The toad, Brachycephalus dacnis, is named in honor of the Projeto Dacnis private reserve that started supporting biodiversity research in 2010.
A saddleback toad so small that it can fit on the end of a human fingertip has been discovered in South America’s Atlantic Forest. The Atlantic Forest ranges from the Atlantic Coast of Brazil to the Rio Grande do Sul state into Paraguay and to the Selva Misionera in Argentina.
The toad, Brachycephalus dacnis, is named in honor of the Projeto Dacnis private reserve that started supporting biodiversity research in 2010. The non governmental organization serves the São José dos Campos, Miracatu and Ubatuba municipalities in São Paulo, Brazil. The toad was discovered in Ubatutu.
The toads of the Brachycephalus genus are also known as the flea toads due to their diminutive size. Brachycephalus dacnis. It is the second smallest known amphibian species. While it is small, its skeletal traits are similar to that of larger frogs. This includes the presences of cranial bones that are known to be not present or fused in other miniature frogs, the researchers wrote in their paper.
Brachycephalus dacnis paratype individuals found at the Projeto Dacnis private reserve, municipality of Ubatuba, state of São Paulo, Brazil. A) ZUEC-AMP 25272; (B) ZUEC-AMP 25274; (C and D) ZUEC-AMP 25275 displaying mouth-gaping behavior and the same individual on top of one herpetologist’s fingertip. Photo by Luis Felipe Toledo et.al.
The male toad paratype measures about 7.89 mm snout to vent with the holotype measuring 7.55 mm. Its head is as wide as it is long and is 1/4 the total body length. It has a short snout and a forearm that measured 2.3 times the length of the upper arm. The total leg length measured 12.1 mm.
Brachycephalus dacnis is yellowish brown in coloration with a dark brown stripe that runs laterally from the tip of the nose to the flanks, the researchers wrote. The arms and legs feature dark brown stripes. The body is dark brown with white spots on the upper jaw. The ventral coloration is brown with white blotches, the researchers wrote. The pupil is black and the iris is bronze.
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The toad was found residing in dense vegetation within tall canopies with little sunlight. Thick leaf litter and moist soil was also present. The area is in a valley and the leaf litter formed among the base of tree trunks and creeping plants. A small stream with rock and sand substrate was present. In addition, Brachycephalus dacnis was found in areas with thin vegetation and more exposure to the sun.
The complete research paper, “Among the world’s smallest vertebrates: a new miniaturized flea-toad (Brachycephalidae) from the Atlantic rainforest,” can be read on PeerJ – the Journal of Life & Environmental Sciences website. The researchers who contributed to this paper include Luís Felipe Toledo, Lucas Machado Botelho, Andres Santiago Carrasco-Medina, Jaimi A. Gray, Julia R. Ernetti, Joana Moura Gama, Mariana Lucio Lyra, David C. Blackburn, Ivan Nunes, and Edelcio Muscat.
