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| Hyloscirtus conscientia Yánez-Muñoz, Reyes-Puig, Batallas-Revelo, Broaddus, Urgilés-Merchán, Cisneros-Heredia & Guayasamin, 2021 |
Abstract
We provide several lines of evidence to delimit a new species of Hyloscirtus and define its phylogenetic position inside the Hyloscirtus bogotensis group. The new species is the sister taxon to Hyloscirtus mashpi and is related to a clade formed by H. alytolylax and a putative new species from the province of El Oro in, southwestern Ecuador. Hyloscirtus conscientia sp. nov. is described from the montane forests of the Mira River basin in the extreme northwestern Ecuador. The new species is characterized as follows: tympanic annulus conspicuous, tip of snout in dorsal view subacuminate, middorsal stripe formed by melanophores larger and less dense, dorsal skin with individual iridophores forming dots, scarcely distributed across dorsum. Our study also highlights the importance of the Mira River Valley as a biogeographic barrier; suggesting research efforts north and south of the valley are likely to reveal additional endemic cryptic diversity. Finally, our partnership with Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, Rainforest Trust and EcoMinga Foundation has produced a novel and meaningful way to connect young people with biodiversity discovery and habitat conservation.
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| Hyloscirtus conscientia sp. nov., Río Pailón Chico, Reserva Dracula, province of Carchi: (C) male, holotype DHMECN13973; (D) male, paratype DHMECN 13972. Photographs: Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz. |
Hyloscirtus conscientia sp. nov.
Proposed standard Spanish name: Rana nubular torrenticola de Chical
Proposed standard English name: Chical Nubulous Stream-Frog
Diagnosis. Hyloscirtus conscientia sp nov. is characterized by the following combination of characters: (1) adult males small (SVL 29.6–33.3 mm, mean = 31.0 ± 1.0, n = 14), females (SVL 34.7–40 mm, mean = 37.3 ± 2.6mm, n = 3); (2) body relatively slender; (3) snout subacuminate in dorsal view and rounded in lateral view; (4) in life, dorsum usually pale yellowish-green, usually with a thin brown mid-dorsal stripe; (5) axillar and inguinal regions light yellowish-green; (6) mental gland present in males, pigmented in some individuals; (7) upper lip lacking white stripe; (8) parietal peritoneum white, visceral peritonea transparent; (9) iris grayish-brown to copper brown with thin black reticulation; (11) nuptial pad absent; (13) tympanic membrane pigmented as surrounding skin; tympanic annulus rounded and visible; (14) cream supraocular, supratympanic, and canthal stripes usually present; brown interorbital stripe usually present; (15) ulnar fold and tarsal stripe absent or inconspicuous; (16) calcar tubercle absent; (17) supracloacal fold low, with few iridophores; (18) low tubercles scattered around and below cloaca; (19) bones in life white; (20) elliptical prepollex not modified as a projecting spine; (21) dentigerous processes of vomers prominent, slightly curved, with a discernible gap and 10–14 teeth each; and (22) advertisement call with 5 or 6 notes, call duration = 470–632 ms, and dominant frequency = 2.93–3.10 kHz.
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| Comparison of live coloration of some species of the Hyloscirtus bogotensis Group. (A) H. alytolylax, male, not collected, Estación Experimental La Favorita, province of Pichincha; (B) H. mashpi, male, DHMECN 4289, Reserva Mashpi, province of Pichincha; (C) Hyloscirtus conscientia sp. nov., male, holotype DHMECN13973, Río Pailón Chico, Reserva Dracula, province of Carchi; (D) H. conscientia sp. nov., male, paratype DHMECN 13972, Río Pailón Chico, Reserva Dracula, province of Carchi; (E) H. sp. candidate confirmed, (DHMECN 3743); Reserva Buenaventura, province of El Oro; (F) H. sp. candidate not confirmed, El Baboso, province of Carchi. Specimens without scale. Photographs: Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz (A–E) and Mateo Vega-Yanez (F). |
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| Variation in live coloration of Hyloscirtus conscientia sp. nov. Individuals from Río Pailón Chico at Reserva Dracula. Not collected specimens, without scale. Photographs by Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz. |
Natural history. Hyloscirtus conscientia was found along clean-water streams with many waterfalls in montane foothill cloud forest. The riparian forest included trees reaching 20 m high, covered by moss and epiphytes. Frogs were found at night, sitting on or under leaves and branches of Heliconiaceae, shrubs, trees, and ferns, at 30–350 cm above ground. Males were found calling while sitting under leaves in April, September and November. Hyloscirtus conscientia was found sympatric with Hyalinobatrachium sp. aff. valerioi, Espadarana prosoblepon, Rhaebo colomai, Atelopus coynei, and Pristimantis laticlavius.
Etymology. The specific epithet of the new species is a noun in apposition derived from the imperative Latin “conscĭentĭa”. This name was proposed by Carolina Bustillos, a 19 years old Ecuadorian that participated in a global, public contest to select the species name. When explaining the species name, Carolina wrote: “We are at such a critical point in history, where the Earth and its species cannot continue to endure more exploitation and neglect by people. We are all part of this world and we must all have the consciousness to take care of it, to use less water, to use renewable energy sources, to consume less meat …. I think that this little frog should carry that message … the message of being aware of how wonderful this land is, with all its flora and fauna, and of being aware that we should take care of it and be grateful to it.”
The Spanish and English common names of H. conscientia refer to the habitat and location in which the species is found, in the cloud forests near the small town of El Chical, Ecuador. In the Spanish name, the word “Nubular” was explained by Domenique Benítez (14 years old, Ecuador) as a short, simple, and easy-to-memorize word of her own invention. She wrote, “although this word does not exist, it quickly describes the frog’s habitat. I think the next generations should take into account that it is important to conserve species and name new ones in the future.” The word “nubular” makes reference to the constant presence of clouds (Spanish: nubes) on these forests.
Conclusions:
We provide several lines of evidence to delimit a new species of Hyloscirtus and define its phylogenetic position inside the Hyloscirtus bogotensis group. Our study also highlights the importance of the Mira River Valley as a conspicuous biogeographic barrier; therefore, research efforts north and south of the valley are likely to reveal additional endemic cryptic diversity. Finally, our partnership with Reserva: The Youth Land Trust, Rainforest Trust and EcoMinga Foundation has produced a novel and meaningful way to connect young people with biodiversity discovery and habitat conservation.
Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz, Juan Pablo Reyes-Puig, Diego Batallas-Revelo, Callie Broaddus, Miguel Urgilés-Merchán, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia and Juan M. Guayasamin. 2021. A New Andean Treefrog (Amphibia: Hyloscirtus bogotensis group) from Ecuador: An Example of Community Involvement for Conservation. PeerJ. 9:e11914. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11914
