Trachycephalus Tschudi, 1838

Class: Amphibia > Order: Anura > Family: Hylidae > Subfamily: Hylinae > Genus: Trachycephalus
17 species

Trachycephalus Tschudi, 1838, Classif. Batr.: 33, 74. Type species: Trachycephalus nigromaculatus Tschudi, 1838, by monotypy.

Phrynohyas Fitzinger, 1843, Syst. Rept.: 30. Type species: Hyla zonata Spix, 1824 (= Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768), by original designation. Placed on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology by Anonymous, 1958, Opin. Declar. Internatl. Comm. Zool. Nomencl., 19: 172. Synonymy by Faivovich, Haddad, Garcia, Frost, Campbell, and Wheeler, 2005, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 294: 111.

Acrodytes Fitzinger, 1843, Syst. Rept.: 30. Type species: Hyla venulosa Daudin, 1802 (= Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768), by original designation. Name suppressed for purposes of Priority but not Homonymy by Anonymous, 1958, Opin. Declar. Internatl. Comm. Zool. Nomencl., 19: 169.

Scytopis Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 14: 354. Type species: Scytopis hebes Cope, 1862, by monotypy. Synonymy with Acrodytes by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 365. Synonymy with Phrynohyas by Duellman, 1971, Occas. Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kansas, 4: 11.

Scytopsis — Knauer, 1878, Naturgesch. Lurche: 112. Subsequent misspelling of Scytopis. 

Tetraprion Stejneger and Test, 1891, Proc. U.S. Natl. Mus., 14: 167. Type species: Tetraprion jordani Stejneger and Test, 1891, by original designation. Synonymy with Diaglena by Boulenger, 1891, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 6, 8: 456. Synonymy with Trachycephalus by Trueb, 1970, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 18: 601.

Nomina inquirenda - Name(s) unassigned to a living or extinct population

Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, Spec. Med. Exhib. Synops. Rept.: 31. Type(s): Originally including by indication the frog illustrated by Seba, 1734, Locuplet. Rer. Nat. Thesaur. Descript. Icon. Exp. Univ. Phys. Hist., 1: pl. 72, fig. 4. This set aside by Anonymous, 1958, Opin. Declar. Internatl. Comm. Zool. Nomencl., 19: 169–200, which placed this name on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology and designated as neotype the type of Hyla zonata Spix (figured by Spix, 1824, Animal. Nova Spec. Nov. Test. Ran. Brasil.: 41, pl. 12, fig. 1). Type locality: "Indiis"; changed by neotype designation to "arbustis et arboribus ad flumen Teffé", Brazil; restricted by Duellman, 1956, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 96: 37, to Lago Teffe at the mouth of the Rio Teffe, where it empties into the Rio Solimoes, Amazonas, Brazil. Synonymy with Trachycephalus typhonius by Lavilla, Langone, Padial, and de Sá, 2010, Zootaxa, 2671: 17–30. Hypsiboas venulosus — Tschudi, 1838, Classif. Batr.: 72. Phrynohyas (Acrodytes) venulosa — Fitzinger, 1843, Syst. Rept.: 30. Scytopis venulosus — Cope, 1866, J. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, Ser. 2, 6: 85.

Rana reticularis Lacépède, 1788, Hist. Nat. Quadrup. Ovip. Serpens, 16mo ed., 2: 296, 458. Substitute name for Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768. Rejected as published in a nonbinominal work by Opinion 2104, Anonymous, 2005, Bull. Zool. Nomencl., 62: 55.

Hyla bufonia Spix, 1824, Animal. Nova Spec. Nov. Test. Ran. Brasil.: 42. Type(s): Not designated, but including animal figured on pl. 12, fig. 2 of the original publication; holotype originally in ZSM, now lost according to Hoogmoed and Gruber, 1983, Spixiana, München, Suppl., 9: 371, and confirmed by Glaw and Franzen, 2006, Spixiana, München, 29: 166. Type locality: "Egca", Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil. Synonymy with Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, by Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 6: 561; Günther, 1859 "1858", Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus.: 104. Hypsiboas bufonia — Wagler, 1830, Nat. Syst. Amph.: 200.

