A new species of terrestrial toad of the Rhinella festae group (Anura, Bufonidae) from the highlands of the Central Cordillera of the Andes of Colombia

By

Caicedo-Martínez, Luis Santiago
Henao Osorio, Jose Jaime
Arias-Monsalve, Héctor Fabio
Andrés Rojas-Morales, Julian
Ossa Lopez, Paula Andrea
Rivera Paez, Fredy Arvey
Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1196

Pages

149--175

Subjects

Andes , central cordillera , Distribution , diversity , endemism , systematics

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1196.114861

 

Abstract

The genus Rhinella (Bufonidae) comprises 92 species of Neotropical toads. In Colombia, Rhinella is represented by 22 recognized species, of which nine belong to the Rhinella festae group. Over the past decade, there has been increasing evidence of cryptic diversity within this group, particularly in the context of Andean forms. Specimens of Rhinella collected in high Andean forests on both slopes of the Central Cordillera in Colombia belong to an undescribed species, Rhinella kumandaysp. nov. Genetic analyses using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene indicated that the individuals belong to the festae species group. However, they can be distinguished from other closely related species such as Rhinella paraguas and Rhinella tenrec by a combination of morphological traits including the presence of tarsal fold, a moderate body size, and substantial genetic divergence in the 16S rRNA gene (> 5%). Through this integrative approach, the specimens from the Central Cordillera of Colombia are considered an evolutionary divergent lineage that is sister to R. paraguas, and described as a new species. Rhinella kumandaysp. nov. is restricted to the Central Cordillera of Colombia inhabiting both slopes in the departments of Caldas and Tolima, in an elevational range between 2420 and 3758 m. With the recognition of this new species, the genus Rhinella now comprises 93 species with 23 of them found in Colombia, and ten species endemic to the country.