Spatial and temporal variation in population dynamics of Andean frogs: Effects of forest disturbance and evidence for declines

AbstractBiodiversity loss is a global phenomenon that can result in the collapse of food webs and critical ecosystem services. Amphibian population decline over the last century is a notable case of species loss because amphibians survived the last four major extinction events in global history, their current rate of extinction is unprecedented, and their rate of extinction is greater than that for most other taxonomic groups. Despite the severity of this conservation problem and its relevance to the study of global biodiversity loss, major knowledge gaps remain for many of the most threatened species and regions in the world. Rigorous estimates of population parameters are lacking for many amphibian species in the Neotropics. The goal of our study was to determine how the demography of seven species of the genus Pristimantis varied over time and space in two cloud forests in the Ecuadorian Andes. We completed a long term capture–mark–recapture study to estimate abundance, survival, and population growth rates in two cloud forests in the Ecuadorian Andes; from 2002 to 2009 at Yanayacu in the Eastern Cordillera and from 2002 to 2003 at Cashca Totoras in the Western Cordillera. Our results showed seasonal and annual variation in population parameters by species and sex. P. bicantus experienced significant reductions in abundance over the course of our study. Abundance, apparent survival, and population growth rates were lower in disturbed than in primary or mature secondary forest. The results of our study raise concerns for the population status of understudied amphibian groups and provide insights into the population dynamics of Neotropical amphibians

Post‐epizootic microbiome associations across communities of neotropical amphibians

Microbiome–pathogen interactions are increasingly recognized as an important element of host immunity. While these host-level interactions will have consequences for community disease dynamics, the factors which influence host microbiomes at larger scales are poorly understood. We here describe landscape-scale pathogen–microbiome associations within the context of post-epizootic amphibian chytridiomycosis, a disease caused by the panzootic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We undertook a survey of Neotropical amphibians across altitudinal gradients in Ecuador ~30 years following the observed amphibian declines and collected skin swab-samples which were metabarcoded using both fungal (ITS-2) and bacterial (r16S) amplicons. The data revealed marked variation in patterns of both B. dendrobatidis infection and microbiome structure that are associated with host life history. Stream breeding amphibians were most likely to be infected with B. dendrobatidis. This increased probability of infection was further associated with increased abundance and diversity of non-Batrachochytrium chytrid fungi in the skin and environmental microbiome. We also show that increased alpha diversity and the relative abundance of fungi are lower in the skin microbiome of adult stream amphibians compared to adult pond-breeding amphibians, an association not seen for bacteria. Finally, stream tadpoles exhibit lower proportions of predicted protective microbial taxa than pond tadpoles, suggesting reduced biotic resistance. Our analyses show that host breeding ecology strongly shapes pathogen–microbiome associations at a landscape scale, a trait that may influence resilience in the face of emerging infectious diseases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rediscovery of the Endangered Carchi Andean Toad, Rhaebo colomai (Hoogmoed, 1985), in Ecuador, with comments on its conservation status and extinction risk

Since 1984 there have been no records of Rhaebo colomai (Hoogmoed, 1985) within the territory of Ecuador. This species was known from 2 localities in the province of Carchi, northwestern Ecuador, and the department of Nari��o, southwestern Colombia, which were reported in 1979 and 2015, respectively. We report the recent sightings of R. colomai at 3 new localities in Ecuador and discuss and evaluate this species��� extinction risk and conservation status

