Unexpected Beta-Diversity Radiations in Highland Clades of Andean Terraranae Frogs

A New Genus of Terrestrial-Breeding Frogs (Holoadeninae, Strabomantidae, Terrarana) from Southern Peru

“…Finally, our inferred phylogeny suggests that there are at least seven additional putative new species of Bryophryne, Noblella, and Psychrophrynella (Figure 2), and confirms previous findings of cryptic species diversity particularly in leaf litter, cloud forest frogs in the Noblella/Psychrophrynella clade [22]. These putative new species, similarly to most known species of high-elevation Holoadeninae [4], are highly endemic and known from single localities (or, around those localities, from within a narrow elevational range in the same valley, [22]). Of special interest among the putative new species, Psychrophrynella MUSM 27619 is the first specimen of the Noblella/Psychrophrynella lineage known from the Vilcabamba range.…”

“…Putative synapomorphies of Microkayla are a rounded tongue, areolate belly, and absence of prominent metatarsal tubercles [2]. It is presumed that all species of Microkayla vocalize, and known calls consist of a simple, short whistle-like tonal note [2,4]. Qosqophryne differs from most Microkayla in having (except for Q. flammiventris) fingers and toes with lateral fringes (absent in Microkayla), and having (except Q. flammiventris) dentigerous processes of vomers (absent in Microkayla).…”

“…Terrestrial-breeding frogs of the high Andes display an impressive degree of evolutionary convergence [1][2][3][4]. Such convergence is associated with life in the cloud forest and high-Andean grassland.…”

“…Such convergence is associated with life in the cloud forest and high-Andean grassland. Frogs in many genera of Terrarana have evolved strikingly similar body forms [4,5], typically a small, compact body with very short legs and feet, short arms and hands, loss of toe pads and discs, head wider than long, small eyes directed anterolaterally, and, in many groups, reduction or loss of tympanic structure and function [3]. The high similarity of body forms has delayed obtaining a taxonomic arrangement that reflects the evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships of most species of small, terrestrial-breeding frogs of the Andes [1,6,7].…”

Climatic Heterogeneity in the Bolivian Andes: Are Frogs Trapped?

“…In a classic and seminal article, Daniel Janzen enlightened us with the realization that topographic barriers in tropical mountains are critical in determining the distribution of their biotas, mostly because of the altitudinal differences in temperature and humidity (Janzen, 1967). The Andes are an important biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al, 2000) and a significant region in the radiation of direct-developing frogs of the family Craugastoridae Hedges et al, 2008(De la Riva, 2007, 2020De la Riva et al, 2017). From southern Peru to central Bolivia, there is a speciose genus of small craugastorid frogs within the subfamily Holoadeninae Hedges et al, 2008, Microkayla De la Riva et al, 2017, characterized by robust bodies and short extremities with unexpanded digital tips (De la Riva, 2007;De la Riva et al, 2017;Fig.…”