Research Article |
Corresponding author: Edgar Lehr ( elehr@iwu.edu ) Academic editor: Angelica Crottini
© 2017 Edgar Lehr, Jiří Moravec.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Lehr E, Moravec J (2017) A new species of Pristimantis (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from a montane forest of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru (Región Junín). ZooKeys 645: 85-102. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.645.11221
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A new species of frog of the genus Pristimantis is described from a montane forest between 1700 and 1800 m a.s.l. of the Pui Pui Protected Forest (Región Junín) in central Peru. Pristimantis ashaninka sp. n. is described based on five adult females (snout–vent length 23.1–26.7 mm) and ten juveniles (snout-vent length 10.6–13.4). It differs from its congeners by having the skin on dorsum shagreen with many conical tubercles giving it a spinose appearance, lacking a tympanum, having groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs uniformly grayish brown, and a pale bronze iris with fine black reticulations, a median reddish hint horizontally across iris, and a black narrow vertical streak from pupil across lower and upper half of iris. Among the Peruvian Pristimantis that lack a tympanum, P. ashaninka sp. n. is morphologically most similar to P. lirellus, P. martiae, and P. rhabdocnemus. However, 16S DNA barcoding revealed clear distinctions between all four species of Pristimantis.
Andes, montane forests, anuran diversity, Pristimantis ashaninka new species, Peru
The Pui Pui Protected Forest (Bosque de Protección Pui Pui, hereafter PPPF) is located in the Región Junín (Provincias Chanchamayo, Jauja, Concepción, and Satipo), was created 1985, and protects 60,000 hectares (30% montane forest, 70% puna habitats) between 1700 and 4500 m a.s.l. (
Morphological characters. The format for the description follows
Pristimantis
sp. Pui Pui in
(Figs
(Figs
Juvenile paratypes of Pristimantis ashaninka sp. n. in dorsolateral/dorsal (left column) and ventral (right column) views. A, B (MUSM 32721, SVL 13.4 mm) C, D (MUSM 32730, SVL 12.6 mm) E, F (MUSM 32728, SVL 11.0 mm) G, H (MUSM 32722, SVL 12.5 mm), I, J (NMP6V 75555, SVL 12.1 mm). Photos by E. Lehr (A–H) and J. Moravec (I, J).
We assign this species to Pristimantis based on general morphological similarity to other members of the genus and our molecular data (
A new species of Pristimantis not assigned to any species group having the following combination of characters: (1) Skin on dorsum shagreen with many conical tubercles, skin on venter areolate; discoidal, thoracic, and dorsolateral folds absent; (2) tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus absent; (3) snout moderate, subacuminate in dorsal view, rounded in lateral view; (4) upper eyelid with enlarged conical tubercles; EW slightly shorter than IOD; cranial crests absent; (5) dentigerous processes of vomers present; (6) condition of vocal slits and nuptial pads unknown; (7) Finger I shorter than Finger II; discs of digits broadly expanded, rounded; (8) fingers with narrow lateral fringes; (9) small conical ulnar and tarsal tubercles present; (10) heel with small conical tubercles; inner tarsal fold absent; (11) inner metatarsal tubercle ovoid, 4 times as large as outer; outer metatarsal tubercle small, rounded; low, numerous supernumerary plantar tubercles; (12) toes with narrow lateral fringes; basal toe webbing absent; Toe V longer than Toe III; toe discs slightly smaller than those on fingers; (13) in life, dorsal coloration consists of a reddish-brown blotch in shape of a hourglass with dark grayish-brown markings, bordered laterally by creamish brown, a dark grayish-brown sinusoidal or W-mark on scapular region, extremities with dark grayish-brown bars; flanks usually paler than dorsum, creamish brown with broad diagonal dark grayish-brown stripes; dark grayish-brown bars on upper lip, dark grayish-brown canthal and supratympanic stripes present; groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs uniformly grayish brown; venter pale gray and grayish brown mottled; iris pale bronze with fine black reticulations, a median reddish hint horizontally across iris, and a black narrow vertical streak from pupil across lower and upper half of iris; (14) SVL in adult females 23.1–26.7 mm (n = 5).
Pristimantis ashaninka differs from its congeners by having the skin on dorsum shagreen with many conical tubercles giving it a spinose appearance, lacking a tympanum, having groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs uniformly grayish brown, and a pale bronze iris with fine black reticulations, a median reddish hint horizontally across iris, and a black narrow vertical streak from pupil across lower and upper half of iris.
Seventeen species of Pristimantis from Peru lack a tympanum. These are P. academicus Lehr, Moravec & Gagliardi Urrutia, 2010, P. altamazonicus (Barbour & Dunn, 1921), P. colodactylus (Lynch, 1979), P. coronatus Lehr & Duellman, 2007, P. croceoinguinis (Lynch, 1968), P. cruciocularis (Lehr, Lundberg, Aguilar & von May, 2006), P. flavobracatus (Lehr, Lundberg, Aguilar & von May, 2006), P. imitatrix (Duellman, 1978), P. lirellus (Dwyer, 1995), P. leucorrhinus Boano, Mazzotti & Sindaco, 2008, P. martiae (Lynch, 1974), P. minutulus Duellman & Hedges, 2007, P. rhabdocnemus (Duellman & Hedges, 2005), P. simonsii (Boulenger, 1900), P. tantanti (Lehr, Torres-Gastello & Suárez-Segovia, 2007), P. ventrimarmoratus (Boulenger, 1912), and P. vilcabambae Lehr, 2007.
