Corresponding author: Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia (
Academic editor: Anthony Herrel
Recent surveys in the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park revealed a striking new species of
Sánchez-Nivicela JC, Falcón-Reibán JM, Cisneros-Heredia DF (2023) A new stream treefrog of the genus
“
(adapted from the opening of “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien)
The genus
The
Seven species of the northern clade and three species of the southern clade (marked with asterisks) of the
Recent expeditions to the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park, on the eastern slopes of the Andes of southeastern Ecuador, resulted in the discovery of a magnificent new species of
Fieldwork was carried out between February and March 2020 at the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park, on the border between the provinces of Morona-Santiago and Azuay, southeastern Andes of Ecuador. Surveyed ecosystems included paramo grasslands and montane and foothill evergreen forests, between 1000 and 3400 m elevation on the River Paute basin. We used the complete species inventory field methodology (
The specimen was euthanised with a 5% lidocaine solution, fixed in 10% formalin, and preserved in 70% ethanol, following recommendations by
We reviewed diagnostic characters used for the taxonomy of the
Format, definitions, and terminology used for the species description follow standards proposed by
The specimen collected at Río Negro-Sopladora National Park has broad dermal fringes in fingers and toes, a large body size (64.9 mm in
General morphology of species of the northern (
The specimen from Río Negro-Sopladora National Park shows a unique colouration pattern with pale coloured background and dark marks on dorsal, lateral, and ventral surfaces, while most species currently under the
(Figs
Holotype of
Holotype of
Details of
Dorsal colouration patterns in species of the northern clade of the
Ventral colouration patterns in species of the northern clade of the
Flank colouration patterns in species of the northern clade of the
Adult female (Figs
Skin on dorsum shagreen, throat slightly granular, flanks and venter granular, posterior surfaces of limbs strongly granular; pectoral fold absent; cloacal opening directed posteroventrally at upper level of thighs; supracloacal flap present; two pairs of swollen, thick, vertical, pericloacal folds.
Forearms robust, slightly thicker than arms, not hypertrophied; axillary membrane absent; ulnar fold present, covering dorsal surface of forearms; fingers long, with thick lateral fringes; discs round, slightly expanded; all discs with rounded pads, circumferential groove of each disc clearly defined; disc on Finger III wider than tympanum (
Hindlimbs robust (
Dorsal surfaces of head, body and limbs greyish-green, with thick paler-hued reticulum, yellow spots, and black speckles; head with a light greyish-green medial line; throat, venter and flanks yellow (more intense on the throat and turning greyish towards posterior end of venter) with large black blotches and spots; hidden surfaces of limbs yellow with transversely distributed black oval dots; fingers, toes and webbing yellow with black bars and spots; iris pale pink with black periphery, sclera greyish-blue, and nictitating membrane yellow (Fig.
Same colouration patterns as described for the colouration in life, but greyish-green dorsal areas turned darker grey, yellow on venter and flanks turned golden-grey to grey (Figs
The specific epithet
Map showing the type locality of
Habitat of
Very few herpetological surveys have been conducted in the region, with James A. Peters being one of the few herpetologists that visited the area (
This key helps to identify adult female and male stream treefrogs of the northern clade of the
1a | Background dorsal colouration in shades of green or yellow (turning paler green or greyish cream) (Fig. |
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1b | Background dorsal colouration in shades of brown (Fig. |
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2a | Dorsum green or yellow (greyish cream) with thick black reticulum or stripes (Fig. |
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2b | Dorsum green (grey) without thick dark reticulum or stripes |
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3a | Dorsum pale olive green with orange dots (grey with cream spots) (Fig. |
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3b | Dorsum greyish-green with paler reticulum, yellow spots, and black speckles (green turns to grey) (Fig. |
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4a | Venter (excluding throat) uniformly or predominantly black or dark brown (Fig. |
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4b | Venter mostly pale or dark with distinctive darker or paler markings |
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5a | Discs on fingers orange or yellow (pale) |
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5b | Discs on fingers dark |
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6a | Dorsum and venter dark brown (Figs |
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6b | Dorsum brown with dark brown transversal bars (Fig. |
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7a | Throat uniformly dark (Fig. |
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7b | Throat with irregular, large, pale spots (Fig. |
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8a | Dorsum with orange or red (pale) circular dots on a dark background |
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8b | Dorsum without orange or red (pale) circular dots. If orange (pale) markings are present, they are in the form of flecks or blotches but not circular dots |
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9a | Discs on fingers yellow (white); venter black with white mottling on belly and orange dots (white) on the throat (Fig. |
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9b | Discs on fingers grey, venter black with pale yellow (cream) marbling or reticulation (Fig. |
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9c | Disc on fingers with red spots (yellowish white); venter black with red (yellowish white) dots (Fig. |
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10a | Venter cream to brownish or dirty grey |
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10b | Venter dark brown with pale markings |
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11a | Venter dirty grey (Fig. |
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11b | Venter cream to brownish grey with diffuse dark spots and pale flecks (Fig. |
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12a | Flank black with orange (cream) speckles and some white and brown blotches (Fig. |
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12b | Flanks dark with pale reticulum or pale with black vertical bars |
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13a | Dorsum brown with small orange (cream) flecks (Fig. |
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13b | Dorsum brown with or without dark-brown reticulation (Fig. |
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We express our gratitude to Fabián Rodas and Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional for providing support and funding for field and lab work; and to Eduardo Toral, with whom we conducted the first expedition and whose work was essential for this project. The work of Naturaleza y Cultura Internacional, Fabián Rodas and Eduardo Toral was vital for the declaration of the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park. We are grateful to FONAPA and the Cutín team for providing equipment and facilities; to our friends from El Copal and Sevilla de Oro, especially to the Rojas Villavicencio and Villavicencio Valverde families for their hospitality and help during fieldwork; to Tarquino Valverde, our field companion; and to Diego Armijos-Ojeda and two anonymous reviewers for their comments. The following people provided working space and support during our work at their respective institutions: Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz (