RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Unearthing the names of burrowing frogs : the taxonomic status of the Chacoan populations of Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799) (Anura: Leptodactylidae)
A1 Brusquetti Estrada, Francisco Adolfo
A1 Bueno Villafañe, Diego
A1 Caballero Gini, Andrea Natalia
A1 Pereira Pinheiro, Paulo Durães
A1 Netto Sisa, Flavia
A1 Burgos Gallardo, Freddy
A1 Fernández Ríos, Danilo
A1 Cardozo Ruíz Díaz, Edgar Bernabé
A1 Baldo, Diego
A2 Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
AB The widely distributed Neotropical frog Leptodactylus fuscus has long been suspected to represent a species complex. Among its numerous synonyms is Leptodactylus gualambensis Gallardo, 1964, described based on specimens from the western South American Gran Chaco and regarded as a typical Chacoan species. This species was synonymized 40 years ago and has not been reassessed since. In this study, we evaluate the taxonomic validity of the Chacoan populations of L. fuscus potentially assignable to L. gualambensis, based on molecular phylogenetic analyses, lineage delimitation, bioacoustics, and morphology using extensive sampling from the South American Gran Chaco and adjacent regions. Our phylogenetic analyses revealed three clades: One distributed across northern South America and Central America, including topotypes of L. fuscus; a second primarily occurring in the South American Gran Chaco, including topotypes of L. gualambensis; and a third found in parts of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. This structure is corroborated by lineage delimitation analysis, genetic differentiation, gene flow estimations, and by differences in advertisement call duration and frequency, as well as head and limb proportions. Based on these results, we support the revalidation of L. gualambensis, redefine the geographic distribution of L. fuscus sensu stricto, and discuss the status of other available synonyms. In addition, we discuss variation in certain morphological traits of L. gualambensis that may be associated with its broad geographic distribution, which encompasses both dry, highly seasonal environments and humid, relatively homogeneous habitats.
PB Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung
SN 1864-5755
YR 2025
FD 2025-10-17
LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14066/4682
UL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14066/4682
LA eng
NO Brusquetti, F., Bueno-Villafañe, D., Caballero-Gini, A., Pinheiro, P. D. P., Netto, F., Burgos-Gallardo. F., Fernández Ríos, D., Cardozo, E. B., & Baldo, D. (2025) Unearthing the names of burrowing frogs: the taxonomic status of the Chacoan populations of Leptodactylus fuscus (Schneider, 1799) (Anura: Leptodactylidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 75, 325-352. https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.75.e159878
NO Corresponding author: Francisco Brusquetti (franbrusquetti@gmail.com).
NO Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
DS MINDS@UW
RD 03-sep-2026