5to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

El V Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2019, realizado del 6 al 8 de febrero de 2019 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, ofreció a la comunidad académica nacional e internacional una plataforma de comunicación unificada, dirigida a cubrir los problemas teóricos y prácticos de mayor impacto en la sociedad moderna desde la ingeniería. En esta edición, dedicada a los 25 años de vida de la UPS, los ejes temáticos estuvieron relacionados con la aplicación de la ciencia, el desarrollo tecnológico y la innovación en cinco pilares fundamentales de nuestra sociedad: la industria, la movilidad, la sostenibilidad ambiental, la información y las telecomunicaciones. El comité científico estuvo conformado formado por 48 investigadores procedentes de diez países: España, Reino Unido, Italia, Bélgica, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Brasil, Estados Unidos y Ecuador. Fueron recibidas un centenar de contribuciones, de las cuales 39 fueron aprobadas en forma de ponencias y 15 en formato poster. Estas contribuciones fueron presentadas de forma oral ante toda la comunidad académica que se dio cita en el Congreso, quienes desde el aula magna, el auditorio y la sala de usos múltiples de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, cumplieron respetuosamente la responsabilidad de representar a toda la sociedad en la revisión, aceptación y validación del conocimiento nuevo que fue presentado en cada exposición por los investigadores. Paralelo a las sesiones técnicas, el Congreso contó con espacios de presentación de posters científicos y cinco workshops en temáticas de vanguardia que cautivaron la atención de nuestros docentes y estudiantes. También en el marco del evento se impartieron un total de ocho conferencias magistrales en temas tan actuales como la gestión del conocimiento en la universidad-ecosistema, los retos y oportunidades de la industria 4.0, los avances de la investigación básica y aplicada en mecatrónica para el estudio de robots de nueva generación, la optimización en ingeniería con técnicas multi-objetivo, el desarrollo de las redes avanzadas en Latinoamérica y los mundos, la contaminación del aire debido al tránsito vehicular, el radón y los riesgos que representa este gas radiactivo para la salud humana, entre otros

Catalogue of type specimens deposited in the Herpetology Collection of the Natural History Museum Gustavo Orcés V. at Escuela Politécnica Nacional (Ecuador)

The Herpetology Collection of the Natural History Museum Gustavo Orcés V. at Escuela Politécnica Nacional (MEPN-H) in Quito maintains more than sixteen thousand curated specimens and it comprises Ecuador ́s second largest collection of herps.The Collection contains 193 type specimens: 14 holotypes, 34 paratopotypes and 145 paratypes, which correspond to 10 families, 17 genera and 32 species. The collection of type specimens is particularly important in the genera Atelopus and Pristimantis in amphibians and the genera Atractus and Enyaloides in reptiles. An assessment of the geographic distribution showed that collection sites of type specimens are clustered towards the south of Ecuador in the provinces of Zamora Chinchipe, Morona Santiago and Pastaza in the Amazon Region; and in the provinces of Carchi and Azuay in the Andes. The collection of type specimens dates from 1955 to 2013, comprising an invaluable source of historical biodiversity data

A new treefrog from Cordillera del C\uf3ndor with comments on the biogeographic affinity between Cordillera del C\uf3ndor and the Guianan Tepuis (Anura, Hylidae, Hyloscirtus)

