A taxonomic revision of Scinax nebulosus (Anura: Hylidae) with the revalidation of Scinax cynocephalus and the description of three new species
Abstract
The Spix's snouted treefrog Scinax nebulosus is one of 13 recognised species in the Scinax rostratus group, distributed from the Guiana region through eastern and southwestern Amazonia to north-eastern Brazil. Previous molecular studies identified up to five evolutionary lineages, raising taxonomic uncertainties. Here, we integrate mitochondrial (16S rRNA, n = 121), morphological (n = 587), and bioacoustic (n = 335) data to test the existence of species boundaries within the S. nebulosus complex. DNA-based delimitation recovered seven operational taxonomic units (OTUs), six of which were supported by morphological and bioacoustic evidence and thus recognised as confirmed candidate species (CCS). Two OTUs correspond to the nominal species S. nebulosus and S. constrictus. The lineage from the Guiana region corresponds to Scinax cynocephalus (Hyla cynocephala), which we resurrect from synonymy with S. nebulosus. The remaining three CCS are described as new species from the northern portion of north-eastern Brazil, the Xingu-Tapajós interfluve and the region north of the lower River Amazon, and southwestern Brazilian and Bolivian Amazonia. Given acoustic divergence within one OUT, we suspect the existence of additional species boundaries or introgression, which deserve further investigation using genomic data and finer-scale phenotypic examination.
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BibTeX
@article{ramos2026taxonomic,
title = {{A taxonomic revision of Scinax nebulosus (Anura: Hylidae) with the revalidation of Scinax cynocephalus and the description of three new species}},
author = {Antônio R.L. Ramos and Antoine Fouquet and Igor J Roberto and Renata Perez and Miquéias Ferrão and Vinícius T de Carvalho and Alexandre P Almeida and Marcelo Gordo and Silionamã P Dantas and Juan C Chaparro and Geraldo J.B. de Moura and Robson W Ávila},
journal = {Northwestern naturalist : a journal of vertebrate biology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.25225/jvb.26059},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05777791v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A taxonomic revision of Scinax nebulosus (Anura: Hylidae) with the revalidation of Scinax cynocephalus and the description of three new species
AU - Antônio R.L. Ramos
AU - Antoine Fouquet
AU - Igor J Roberto
AU - Renata Perez
AU - Miquéias Ferrão
AU - Vinícius T de Carvalho
AU - Alexandre P Almeida
AU - Marcelo Gordo
AU - Silionamã P Dantas
AU - Juan C Chaparro
AU - Geraldo J.B. de Moura
AU - Robson W Ávila
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
JO - Northwestern naturalist : a journal of vertebrate biology
DO - 10.25225/jvb.26059
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05777791v1
AB - The Spix's snouted treefrog Scinax nebulosus is one of 13 recognised species in the Scinax rostratus group, distributed from the Guiana region through eastern and southwestern Amazonia to north-eastern Brazil. Previous molecular studies identified up to five evolutionary lineages, raising taxonomic uncertainties. Here, we integrate mitochondrial (16S rRNA, n = 121), morphological (n = 587), and bioacoustic (n = 335) data to test the existence of species boundaries within the S. nebulosus complex. DNA-based delimitation recovered seven operational taxonomic units (OTUs), six of which were supported by morphological and bioacoustic evidence and thus recognised as confirmed candidate species (CCS). Two OTUs correspond to the nominal species S. nebulosus and S. constrictus. The lineage from the Guiana region corresponds to Scinax cynocephalus (Hyla cynocephala), which we resurrect from synonymy with S. nebulosus. The remaining three CCS are described as new species from the northern portion of north-eastern Brazil, the Xingu-Tapajós interfluve and the region north of the lower River Amazon, and southwestern Brazilian and Bolivian Amazonia. Given acoustic divergence within one OUT, we suspect the existence of additional species boundaries or introgression, which deserve further investigation using genomic data and finer-scale phenotypic examination.
SN - 1051-1733
ER -