962
Journal of species lists and distribution
Chec List
N OTES ON G EOGRAPHIC D ISTRIBUTION
Check List 10(4): 962–964, 2014
© 2014 Check List and Authors
ISSN 1809-127X (available at www.checklist.org.br)
Chiasmocleis Mèhelÿ, 1904 is the most diverse genus
of Microhylidae, with 25 described species distributed
from Panamá to Asunción in Paraguay. Chiasmocleis
albopunctata (Boettger, 1885) is the most widely
distributed species of the genus (Peloso et al. 2014), being
present 06°00′ S in State of Tocantins, Brazil, to 25°18′ S in
Asunción, Paraguay. It inhabits open vegetation areas like
those of Cerrado, Chaco and the transitional areas between
them, as well as transitional areas between Cerrado and
Amazonian and Atlantic Forests (Peloso et al. 2014).
Chiasmocleis albopunctata is characterized by its
elongated body; short and rounded snout; fingers and toes
lacking interdigital webbing and adhesive discs, and having
a slight fringe and scarce, small dermal spines; absence
of occipital fold; presence of a postorbital fold; scattered
dermal spines in dorsum; coloration characterized by
dark gray dorsum with a whitish bar on snout, extending
along canthus rostralis, superior eyelid, and fragmented
in irregular blotches on shoulders; scattered, irregularly
distributed whitish blotches on dorsum, arms, legs; venter
gray with large, well delimited, and irregularly distributed
whitish blotches (Caramaschi and Cruz 1997) (Figure 1).
We recorded 29 individuals of C. albopunctata using
pitfall traps with drift-fences (Figure 2) from December
2013 to February 2014 in La Ascensión ranch, La Picadita,
Municipality of Colonia Villafañe, Departmento Pirané,
Province of Formosa, Argentina (26°02′16″ S, 59°09′26″
W) (Figure 3). The area corresponds to a Chaco subregion
known as Humid Chaco (Chaco Húmedo) (Secretaría de
Desarrollo Sustentable y Política Ambiental and Ministerio
de Desarrollo Social y Medio Ambiente 1999). Vegetation
in the area is a mosaic of Chaco forests intermingled with
seasonally flooded areas called “bañados” and “esteros”.
The specimens were identified based in the diagnostic
characters provided by Caramaschi and Cruz (1997), and
measured (SVL) using a digital caliper (precision of 0.01
mm). We used the minimum SVL of males (23.2 mm) and
females (28.2 mm) and the presence of dark vocal sac
as a diagnostic character to identify males, females and
Abstract: Chiasmocleis Mèhelÿ, 1904 is the most diverse genus of Microhylidae, with Chiasmocleis albopunctata (Boettger,
1885) being the species with the largest distribution. This species is typical of open habitats from State of Tocantins in Brazil
to Asunción in Paraguay, which is its southernmost previous record. Herein we report the first record of C. albopunctata in
Argentina, extending its known distribution 173 km SW from Asunción in Paraguay.
Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de la Herpetofauna, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal, (IDEA, CONICET-UNC) and Centro de
Zoología Aplicada (UNC). Rondeau 798 X5000AVP Córdoba, Argentina.
* Corresponding author. E-mail: nicolas.pelegrin@conicet.gov.ar
José Manuel Sánchez, Giuliano Paolo Pesci, Suelem Muniz Leão and Nicolás Pelegrin*
First record of the genus Chiasmocleis Mèhelÿ, 1904 (Anura,
Microhylidae) in Argentina
DOI: 10.15560/10.4.962
Figure 1. Dorsal and ventral view of a female Chiasmocleis albopunctata
(SVL 31.96 mm) captured in La Picadita, Colonia Villafañe, Formosa,
Argentina (voucher LECH00001).
juveniles in our sample (data from Caramaschi and Cruz
1997). Males were identified by the dark coloration of the
vocal sac. Individuals of less than 28.2 mm without dark
vocal sac were classified as juveniles, while individuals
larger than 28.2 mm without vocal sac were classified as
females. Among the 29 individuals captured, 20 (seven
males, mean SVL ±SE: 25.62 ±0.17 mm; three females,
30.21 ±0.37 mm; 10 juveniles, 20.75 ±0.69 mm) were
deposited in the herpetological collection of Laboratorio
de Ecología y Conservación de la Herpetofauna, Instituto
de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA, CONICET-UNC)
under the numbers LECH00001 to LECH00020.
This is the first record of the genus Chiasmocleis for
Argentina. This record extends C. albopunctata known
distribution range about 173 km SW of Asunción,