Ranitomeya vanzolinii, Myers, 1982

Brown, Jason L., Twomey, Evan, Amézquita, Adolfo, Souza, Moisés Barbosa De, Caldwell, Jana- Lee P., Lötters, Stefan, May, Rudolf Von, Melo-Sampaio, Paulo Roberto, Mejía-Vargas, Daniel, Perez-Peña, Pedro, Pepper, Mark, Poelman, Erik H., Sanchez-Rodriguez, Manuel & Summers, Kyle, 2011, A taxonomic revision of the Neotropical poison frog genus Ranitomeya (Amphibia: Dendrobatidae) 3083, Zootaxa 3083 (1), pp. 1-120 : 61

Ranitomeya vanzolinii species group

Figs. 3 , 4 , 9 , 23 – 29

Tables 1, 4 – 6

A monophyletic assemblage of six species: Ranitomeya vanzolinii Myers 1982 ; R. sirensis Aichinger 1991 with its junior synonyms R. biolat Morales 1992 and R. lamasi Morales 1992 ; R. imitator Schulte 1986 with its junior synonyms R. imitator intermedius Schulte 1999 and R. imitator yurimaguensis Schulte 1999 ; R. flavovittata Schulte 1999 ; R. yavaricola Perez-Peña, Chavez, Twomey & Brown 2010 and R. cyanovittata Perez-Peña, Chavez, Twomey & Brown 2010 .

Definition and diagnosis. Medium to large adult SVL (17 – 21 mm); black dorsum; highly variable morphology; LTRF 2(2)/3(1), oral disc emarginated; large intestine unpigmented; larvae whitish to gray; eggs cream; territoriality present in males; promiscuous (known in R. sirensis ) or monogamous mating system (known in R. vanzolinii and R. imitator ), male parental care (observed in R. sirensis ) or biparental (observed in R. vanzolinii and R. imitator ); females produce between 2 – 4 eggs per mating. The advertisement call of species in this group consists of a loud trill, highly tonal, with notes 0.4 – 1.1 sec in length, repeated at 2 – 14 notes per minute ( Fig. 28 ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. A consensus Bayesian phylogeny based on 1011 base pairs of aligned mitochondrial DNA sequences of the 12S (12s rRNA), 16S (16s rRNA) and cytb (cytochrome-b gene) regions. Thickened branches represent nodes with posterior probabilities 90 and greater, other values are shown on nodes. Taxon labels depict current specific epithet, number in tree, the epithet being used prior to this revision (contained in parentheses), and the collection locality. A. Top segment. B. Middle segment. C. Bottom segment of phylogeny.

FIGURE 4. Putative species tree for Andinobates, Excidobates, and Ranitomeya. Placement of species where molecular data were lacking (A. altobueyensis, A. viridis, A. abditus, A. daleswansoni and R. opisthomelas) was based on morphology. Andinobates altobueyensis and A. viridis were placed as sister taxa due to the absence of dark pigmentation on dorsal body and limbs and overall similar dorsal coloration and patterning. These species were placed as sister to A. fulguritus (sequenced) on the basis of similar dorsal coloration (bright green to greenish-yellow). Andinobates opisthomelas was placed in the bombetes group in a polytomy with A. bombetes and A. virolinensis (both sequenced) due to their similar advertisement calls and morphology, particularly their red dorsal pattern and marbled venter. Andinobates daleswansoni was placed as sister to A. dorisswansonae due to the absence of a well-defined first toe in both species. Andinobates abditus was placed in the bombetes group based on a larval synapomorphy which appears to be diagnostic of that group (wide medial gap in the papillae on the posterior labium). However, A. abditus was placed as the sister species to all other members of the bombetes group due to the absence of bright dorsal coloration and isolated geographic distribution. Andinobates abditus is currently the only species of its genus known to occur in the east-Andean versant, thus its placement remains speculative until molecular data become available. Photo credits: Thomas Ostrowski, Karl-Heinz Jungfer, Victor Luna-Mora, Giovanni Chaves-Portilla.

FIGURE 9. Known elevation distributions of Ranitomeya. Dotted line is mean for all samples. Dark boxes display the total elevation range of each species, within each contains a corresponding box plot.