Hyla zonata Spix, 1824, Animal. Nova Spec. Nov. Test. Ran. Brasil.: 41. Type(s): Not designated but including specimen figured on pl. 12, fig. 1 of the original publication; holotype was ZSM 48/0, now lost, according to Hoogmoed and Gruber, 1983, Spixiana, München, Suppl., 9: 370, and confirmed by Glaw and Franzen, 2006, Spixiana, München, 29: 170. Type locality: "flumen Teffé", Amazonas, Brazil. Synonymy with Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, by Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 6: 561; Günther, 1859 "1858", Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus.: 41; Peters, 1872, Monatsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1872: 219, 226. Placed on the Official List of Rejected and Invalid Specific Names in Zoology by Anonymous, 1958, Opin. Declar. Internatl. Comm. Zool. Nomencl., 19: 172. Hypsiboas zonata — Wagler, 1830, Nat. Syst. Amph.: 200. Hyla zonalis — Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 6: 561. Incorrect subsequent spelling of Hyla zonata. Phrynohyas zonata — Fitzinger, 1843, Syst. Rept.: 30; Duellman, 1956, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 96: 35.

Hyla vermiculata Duméril and Bibron, 1841, Erp. Gen., 6: 563. Holotype: MNHNP 4797, according to Guibé, 1950 "1948", Cat. Types Amph. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat.: 24. Type locality: North America; by implication of discussion in text. Synonymy with Rana venulosa by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 365. Status unclear. 

Hyla lichenosa Günther, 1858, Arch. Naturgesch., 24: 327. Syntypes: BMNH (11 specimens) according to Günther, 1859 "1858", Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus.: 102; BMNH 1947.2.23.40–43 (formerly 1854.11.13.14–17) (Veracruz) and 1947.2.23.39 (formerly 1856.3.17.24) (Cordova) according to Condit, 1964, J. Ohio Herpetol. Soc., 4: 91; in addition BMNH 1936.12.3.119 and 1047.2.23.37–39 (formerly 1957.10.28.49) are syntypes according to museum records; BMNH 1936.3.12.119, designated lectotype by Smith and Taylor, 1948, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 194: 75. Type localities: "Mexico" and "Amazonen-Strom"; later rendered as "South America", "Amazons", "America", "Vera Cruz", "Cordova", and "Mexico" by Günther, 1859 "1858", Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus.: 102; lectotype from Amazonas, Brazil. Restricted to "Amazon River", Brazil by Smith and Taylor, 1950, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 33: 363. Synonymy with Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 364.

Scytopis hebes Cope, 1862, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 14: 354. Holotype: USNM 5837 according to Cochran, 1961, Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus., 220: 78. Type locality: Not mentioned specifically, but the Page Expedition visited many localities now in Brazil, northeastern Argentina, and southern Paraguay, along the drainages of the Paraná and Paraguai Rivers; restricted to the vicinity of Asunción, Paraguay, by Duellman, 1956, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 96: 16. Synonymy with Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, by Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Sal. Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 365; Günther, 1901, Biol. Centr. Amer., Rept. Batr., Vol. 7, Part 166: 272; Duellman, 1966, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 17: 277. Recognized by Duellman, 1956, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 96: 16. Phrynohyas hebes — Duellman, 1956, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 96: 16.

Hyla wettsteini Ahl, 1933, Zool. Anz., 104: 25. Holotype: NHMW 19013, according to Duellman, 1977, Das Tierreich, 95: 155, and Häupl and Tiedemann, 1978, Kat. Wiss. Samml. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, 2: 20. Type locality: "Taperinha bei Santarem", Pará, Brazil. Synonymy with Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, by Duellman, 1971, Occas. Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kansas, 4: 11.

Phrynohyas ingens Duellman, 1956, Misc. Publ. Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan, 96: 22. Holotype: UMMZ 55570, by original designation. Type locality: "La Fría, Pueblo Nuevo, Depto. Zulia, Venezuela". Synonymy with Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, by Duellman, 1971, Occas. Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kansas, 4: 11. Hyla tibiatrix ingens — Rivero, 1961, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 126: 131.

