A new leptodactylid frog from Chile

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FIELDIANA • ZOOLOGY

Published by
CHICAGO NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Volume 34 JUNE 11, 1952 No. 2

A NEW LEPTODACTYLID FROG
FROM CHILE

KARL P. SCHMIDT
CHIEF CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

In spite of the limited fauna of Chile, its herpetological problems
are of great interest. Southern Chile is one of the great centers of
endemism on the South American continent, and it presents both
typical relicts, often as monotypic genera, and genera that have
undergone active speciation within the Chilean area. The frog
fauna includes the distinctive bony-headed "bullfrog," Calypto-
cephalella gayi, the still more remarkable Darwin's frog, Rhinoderma
darwini, in which the tadpoles are brought to maturity in the hyper-
trophied vocal pouch of the male, the long-limbed Hylorina silvatica,
and perhaps Batrachyla leptopus as monotypic forms. There are sev-
eral species of the Andean genus Telmatobius, two of Pleurodema, a
variety of toads of the genus Bufo, and a flowering of the genus
Eupsophus into an as yet undetermined number of species.

It is gratifying to add to the Chilean fauna a species of frog
whose evident relations are with the Telmatobius but whose diver-
gence from that genus appears to warrant generic distinction. We
are indebted to Dr. D. S. Bullock of El Vergel, Angol, Chile, for
the two specimens of this frog, collected in the Nahuelbuta forest.

I am indebted to my colleague Mr. Henry S. Dybas for the
examination of the stomach contents, to Mr. Albert A. Enzenbacher
for the habitus drawing of the type, and to Miss Phyllis Wade for
the drawing of the pectoral girdle. It is pleasant to name the new
form for Dr. Bullock, in recognition of his services to Chilean natural
history and of his long-continued friendly co-operation with Chicago
Natural History Museum.

Telmatobufo gen. nov.

Diagnosis. — A leptodactylid frog of toad-like habitus but with
broadly webbed toes; with maxillary and vomerine teeth; vertically

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12 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 34

oval pupil; tympanum absent; fingers free, the tips of the fingers
and toes not dilated; terminal phalanges simple; the outer meta-
tarsals united; epicoracoid cartilage very broad; sternum a broad
cartilaginous plate; dorsal skin with raised rounded glands; promi-
nent parotoid glands present.

Type. — Telmatobufo bullocki sp. nov.

Telmatobufo bullocki sp. nov.

Type. — Chicago Natural History Museum no. 23842, adult male,
from Cerros de Nahuelbuta, Province of Malleco, Chile, collected
by D. S. Bullock, October 12, 1931.

Diagnosis. — A frog with stocky body but relatively long limbs;
extremely glandular dorsal skin; high, rounded parotoid glands;
fingers free, without expansions at their tips; toes broadly webbed;
a well-developed gland on the forearm ; general color mottled grayish
brown, with darker spots corresponding to the elevated glands.

Description of type. — Body stocky, width of head 2% times in
length of body; tibio-tarsal articulation reaching eye; proximal joint
of arm largely enclosed in body skin; heels meeting when hind
limbs are placed at right angles to body.

Tongue circular, free behind; six large vomerine teeth on each
side, in prominent elevated patches behind the level of the moderate-
sized choanae (0.8 mm. in diameter).

Fingers free, without subarticular tubercles, the first shorter than
the second, their tips not expanded; toes broadly webbed, the web
extending to the tip of the fourth toe as a marginal flap; fifth toe
broadly glandular on outer side; inner metatarsal tubercle small;
no outer metatarsal tubercle; a glandular tarsal fold.

Dorsal skin with numerous raised smooth glandular warts, inter-
spersed with small low warts; prominent parotoid glands, longer
than the eye, just behind the posterior angle of the eye; ventral
skin perfectly smooth; a prominent gland on anterior side of fore-
arm, and glands extending on thighs and tibiae.

General color (in alcohol) dark grayish brown, the glandular
warts all darker than the narrow interspaces; ventral surfaces mottled
with brown on a yellowish brown ground color; upper eyelids white,
yellowish in life, as seen in a Kodachrome slide supplied by Dr.
Bullock.

Notes on paratype. — The single paratype, C.N.H.M. no. 31618,
obtained by Dr. Bullock from the same locality on November 27,

SCHMIDT: A LEPTODACTYLID FROG

13

1936, has a somewhat different preservation and its glandular warts
are less prominent; otherwise it is a smaller replica of the type.
The curious, boldly marked white eyelids, which might be thought
to be a pathological character, are exactly duplicated in the paratype.

FIG. 1. Telmatobufo bullocki sp. nov., type; X 1.

Comparisons. — I assume that Telmatobufo is most nearly related
to Telmatobius. The new form does not appear to be closely allied
to any of the species of Telmatobius, all of which have strongly
developed spines at least on the first finger in males. The Chilean
species of Telmatobius (after deletion of marmoratus by Barbour and
Noble, 1920) include the type of the genus, peruvianus, from Tacna
(which was formerly a Department of Peru); Telmatobius halli,

14 FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY, VOLUME 34

from Ollague; T. laevis, from Santiago Province; and T. montanus,
from the same province (probably from Potrero Grande, 2,200
meters).

Remarks. — It is somewhat surprising that so distinct a form
should have escaped detection in the relatively well-known Chilean
fauna, to which it adds a further distinctive endemic form. Dr.
Bullock's notes state that one of the specimens was found under

FIG. 2. Pectoral girdle of Telmatobufo bullocki, C.N.H.M. no. 31618; X 2.5.

a log. The stomach contents of the paratype include a beetle larva,
fragments of two cockroaches, fragments of three phalangids, a
spider, and miscellaneous fragmentary insect remains, with a con-
siderable mass of plant material, all of which indicate terrestrial
feeding habits.

MEASUREMENTS OF TYPE AND PARATYPE

No. 23842 No. 31618
mm. mm.

Length of body 63 64

Length of head 28 28

Length of leg 88 90

Tibia . . . 27 28

SCHMIDT: A LEPTODACTYLID FROG 15

REFERENCES

BARBOUR, THOMAS, and NOBLE, G. K.

1920. Some amphibians from northwestern Peru, with a revision of the genera
Phyllobates and Telmatobius. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 63: 395-427, pis. 1-3,
text figs. 1-8.

MULLER, LORENZ

1938. Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Herpetofauna Chiles. X: Ueber ein Exemplar
Telmatobius montamis Philippi. Zool. Anz., 121: 313-317, figs. 1-2.

SCHMIDT, KARL P.

1928. The Chilean frogs of the genus Telmatobius. Rev. Chilena Hist., 32:
98-105.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA