Unveiling the geographic distribution of Boana pugnax (Schmidt, 1857) (Anura, Hylidae) in Venezuela: new state records, range extension, and potential distribution

Abstract

Boana pugnax is a treefrog inhabiting open lowlands from southern Central America and northwestern South America. Its geographic distribution in Venezuela is poorly understood due, in part, its morphological similarity with B. xerophylla (with which is frequently confused) and the few localities documented. In order to increase the knowledge of the distribution of B. pugnax in the country, we examined the specimens of B. pugnax and B. xerophylla deposited in 4 Venezuelan museums, compiled the locality records of B. pugnax, and generated a model of potential distribution for species. We report 46 new localities for the species in Venezuela, including 8 new state records, which increases considerably its range extension.