Axanthism in Pithecopus gonzagai Andrade et al., 2020 (Anura: Phyllomedusidae)

Abstract

The coloration pattern in wild animals is an important characteristic for survival as well as for intra and interspecific communication, being aberrant colorations rarely observed in vertebrates. Axanthism is the lack of yellow pigmentation, and considered an infrequent anomaly, for which cases have been described in amphibians. We describe herein a case in the frog Pithecopus gonzagai, a species characterized by predominantly arboreal habits and widely distributed in northeastern Brazil. This is the first report of an axanthic adult specimen of P. gonzagai, found in the municipality of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil.