Monday, November 14, 2011

[Herpetology • 2007] 4 new Pristimantis & 3 new Phrynopus • (Leptodactylidae) from Peru




ABSTRACT
Four new species of Pristimantis and three new species of Phrynopus are described from Peru. Two of the new species of Pristimantis are assigned to the orestes species Group, one to the conspicillatus Group, and one to the unistrigatus Group. Three of the new species of Pristimantis were obtained from the Cordillera de Vilcabamba in southern Peru, which is known for high biological diversity and endemism. One of the new species from the Vilcabamba region belongs to the orestes species Group and is separated by approximately 600 km (straightline) from proximate known species of the group (Pristimantis cordovae) in northern Peru. This newspecies is the only one of Pristimantis attaining an elevation of 3,350 m in southern Peru. Two of the new species of Phrynopus are from central Peru, lack a tympanum, and have previously been confused with P. montium; the third species of Phrynopus is described from the Departamento de Ayacucho in southern Peru. Pristimantis pharangobates is excluded from the synonymy of P. rhabdolaemus and considered to be a valid species. Currently, 126 species of eleutherodactyline frogs (Oreobates, Pristimantis, Phrynopus, and Phyllonastes) are known from Peru, representing about 30% of the Peruvian anuran fauna.














Lehr, E. 2007. New eleutherodactyline frogs (Leptodactylidae: Pristimantis, Phrynopus) from Peru. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 159:145-178.