Pristimantis erythros

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Pristimantis erythros
Pristimantis erythros.jpg
Lateral, dorsal and ventral views of a male (left) and a female (right).
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Anura
Family: Strabomantidae
Genus: Pristimantis
Species:
P. erythros
Binomial name
Pristimantis erythros
Sánchez-Nivicela, Celi-Piedra, Posse-Sarmiento, Urgiles, Yánez-Muñoz & Cisneros-Heredia, 2018
Pristimantis erythros
Place where the holotype was found in Ecuador

Pristimantis erythros is a species of amphibian in the family Craugastoridae, and can be found in Cajas National Park in Chiquintad parish, Ecuador.

Its striking characteristics are its scarlet red coloration, which differentiates it from all the species of the genus Pristimantis , and the presence of parotid glands on the trapezius and suprascapular muscles. It has an average length of 38 to 42 millimeters in females and 37 millimeters in males. It has direct development, as do all the species of its genus, and does not have an aquatic larval stage.

It was described on April 20, 2018, in the scientific journal ZooKeys by a group of six researchers. Its specific epithet derives from the Greek word ἐρυθρός (erythros), meaning red, an allusion to its unique coloration. It has not yet been catalogued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but because it is losing habitat and occupies an area smaller than one square kilometer, researchers classify it as a critically endangered species.

Taxonomy

The species was described on April 20, 2018, in the scientific journal ZooKeys by researchers Juan C. Sánchez-Nivicela, Elvis Celi-Piedra, Valentina Posse-Sarmiento, Verónica L. Urgilés, Mario Yánez-Muñoz, and Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia. [1] It was discovered as belonging to the genus Pristimantis , however, it was not possible to separate it into any specific clade, with P. orcesi as its phylogenetically closest species. It is differentiated from any other species of the genus by the scarlet red coloration and by the presence of cutaneous macro-glands in the suprascapular region. Its holotype was found in Chiquintad parish, Azuay province, Ecuador, at an altitude of 3 449 meters, in October 2014, being an adult female. The paratypes were also found at the same location, between October and November 2014, being males, females, and juveniles. [2]

Its specific epithet derives from the Greek word ἐρυθρός (erythros), meaning red, an allusion to the color of its skin, which allows it to be distinguished from other species. [3]

Distribution and conservation

The only place where there are observation records of the species is in the Cajas National Park, more precisely in the parish of Chiquintad. The biome of the site is páramo , where grasses and shrubs are present. All individuals found so far have been seen in terrestrial bromeliads (Puya hamata) and grasses (Neurolepis villosa), near small streams. [2]

The park where it is endemic seems to be well preserved, but due to human pressure, the change of vegetation cover, anthropological use of the land and the lack of protection in the surrounding regions, the species is suffering the loss of its habitat, which currently corresponds to an area smaller than one square kilometer. Because of this, its discoverers classify it as a critically endangered species (CR). Its conservation status has not yet been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). [4]

Description and behavior

Its average length varies between 38,8 and 42,6 millimeters in females and 36,7 and 37 in males. Its head is as wide as its body, but corresponds to only 8% of its length, its snout is short and rounded when viewed from the side and back, its canthus rostralis is rounded, the loreal region is concave and its nostrils are protuberant, with a flat interorbital region. Its parotid glands cover 65% of the dorsal suprascapular muscle and more than a quarter of the trapezius. Its tympanic membrane is distinguishable from the adjacent tissues, being surrounded by about one third of the tympanic ring and corresponding to 52% of the eye diameter. Its choana is broad and rounded, with the tongue being wide and long, 25% of which is attached to the mouth. There are no protuberances on its back and its belly is areolate. [2]

Its back and belly are dark red, with the legs and limbs having a lighter shade of red, and the toes having a rose color. Its iris is dark brown, with golden spots. [2]

Like all species of its genus, it has direct development, with no aquatic larval stage, and with the eggs being laid on the forest floor, and can live without needing bodies of water. [5] The individuals vocalize twice a day, from 8 to 11 am and from 5 to 7 pm local time. Its period of greatest activity is between dusk and 9 pm, and after that, the individuals tend to become less active. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Cajas National Park</span>

El Cajas National Park or Cajas National Park is a national park in the highlands of Ecuador. It is located about 30 km west from Cuenca, the capital of the province of Azuay. The area of 285.44 km2 between 3100m and 4450m above sea level is characterized by páramo vegetation on a jagged landscape of hills and valleys. It was declared a National Park on November 5, 1996 by resolution N° 057.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sangay National Park</span>

Sangay National Park is a national park located in the Morona-Santiago, Chimborazo, Tungurahua, Cañar, and Azuay provinces of Ecuador. The park contains two active volcanoes, one extinct volcano El Altar. Protecting a range of elevations from 900 to 5,319 meters above sea level, Sangay National Park contains a wide variety of habitats, including glaciers, volcanic landscapes, tropical rainforests, cloud forests, wetlands, grasslands, and one of the largest regions of páramo in Ecuador. 327 lakes feed into a vast wetland system covering 31.5 square kilometers (12.2 sq mi).

Pristimantis appendiculatus, the Pinocchio rainfrog, is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found on the Pacific slopes of the Andes in Ecuador and extreme southern Colombia.

Pristimantis balionotus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Ecuador and only known from its type locality on the border between the Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe Provinces, near the crest of the Ecuadorian Andes. Common name crest robber frog has been coined for it.