Volume: 809Start Page: 97End Page: 12

Centrolene bacatum WILD 1994

<i>CENTROLENE BACATUM</i> WILD, 1994 <p> <i>Diagnosis</i>: A species that differs from other species in the family by the following combination of characters: (1) vomerine teeth absent; (2) in life, bones green; (3) in preservative, parietal peritoneum white, pericardium silver white, hepatic peritoneum clear, digestive tract and kidneys cream; (4) in life, dorsum dark green with white warts; in preservative, dorsum lavender with small white spots; (5) no webbing between Fingers I and II; webbing between outer fingers reduced, II 2–3 1/3 III 2 1/2 −2 1/4 IV; (6) webbing formula on foot usually I 1 1/2 −2 + II 1–2 III 1 + —2 1/4 IV 2 1/2 −1 + V; (7) snout rounded in dorsal aspect, bluntly rounded in lateral profile; (8) dorsal skin finely shagreen with few white warts and tiny spinules; (9) ulnar and inner tarsal folds low or absent; outer tarsal fold absent; (10) humeral spine present; (11) tympanum orientated almost vertically, with slight posterior and lateral inclinations, tympanic annulus visible except for dorsal border, which is covered by supratympanic fold; tympanic membrane pigmented, differentiated from surrounding skin; (12) SVL in males 19.4–21.8 mm (mean = 20.6; <i>n</i> = 9); in one female 20.9 mm; (13) prepollical spine not protruding externally; males with large, unpigmented nuptial excrescence (Type I of Flores, 1985); (14) several small, white tubercles immediately posteroventral to vent; pair of large, round tubercles posteroventral to vent (as illustrated by Lynch & Duellman, 1973: fig. 2A); (15) when adpressed, Fingers I and II about equal in length (Finger I 91.3–104.5% of Finger II); (16) liver tetralobed; (17) diameter of eye about twice width of disc of Finger III.</p> <p> <i>Centrolene bacatum</i> is easily distinguished from other species in YBS by having white tubercles in an area that extends from below the eye to the insertion of the arm (Wild, 1994: fig. 3). Additionally, <i>Centrolene bacatum</i> is smaller than <i>C. buckleyi</i> [SVL in males, 19.4–21.8 mm (<i>n</i> = 9) in <i>C. bacatum</i>; 25.0– 34.7 mm (<i>n</i> = 20) in <i>C. buckleyi</i>] and has a snout that is bluntly rounded in lateral profile (sloping in <i>C. buckleyi</i>). Characters differentiating species in the <i>Centrolene prosoblepon</i> group are summarized in Table 1.</p> <p> <i>Colour in life</i>: Dorsum dark green with cream lateral stripe continuing as a series of cream tubercles under eye; throat and ventral surfaces of limbs green; digits pale green; parietal peritoneum white; visceral peritoneum clear; bones green; iris pale bronze with black reticulation (W. E. Duellman field notes 4 March 1984, in Wild, 1994; Fig. 4F).</p> <p> <i>Colour in preservative</i>: Dorsum of head and body lavender with small, unpigmented spots and white warts; limbs cream lavender with numerous small, unpigmented spots and some white warts; white warts on lateral surface of head; conspicuous white border on the upper lip, lower lip lacks white pigmentation; tympanum pigmented with purple specks; cloacal region with cream or white warts; iris silvery white with dark purple reticulation. Dorsally, Fingers I and II and Toes I–III unpigmented; some pigmentation visible on Fingers III and IV and Toes IV and V. A male (QCAZ 22386) was dissected to determine coloration of internal organs: white parietal peritoneum covering the anterior half of the belly, silvery-white pericardium, clear hepatic peritoneum, cream visceral peritoneum, and cream kidneys.</p> <p> <i>Distribution, ecology, and natural history</i>: <i>Centrolene bacatum</i> is known from three localities: 11.2 km</p> <p>Snout</p> <p>(lateral Texture of dorsal Dorsal coloration Teeth on Webbing on Finger view) skin of males in preservative vomer IV Webbing on Toe V</p> <p>SVL in adult males (mm)</p> <p>Source</p> <p> <i>C. altitudinale</i> Round to Shagreen with Lavender with Absent Reaching level of Reaching level of slightly small spinules white spots distal subarticular distal subarticular sloping tubercle tubercle</p> <p> <i>C. andinum</i> Round to Shagreen Lavender to Present Reaching level of Reaching level of slightly cream lavender distal subarticular intercalary cartilage sloping with dark purple tubercle spots</p> <p> <i>C. audax</i> Truncate Shagreen with Lavender with Present Reaching level of Reaching level of spinules and white warts distal subarticular intercalary cartilage white warts tubercle</p> <p> <i>C. bacatum</i> Bluntly Shagreen with Lavender with Absent Reaching level of Reaching level of rounded spinules and white warts distal subarticular intercalary cartilage white warts tubercle</p> <p> <i>C. ballux</i> Bluntly Shagreen Lavender with Absent Reaching level of Reaching level rounded small cream distal subarticular between distal flecks tubercle subarticular tubercle and intercalary cartilage</p> <p> <i>C. buckleyi</i> Slightly Shagreen with or Lavender with or Absent Usually not Reaching level sloping to without small without whitish reaching level of between distal sloping warts and warts distal subarticular subarticular tubercle spinules tubercle and intercalary cartilage</p> <p> <i>C. fernandoi</i> Round Shagreen with Lavender with Present Reaching level of Reaching level of spinules and white warts distal subarticular intercalary cartilage white warts tubercle</p> <p> <i>C. grandisonae</i> Round