Hyla adenoderma Lutz, 1968, Pearce-Sellards Ser., 10: 3. Holotype: MNRJ 4054, by original designation. Type locality: "banks of the Rio Branco, a sub-tributary of Rio Madeira in Rondonia, Brazil . . . . The locality lies approximately between 8° to 12 S. and 62° to 63° 30′ W." Synonymy with Rana venulosa Laurenti, 1768, by Duellman, 1971, Occas. Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kansas, 4: 11.

Common Names

Bone-headed Treefrogs (Coloma and Duellman, 2025, Amph. Ecuador. Vol. 2: 521).

Casque-headed Treefrogs (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 65).

Marbled Treefrogs (Phrynohyas [no longer recognized]: Liner, 1994, Herpetol. Circ., 23: 25).

Golden-eyed Treefrogs (Phrynohyas [no longer recognized]: Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 61).

Milk Frogs (Phrynohyas [no longer recognized]: Trade name).

Casque-headed Canopy Treefrogs (Hedges, Powell, Henderson, Hanson, and Murphy, 2019, Caribb. Herpetol., 67: 14). 

Distribution

Lowlands of Mexico, Central and South America east of the Andes, south to northern Argentina and eastern Brazil.

Comment

For review of Trachycephalus prior to the synonymy of Phrynohyas see Trueb, 1970, Univ. Kansas Publ. Mus. Nat. Hist., 18: 546-716. For a review of Phrynohyas genus see Duellman, 1971, Occas. Pap. Mus. Nat. Hist. Univ. Kansas, 4: 1-21. In Lophyohylini of Faivovich, Haddad, Garcia, Frost, Campbell, and Wheeler, 2005, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 294: 107. Smith, Arif, Nieto-Montes de Oca, and Wiens, 2007, Evolution, 61: 2075-2085, and Moen and Wiens, 2009, Evolution, 63: 195-214, recognized the nonmonophyletic Phrynohyas with no comment. Dewynter, Marty, Courtois, Blanc, Gaucher, Martinez, and Fouquet, 2016, Cah. Fondation Biotope, 7: 1–16, provided an illustrated key to the species of French Guiana. Silva, Carvalho, Pereira Silva, Fadel, Dantas, Brandão, and Santana, 2020, Biota Neotrop., 20 (1: e20190838): 17, reported an unnamed species with an unpaired vocal sac from the state of Tocantins, Brazil. Blotto, Lyra, Cardoso, Rodrigues, Dias, Marciano, Vechio, Orrico, Brandão, Assis, Lantyer-Silva, Rutherford, Gagliardi-Urrutia, Solé, Baldo, Nunes, Cajade, Torres, Grant, Jungfer, Silva, Haddad, and Faivovich, 2021, Cladistics, 37: 36–72, reported on the molecular phylogenetics of this group as well as its placement within the lophiohylines. The status of the systematics of  the species within this genus are chaotic. Dense molecular sampling is required. 

Contained taxa (17 sp.):

Trachycephalus atlas Bokermann, 1966
Trachycephalus coriaceus (Peters, 1867)
Trachycephalus cunauaru Gordo, Toledo, Suárez, Kawashita-Ribeiro, Ávila, Morais, and Nunes, 2013
Trachycephalus dibernardoi Kwet and Solé, 2008
Trachycephalus hadroceps (Duellman and Hoogmoed, 1992)
Trachycephalus helioi Nunes, Suárez, Gordo, and Pombal, 2013
Trachycephalus imitatrix (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926)
Trachycephalus jordani (Stejneger and Test, 1891)
Trachycephalus lepidus (Pombal, Haddad, and Cruz, 2003)
Trachycephalus macrotis (Andersson, 1945)
Trachycephalus mambaiensis Cintra, Silva, Silva, Garcia, and Zaher, 2009
Trachycephalus mesophaeus (Hensel, 1867)
Trachycephalus nigromaculatus Tschudi, 1838
Trachycephalus quadrangulum (Boulenger, 1882)
Trachycephalus resinifictrix (Goeldi, 1907)
Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus, 1758)
Trachycephalus venezolanus (Mertens, 1950)

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