Abstract

The morphology of the larval oral disc, nostril, skin, and vent tube of tadpoles of Andean stream dwelling Hyloscirtus (Hylidae: Hylinae: Cophomantini) was studied. A wide variation of larval tooth row number is compiled from literature and from observations of Colombian specimens in museums. The marginal papillae are precursors of the tooth rows. The submarginal papillae are organized parallel to the anterior tooth rows and are precursors of the flaps or accessory tooth rows. There is no particular tooth row formula, and no particular marginal papillae arrangement for a species or a recognized species group in the genus. The number of tooth rows and of accessory tooth rows increase with development and size of the tadpole. Two species groups are identified inside Hyloscirtus based on the tooth row formulae, upper jaw sheath morphology, and shape of the nostril of tadpoles. The two groups identified here are different from the three species groups currently recognized for the genus and show well-delimited geographic distributions through the northern Andes. Nostril shape of one species group of Hyloscirtus recognized here is putatively present in all Cophomantini. Spots on the venter associated with neuromasts are present in all the tadpoles of Hyloscirtus studied, and presumably the same as the ones found in some Hypsiboas and Aplastodiscus (Hylidae: Hylinae: Cophomantini). A saccular structure associated with the vent tube covers developing hindlimbs of all tadpoles of Hyloscirtus, and is proposed as a morphological synapomorphy of the genus.

Abstract

A common legskate from southern Africa, misidentified for the last half century as Cruriraja parcomaculata, is redescribed as C. hulleyi. A number of morphometric and meristic characters are identified that distinguish C. hulleyi from C. parcomaculata ( = triangularis). Cruriraja hulleyi exhibits midback thorns in a continuous row above the anterior half of the abdominal region, the interdorsal space is usually greater than half the dorsal-fin base length, the clasper eperon is not bifurcate, and the clasper ventral surface lacks dermal denticles. Relative to C. parcomaculata, C. hulleyi is larger, has a shorter snout, smaller eyes, a more obtuse snout angle, fewer lower jaw tooth rows, more turns in the spiral valve, more nuchal thorns, exhibits scapular thorn patches and more predorsal midline thorns, and has a spatulate rather than pointed distal tip of the anterior lobe of the pelvic fin. The two species occur in allopatry, with C. hulleyi ranging from Namibia to the Eastern Cape Coast of South Africa and C. parcomaculata distributed from kwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to Mozambique.

Abstract

A new species of Scincella, previously confused with S. lateralis, is described from the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin, Coahuila, Mexico. The new species differs from all congeners in North and Middle America by possessing two dark, narrow ventrolateral stripes on each side (vs. dark, narrow ventrolateral stripes on each side absent in the other species); from all congeners in North and Middle America, except S. lateralis, by having three or more pairs of nuchal scales (vs. fewer than three pairs of nuchals in the other species) and the first nuchal in contact with the tertiary temporal row (vs. first nuchal usually in contact with the upper secondary temporal in the other species); and from S. lateralis by having longer limbs (limbs overlapping by 1–15 scales when adpressed against body, hindlimb length/SVL ratio 0.30–0.42, = 0.36; vs. limbs separated by 2–23 scales when adpressed against body, hindlimb length/SVL ratio 0.24–0.37, = 0.30, in S. lateralis) and usually more scales around midbody (28–30, = 29.0, n = 15; vs. 24–29, = 26.4, n = 28, in S. lateralis). The new species is geographically closest, and morphologically most similar, to S. lateralis.

Indeed, the issue comes down to one of homology which traditionally is assumed and then tested in morphological studies, but assumed and then ignored in molecular (particularly single locus and mtDNA) studies.—Buhay, 2009

AT the Montreal ASIH meetings, we presented a paper that briefly outlined our concerns regarding the future of systematics (Mooi and Gill, 2008). In particular, we noted that the movement from synapomorphy-based topologies to those based on statistical measures has removed the opportunity for rational discussion based on homology, the foundation of systematics. We further argued that taxonomies based on topologies without synapomorphies