Of these species, P. lirellus from 470–1200 m a.s.l. (
Pristimantis platydactylus (Boulenger, 1903) and P. wiensi (Duellman and Wild, 1993) look superficially similar with P. ashaninka, but can be distinguished as follows. Pristimantis platydactylus from the eastern Andes of central Peru to central Bolivia at elevations between 930 and 3470 m a.s.l. (
Furthermore, P. ashaninka differs from other Andean Pristimantis (in alphabetical order) that lack a tympanum as follows: Pristimantis colodactylus from southern Ecuador and northern Peru between 2195–3140 m a.s.l. (
Furthermore, P. ashaninka differs from the Amazonian lowland Pristimantis (in alphabetical order) that lack a tympanum as follows: Pristimantis academicus from lowlands of northern Peru is smaller (20.0–22.0 mm,
Head slightly narrower than body, slightly longer as wide; head length 39% of SVL; head width 38% of SVL; cranial crests absent; snout moderately long, subacuminate in dorsal view, rounded in lateral view (Fig.
Skin on dorsum and flanks shagreen with many conical tubercles (denser on dorsum than on flanks), dorsolateral folds absent; skin on throat and chest smooth, on belly areolate; discoidal and thoracic folds absent; cloacal sheath short.
Outer ulnar surface with minute low tubercles; palmar tubercle partially divided distally; thenar tubercle ovoid; subarticular tubercles well defined, round in ventral view, conical in lateral view; supernumerary tubercles distinct, ovoid, subconical, approximately half the size of subarticular tubercles; fingers with narrow, weakly defined lateral fringes; Finger I shorter than Finger II; discs on digits of fingers widely expanded, truncate (Fig.
Hind limbs moderately long, slender, tibia length 54% of SVL; foot length 46% of SVL; upper surfaces of hind limbs smooth with scattered tubercles; inner surface of thighs smooth, posterior and ventral surfaces of thighs weakly areolate; heels each with two prominent conical tubercles; outer surface of tarsus with scattered minute low tubercles; inner tarsal fold absent; inner metatarsal tubercle prominent, ovoid, four times the size of round outer metatarsal tubercle; subarticular tubercles well defined, round in ventral view, conical in lateral view; plantar supernumerary tubercles distinct, about quarter the size of subarticular tubercles; toes with narrow, weakly defined lateral fringes; basal webbing absent; discs expanded, oval, less expanded than those on fingers; relative length of toes: 1<2<3<5<4; disc on Toe III not reaching distal subarticular tubercle on Toe IV, disc on Toe V extends distal subarticular tubercle on Toe IV; Fig.
(in mm).SVL 24.0; TL 13.0; FL 11.0; HL 9.4; HW 9.2; ED 3.1; IOD 3.0; EW 2.7; IND 1.9; E-N 2.4.
(Fig.
General coloration pattern is as described for the holotype in life, except for reddish brown which is dark brown and creamish brown which is pale tan. Groin and axilla are pale gray, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs are pale brown; ventral surfaces except for brown thighs are pale brown and pale tan mottled; iris is silver with fine black reticulations with black narrow vertical streak from pupil across lower half of iris and thin dark gray streak across upper half of iris.
All female paratypes (Fig.
Measurements (in mm) of female type specimens of Pristimantis ashaninka sp. n. For abbreviations see methods.
Character | NMP6V 75063 | MUSM 36517 | MUSM 32742 | NMP6V 75064 | MUSM 32736 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SVL | 26.7 | 24.0 | 23.3 | 23.2 | 23.1 |
TL | 13.6 | 13.0 | 12.5 | 12.8 | 13.0 |
FL | 11.6 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 10.6 | 10.9 |
HL | 10.7 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.6 |
HW | 10.4 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.9 |
ED | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 2.7 |
IOD | 3.2 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
EW | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
IND | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
E–N | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
Measurements (in mm) and proportions of female type specimens of Pristimantis ashaninka sp. n.; ranges followed by means and one standard deviation in parentheses. For abbreviations see methods.
