Brachycephalus lulai

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Brachycephalus lulai
Brachycephalus lulai (holotype, anterolateral).png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Brachycephalidae
Genus: Brachycephalus
Species:
B. lulai
Binomial name
Brachycephalus lulai
Bornschein et al., 2025
Brachycephalus pernix species group distributions.png
Geographic distribution of B. lulai [+]

Brachycephalus lulai is a species of small frog in the family Brachycephalidae endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. It is one of more than 40 named species within the genus Brachycephalus , and is most closely related to Brachycephalus auroguttatus and Brachycephalus quiririensis . B. lulai is a small species; adult males range from 8.9–11.3 millimetres (0.35–0.44 in) (SVL), while females are slightly larger, at 11.7–13.4 mm (0.46–0.53 in). It is characterized as a "pumpking toadlet", having a rounder body and brighter coloration than the more slender and dull "flea-toad" members of the genus. Its skin is smooth on the top but rough on the sides, its snout is rounded when seen from above, and it has a bright orange color with irregular greenish to brownish dots on the sides and belly. [1] The specific name lulai honours Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil. [1]

Taxonomy

Brachycephalus, along with Ischnocnema , comprise the family Brachycephalidae, which is a member of the larger clade Brachycephaloidea. Brachycephaloids are uniquely characterized by undergoing direct development, meaning individuals hatch from eggs as tiny versions of the adult, rather than tadpoles. [2] The placement of Brachycephalus within this clade is shown in the cladogram below: [3]

Brachycephaloidea

More than 40 species of Brachycephalus are recognized, [4] generally divided into two major subcategories, both of which are polyphyletic groups: [5] the more speciose "pumpkin toadlets", characterized by their brighter colors (red, orange, yellow, and green patterns) and bufoniform (more stout) body blan, and the less diverse "flea-toads", characterized by their dull colors and leptodactyliform (more slender) body plan. B. lulai is recognized as a pumpkin toadlet. In their 2025 description of this species, Bornschein and colleagues tested its phylogenetic relationships with select members of the Brachycephalus pernix species group, which they hypothesized B. lulai belongs to. They recovered it in an unresolved polytomous clade with B. auroguttatus and B. quiririensis , both of which are known from the same region. These results are displayed in the cladogram below: [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Bornschein, Marcos R.; Pie, Marcio R.; Nadaline, Júnior; Confetti, André E.; Blackburn, David C.; Stanley, Edward L.; Mari, Renata de Britto; Alves, Gabriel Silveira; Sandretti-Silva, Giovanna; Lima, Felipe Farias de Andrade; Ribeiro, Luiz F. (December 10, 2025). Dahanukar, Neelesh (ed.). "A new species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from Serra do Quiriri, northeastern Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, with a review of the diagnosis among species of the B. pernix group and proposed conservation measures". PLOS One . 20 (12) e0334746. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0334746 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   12694819 . PMID   41370246.
  2. ↑ Hedges, S. Blair; Duellman, William E.; Heinicke, Matthew P. (2008-03-31). "New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): Molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and conservation" . Zootaxa. 1737 (1): 1–182–1–182. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1737.1.1. ISSN   1175-5334.
  3. ↑ Fouquet, Antoine; Kok, Philippe J.R.; Recoder, Renato Sousa; Prates, Ivan; Camacho, Agustin; Marques-Souza, Sergio; Ghellere, José Mario; McDiarmid, Roy W.; Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut (February 2024). "Relicts in the mist: Two new frog families, genera and species highlight the role of Pantepui as a biodiversity museum throughout the Cenozoic". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 191 107971. Bibcode:2024MolPE.19107971F. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107971. PMID   38000706.
  4. ↑ Frost, Darrel R. (2025). "Search for Taxon: Brachycephalus". Amphibian Species of the World, an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, New York. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  5. ↑ Condez, Thais H; Haddad, Célio F B; Zamudio, Kelly R (2020-01-16). "Historical biogeography and multi-trait evolution in miniature toadlets of the genus Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society . 129 (3): 664–686. doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blz200. hdl: 11449/196654 . ISSN   0024-4066.
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