Pustular Lavender with Usually Reaching level of Reaching level yellowish warts present distal subarticular between distal tubercle subarticular tubercle and intercalary cartilage</p> <p> 21.5–24.5 (<i>n</i> = 12)</p> <p> 21.5–25.1 (<i>n</i> = 16)</p> <p> 23.0–23.6 (<i>n</i> = 3)</p> <p> 19.4–20.7 (<i>n</i> = 8)</p> <p> 19.2–22.2 (<i>n</i> = 25)</p> <p> 25.0–34.7 (<i>n</i> = 20)</p> <p> 22.5–26.4 (<i>n</i> = 9)</p> <p> 25.1–29.3 (<i>n</i> = 9) Señaris (2001)</p> <p>Señaris (2001); this work</p> <p>Lynch & Duellman (1973); this work</p> <p>Wild (1994); this work</p> <p>Duellman & Burrowes (1989); this work</p> <p>This work</p> <p>Duellman & Schulte (1993); this work</p> <p>Duellman (1980); this work</p> <p> <i>C. guanacarum</i> Round Shagreen Pale lavender Present Reaching level of Reaching level with white spots distal subarticular between distal tubercle subarticular tubercle and intercalary cartilage</p> <p> <i>C. heloderma</i> Sloping Pustular GrEy lavender Absent Reaching level of Reaching level of distal subarticular intercalary cartilage tubercle</p> <p> <i>C. hesperium</i> Slightly Shagreen with Lavender with Absent Not reaching level Reaching level of sloping spinules irregular distal subarticular between distal pigmentless spots tubercle subarticular tubercle and white and intercalary spinules cartilage</p> <p> <i>C. huilense</i> Sloping Shagreen with Lavender with Absent Reaching level of Reaching or almost spinules cream spinules distal subarticular reaching level of and purple spots tubercle intercalary cartilage</p> <p> <i>C. hybrida</i> Round Shagreen Pale lavender Absent Reaching or almost Reaching or almost reaching level of reaching level of distal subarticular intercalary cartilage tubercle</p> <p> <i>C. ilex</i> Truncate Shagreen Lavender</p> <p>Present Reaching level of Reaching level of distal subarticular intercalary cartilage tubercle</p> <p> <i>C. lemniscatus</i> Round Shagreen with Lavender with Absent Reaching level of Reaching level spinules unpigmented distal subarticular between distal spinules tubercle subarticular tubercle and intercalary cartilage</p> <p> <i>C. muelleri</i> Slightly Finely shagreen Greyish lavender Absent Reaching level of Reaching level sloping with dorsolateral with black spots distal subarticular between distal rows of warts and cream warts tubercle subarticular tubercle and intercalary cartilage</p> <p> <i>C. notostictum</i> Truncate Shagreen with Pale lavender Absent Reaching or almost Reaching or almost spinules with white spots reaching level of reaching level of distal subarticular intercalary cartilage tubercle</p> <p> 20.6–22.3 (<i>n</i> = 3)</p> <p> 26.8–31.5 (<i>n</i> = 17)</p> <p> 23.0–27.3 (<i>n</i> = 54)</p> <p> 23.6–26.7 (<i>n</i> = 7)</p> <p> 20.0–21.9 (<i>n</i> = 18)</p> <p>27.0</p> <p> (<i>n</i> = 1)</p> <p>27.0</p> <p> (<i>n</i> = 1)</p> <p>23.5</p> <p> 19.4–22.7 (<i>n</i> = 31) Ruiz-Carranza & Lynch (1995c)</p> <p>Duellman (1981); this work</p> <p>Cadle & McDiarmid (1990)</p> <p>Ruiz-Carranza & Lynch (1995c); this work</p> <p>Ruiz-Carranza & Lynch (1991b)</p> <p>Savage (1967); this work</p> <p>Duellman & Schulte (1993); this work</p> <p>Duellman & Schulte (1993); this work</p> <p> Ruiz-Carranza & Lynch (1991b) west-southwest of Plan de Milagro (03°02′S, 78°35′W, 2350 m), Provincia Morona-Santiago, Ecuador; YBS (0°41′S, 77°53′W; 2100 m), Provincia Napo, Ecuador; and 35 km south-east of San Francisco (01°07′S, 76°49′W, 1950 m), Departamento Putumayo, Colombia. Ten individuals of <i>Centrolene bacatum</i> were found at YBS during 3 years of inventory work; it is the most abundant centrolenid at Yanayacu. Four adult males were found in primary forest and one adult male was found in secondary forest on leaves approximately 130–200 cm above streams. A male (QCAZ 22728) was found close to two egg clutches that were on the upper side (not on the tip) of different leaves; the male was not in the same leaf as the egg clutches, suggesting that the clutches were not being guarded by the male. Egg clutches (QCAZ 28500-01) had 16 and 20 eggs, respectively; embryos have a whitish coloration. Males call from the upper side of leaves.</p> <p> <i>Remarks</i>: Wild (1994) described <i>Centrolene bacatum</i> and placed it in the <i>Centrolene prosoblepon</i> group; however, there is little support for the monophyly of the group (see Discussion) and we consider this placement as tentative until a well-supported phylogeny is available. <i>Centrolene bacatum</i> was known only from males (Wild, 1994); during our fieldwork, we found one female (QCAZ 17807; SVL = 20.9 mm), which matches the description provided by Wild (1994), except that it has a smooth dorsum (dorsum shagreen with minute spinules in males) and the following foot webbing: I 1 1/2 −2 + II 1 – −2 1/3 III 1 + −2 + IV 2 1/2 −1 V. In males, nuptial pads are more reduced than the Type I described by Flores (1985).</p>Published as part of <i>Guayasamin, Juan M., Bustamante, Martín R., Almeida-Reinoso, Diego & Funk, W. Chris, 2006, Glass frogs (Centrolenidae) of Yanayacu Biological Station, Ecuador, with the description of a new species and comments on centrolenid systematics, pp. 489-513 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 147 (4)</i> on pages 492-497, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00223.x, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/5427304">http://zenodo.org/record/5427304</a&gt

