Two New Species of the Boana semiguttata Clade (Anura: Hylidae: Hylinae) from the Atlantic Forest of Southern Brazil

Abstract

We describe two new species of the Boana pulchella group, nested within the B. semiguttata clade and previously referred to as Boana sp. 1 and Boana sp. 2. Both species inhabit the Atlantic Forest of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. Boana sp. 1 is known from Parque Nacional da Serra do Itajaí. It resembles B. joaquini and B. stellae in external morphology but is distinguishable by its snout-vent length, coloration pattern, and advertisement call. Although its call structure differs from all other B. semiguttata clade species, it is strikingly similar to that of B. marginata, a distantly related species of the B. pulchella group. Boana sp. 2 is known only from a single locality in Serra do Quiriri (municipality of Garuva). Morphologically and acoustically, it is highly similar to B. semiguttata, differing only in color pattern and DNA sequences. Like all other species of the B. semiguttata clade, both new species breed in in montane streams and exhibit hypertrophied forearms in adult males. While Boana sp. 1 occurs in a protected area within a national park, the only known locality of Boana sp. 2 is under threat of habitat loss and other anthropogenic pressures.