Description
Proceratophrys korekore is a medium-sized frog with snout-vent length of 39.8 – 44.1 mm in adult males and 43.8 – 57.6 mm in adult females. The head is wider than it is long and the length of the head is 70% of the snout-vent length. When viewed dorsally and ventrally, the snout is semi-circular. In the profile, the snout is obtuse and slightly vertical. The nares are distinct and oval-shaped. The canthal crests are distinct and have small tubercles. Preocular crests are not present. The eyes face the anterolateral direction. The diameter of the eyes is 38% of the head length and 95% of the upper eyelid width. The eye–nostril distance is just slightly larger the eye diameter is 1.1 – 1.3. The border of the upper eyelid has small, fused pointed warts, and the eyelid also has one row of tubercles. There is a curved row of warts between the eyes, forming a ridge. There is also an ocular-dorsal ridge of warts that goes from the eyes to sacral diapophyses, but not all the way to the coccyx region. The tympanum is not obvious. The frontoparietal crests are distinct and the area between them is shallow. The entire dorsal surface is covered in warts with varying shapes and sizes. The ventral surfaces are covered in small, round warts of the equal size, except the hands, feet, and cloacal region. The forearm has one row of varying-sized tubercles and with some scattered tubercles bordering it. The inner metacarpal tubercle is oval-shaped and large. The outer metacarpal tubercle is divided in two, and both parts are oval-shaped. The relative finger lengths are IV > II > I > III. There is no webbing between fingers. The subarticular tubercles of the hand are large and round, with grooves on their anterior and posterior surfaces. There are a few supernumerary tubercles on the hand, which are small and round. The thigh is slightly longer than the tibia. The thigh and tibia lengths combined are 81% of the snout-vent length. The inner metatarsal tubercle is long and spatulate and the outer metatarsal tubercle is small and round. The relative toe lengths are I > II > V > III > IV. There is no webbing between the toes. The subarticular tubercles of the foot are also large and round, with grooves on their anterior and posterior surfaces. Like the hand, there are a few supernumerary tubercles on the foot, which are small and round (Santana et al. 2021).

DIAGNOSIS:

Proceratophrys korekore lacks a single unicuspidate palpebral appendage, which distinguishes it from P. appendiculata, P. belzebul, P. boiei, P. gladius, P. itamari, P. izecksohni, P. laticeps, P. mantiqueira, P. melanopogon, P. moehringi, P. paviotii, P. phyllostomus, P. pombali, P. renalis, P. sanctaritae, P. subguttata, and P. tupinamba. Proceratophrys korekore lacks a rostral appendage, which is present in P. appendiculata, P. belzebul, P. gladius, P. itamari, P. izecksohni, P. laticeps, P. mantiqueira, P. melanopogon, P. moehringi, P. phyllostomus, P. pombali, P. sanctaritae, P. subguttata, and P. tupinamba. Proceratophrys korekore lacks post-ocular swellings, which are present in P. avelinoi, P. bigibbosa, P. brauni, and P. palustris. Proceratophrys korekore has small, pointed, fused warts bordering the upper eyelid. In P. ararype, P. cururu, P. rotundipalpebra, P. branti, P. huntingtoni, P. vielliardi, P. moratoi, P. bagnoi, P. minuta, P. redacta, and P. schirchi, the upper eyelid warts are present but vary from P. korekore in their size, shape, and arrangement. Proceratophrys korekore has one row of varying-sized tubercles bordered by sparse tubercles on the forearm. These tubercles have different configurations in P. bagnoi, P. concavitympanum, P. dibernardoi, and P. goyana. Proceratophrys korekore has a proportionally larger eye, relative to their eye-nostril distance, than P. concavitympanum. Proceratophrys korekore also has an ocular-dorsal ridge of warts, which is absent in P. salvatori. Lastly, P. korekore’s advertisement call has a shorter duration and fewer pulses/call than P. ararype, a lower pulse rate than P. moratoi, and a lower dominant frequency than both P. ararype and P. moratoi (Santana et al. 2021).

COLORATION:

The coloration in preservative is as follows: the base color of the dorsum is brown. The region bounded by the ocular-dorsal ridge is light brown, bordered by four dark brown triangle-shaped patches on each side. There are two light brown stripes that extend from the eye to the upper lip. The dorsal surface of the fingers and toes have two to three dark brown bands across them. The ventral surface is cream colored with dark mottling, becoming darker near the throat area (Santana et al. 2021).

VARIATION:

There is color variation when it comes to the size and shape of the blotching pattern. In life and in preservative, the background color varies from light to dark brown. The ocular-dorsal ridge of warts is incomplete in some individuals. The female specimens have a larger snout-vent length than the males (Santana et al. 2021).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Brazil

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Proceratophrys korekore is known only from the Jacareacanga municipality of Pará, Brazil, as well as some sites across the Teles Pires River in the Paranaíta municipality of Mato Grosso, Brazil (Santana et al. 2021). These areas consist of dense rainforest, ranging in elevation from 200 - 270 m asl (Santana et al. 2021, IUCN 2021).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Proceratophrys korekore males have been observed calling nocturnally from the banks of seasonal streams during rainy months (October – June). Some were found calling from the leaf litter, while others occupied bare soil near the water’s edge. The male advertisement call has a duration of 0.162 – 0.332 s, with a pulse rate of 96.4 – 111.1 pulses/s and 18 – 31 pulses/call (Santana et al. 2021).

Like other closely related species, P. korekore is thought to breed and lay eggs during the rainy season, taking advantage of temporary streams for egg deposition and tadpole development (IUCN 2021). However, individuals have also been observed and collected in forested areas far away from water (Santana et al. 2021).

Larva
Tadpoles are assumed to live and develop in temporary streams (IUCN 2021).

Trends and Threats
The type locality of P. korekore has been subject to substantial habitat loss as a result of logging and gold mining in the area. Along with destruction of large parts of the banks of streams, mining activity involves the use of mercury, a major pollutant of aquatic ecosystems. In addition, multiple hydroelectric dams along the Teles Pires River have contributed to habitat loss and fragmentation in the area (Santana et al. 2021). As of 2024, the IUCN lists P. korekore as “Data Deficient,” as it has only been documented once from the sites described above. If the species is in fact limited to this area, it would be considered threatened. However, there is substantial habitat in the surrounding areas that could be suitable, and it is possible that the population size and range is larger than just the recorded sites (IUCN 2021).

Comments

PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS:

References
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group & Instituto Boitatá de Etnobiologia e Conservação da Fauna. (2023). Proceratophrys korekore. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T209674924A209674984. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T209674924A209674984.en. Accessed on 29 April 2024.

Santana, D. J., da Silva, L. A., Sant’Anna, A. C., Shepard, D. B., and Mângia, S. (2021). A new species of Proceratophrys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 (Anura, Odontophrynidae) from Southern Amazonia, Brazil. PeerJ, 9, e12012. [link]

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2024 Proceratophrys korekore: Sapo-korekore (Portuguese) <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/9440> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Jan 15, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 15 Jan 2025.

AmphibiaWeb's policy on data use.