Centrolene buckleyi

<i>CENTROLENE BUCKLEYI</i> (BOULENGER, 1882) <p> <i>Diagnosis</i>: <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> differs from other species in the family by the following combination of characters: (1) vomerine teeth absent; (2) in life, bones green; (3) in preservative, parietal peritoneum and pericardium white, hepatic peritoneum clear, visceral peritoneum cream, peritoneum around kidneys cream; (4) in life, dorsum uniform green with or without spinules and scattered, whitish warts; in preservative, dorsum lavender with or without whitish warts; (5) webbing absent between Fingers I and II, basal webbing between Fingers II and III; webbing between outer fingers usually III (2 1/2 −3 –)–(2 1/3 −2) IV; (6) webbing formula on foot usually I (1 1/2 −2 –)–(2 ± 2 1/4) II (1 – − 1 +)–(2 1/4 −2 1/2) III (1 ± 1 1/2)–(2 1/3 −2 2/3) IV (2 2/3 −3 –)−1 2/3 V; (7) snout round in dorsal aspect, slightly sloping to sloping in lateral profile (Fig. 5A, B); (8) dorsal skin finely shagreen, with or without spinules; (9) ulnar and tarsal tubercles absent; outer ulnar and tarsal folds low or absent; (10) humeral spine present; (11) tympanum orientated almost vertically, with slight lateral and posterior inclinations, tympanic annulus visible except for its dorsal border, which is covered by a low supratympanic fold; tympanic membrane not differentiated from skin around tympanum; (12) SVL in males 27.9–30.5 mm (mean = 28.9; <i>n</i> = 20); in females 29.8–34.4 mm (mean = 31.7; <i>n</i> = 5); (13) prepollical spine not protruding externally; nuptial pad large (Type I of Flores, 1985); nuptial excrescences cream, finely granular; (14) pair of large, round tubercles posteroventral to vent (as illustrated by Lynch & Duellman, 1973: fig. 2A); (15) when adpressed, Finger II longer than Finger I (Fig. 6A); (16) liver with four lobes; (17) diameter of eye almost twice width of disc of Finger III.</p> <p> <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> is in the <i>Centrolene prosoblepon</i> species group based on the possession of humeral spines, green bones, eye larger than disc of Finger III, and white pericardium and parietal peritoneum (but see Remarks). Most species in the <i>Centrolene prosoblepon</i> group differ from those in the <i>Centrolene peristictum</i> group by lacking white pigment on the digestive tract (white pigment present in the <i>Centrolene peristictum</i> group) and from species in the <i>Centrolene geckoideum</i> group by having an eye that is larger than the disc of Finger III (diameter of eye <disc of Finger III in the <i>Centrolene geckoideum</i> group).</p> <p> <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> is easily distinguished from other species in the region by having a humeral spine (in males), white upper lip, a moderate size (SVL in males 27.9–30.5 mm; in females 29.8–34.4 mm) and a sloping snout in lateral profile. Additional characters distinguishing species in the <i>Centrolene prosoblepon</i> group (as defined by Ruiz-Carranza & Lynch, 1991a) are presented in Table 1.</p> <p> <i>Colour in life</i>: Dorsal surfaces bright to dark green, sharply demarcated laterally from white lower flanks; throat and most of venter pale green; parietal peritoneum yellowish white; heart not visible; edge of upper lip, outer edge of tarsus and cloacal stripe white; bones green; iris pale copper flecked with black (Lynch & Duellman, 1973; Fig. 4A–C). Additionally, specimens from YBS have white warts on dorsum (Fig. 4A).</p> <p> <i>Colour in preservative</i>: Dorsum of head and body lavender with or without small, unpigmented spots; limbs cream with slight lavender tonality; conspicuous white border on the upper lip, lower lip lacks white pigmentation; dorsally, all fingers, Toes I–III and most of Toe IV unpigmented; outer edge of forearm faintly marked with white pigment; cloacal region mostly unpigmented, except for few minute white spots. Males with cream nuptial pad on Finger I. Ulnar and tarsal folds whitish; venter cream. Two males (QCAZ 26031 and 32) were dissected to observe coloration of internal organs: parietal peritoneum white covering the anterior two-thirds to three-quarters of the belly, pericardium white, hepatic peritoneum transparent, visceral peritoneum cream, kidneys cream.