A new species of Leucostethus (Anura, Dendrobatidae) from Gorgona Island, Colombia

By

Grant, Taran, 1972-
Bolívar-G., Wilmar

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1057

Pages

185--208

Subjects

Amphibia , Chocó , Colostethinae , Colostethus , Dendrobatoidea , Silverstoneia , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1057.67621

 

Abstract

We describe a new species ofLeucostethusfrom Gorgona Island, a small (13 km2) island located 35 km from the Pacific coast of southern Colombia. The new species most resemblesL. argyrogasterandL. fugaxfrom western Amazonia at 340–870 m elev. in Peru and Ecuador, with which it shares pale ventral coloration and orange suffusion of the axilla, groin and concealed surfaces of the hind limb, but it is most closely related toL. bilsafrom ca. 340 km SW in the southern Chocó at 420–515 m elev., northwestern Ecuador. We report miniscule white spots on the posteroventral surface of the thighs of the new species and, on the basis of our preliminary assessment of their taxonomic distribution, hypothesize that their presence is a synapomorphy of Dendrobatoidea with subsequent losses in a few groups. Given the apparent restriction of the new species to Gorgona Island, it is Vulnerable according to IUCN Red List criteria. In addition to naming the new species, we also propose the following new combinations:L. alacris(Rivero and Granados-Díaz, 1990)comb. nov.,L. dysprosium(Rivero and Serna, 2000)comb. nov., andL. yaguara(Rivero and Serna, 1991)comb. nov.