FIGURE 23. Ranitomeya Plate 6. vanzolinii group: A & B: Ranitomeya cyanovittata: Sierra del Divisor, Ucayali, Peru (G. Knell and D. Vasquez, 1:Ω,2: 1Φ). C & D: Ranitomeya yavaricola (all from Loreto, Peru): C: Rio Blanco (G. Knell); D: Lago Preto (PPP, Ω). E– I: Ranitomeya flavovittata (all from Quebrada Blanco, Loreto, Peru (Photo credits: JLB, ET and PPP, Ω). J–K: Ranitomeya vanzolinii Atalaya, Ucayali, Peru (J. Yeager). L–V: Ranitomeya imitator (All from San Martin, Peru): L–O: Upper Canarachi Valley (‡); P– Q: Tarapoto (‡); R: Shapaja (‡); S: Chumia (‡) and T–V: Chazuta (Ω). (nΦ = number of individual in phylogeny, Ω = population sampled in phylogeny, ‡ = genetically sampled, but not included in our phylogeny).

FIGURE 24. Ranitomeya Plate 7. vanzolinii group: A–Y: Ranitomeya imitator (all from San Martin, Peru unless noted): A-B: Chazuta (Ω); C: Central Huallaga Canyon (‡); D-H: Callanayacu (‡); I-J: Lower Huallaga Canyon (‡); K-Q: Pongo de Cainarachi (Ω); R- S: Balsapuerto, Loreto (‡); T–V: Varadero, Loreto (‡) and W–Y: Curiyacu (‡). (Ω = population sampled in phylogeny, ‡ = genetically sampled, but not included in our phylogeny).

FIGURE 25. Ranitomeya Plate 8. vanzolinii group: A–I: Ranitomeya imitator Curiyacu, San Martin, Peru (‡). J–T: Ranitomeya sirensis (all from Peru unless noted): J-L: CICRA Station, Madre de Dios (Rio Los Amigos, Ω); M: near Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil (PRMS); N & O: Central Rio Urubamba, Cusco (G. Chavez); P & Q: Tingo Maria, Huánuco (ET, Ω); R: Bamboo forest, R. sirensis often uses the phytotelmata within bamboo for tadpole deposition, Tingo Maria, Huánuco (ET); S: Aguaytía, Ucayali; T: Codo del Pozuzo, Huánuco (20Φ). (nΦ = number of individual in phylogeny, Ω = population sampled in phylogeny, ‡ = genetically sampled, but not included in our phylogeny).

FIGURE 26. Ranitomeya Plate 9. vanzolinii group: A–P: Ranitomeya sirensis (all from Peru): A–G: Puerto Inca, Huánuco (JLB and ET, Ω); H & I: Breeding pair of R. sirensis found in the type locality between the lowland and highland populations, Cordillera El Sira, Huánuco (MSR); J & K: Rio Pachitea, Huánuco (J. Stenicka); L–N: Cordillera El Sira, Huánuco (B. Wilson and JLB, 10-11Φ); O: Rio Pachitea, Huánuco (J. Stenicka, 17Φ); P: Yanayacu Maquia, Ucayali. (nΦ = number of individual in phylogeny Ω = population sampled in phylogeny).

FIGURE 27. Ranitomeya Plate 10. vanzolinii group: A–F: Ranitomeya sirensis (all from Peru): A–D: near Contamana, Loreto (JLB and G. Gagliardi, 1-3Φ); E: uncertain locality, likely Iscozacin, Junin (7 Φ); F: Estación Biológica Paujil, Junin (L. Schulte). (nΦ = number of individual in phylogeny).

FIGURE 28. Advertisement calls of Ranitomeya species in the vanzolinii group. A. Ranitomeya vanzolinii from Pongo de Mainique, Cuzco, Peru, recorded in captivity at 26° C; B. Ranitomeya sirensis from Ishanga near Tocache, San Martín, Peru, recorded at 25.5° C; C. Ranitomeya imitator from Varadero, Loreto, Peru, recorded at 23.5° C; D. Ranitomeya imitator from Cainarachi valley, San Martín, Peru, recorded at 22 C; E. Ranitomeya flavovittata from Rio Tahuayo, Loreto, Peru, recorded in captivity at 25° C; F. Ranitomeya yavaricola from Lago Preto, Loreto, Peru, recorded at 24° C (call courtesy Pedro Pérez-Peña).

FIGURE 29. Known distribution of Ranitomeya flavovittata, R. yavaricola and R. cyanonvittata. The inset map displays the geographic extent of distributions (black circles = all other Ranitomeya).