</p> <p> 2/3</p> <p> <i>Measurements (in mm)</i>: Measurements of the specimens collected at YBS are shown in Table 2.</p> <p> <i>Distribution, ecology, and natural history</i>: <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> is found between 2100 and 3300 m in the Andes of Venezuela through Colombia to southern Ecuador (Frost, 2004) and northern Peru (Duellman & Wild, 1993). Although we have inventoried Yanayacu intensively for 3 years, only three individuals of <i>C. buckleyi</i> have been found, suggesting that this species is quite rare. One male (QCAZ 22388) was found on a leaf approximately 160 cm above a stream in secondary cloud forest at night. This male was found close to a clutch of eggs. A second male (QCAZ 26031) was found calling from a bamboo leaf 300 cm above a stream in primary forest, also at night.</p> <p> <i>Call</i>: We recorded nine calls of one male <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> (QCAZ 26032; SVL = 25.9 mm) in the laboratory of QCAZ (air temperature = 22.7 °C; cassette number QCAZ-CC-154). The male began calling from a cooler, escaped the cooler, and then continued calling in a dark room. Each call consisted of 1–5 notes, each note with two distinct metallic, high-pitched pulses (Fig. 7). These calls presumably represent advertisement calls, although recordings of other males in the field will be necessary to confirm this presumption. A detailed summary of call parameters is given in Table 3. The call of the specimen collected at YBS differs remarkably from previous reports. According to Bolívar <i>et al</i>. (1999), the fundamental frequency of a <i>C. buckleyi</i> in Colombia (4°44′39′N, 76°18′16′W; 2220 m) was 5200 Hz (highest frequency in the YBS specimen = 4139 Hz; Table 3). The differences between these calls may represent geographical variation within a single species, different type of call and/or measurement errors, but it is also possible that the two populations represent distinct lineages (discussed below).</p> <p> <i>Remarks</i>: The validity of the <i>Centrolene prosoblepon</i> group as a monophyletic group remains to be tested; it is important to emphasize that phenetic groups (if not supported by unambiguous synapomorphies) are convenient only for some taxonomic activities such as identifying and naming species. Specimens of <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> collected in YBS (QCAZ 22388, 26031 and 32) differ from the description presented by Lynch & Duellman (1973) in the following (characters in parentheses are from Lynch & Duellman, 1973): (1) dorsum with scattered whitish warts (no warts); (2) when adpressed, Finger II longer than Finger I (first and second fingers equal in length); (3) outer edge of forearm with lightly white dermal ridge (ulnar ridge absent); (4) inner edge of tarsus with low fold (tarsal fold absent); and (5) SVL in males, 25.3–26.5 mm (28.4–29.5 mm). Examination of a larger series of <i>C. buckleyi</i> (Appendix 1) reveals that most of the differences mentioned above are artefacts of a small sample size or mistaken observations. Additionally, Lynch & Renjifo (2001) mentioned that males of <i>C. buckleyi</i> have tubercles in the reproductive season. Myers & Donnelly (1997) elevated the Venezuelan populations of <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> (<i>Centrolenella buckleyi venezuelensis</i> Rivero, 1968) to the species level, <i>Centrolene venezuelense</i> (Rivero, 1968), but they did not provide evidence supporting this taxonomic change. Although it is possible that the populations in Venezuela form a distinct lineage (Señaris, 2001), taxonomic changes need to be justified with studies across the distribution range of ‘ <i>Centrolene buckleyi</i> ’.</p>Published as part of <i>Guayasamin, Juan M., Bustamante, Martín R., Almeida-Reinoso, Diego & Funk, W. Chris, 2006, Glass frogs (Centrolenidae) of Yanayacu Biological Station, Ecuador, with the description of a new species and comments on centrolenid systematics, pp. 489-513 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 147 (4)</i> on pages 497-499, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00223.x, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/5427304">http://zenodo.org/record/5427304</a&gt

