Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

South American Anurans: Species Diversity and Description Trends Through Time and Space

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Biogeographic Patterns of South American Anurans

Abstract

Amphibians are especially diverse in the Neotropics and have also one of the highest rates of new species description among terrestrial vertebrates. The first systematic synthesis of South American anurans compiled a list of 1644 species, but there have been no update since the last 19 years. Here, we present a descriptive approach for temporal and spatial patterns of anuran species discoveries in South America, emphasizing trending changes in species description rates and number of researchers authoring a given species description. We recovered 2623 anuran species described in South America between 1758 and mid-2017 from 163 genera and 24 families. There is a high rate of species discovery across time, with at least 10 new descriptions per year in the period examined. Time span to reach multiples of 500 new species has dramatically decreased over time. For instance, it took more than two centuries for the description of 500 species since the first species (1750s), whereas it took about 10–12 years in order to add 500 new anuran species after 1990. Then, the curve of the cumulative anuran species description in South America is far from reaching an asymptote, yet it actually exhibits an exponential shape. Similar historical increase was recorded for the number of authors in papers over time, since descriptions are more collaborative in the last decades. Two major hotspots for new species discovery are depicted herein: (i) the Central and Northern Andes and the adjacent western Amazon (notedly in Ecuador, Peru, and Western Brazil) and (ii) the complex of Brazilian highlands encompassing the Atlantic and Brazilian plateau mountains. These trends are discussed according to singular historical events (including changes in research approaches) and possible explanations for the geographic pattern in species discovery.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Antonelli A, Nylander JAA, Persson C, Sanmartin I (2009) Tracing the impact of the Andean uplift on Neotropical plant evolution. PNAS 106:9749–9754. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0811421106

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Antonelli A, Ariza M, Albert J, Andermann T, Azevedo J, Bacon C, Faurby S, Guedes T, Hoorn C, Lohmann LG, Matos-Maraví P, Ritter CD, Sanmartín I, Silvestro D, Tejedor M, ter Steege H, Tuomisto H, Werneck FP, Zizka A, Edwards SV (2018) Conceptual and empirical advances in Neotropical biodiversity research. PeerJ 6:e5644. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5644

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Brusquetti F, Jansen M, Barrio-Amarós C, Segalla M, Haddad CFB (2014) Taxonomic review of Scinax fuscomarginatus (Lutz, 1925) and related species (Anura; Hylidae). Zool J Linn Soc 171:783–821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caminer MA, Ron SR (2014) Systematics of treefrogs of the Hypsiboas calcaratus and Hypsiboas fasciatus species complex (Anura, Hylidae) with the description of four new species. Zookeys 370:1–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caminer MA, Milá B, Jansen M, Fouquet A, Venegas PJ, Chávez G, Lougheed SC, Ron SR (2017) Systematics of the Dendropsophus leucophyllatus species complex (Anura: Hylidae): Cryptic diversity and the description of two new species. PLoS One 12(4):e0176902

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cei JM (1979) The Patagonian herpetofauna. In: Duellman WE (ed) The South American herpetofauna: its origin, evolution, and dispersal, vol 7. Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas, Monography, Lawrence, pp 309–339

    Google Scholar 

  • Costello MJ, May RM, Stork NE (2013) Can we name Earth’s species before they go extinct? Science 339(6118):413–416

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costello MJ, Wilson S (2011) Predicting the number of known and unknown species in European seas using rates of description. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 20:319–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costello MJ, Wilson S, Houlding B (2012) Predicting total global species richness using rates of species description and estimates of taxonomic effort. Syst Biol 61(5):871–883

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De la Riva I, Aparicio J (2016) Three new Bolivian species of Psychrophrynella (Anura: Craugastoridae), and comments on the amphibian fauna of the Cordillera de Apolobamba. Salamandra 52(4):283–292

    Google Scholar 

  • Duellman WE (1979) The South American herpetofauna: a panoramic view. In: Duellman WE (ed) The South American herpetofauna: its origin, evolution, and dispersal, vol 7. Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas, Monograph, Lawrence, pp 1–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Duellman WE (1999) Distribution patterns of amphibians in South America. In: Duellman WE (ed) Patterns of distribution of amphibians: a global perspective. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp 255–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Duellman WE, Trueb L (1994) Biology of amphibians. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrão M, Colatreli O, de Fraga R, Kaefer IL, Moravec J, Lima AP (2016) High species richness of Scinax treefrogs (Hylidae) in a threatened Amazonian landscape revealed by an integrative approach. PLoS One 11(11):1–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fouquet A, Loebmann D, Castroviejo-Fisher S, Padial JM, Orrico VGD, Lyra ML, Roberto IJ, Kok PJR, Haddad CFB, Rodrigues MT (2012) From Amazonia to the Atlantic forest: molecular phylogeny of Phyzelaphryninae frogs reveals unexpected diversity and a striking biogeographic pattern emphasizing conservation challenges. Mol Phylogenet Evol 65(2):547–561

