oral disc of moderate size, ODW 26 % of BL and 43 % of BW, positioned anteroventrally, directed anteroventrally, not emarginated, general shape is an open square. Marginal papillae dorsally interrupted by a small gap on the upper labium (DG 27 % of ODW), ventrally uniserial, no medial gap on the lower labium; total number of marginal papillae about 30. Many submarginal papillae positioned in the dorsolateral parts of the anterior labium and in the ventral part of the posterior labium. Papillae large and elongated with rounded tip. No denticulate papillae. LTRF after McDiarmid and Altig (1999) 1/2(1), 1/1+1:1 after Dubois (1995). The density of keratodonts on A1 is about 46 per millimetre (a total of 28); keratodonts of similar size. Both jaw sheaths totally keratinised with hypertrophied indentation. Upper jaw sheath wide, strongly curved with strong medial convexity. Lower jaw sheath M­shaped. General coloration in life: brownish, distal half of tail yellowish. Coloration in preservative: Dorsally body with two different pigmentation patterns: first, small round brownish spots that are irregularly distributed and condensed in some areas creating a network of spots, second, dark brownish and variable formed spots that are irregularly distributed; tail musculature speckled brownish at the proximal part of the fin, large brown networks of spots irregularly distributed on each side. Laterally: body speckled brownish and with networks of brown spots. Intestinal coils and spiracle well visible; caudal musculature whitish, with networks of brown spots that are irregularly distributed in the tail musculature but condensed in the proximal half of the tail, size and density diminishing towards tail tip. Fins transparent with different sized networks of brown spots that are irregularly distributed on the fins, spots more abundant on the dorsal fin. Ventrally: translucent. Variation: TL and BL of 56 tadpoles at stages 27­44, from campsite 0 (field numbers: FG/MV 2002.1915, and 1918­1921, catalogued as ZSM 698, 706­711/2004) and campsite 1 in Manongarivo Special Reserve (FG/MV 2002.1932, catalogued as ZSM 729­730/2004), and from Ankarana Special Reserve (FG/MV 2002.1937, catalogued as ZSM 734, 736/2004) are 15­49 mm and 5.2­13.5 mm, respectively. The ratios vary in the following proportions: BW 87­146 % of BH; ED 12­21 % of BL; RN 20­ 95 % of NP; NN 44­79 % of PP; SS 48­73 % of BL; TMH 39­75 % of MTH; TMW 37­65 % of BW; MTH 60­120 % of BH; ODW 18­43 % of BL; ODW 31­70 % of BW.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Drawings of preserved tadpole specimen of Gephyromantis pseudoasper from Manongarivo Special Reserve (developmental stage 34). (a) dorsal view; (b) lateral view; (c) oral disc.