Molecular phylogenetics of stream treefrogs of the Hyloscirtus larinopygion group (Anura: Hylidae), and description of two new species from Ecuador

We review the systematics of frogs of the Hyloscirtus larinopygion group. A new phylogenetic tree inferred from mitochondrial DNA (partial sequences of 12S rRNA, valine-tRNA, and 16S rRNA genes; ∼2.3 kb) of eleven species of the H. larinopygion group is provided, based on maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analyses. Our phylogeny confirms the close relationship of members of the H. larinopygion group with Andean relatives of the H. armatus group, which also occurs in the Andes. Hyloscirtus tapichalaca is placed as sister species to the rest of the H. larinopygion group, in which two clades (A+B) are evident. Although ingroup relationships are well supported, the monophyly of the H. larinopygion group and placement of H. tapichalaca require additional testing. Genetic divergences among species of the H. larinopygion group are shallow compared to those observed in many other anurans, with genetic distance among sister species (H. princecharlesi and H. ptychodactylus) as low as 1.31%. However, this pattern is concordant with radiations in other highland Andean lineages of anurans that show marked morphological or behavioral differentiation, but low divergence in mitochondrial markers. Divergence-time analyses (using BEAST) indicate that the Hyloscirtus clade is a relatively ancient lineage that appeared in the Eocene, at a minimum age of 51.2 million years ago (MYA), while the H. larinopygion group originated in the Middle-Late Eocene at a minimum age of 40.9 MYA. Our results might suggest a rapid radiation of Hyloscirtus starting in the Miocene into the Pliocene, from at least 14.2 MYA to the most recent divergence between sister taxa at ∼2.6 MYA. We also describe two sympatric new species of Hyloscirtus from northwestern Ecuador: H. criptico sp. nov. and H. princecharlesi sp. nov. We diagnose them by their phylogenetic position (they are not sister to each other), genetic divergence, and a unique combination of color patterns, and other morphological features. Additionally, we describe the suctorial tadpoles and the extreme ontogenic color changes in H. larinopygion, H. lindae, H. pantostictus, H. princecharlesi, H. psarolaimus, and H. tigrinus. Furthermore, we describe the osteology of H. criptico, H. lindae, H. pacha, H. pantostictus, H. princecharlesi, H. psarolaimus, H. ptychodactylus, and H. staufferorum. We describe vocalizations of H. lindae, H. pacha, H. pantostictus, H. pasarolaimus, H. staufferorum, and H. tapichalaca. Hyloscirtus tigrinus is recorded for the first time in Ecuador and its range is extended 62.4 km (airline distance), from its southernmost locality record in Departamento de Nariño, Colombia. Most species of the H. larinopygion group are currently severely threatened by extinction, after surviving the catastrophic extinctions in the 1980s and 1990s that led to the disappearance of many other sympatric anurans that bred in swiftly flowing water and had lotic water tadpoles in the Andean highlands. Research and conservation actions are urgently needed for these species. In order to better call attention to these conservation issues, we name one of the new species in honor of Prince Charles of Wa l e s, who is contributing significantly to the growth of awareness in the battle against tropical deforestation, climate change, and the catastrophic extinction of rainforest amphibians. Copyright © 2012 · Magnolia Press