A new treefrog from Cordillera del Cóndor with comments on the biogeographic affinity between Cordillera del Cóndor and the Guianan Tepuis (Anura, Hylidae, Hyloscirtus)

By

Ron, Santiago R.
Caminer, Marcel
Varela-Jaramillo, Andrea
Almeida-Reinoso, Diego

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

809

Pages

97-124

Subjects

Biodiversity , Colomascirtus , Ecuador , H. larinopygion group , Peru , Phylogeny , prepollical spine

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.809.25207

 

Abstract

TheHyloscirtuslarinopygiongroup is a clade of 16 species of large hylids that inhabit cascading Andean streams. They have brown coloration that, in most species, contrasts with bright marks. Herein morphological and genetic evidence is used to describe a new species of the group from Cordillera del Cóndor, a sub-Andean mountain chain that has phytogeographic affinities with the Guianan Tepuis. The new species is characterized by dark-brown coloration with contrasting bright orange flecks and by the presence of an enlarged and curved prepollex protruding as a spine. The new species is closely related toH.tapichalacaand an undescribed species from the southern Andes of Ecuador. The genetic distance betweenH.hillisisp. n.and its closest relative,H.tapichalaca, is 2.9% (gene 16S mtDNA). Our phylogeny and a review of recently published phylogenies show that amphibians from Cordillera del Cóndor have close relationships with either Andean or Amazonian species. Amphibians do not show the Condor-Guianan Tepuis biogeographic link that has been documented in plants.