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fouquet A, Martinez Q, Courtois EA, Dewynter M, Pineau K, Gaucher P, Blanc M, Marty C, Kok PJR (2013) A new species of the genus Pristimantis (Amphibia, Craugastoridae) associated with the moderately elevated massifs of French Guiana. Zootaxa 3750(5):569–586

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fouquet A, Martinez Q, Zeidler L, Courtois EA, Gaucher P, Blanc M, Lima JD, Souza SM, Rodrigues MT, Kok PJ (2016) Cryptic diversity in the Hypsiboas semilineatus species group (Amphibia, Anura) with the description of a new species from the eastern Guiana Shield. Zootaxa 4084(1):79–104. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4084.1.3

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fouquet A, Vacher JP, Courtois EA, Villette B, Reizine H, Gaucher P, Jairam R, Ouboter P, Kok PJR (2018) On the brink of extinction: two new species of Anomaloglossus from French Guiana and amended definitions of Anomaloglossus degranvillei and A. surinamensis (Anura: Aromobatidae). Zootaxa 4379(1):1–23. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4379.1.1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frost DR (2017) Amphibian species of the world: an online reference. Version 6.0 Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html. American Museum of Natural History, New York

  • Funk WC, Caminer M, Ron SR (2012) High levels of cryptic species diversity uncovered in Amazon frogs. Proc R Soc 279(1734):1806–1814

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gehara M, Canedo C, Haddad CFB, Vences M (2013) From widespread to microendemic: molecular and acoustic analyses show that Ischnocnema guentheri (Amphibia: Brachycephalidae) is endemic to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Conserv Genet 14(5):973–982

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gehara M, Crawford AJ, Orrico VGD, Rodríguez A, Lötters S, Fouquet A, Barrientos LS, Brusquetti F, De la Riva I, Ernst R, Urrutia GG, Glaw F, Guayasamin JM, Hölting M, Jansen M, Kok PJR, Kwet A, Lingnau R, Lyra M, Moravec J, Pombal JP Jr, Rojas-Runjaic FJM, Schulze A, Señaris JC, Solé M, Rodrigues MT, Twomey E, Haddad CFB, Vences M, Köhler J (2014) High levels of diversity uncovered in a widespread nominal taxon: continental phylogeography of the Neotropical tree frog Dendropsophus minutus. PLoS One 9(9):e103958

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gehara M, Barth A, Oliveira EF, Costa MA, Haddad CFB, Vences M (2017) Model-based analyses reveal insular population diversification and cryptic frog species in the Ischnocnema parva complex in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Mol Phylogenet Evol 112:68–78

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glaw F, Köhler J (1998) Amphibian species diversity exceeds that of mammals. Herpetol Rev 29(1):11–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Guerra V, Llusia D, Gambale PG, Morais AR, Márquez R, Bastos RP (2018) The advertisement calls of Brazilian anurans: Historical review, current knowledge and future directions. PLoS One 13(1):e0191691

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Haddad CFB, Prado CPA (2005) Reproductive modes infrogs and their unexpected diversity in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. BioScience 55:207–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haga IA, Andrade FS, Bruschi DP, Recco-Oimentel SM, Giaretta AA (2017) Unrevealing the leaf frogs Cerrado diversity: a new species of Pithecopus (Anura, Arboranae, Phyllomedusidae) from the Mato Grosso state, Brazil. PLOS One 12:e0184631

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu J, Huang D (2011) Correlation between impact and collaboration. Scientometrics 86:317–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janzen DH (1967) Why mountain passes are higher in the tropics. Am Nat 101:233–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jansen M, Bloch R, Schulze A, Pfenninger M (2011) Integrative inventory of Bolivia’s lowland anurans reveals hidden diversity. Zool Scr 40:567–583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins CN, Pimm SL, Joppa LN (2013) Global patterns of terrestrial vertebrate diversity and conservation. PNAS 110(28):e2602–e2610

