Saturday, March 19, 2016

[Herpetology • 2014] Psychrophrynella teqta • A New Species of Psychrophrynella (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the Cordillera Real, Department La Paz, Bolivia


 Psychrophrynella teqta 
 De la Riva & Burrowes, 2014

Male of Psychrophrynella teqta sp. nov. guarding eggs.
Photo: Ignacio De la Riva || DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3887.4.4

Abstract

We describe a new species of Psychrophrynella from a single locality in the Cordillera Real, in the Andes of Department of La Paz, Bolivia. Psychrophrynella teqta sp. nov. is highly variable in color pattern and differs from the species geographically closer mostly by presenting yellow or red blotches, usually absent in other species. In addition, the new species differs from all species in the genus because the males have a pulsed call. Males of this species show parental care, and the high number of eggs per nest suggest that perhaps more than one clutch might be attended by a single male. As other species in the genus, the new species is infected by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and thus, a conservation threat is already present upon its discovery.

Keywords: Amphibia, Andes, Bd, bioacoustics, parental care






Ignacio De la Riva and Patricia A. Burrowes. 2014. A New Species of Psychrophrynella (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the Cordillera Real, Department La Paz, Bolivia. Zootaxa. 3887(3): 459–470. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3887.4.4