Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach

Revealing hidden biodiversity: Novel insights on reptile and amphibian distribution in western Ecuador

We present notable distributional updates for 14 species from western Ecuador (seven amphibians and seven reptiles). Our findings include the northernmost confirmed sighting of Pristimantis kuri and the southernmost documented record of Imantodes inornatus and Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi. Additionally, we document new records and notes on the distribution range of Agalychnis spurrelli, Hyloscirtus alytolylax, Engystomops montubio, Pristimantis muricatus, Pristimantis nyctophylax, Pristimantis walkeri, Chironius flavopictus, Chironius grandisquamis, Dendrophidion graciliverpa, Ninia schmidti, and Urotheca fulviceps. These observations significantly contribute to filling information gaps in our understanding of these species' distributions. The data, derived from samples collected across diverse forested areas in the western region of Ecuador (provinces of Bolívar, Cañar, Guayas, El Oro, and Los Ríos), provide valuable insights into the ecology and conservation of these species.

First national assessment of wildlife mortality in Ecuador: An effort from citizens and academia to collect roadkill data at country scale

Ecuador has both high richness and high endemism, which are increasingly threatened by anthropic pressures, including roads. Research evaluating the effects of roads remains scarce, making it difficult to develop mitigation plans. Here, we present the first national assessment of wildlife mortality on roads that allow us to (1) estimate roadkill rates per species, (2) identify affected species and areas, and (3) reveal knowledge gaps. We bring together data from systematic surveys and citizen science efforts to present a dataset with 5010 wildlife roadkill records from 392 species, and we also provide 333 standardized corrected roadkill rates calculated on 242 species. Systematic surveys were reported by ten studies from five Ecuadorian provinces, revealing 242 species with corrected roadkill rates ranging from 0.03 to 171.72 ind./km/year. The highest rates were for the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia in Galapagos (171.72 ind./km/year), the cane toad Rhinella marina in Manabi (110.70 ind./km/year), and the Galapagos lava lizard Microlophus albemarlensis (47.17 ind./km/year). Citizen science and other nonsystematic monitoring provided 1705 roadkill records representing all 24 provinces in Ecuador and 262 identified species. The common opossum Didelphis marsupialis, the Andean white-eared opossum Didelphis pernigra, and the yellow warbler Setophaga petechia were more commonly reported (250, 104, and 81 individuals, respectively). Across all sources, we found 15 species listed as "Threatened" and six as "Data Deficient" by the IUCN. We recommend stronger research efforts in areas where the mortality of endemic or threatened species could be critical for populations, such as in Galapagos. This first country-wide assessment of wildlife mortality on Ecuadorian roads represents contributions from academia, members of the public, and government, underlining the value of wider engagement and collaboration. We hope these findings and the compiled dataset will guide sensible driving and sustainable planning of infrastructure in Ecuador and, ultimately, contribute to reduce wildlife mortality on roads.

A taxonomic re-assessment of Oligodon cinereus (Günther, 1864) (Squamata, Serpentes, Colubridae) populations from southern Indochina

The ashy kukri snake Oligodon cinereus (Günther, 1864) is a widely distributed and morphologically variable species found throughout mainland Southeast Asia. In this paper, we re-assessed the taxonomic status of O. cinereus populations found in southern Indochina (southern Vietnam, Cambodia, and southern Laos), including the recently described Cat Tien kukri snake Oligodon cattienensisVassilieva et al., 2013, which was previously confused with this species. Phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial DNA from the 12S–16S ribosomal subunit and cytochrome b gene revealed that O. cattienensis is embedded in a mixed clade containing samples of the subspecies O. cinereus pallidocinctus, which bears a dorsal color pattern with white crossbars and black edges. This clade forms a strongly supported sister group with a topotypic sample of O. cinereus cinereus, representing populations bearing a uniform dorsal color pattern and slight reticulate markings, however the genetic divergence between the two clades is very low. The morphological characters used to distinguish O. cattienensis from O. cinereus sensu lato broadly overlap and supposed differences in hemipenial morphology between the two taxa are due to outdated terminologies used to describe the organ. We relegate both O. cattienensis and O. cinereus pallidocinctus to the junior synonymy of O. cinereus and consider all color patterns of this species found near the type locality in Cambodia, southern Laos, and southern Vietnam to represent O. cinereus sensu stricto. Future integrative investigations across the range of O. cinereus sensu lato are needed to resolve the status of the remaining subspecies and synonyms associated with this taxon. Problems associated with hemipenial morphology and Oligodon systematics are also discussed.