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| Epipedobates currulao Betancourth-Cundar, Ríos-Orjuela, Crawford, Cannatella & Tarvin, 2025 |
Abstract
The number of amphibian species described yearly shows no signs of slowing down, especially in tropical regions, implying that the biodiversity of amphibians remains woefully underestimated. A new species of poison frog is described from the Pacific lowlands of southwestern Colombia: Epipedobates currulao sp. nov., named for the Pacific music and dance genre known as "currulao" or "bambuco viejo". This species inhabits lowland forests from 0–260 m a.s.l. This taxon differs from congeners by having a combination of bright yellow blotches in the dorsal anterior region of the thigh and upper arm, homogenous dark-brown dorsal coloration, and advertisement calls of long duration and many pulses. We also describe the courtship call of E. currulao sp. nov., which is lower in frequency and shorter in duration than its advertisement call. Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm the monophyly of the populations sampled and its position as the sister species of Epipedobates narinensis, which occurs in southwestern Colombia. Among species of Epipedobates, the new species has been previously confused with E. boulengeri, but the two species are allopatric and represent two divergent clades (1.77% divergent for 12S–16S and 5.39% for CYTB). These species can be distinguished by the presence of a bright yellow blotch on the dorsal anterior region of the thigh and on the upper arm of E. currulao sp. nov., blotches that are either more white than yellow or absent in E. boulengeri. In addition, the advertisement calls are distinct, with E. currulao sp. nov. having a single but long call in each call series while E. boulengeri has 2–6 calls in a series with each call being much shorter in length. Epipedobates currulao sp. nov. is the most northern species of Epipedobates, which extends southwards along the western edge of the Andes. Known as the Chocó, this biogeographic region has been largely converted to agriculture in Ecuador and is experiencing widespread transformation in Colombia, which may endanger E. currulao sp. nov. and biodiversity in the region.
Key words: Alpha taxonomy, bioacoustics, Chocó, DNA barcoding, megadiverse, music, new species, poison frogs
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| Images in life and in preservative of the holotype of Epipedobates currulao sp. nov. A full specimen in life B dorsal view in life C ventral view in life D lateral view in life E dorsal view in preservative (70% ethanol) F ventral view in preservative G lateral view in preservative H dorsal hand in preservative I ventral hand in preservative J dorsal foot in preservative K ventral foot in preservative. Scale bars: 5 mm (B–G); 2.5 mm (H–K). |
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| Images in life of Epipedobates currulao sp. nov. in comparison with close congeners and sympatric species A Epipedobates currulao sp. nov. from the type locality of Ladrilleros, Valle de Cauca, Colombia (ANDES:A:5261; SVL = 20.0 mm; adult male; paratype) B E. narinensis from Biotopo, Nariño, Colombia (ANDES:A:3704; 16.39 mm; adult male); C. Andinobates minutus from Ladrilleros, Valle de Cauca, Colombia (ANDES:A:5266; 13 mm; sex not determined) D E. boulengeri from Isla Gorgona, Cauca, Colombia (individual not captured) E E. espinosai from Río Palenque, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, Ecuador (individual not captured) F E. aff. espinosai from La Nutria, Nariño, Colombia (ANDES:A:2476; 17.77 mm; sex not determined) G E. boulengeri from Maragrícola, Nariño, Colombia (ANDES:A:2472; 18.96 mm; adult female) H A side-by-side image of E. boulengeri from Isla Gorgona (ANDES:A:3695; 20.65 mm; adult female) and E. currulao sp. nov. from Pianguita, Valle de Cauca, Colombia (ANDES:A:3690; 16.42 mm; adult female) demonstrating the large size difference between the two species. All images were taken by Rebecca D. Tarvin except for A and C, which were taken by Juan Camilo Ríos-Orjuela. Photos are not to scale. |
Epipedobates currulao sp. nov.
Proposed English common name: Currulao Nurse Frog
Proposed Spanish common name: Rana nodriza de currulao
Diagnosis: Epipedobates currulao is a small dendrobatid frog (SVL mean = 17.99 mm and SD = 0.95 mm, n = 16 frogs; Tables 1, 2) with uniformly brown dorsal coloration, black sides, a white to yellow oblique lateral stripe, a bright yellow blotch on the anteriodorsal side of thigh and on the upper arm, and a pale-blue or turquoise venter with black mottling (Fig. 2, Suppl. material 3). Calls of E. currulao sp. nov. are long with a call duration of 0.67–3.88 s (mean = 2.21, SD = 0.54 s, n = 15) and 22–122 pulses per call (mean = 73.98, SD = 18.77, n = 15). They occur in call series of only one call (Tables 3, 4).