<i>Pristimantis buckleyi</i> Species of frog

Pristimantis buckleyi is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found on the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Specifically, it occurs on the both flanks of the Cordillera Central and on the eastern flank of the Cordillera Occidental in Colombia, and on the Cordillera Real in Ecuador south Cayambe, at elevations of 2,500–3,700 m (8,200–12,100 ft) asl.

Pristimantis cryophilius is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to the Ecuadorian Andes in the Azuay, Cañar, and Morona-Santiago Provinces. The specific name cryophilius is derived from Greek kryos for cold and philois for loving and refers to the affinity of this species for cold climate. Common name San Vicente robber frog has been coined for it.

Pristimantis gentryi is a species of frogs in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to central Ecuador where it is found in a small area west of the Páramo de Apagua, Cotopaxi Province. The specific name gentryi honors Alwyn Gentry, American botanist who perished during his field work in Ecuador. Common name Pilalo robber frog has been proposed for this species.

<i>Pristimantis katoptroides</i> Species of frog

Pristimantis katoptroides is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the eastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador and Cordillera Central and eastern Andean foothills in northwestern Peru. The specific name katoptroides is Greek for "mirror-like" and refers to the similarity of this species to Pristimantis crucifer, but being found on the other side of the Andes. Common name Puyo robber frog has been proposed for it.

Pristimantis modipeplus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to the Andes of central Ecuador in Chimborazo, Pichincha, and Tungurahua Provinces. Common name Urbina robber frog has been proposed for it.

Pristimantis ocreatus is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. Although often reported as being endemic to the Andes of northern Ecuador, it has also been reported from extreme southern Colombia ; the possibility of range extension to Colombia has been acknowledged. Its type locality is the west slope of volcano Chiles in the Carchi Province, and common name Carchi robber frog has been coined for it. These frogs have pale hands and feet, as if wearing gloves and socks—hence the specific name ocreatus, which is Latin and means "wearing leggings" or "booted".

Pristimantis piceus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs in the Cordillera Central between the Antioquia Department in the north and the Cauca Department in the south. Many specimens are black in color, and the specific name piceus is Latin meaning "pitch-black".

Pristimantis serendipitus is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found in the Andes of northern Peru and adjacent southern Ecuador. The specific name refers to serendipitous discovery of this species: collection at the type locality was only made because the road was closed by an accident. Common name Colan Mountains robber frog has been proposed for this species.

Pristimantis vertebralis is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is endemic to the Andes of Ecuador and occurs in the Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Bolívar, and Azuay provinces. Common name vertebral robber frog has been coined for it.

<i>Pristimantis w-nigrum</i> Species of frog

Pristimantis w-nigrum, also known as the Zurucuchu robber frog or w rainfrog, is a species of frog in the family Strabomantidae. It is found on both Pacific and Amazonian slopes of the Andes in Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru. The species is divided to at least eight clades that are genetically highly divergent but morphologically similar; it may be a species complex.

Gastrotheca testudinea is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It has a widespread latitudinal range along the eastern (Amazonian) slopes of the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Telmatobius niger is a species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. It is endemic to the Andes of Ecuador, with records from both Amazonian and Pacific versants. Last seen in 1994, it is feared that this species may be extinct. Common name black water frog has been coined for it.

<i>Pristimantis</i> Genus of amphibians

Pristimantis is a very large genus of frogs distributed in the southern Caribbean islands and in Central and South America from Honduras to northern Argentina and southern Brazil. With 596 described species, the genus had more species than any other genus of vertebrate animals. Many of these species genus are endemic to the Northwestern Andean montane forests ecoregion in north-western South America.

<i>Pristimantis ashaninka</i> Species of frog

Pristimantis ashaninka is a species of frog in the Craugastoridae family. It is found in the Pui Pui Protection Forest in central Peru. It is 23 to 26 millimeters long, and is characterized by containing small conical tubercles in its skin, giving a spiny appearance, and by having no tympanic membrane. The species was described in 2017 after morphological and genetic analyses and was named Pristimantis ashaninka in honor of the indigenous people Asháninka, who live in the regions near the protection forest. The species was listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a least-concern species. There is still no information about its behavior and/or reproduction, but it is assumed that the tadpoles have direct development, as this is a common characteristic of the genus.

<i>Rhinella lilyrodriguezae</i> Species of frog

Rhinella lilyrodriguezae is a species of frog in the family Bufonidae, which is found in Cordillera Azul National Park in Peru.

References

  1. ↑ "Pristimantis erythros". Amphibiaweb. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sánchez-Nivicela, Juan C.; Celi-Piedra, Elvis; Posse-Sarmiento, Valentina; Urgilés, Verónica L.; Yánez-Muñoz, Mario; Cisneros-Heredia, Diego (2018-04-20). "A new species of Pristimantis (Anura, Craugastoridae) from the Cajas Massif, southern Ecuador". ZooKeys (751): 113–128. Bibcode:2018ZooK..751..113S. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.751.20541 . PMC   5923216 . PMID   29713233 . Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  3. ↑ "Una nueva especie de rana terrestre de distintivos colores fue descubierta en un Páramo del sur de Ecuador" (in Spanish). INABIO. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  4. ↑ "Un sapo rojo es encontrado en El Cajas" (in Spanish). La Hora. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  5. ↑ Manuel V. Sánchez-Nivicela (2018-04-25). "A red frog faces tough odds in Ecuador". LatinAmericaScience. Retrieved 2018-04-29.
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