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| Atelopus colomai Plewnia, Terán-Valdez, Culebras, Boistel, Paluh, Quezada Riera, Heine, Reyes-Puig, Salazar-Valenzuela, Guayasamin & Lötters, 2024 SALAMANDRA. 60(4) |
Abstract
For nearly four decades, harlequin toads, genus Atelopus, have sufered unparalleled population declines. While this also results in limited understanding of alphataxonomic relationships, these toads face an urgent need for advances in systematics to inform conservation eforts. However, high intraspecifc variation and cryptic diversity have hindered a comprehensive understanding of Atelopus diversity. Tis is particularly exemplifed among Amazonian populations related to A. spumarius, where decades of taxonomic work have not been able yet to unravel relationships between the many forms, while the names coined so far have led to taxonomic confusion leaving numerous lineages unnamed. A recent comprehensive phylogenetic study has revealed new insights into the systematics of harlequin toads with an emphasis on Amazonian forms, identifying several unnamed lineages. We here describe one of these evolutionary lineages as a new species, restricted to the Ecuadorian Amazon basin, in an integrative taxonomic approach using molecular, morphological, bioacoustic and larval information. With this, we contribute to a better understanding of Atelopus diversity as the baseline of conservation action.
Key words. Amphibia, Anura, amphibian crisis, bioacoustics, cryptic diversity, Neotropics, osteology, integrative taxonomy
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| Ontogenetic change in an individual of Atelopus colomai sp. n. from tadpole to subadult, reared under laboratory conditions at CJ from parental stock collected at the type locality (specimens not preserved). Upper lef: CJ (sc 10997), Stage 25, lateral, dorsal and ventral views, total length = 8.3 mm; upper right: Stage 41, total length = 14.5 mm; Stage 42, total length = 14.1 mm; Stage 46, 71 days afer Stage 25, 6.8 mm SVL; bottom: subadult 244 days afer Stage 46, 18 mm SVL. Scale bar 10 mm. Photos by Steven Guevara Salvador, CJ. |
Atelopus colomai sp. n.
Diagnosis: Atelopus colomai sp. n. (Figs 1–2, S1) can be readily distinguished from all other Atelopus species (as far known) by molecular genetics (monophyly in a concatenated (12S, 16S, CytB) mitochondrial phylogeny, support by molecular species delimitation and lack of haplotype sharing in POMC, Lötters et al. in press). It can be morphologically distinguished from all congeners by the combination of small size, dorsal and lateral skin covered with dense well-defned minute spiculae, ventral skin smooth to slightly areolate, presence of a columella and dorsal ...
Etymology: We dedicate this species to our friend and colleague Luis A. Coloma, who has continuously contributed to the study and protection of harlequin toads for decades. Te specifc name colomai is an eponym (i.e. a noun in genitive case). As English common name, we propose ‘Coloma’s harlequin toad’
Amadeus Plewnia, Andrea Terán-Valdez, Jaime Culebras, Renaud Boistel, Daniel J. Paluh, Amanda B. Quezada Riera, Christopher H. Heine, Juan P. Reyes-Puig, David Salazar-Valenzuela, Juan Manuel Guayasamin and Stefan Lötters. 2024. A New Species of Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: Atelopus) from Amazonian Ecuador. SALAMANDRA. 60(4); 237–253.
