Amphibians are probably the most vulnerable group to climate change and climate-change associate diseases. This ongoing biodiversity crisis makes it thus imperative to improve the taxonomy of anurans in biodiverse but understudied areas such as Amazonia. In this study, we applied robust integrative taxonomic methods combining genetic (mitochondrial 16S, 12S and COI genes), morphological and environmental data to delimit species of the genusAmazophrynella(Anura: Bufonidae) sampled from throughout their pan-Amazonian distribution. Our study confirms the hypothesis that the species diversity of the genus is grossly underestimated. Our analyses suggest the existence of eighteen linages of which seven are nominal species, three Deep Conspecific Lineages, one Unconfirmed Candidate Species, three Uncategorized Lineages, and four Confirmed Candidate Species and described herein. We also propose a phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus and discuss its implications for historical biogeography of this Amazonian group.

Natural rain forest enclaves in northeastern Brazil (called Brejos de Altitude) are present in isolated areas surrounded by the semiarid Caatinga biome. Among these montane areas, the Araripe Plateau in Ceará state harbors Caatinga, Cerrado, and Atlantic Forest remnants and is considered a priority area for biodiversity conservation. Herein, we describe a new species of Proceratophrys (Amphibia: Anura: Odontophrynidae; Horned Frogs) endemic to the Araripe Plateau. Based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences, we show that this new species is related to the Amazonian species P. concavitympanum but can be diagnosed based on the row of tubercles on the forearm and by the number, size, and disposition of tubercles on the dorsal region. It is also widely disjunct, known only from the mesic forests of the Araripe Plateau, 2400 km away from the type locality of P. concavitympanum. The new species depends on streams for reproduction and is currently known from an area that is severely impacted by def...

Pristimantis is the most diverse Neotropical genus of terrestrial vertebrates and is distributed from Central America to Argentina. The last few years have seen the description of several new species of the genus, suggesting that its diversity is still underestimated. After decades of uncertainties about the taxonomic status of populations of Pristimantis from the “Brejos de Altitude” of the state of Ceará, Northeast Brazil, we finally found morphological, acoustic and molecular evidence confirming their distinctiveness from other Atlantic Forest species. The new species is characterized by the following: shagreen dorsal skin with small-scattered tubercles, absence of dorsolateral fold, presence of tarsal fold, advertisement call composed of 1–8 pulsed notes, (2–5 pulses per note), and dominant frequency located in the second energy band, ranging from 3617–4220 Hz. Phylogenetic analysis placed the new species in the Pristimantis conspicillatus species group and the sister lineage of the Atlantic Forest clade comprising P. ramagii, P. paulodutrai and the P. vinhai species complex.