Tadpole of Atelopus franciscus from French Guyana, with Comments on Other Larvae of the Genus (Anura: Bufonidae)

The tadpole of Atelopus franciscus from French Guyana is described. It resembles other larvae of the genus, especially those displaying a color pattern of symmetrical light marks. Among them, A. franciscus is most similar to those tadpoles having submarginal papillae (i.e., Atelopus balios, Atelopus flavescens, Atelopus nanay, Atelopus tricolor). The tadpole of A. franciscus shares several similarities with the larva of A. flavescens from French Guyana but differs from it by being smaller in size and in certain measurement. The phylogenetic relevance of tadpole characters in Atelopus is discussed, including body proportions, submarginal papillae, length of upper beak.