Neblinaphryne is a genus of frog in the superfamily Hyloidea, clade Brachycephaloidea. It contains the single species N. mayeri and is the only member of the family Neblinaphrynidae. It is endemic to the highest parts of the Cerro de la Neblina tepui on the border of Brazil and Venezuela.[1][2]
| Neblinaphryne | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Superfamily: | Hyloidea |
| Clade: | Brachycephaloidea |
| Family: | Neblinaphrynidae Fouquet et al, 2023 |
| Genus: | Neblinaphryne Fouquet et al, 2023 |
| Species: | N. mayeri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Neblinaphryne mayeri Fouquet, Kok, Recoder, Prates, Camacho, Marques-Souza, Ghellere, McDiarmid, and Rodrigues, 2023
| |
Etymology edit
The genus name is a combination of neblina, the Portuguese word for mist, and phryne, Greek for toad. The species name honors Brazilian army general Sinclair James Mayer, who helped organize research expeditions to the Pantepui region.[1]
Taxonomy edit
Neblinaphryne was described in 2023 alongside Caligophryne, another ancient frog genus thought to belong to its own family that is also endemic to the Neblina massif; both are the first frog taxa described simultaneously as a new species, genus, and family since the purple frog in 2003. Their persistence in the region supports the hypothesis of the tepuis serving as refugia for early Cenozoic taxa. Neblinaphryne is thought to be the sister group to all other Brachycephaloidea aside from Ceuthomantis, and is thought to have diverged from the group near the end of the Paleocene.[1]
Threats edit
Due to its very restricted range at the highest reaches of the Neblina massif, this species is thought to be at high risk from climate change and potential introduction of chytridomycosis, and it has thus been recommended it be classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Fouquet, Antoine; Kok, Philippe J. R.; Recoder, Renato Sousa; Prates, Ivan; Camacho, Agustin; Marques-Souza, Sergio; Ghellere, José Mario; McDiarmid, Roy W.; Rodrigues, Miguel Trefaut (2024-02-01). "Relicts in the mist: Two new frog families, genera and species highlight the role of Pantepui as a biodiversity museum throughout the Cenozoic". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 191: 107971. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107971. ISSN 1055-7903.
- ^ Frost, Darrell. "Neblinaphryne mayeri Fouquet, Kok, Recoder, Prates, Camacho, Marques-Souza, Ghellere, McDiarmid, and Rodrigues, 2023". Amphibian Species of the World 6.2, an Online Reference.