Characters | Females (n = 5) |
---|---|
SVL | 23.1–26.7 (24.1 ± 1.4) |
TL | 12.5–13.6 (13.0 ± 0.4) |
FL | 9.9–11.6 (10.8 ± 0.6) |
HL | 9.4–10.7 (9.7 ± 0.5) |
HW | 8.9–10.4 (9.4 ± 0.5) |
ED | 2.7–3.6 (3.1 ± 0.3) |
IOD | 2.5–3.2 (2.8 ± 0.2) |
EW | 2.6–2.8 (2.6 ± 0.2) |
IND | 1.8–2.5 (2.1 ± 0.2) |
E–N | 2.3–2.7 (2.4 ± 0.1) |
TL/SVL | 0.51–0.56 |
FL/SVL | 0.42–0.47 |
HL/SVL | 0.39–0.42 |
HW/SVL | 0.38–0.40 |
HW/HL | 0.9–1.0 |
E–N/ED | 0.73–0.85 |
EW/IOD | 0.88–0.96 |
The juveniles have the conical tubercles on the dorsal skin more pronounced (MUSM 32722, 32741, Fig.
The species epithet ashaninka is used in reference to the indigenous people Asháninka who inhabit forests in the Peruvian Regions Huánuco, Junín, Pasco, and Ucayali.
Pristimantis ashaninka is only known from the type locality, which is located at the northeastern border of the Pui Pui Protected Forest, ca. 18 km (straight airline) NW of the town of Satipo, Distrito de Pichanaqui, Privincia de Chanchamayo, Región Junín, Peru (Fig.
Despite high species diversity and endemism, many areas throughout the Tropical Andes remain unexplored because montane forests are difficult to reach. Consequently, biodiversity in these areas is poorly known compared to other ecoregions at lower elevations. This was true for the Pui Pui Protected Forest, which is located in the eastern Andes of the Region Junín. Because of its remote location and difficult access no biological surveys have been conducted inside the PPPF prior to our expeditions. The borders of the PPPF are covered by primary mountain forests interrupted with scattered coffee plantations and a few houses along the larger rivers. New road constructions to support expanding villages in the region are a latent threat to these cloud forests, which are considered valuable for some of their timber trees or as new land for agricultural crops such as passionfruit (granadilla) and chili pepper (rocoto). Contemporary plans to construct a dam with a power station on Rio Huatziroki in the northern border of the PPPF are an additional threat. This example points to the great importance of the existing buffer zone of PPPF, which primary role to preventing habitat destructions around the PPPF borders should be maximally respected. Given that the only known locality of P. ashaninka lies outside the boundary of the PPPF, the long-term protection of this species will depend on the type of land use in the area. This is especially relevant considering that large areas of potentially suitable habitat have been converted to agriculture outside the preserve. Given that many amphibian species, including dozens of threatened species, in Peru are known to occur only outside natural protected areas (von May et al. 2008), is it essential to carry out additional field surveys focusing on target species to determine if their populations occur inside protected areas.
With the description of P. ashaninka, the number of Pristimantis known from Peru rises to 128 species (
We are grateful to A. Catenazzi for his thoughtful review which helped to improve our manuscript. We thank the community of Ayte for their logistic support. We thank the former director of the PPPF biologist J. Ríos, the park guard H. Llantoy Cárdenas, and three local guides F. Vargas Medina, D. Marcios Rojos, R.G. Alikhan Calizaya. We thank J.H. Cordova (MUSM, Lima) for loan of material and J.C. Cusi for administrative help. The work by EL was funded by a Northern European Explorers Grant (GEFNE13‒11) funded by National Geographic Society Science and Exploration Europe and an Artistic and Scholarly Development Grant provided by IWU. The work of JM was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic (DKRVO 2014/14, 2015/15, and 2016/15, National Museum Prague, 00023272). Collecting permits (N° 001-2013-SERNANP-JEF) were issued by the Ministerio del Ambiente, Lima, Peru.
Comparative specimens examined
Pristimantis cf. albertus (1 specimen): PERU: Junín: PPPF, 11°12'38.5"S, 74°57'28.9"W, 1700 m, MUSM 32729.
Pristimantis bipunctatus (2 specimens): PERU: Junín: PPPF, 11°12'38.5"S, 74°57'28.9"W, 1700 m, MUSM 32723, 32724.
Pristimantis cruciocularis (2 specimens): PERU: Pasco: Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park (Sector San Daniel), Distrito de Huancabamba, Provincia de Oxapampa, ca. 2900 m, MUSM 31140, 31146.
Pristimantis imitatrix (2 specimens): PERU: Madre de Dios: Cusco Amazónico, 15 km E Puerto Maldonado, 200 m, MUSM 7348, 14605.
Pristimantis lirellus (1 specimen): PERU: Huánuco: Dantas, MUSM 11326.
Pristimantis minutulus (10 specimens): PERU: Huánuco: Panguana, SMNS 13017–22; Pasco: 0.0–1.5 km W Cacazu, 900 m, KU 291677, 291679, 291680, 308608.
Pristimantis cf. platydactylus (3 specimens): PERU: Junín: PPPF, 11°12'38.5"S, 74°57'28.9"W, 1800 m, MUSM 32735; Peru, 11°05'44.2"S, 75°13'39.8"W, 1550 m, MUSM 31929, 31930.
Pristimantis rhabdocnemus (3 specimens): PERU: Pasco: ca. 10°23’.718 S, 75°28’.919 W, 2350 m, MUSM 31110, 31112, 31114.