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jetz W, Rahbek C, Colwell RC (2004) The coincidence of rarity and richness and the potential signature of history in centers of endemism. Ecol Lett 7:1180–1191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joppa LN, Roberts DL, Pimm SL (2011) The population ecology and social behaviour of taxonomists. Trends Ecol Evol 26:551–553

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Köhler J, Glaw F, Vences M (2008) Essay 1.1. Trends in rates of amphibian species descriptions. In: Stuart SN, Hoffmann M, Chanson JS, Cox NA, Berridge RJ (eds) Threatened amphibians of the world. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, p 18

    Google Scholar 

  • Linnaeus C (1758) Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Stockholm, Sweden

    Google Scholar 

  • May RM (1988) How Many Species are There on Earth? Science 241:1441–1449

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mora C, Tittensor DP, Adl S, Simpson AGB, Worm B (2011) How Many Species Are There on Earth and in the Ocean? PLoS Biol 9:e1001127

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Moritz C, Patton JL, Schneider CJ, Smith TB (2000) Diversification of rainforest faunas - an integrated molecular approach. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 31(1):533–563

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nabout J, Carneiro F, Borges P, Machado K, Huszar V (2015) Brazilian scientific production on phytoplankton studies: national determinants and international comparisons. Braz J Biol 75:216–223

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Navarrete MJ, Venegas PJ, Ron SR (2016) Two new species of frogs of the genus Pristimantis from Llanganates National Park in Ecuador with comments on the regional diversity of Ecuadorian Pristimantis (Anura, Craugastoridae). ZooKeys 593:139–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira EA, Rodrigues LR, Kaefer IL, Pinto KC, Hernández-Ruz EJ (2017) A new species of Pristimantis from eastern Brazilian Amazonia (Anura, Craugastoridae). Zookeys 687:101–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ortega-Andrade HM, Rojas-Soto OR, Valencia JH, Espinosa de los Monteros A, Morrone JJ, Ron SR, Canatela DC (2015) Insights from integrative systematics reveal cryptic diversity in Pristimantis frogs (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the Upper Amazon Basin. Plos One 10(11):e0143392

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Peloso PLV (2010) A safe place for amphibians? A cautionary tale on the taxonomy and conservation of frogs, caecilians, and salamanders in the Brazilian Amazonia. Is the Brazilian Amazonia a safe place for amphibians? Or is the occurrence of threatened species in the region greatly underestimated? Zoologia 27(5):667–673

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Queiroz K (1997) The Linnaean hierarchy and the evolutionization of taxonomy, with emphasis on the problem of nomenclature. Aliso 15(2):125–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahbek C (1997) The relationship among area, elevation, and regional species richness in Neotropical birds. Am Nat 149(5):875–902

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rangel TF, Edwards NR, Holden PB, Diniz-Filho JAF, Gosling WD, Coelho MTP, Cassemiro FAS, Rahbek C, Colwell RK (2018) Modeling the ecology and evolution of biodiversity: biogeographical cradles, museums, and graves. Science 361:eaar5452. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar5452

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raxworthy CJ, Martinez-Meyer E, Horning N, Nussbaum RA, Schneider GE, Ortega-Huerta MA, Peterson AT (2003) Predicting distributions of known and unknown reptile species in Madagascar. Nature 426:837–841

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reeder DM, Helgen KM, Wilson DE (2007) Global trends and biases in new mammal species discoveries. Occasional papers, vol 269. Museum of Texas Tech University, Lubbock, pp 1–35

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ribeiro LF, Bornschein MR, Belmonte-Lopes R, Firkowski CR, Morato SAA, Pie MR (2015) Seven new microendemic species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from southern Brazil. PeerJ 3:e1011. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1011

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • River-Correa M, Burneo KG, Grant T (2015) A new red-eyed of stream treefrog of Hyloscirtus (Anura: Hylidae) from Peru, with comments on the taxonomy of the genus. Zootaxa 4061(1):29–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rivero-Blanco C, Dixon JR (1979) Origin and distribution of the herpetofauna of the dry lowland tropical rainforests of South America. In: Duellman WE (ed) The South American Herpetofauna: its origin, evolution, and dispersal, vol 7. Museum of Natural History, The University of Kansas, Monography, Lawrence, pp 281–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberto IJ, Araujo-Vieira K, Carvalho-e-Silva SP, Ávila RW (2017) A New Species of Sphaenorhynchus (Anura: Hylidae) from Northeastern Brazil. Herpetologica 73(2):148–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez LO, Catenazzi A (2017) Four new species of terrestrial-breeding frogs of the genus Phrynopus (Anura: Terrarana: Craugastoridae) from Río Abiseo National Park, Peru. Zootaxa 4273(3):381–406

