A new species of terrestrial-breeding frog of the genus Psychrophrynella (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the Cordillera de Vilcabamba, southeastern Peru

A new frog of the genus Psychrophrynella is described based on specimens from the Cordillera de Vilcabamba, in the department of Cusco in southeastern Peru. The new species inhabits the humid puna and is only known from its type locality in Challcha, near the road between Vilcabamba and Pampaconas, at 3,707 m asl. This new taxon is assigned to the genus Psychrophrynella based on a narrowest genetic distance of 16S rRNA with P. glauca (8.3&) and the presence of a fold-like tubercle on the inner edges of the tarsus. The description of Psychrophrynella vilcabambensis sp. nov. is based on three individuals. This new species can be differentiated from other members of the genera Psychrophrynella and Noblella by the combination of the following characters: light reddish-brown to tan coloration on the dorsum with dark brown markings, the presence of a thoracic fold, ulnar tubercles, a tubercle on the heel, three tubercles on outer edge of tarsus, and toes with lateral fringes. The SVL of male and female specimens are 16.5 and 16.6 mm, respectively.

Start page

127

End page

137

Volume

14

Issue

3

Language

English

OCDE Knowledge area

Zoología, Ornitología, Entomología, ciencias biológicas del comportamiento

Subjects

Scopus EID

2-s2.0-85101276327

Source

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

ISSN of the container

1083446X

Sponsor(s)

Acknowledgements.—We thank Dr. Ignacio De La Riva and Dr. Edgar Lehr for their valuable and insightful feedback on this paper. We also thank MUBI staff for allowing access to their herpetological collections during this study; to Efrain Medrano for support during fieldwork, and to Mr. Marcelino Diaz and Mrs. Claudia Ccahuana for hosting us in the Challcha sector. Partial funding for the molecular work was provided by a CONICYT National Ph.D. Scholarship (21170267). Collection permits for the specimens held at the Museo de Biodiversidad del Peru (MUBI) were issued and recognized by SERFOR in Resolución de Dirección General N° 024-2017-SERFOR/ DGGSPFFS. Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Jenny Stynoski for providing valuable suggestions and grammar corrections that helped to improve this publication.

Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus

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