title: Seven new microendemic species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from southern Brazil.
abstract: Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) is a remarkable genus of miniaturized frogs of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. Many of its species are highly endemic to cloud forests, being found only on one or a few mountaintops. Such level of microendemism might be caused by their climatic tolerance to a narrow set of environmental conditions found only in montane regions. This restriction severely limits the chance of discovery of new species, given the difficulty of exploring these inaccessible habitats. Following extensive fieldwork in montane areas of the southern portion of the Atlantic Rainforest, in this study we describe seven new species of Brachycephalus from the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. These species can be distinguished from one another based on coloration and the level of rugosity of the skin in different parts of their body. These discoveries increase considerably the number of described species of Brachycephalus in southern Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade Dom Bosco , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil ; Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil ; Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil ; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Conservação e Manejo da Vida Silvestre, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais , Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais , Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bornschein
authors.affiliation: Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil ; Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Belmonte-Lopes
authors.affiliation: Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil ; Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Carina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Firkowski
authors.affiliation: STCP Engenharia de Projetos Ltda , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil ; MBA Internacional em Gestão Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Paraná , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Sergio A A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Morato
authors.affiliation: Mater Natura-Instituto de Estudos Ambientais , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil ; Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná , Curitiba Paraná , Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcio R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pie
keywords: Atlantic rainforest; Cloud forest; Saddle-back toads; Terrarana