Etymology: The specific epithet "currulao" is a noun in apposition of masculine gender. It refers to the musical genre that originated on the southern Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador, where E. currulao occurs and also contributes to the local soundscape. Currulao, also known as bambuco viejo, is an Afro-Colombian sounded practice that inspires dancing and transmits the happiness and cultural tradition of this region. It is a symbol of resilience in the face of racial and regional oppression (Abadía 1973; Aristizabal 2002; Birenbaum Quintero 2006, 2019). We named this species in honor of, and as an homage to, this musical genre that represents the culture of the southern Colombian Pacific because: “la música, como la vida, no se pueden dejar perder”, which translates to “music, like life, cannot be allowed to be lost” (Cruz Hoyos 2016).
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| Habitat structure of Epipedobates currulao sp. nov. at two localities A–C images of the type locality at Ladrilleros, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Usually, this species is found on roadsides near streams formed by rainfall D–F at the type locality, we observed frogs in habitats contaminated with garbage or agricultural waste. Note the frog in F (red circle) G–J habitat characteristics in Anchicayá, Dagua, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Images B, C, and E were taken by Rebecca D. Tarvin, all others by Mileidy Betancourth-Cundar. |
Mileidy Betancourth-Cundar, Juan Camilo Ríos-Orjuela, Andrew J. Crawford, David C. Cannatella and Rebecca D. Tarvin. 2025. Honoring the Afro-Colombian Musical Culture with the Naming of Epipedobates currulao sp. nov. (Anura, Dendrobatidae), A Frog from the Pacific Rainforests. ZooKeys. 1226: 139-170. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1226.123803
Resumen: El número de especies de anfibios descritas cada año continúa aumentando, especialmente en las regiones tropicales, lo que implica que la biodiversidad de anfibios sigue siendo subestimada. Se describe una nueva especie de rana venenosa de las tierras bajas del Pacífico del suroccidente de Colombia: Epipedobates currulao sp. nov., nombrada así por el género de música y danza del Pacífico conocido como "currulao" o "bambuco viejo". Las ranas de esta especie habitan en bosques de tierras bajas desde el nivel del mar hasta los 260 m. Este taxón se diferencia de sus congéneres por tener una combinación de manchas amarillas brillantes en la región dorsal anterior del muslo y los brazos, una coloración dorsal homogénea marrón oscuro y cantos de advertencia más largos y en consecuencia con mayor número de pulsos. También describimos la llamada de cortejo de E. currulao, con menor frecuencia pico y duración que la llamada de advertencia. Los análisis filogenéticos confirman la monofilia de la especie y su posición como hermana de Epipedobates narinensis, la cual se distribuye en el suroccidente de Colombia. Entre las especies de Epipedobates, la nueva especie ha sido previamente asignada a E. boulengeri, pero las dos especies son alopátricas y representan dos clados filogenéticamente divergentes (1.77% divergentes para 12S–16S y 5.39% para CYTB). Estas especies se pueden distinguir fenotípicamente por la presencia de una mancha amarilla brillante en la región dorsal anterior del muslo y en la parte superior del brazo en E. currulao sp. nov., que son más blancas que amarillas o están ausentes en E. boulengeri. Además, los cantos de advertencia son distintos, E. currulao sp. nov. tiene una única y larga llamada en una serie de llamadas, mientras que E. boulengeri tiene de 2 a 6 llamadas por serie, siendo cada llamada mucho más corta. Epipedobates currulao es la especie distribuida más al norte del género Epipedobates, el cual se extiende hacia el sur a lo largo del flanco occidental de la cordillera de los Andes. Esta región conocida como el Chocó biogeográfico, ha sido fuertemente transformada por agricultura en Ecuador y está experimentando una transformación generalizada de sus bosques en Colombia, lo cual pone en peligro a E. currulao sp. nov. y toda su biodiversidad en un futuro cercano. Una traducción del texto principal al español está disponible en el material suplementario 8.
