A new species of Noblella (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from the humid montane forests of Cusco, Peru

Abstract

A new species of Noblella is described from the humid montane forest of the Región Cusco in Peru. Specimens were collected at 2330–2370 m elevation in Madre Selva, near Santa Ana, in the province of La Convención. The new species is readily distinguished from all other species of Noblella by having a broad, irregularly shaped, white mark on black background on chest and belly. The new species further differs from known Peruvian species of Noblella by the combination of the following characters: tympanic membrane absent, small tubercles on the upper eyelid and on dorsum, tarsal tubercles or folds absent, tips of digits not expanded, no circumferential grooves on digits, dark brown facial mask and lateral band extending from the tip of the snout to the inguinal region. The new species has a snout-to-vent length of 15.6 mm in one adult male and 17.6 mm in one adult female. Like other recently described species in the genus, this new Noblella inhabits high-elevation forests in the Andes and likely has a restricted geographic distribution.

Peer Review #2 of "Psychrophrynella glauca sp. n., a new species of terrestrial-breeding frogs (Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae) from the montane forests of the Amazonian Andes of Puno, Peru (v0.1)"

“…A similar pattern has occurred in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, where the diversity and micro-endemism of the minute terrestrial-breeding Brachychephalus was long unappreciated (Pie et al 2017;Pie & Ribeiro 2015;Ribeiro et al 2017). In Peru, most species of Holoadeninae have been described since 2008 (Catenazzi, Uscapi & von May 2015;Catenazzi & Ttito 2016;Catenazzi et al 2017b;De la Riva et al 2008;De la Riva et al 2017;Lehr & Catenazzi 2008; PeerJ reviewing PDF | (2017:09:20348:2:0:NEW 9 Feb 2018)…”

Bryophryne phuyuhampatu sp. n., a new species of Cusco Andes frog from the cloud forest of the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae)

“…The diversity of high-elevation, small terrestrial-breeding frogs in the Department of Cusco has increased sharply over the past decade (Catenazzi and Ttito 2016; Catenazzi et al 2015; Chaparro et al 2007; Chaparro et al 2015; De la Riva et al 2008; Lehr and Catenazzi 2008; Lehr and Catenazzi 2009a; Lehr and Catenazzi 2009b; Lehr and Catenazzi 2010), mostly due to the addition of new species of Bryophryne . With the present description, three species of Bryophryne are known to occur in the region surrounding Abra (= mountain pass) Hualla Hualla and the upper Marcapata and adjacent valley (the other two being Bryophryne sp.…”

“…(Catenazzi and Ttito 2016). With the discovery of Psychrophrynella chirihampatu (Catenazzi and Ttito 2016) and B. phuyuhampatu , the Ukumary Llaqta protected area now boasts two endemic species not found in nationally protected areas, demonstrating the beneficial contribution of private protected areas to amphibian conservation (Catenazzi et al 2015; Catenazzi and von May 2014; von May et al 2008). …”

A New Species of Terrestrial-Breeding Frog (Amphibia, Strabomantidae, Noblella) from the Upper Madre De Dios Watershed, Amazonian Andes and Lowlands of Southern Peru

“…The terrestrial-breeding frog genus Noblella Barbour, 1930 [1] (Strabomantidae) is distributed in the Andes-Amazon region of Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia and currently includes 14 species: N. carrascoicola (De la Riva and Köhler, 1998) [2], N. coloma Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez, 2009 [3], N. duellmani (Lehr, Aguilar, and Lundberg, 2004) [4], N. heyeri (Lynch, 1986) [5], N. lochites (Lynch, 1976) [6], N. lynchi (Duellman, 1991) [7], N. madreselva Catenazzi, Uscapi, and von May, 2015 [8], N. myrmecoides (Lynch, 1976) [6], N. naturetrekii Reyes-Puig et al [9], N. personina Harvey, Almendáriz, Brito-M., and Batallas-R., 2013 [10], N. peruviana (Noble, 1921) [11], N. pygmaea Lehr and Catenazzi, 2009 [12], N. ritarasquinae (Köhler, 2000) [13], and N. thiuni Catenazzi and Ttito, 2019 [14]. Most of these species inhabit montane forests above 1000 m and are morphologically very similar to those in the genus Psychrophrynella Hedges, Duellman, and Heinicke 2008 [15].…”