title: Molecular and morphological evidence reveals a new species in the Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis group (Hylidae, Phyllomedusinae) from the Atlantic Forest of the highlands of southern Brazil.
abstract: The taxonomic status of a disjunctive population of Phyllomedusa from southern Brazil was diagnosed using molecular, chromosomal, and morphological approaches, which resulted in the recognition of a new species of the P. hypochondrialis group. Here, we describe P. rustica sp. n. from the Atlantic Forest biome, found in natural highland grassland formations on a plateau in the south of Brazil. Phylogenetic inferences placed P. rustica sp. n. in a subclade that includes P. rhodei + all the highland species of the clade. Chromosomal morphology is conservative, supporting the inference of homologies among the karyotypes of the species of this genus. Phyllomedusa rustica is apparently restricted to its type-locality, and we discuss the potential impact on the strategies applied to the conservation of the natural grassland formations found within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome in southern Brazil. We suggest that conservation strategies should be modified to guarantee the preservation of this species.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bruschi
authors.affiliation: Área de Ciências Exatas e Ambientais/Mestrado em Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Comunitária da Região de Chapecó - UNOCHAPECÓ, Chapecó, Santa Catarina, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo C A
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Estrutural e Funcional, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Shirlei M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Recco-Pimentel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D001938:Brazil; D049810:Genetic Speciation; D065948:Grassland; D059785:Karyotype; D010802:Phylogeny