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rojas RR, Fouquet A, Ron SR, Hernández-Ruz EJ, Melo-Sampaio PR, Chaparro JC, Vogt RC, Carvalho VT, Pinheiro LC, Avila RW, Farias IP, Gordo M, Hrbek T (2018) A Pan-Amazonian species delimitation: high species diversity within the genus Amazophrynella (Anura: Bufonidae). PeerJ 6:e4941. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4941

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Rossa-Feres D d C, Garey MV, Caramaschi U, MF NI, Nomura F, Bispo A, Brasileiro CA, MTC T, Sawaya RJ, Conte CE, Cruz CA, Nascimento LB, Gasparini JL, Almeida NP, Haddad CFB (2017) Anfíbios da Mata Atlântica: lista de espécies, histórico dos estudos, biologia e conservação. In: Monteiro-Filho EA, Conte CE (eds) Revisões em Zoologia: Mata Atlântica. Editora UFPR, Curitiba, pp 237–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruggiero A, Hawkins BA (2008) Why do mountains support so many species of birds? Ecography 31:306–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2008.0906-7590.05333.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simões PI, Lima AP, Farias IP (2010) The description of a cryptic species related to the pan-Amazonian frog Allobates femoralis (Boulenger 1883) (Anura: Aromobatidae). Zootaxa 2406:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasconcelos TS, Rodríguez MA, Hawkins BA (2012) Species distribution modelling as a macroecological tool: a case study using New World amphibians. Ecography 35:539–548

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vacher JP, Martinez Q, Fallet M, Courtois E, Blanc M, Gaucher P, Dewynter M, Jairam R, Ouboter P, Thebaud C, Fouquet A (2017) Cryptic diversity in Amazonian frogs: integrative taxonomy of the genus Anomaloglossus (Amphibia: Anura: Aromobatidae) reveals a unique case of diversification within the Guiana Shield. Mol Phylogenet Evol 112:158–173

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vieites DR, Wollenberg KC, Andreone F, Köhler J, Glaw F, Vences M (2009) Vast underestimation of Madagascar’s biodiversity evidenced by an integrative amphibian inventory. PNAS 106(20):8267–8272

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Vences M, Wake DB (2007) Speciation, species boundaries and phylogeography of amphibians. In: Heatwole HH, Tyler M (eds) Amphibian Biology. Surrey Beatty & Sons, Chipping Norton, pp 2613–2669

    Google Scholar 

  • Vermeulen N, Parker JN, Penders B (2013) Understanding life together: a brief history of collaboration in biology. Endeavour 37:162–171

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Villalobos F, Dobrovolski R, Provete DB, Gouveia SF (2013) Is Rich and rare the common share? Describing biodiversity patterns to inform conservation practices for South American anurans. PLoS One 8(2):e56073. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056073

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Willians PH (1998) An annotated checklist of bumble bees with an analysis of patterns of description (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Bombini). Bull Nat Hist Mus Entomol 67(1):79–152

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors have been continuously supported by research grants and/or fellowships from the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq 2037/2014-9; 431012/2016-4; 308687/2016-17; 114613/2018-4), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP 2011/18510-0; 2013/50714-0; 2016/13949-7), and University Research and Scientific Production Support Program of the Goias State University (PROBIP/UEG). Prof. Dr. Igor Luis Kaefer (UFAM) read critically the first version of this manuscript and provided insightful comments that improved it. We are also grateful to Brena Gonçalves Silva (UNIPAMPA) and Guilherme Castro Franco (UNIPAMPA) for their help in compiling data.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil

    Tiago S. Vasconcelos

  2. Federal University of São Carlos (UFScar), Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil

    Fernando R. da Silva

  3. Federal University of Pampa (UNIPAMPA), São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Tiago G. dos Santos

  4. Goiás State University (UEG), Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil

    Vitor H. M. Prado

  5. Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Diogo B. Provete

Authors
  1. Tiago S. Vasconcelos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fernando R. da Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tiago G. dos Santos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Vitor H. M. Prado
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Diogo B. Provete
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Vasconcelos, T.S., da Silva, F.R., dos Santos, T.G., Prado, V.H.M., Provete, D.B. (2019). South American Anurans: Species Diversity and Description Trends Through Time and Space. In: Biogeographic Patterns of South American Anurans. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26296-9_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation