A new Andean treefrog (Amphibia: Hyloscirtus bogotensis group) from Ecuador: an example of community involvement for conservation

Three new species of torrent treefrogs (Anura, Hylidae) of the Hyloscirtusbogotensis group from the eastern Andean slopes and the biogeographic history of the genus

The Hyloscirtusbogotensis group contains 17 species of treefrogs from the tropical Andes and Central America. A taxonomic review of the Amazonian clades of this group is presented based on DNA sequences of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and a preliminary phylogenomic analysis of ultraconserved elements, as well as morphological, bioacoustic, and environmental characters. Additionally, the role of the Andes in the diversification of the genus Hyloscirtus is explored by reconstructing their ancestral basin (Amazon, Pacific, Caribbean). Our integrative analysis indicates the existence of eight undescribed candidate species within the group. Three of those species are described, previously masked within H.albopunctulatus, H.phyllognathus, and H.torrenticola. A lectotype is also designated for Hylaalbopunctulata. The new evidence suggests that neither Hyloscirtusphyllognathus nor H.torrenticola occur in Ecuador. The new species, H.elbakyanae sp. nov., H.dispersus sp. nov., and Hyloscirtusmaycu sp. nov. differ from other members of the group in bioacoustics and external morphology. The most useful diagnostic characters among species were advertisement calls. In contrast, skin coloration is highly variable intraspecifically and, as a result, of low diagnostic value. High variation in color is partly a result of phenotypic plasticity. Our biogeographic reconstructions indicate that the Andean barrier influenced the diversification of Hyloscirtus. Since the early Oligocene, there have been only four colonization events across de Andes, between the Pacific and Amazon basins. Two of those events occurred more than 14 Mya, when most of the tropical Andes were below 3000 m. Species in the highland H.larinopygion group are younger, suggesting recent diversification as high montane forests and paramo habitats emerged.

Sounds of the northern Andes: the calls of a diverse and endangered frog community (Amphibia, Anura) from Ecuador

The emission of calls is one of the most distinctive and important reproductive traits in anurans. Given the biological significance of vocalizations, this trait is also useful for identification proposes and is key in recognizing cryptic diversity. However, the majority of the calls from tropical ecosystems, especially in the high Andean mountains, are unknown. Between 2016 and 2021, a total of 14 expeditions were conducted to the forests and moorlands of the eastern and western Andean Mountain range of the province of Carchi-Ecuador, at elevations ranging from 2694 to 3848 m a.s.l. The objective of these expeditions was to record the calls of the anuran fauna present in these ecosystems. In total, 30 anuran species were recorded, and calls of 20 species were described, 15 of which are described and reported for the first time in the present study. The call of Hyloxalusdelatorreae, a critically endangered species, is described with a remarkable recording of the call of Niceforoniabrunnea, a species considered mute. In addition, nine are candidate species, including the first record of Pristimantisfarisorum for Ecuador. This study represents the most comprehensive and accurate acoustic documentation of a highland community, which will facilitate taxonomic and conservation work in the area.

High speciation in the cryptic Pristimantis celator clade (Anura: Strabomantidae) of the Mira river basin, Ecuador-Colombia

Over the past decade, research in the montane forests of the Mira River basin, spanning Ecuador and Colombia, has identified it as crucial for the adaptive radiation of flora and fauna, shaped by its complex geological and climatic history. This study focuses on the phylogenetic and systematic revision of a frog clade initially labeled as Pristimantis verecundus, revealing significant cryptic diversity. Through detailed analyses of type material and expanded molecular sampling, we found that the original description actually included specimens representing two additional species, which are described herein. In this work, we discovered and formally described four new species within montane forests at elevations from 1,600 to 2,300 meters. Genetic distances of 3.34% to 14% and clear morphological differences underscore the clade's hidden diversity. We propose renaming the group Pristimantis celator clade within Pristimantis myersi species group and subgenus Trachyphrynus, aligning with phylogenetic evidence and resolving taxonomic ambiguities using the oldest available name, Pristimantis celator (Lynch, 1976). This reclassification includes 14 species, seven formally described, and seven as candidates, distributed across northwestern Ecuador and southwestern Colombia, particularly in Mira and Esmeraldas River basins. The study highlights the Andean orogeny's role in species diversification within Pristimantis celator clade, with geographic barriers like Cerro Golondrinas influencing genetic isolation. Genetic divergences exceeding 3.34% indicate evolutionary isolation across these landscapes. Our findings provide insights into montane ecosystem speciation, emphasizing vicariance, niche adaptation, and altitudinal gradients in shaping biodiversity. A polytomy among three well-supported clades within Pristimantis myersi species group is noted due to incomplete genetic data, yet distinctiveness and evolutionary relationships are affirmed. Cryptic diversity within Pristimantis celator clade links to unique orogenic and climatic conditions, highlighting conservation needs. Lastly, we provide a redescription of Pristimantis verecundus and species identification key to aid future research and conservation in this biogeographically influential region.

The Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot: A Comprehensive Dataset for the Mira-Mataje Binational Basins

We present a flora and fauna dataset for the Mira-Mataje binational basins. This is an area shared between southwestern Colombia and northwestern Ecuador, where both the Chocó and Tropical Andes biodiversity hotspots converge. We systematized data from 120 sources in the Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) standard and geospatial vector data format for geographic information systems (GIS) (shapefiles). Sources included natural history museums, published literature, and citizen science repositories across 13 countries. The resulting database has 33,460 records from 6,821 species, of which 540 have been recorded as endemic, and 612 as threatened. The diversity represented in the dataset is equivalent to 10% of the total plant species and 26% of the total terrestrial vertebrate species in both hotspots. The dataset can be used to estimate and compare biodiversity patterns with environmental parameters and provide value to ecosystems, ecoregions, and protected areas. The dataset is a baseline for future assessments of biodiversity in the face of environmental degradation, climate change, and accelerated extinction processes.

Forty years later: a new Andean stream treefrog of the genus Hyloscirtus (Anura: Hylidae) from Ecuador, with comments on arm hypertrophy in the H. larinopygion group

We present the description of a novel treefrog species inhabiting the Andean streams in southeastern Ecuador that has been erroneously identified as Hyloscirtus lindae for four decades. The new species is closely related to H. tapichalaca and is part of the southern clade of the H. larinopygion group, which comprises five species confined to the southeastern Andes of Ecuador to the northeastern Andes of Peru. It is diagnosed from its close relatives by a unique combination of characteristics, including hypertrophied forelimbs in males, a pronounced, curved, and protruding spine-shaped prepollex, a substantial supracloacal flap, supratympanic fold, digital discs colored in shades of orange-red or bright-red, and the concealed surfaces of limbs displaying a bluish-gray hue and dorsal spicules in males. We briefly explore the implications of this discovery for the evolution of arm morphology in the H. larinopygion group. Our findings underscore the continued importance of periodically reviewing historical specimens, leading to unexpected discoveries; once again confirming the importance of natural history museums and their custodian biological collections.

A new stream treefrog of the genus Hyloscirtus (Amphibia, Hylidae) from the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park, Ecuador

Recent surveys in the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park revealed a striking new species of Hyloscirtus. The new species is easily diagnosed from all other congeners by its large body size (64.9 mm SVL in adult female); broad dermal fringes in fingers and toes; prepollex not projected into a prepollical spine and hidden under thenar tubercle; dorsum greyish-green, with paler-hued reticulum, yellow spots and black speckles; throat, venter, flanks and hidden surfaces of limbs golden-yellow with large black blotches and spots; fingers, toes and webbing yellow with black bars and spots; iris pale pink with black periphery. It is currently known only from its type locality, in the high montane forest on the southern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental of the Andes, southeastern Ecuador. The new species might be related to the H. larinopygion species group based on its morphology.

Two new syntopic species of glassfrogs (Amphibia, Centrolenidae, Centrolene) from the southwestern Andes of Ecuador

We describe two new species of glassfrogs of the genus Centrolene living in syntopy at La Enramada, province of Azuay, southwestern Ecuador. They were found in a small creek in montane evergreen forests at 2,900 m elevation. The first new species is distinguished from all other members of the genus Centrolene by having the following combination of characters: dentigerous process of vomer absent; sloping snout in lateral view; thick, white labial stripe and a faint white line between the lip and anterior ¼ of body; humeral spine in adult males; parietal peritoneum covered by iridophores, visceral peritonea translucent (except pericardium); ulnar and tarsal ornamentation; dorsal skin shagreen with dispersed warts; uniform green dorsum with light yellowish green warts; and green bones. The new species is remarkable by being sister to a species from the opposite Andean versant, C. condor. The second new species is distinguished from all other Centrolene by having the following combination of characters: dentigerous process of vomer absent; round snout in lateral view; thin, yellowish labial stripe with a row of white tubercles between the lip and arm insertion, and a yellowish line between arm insertion and groin; uniform green dorsum; humeral spine in adult males; parietal peritoneum covered by iridophores, visceral peritonea translucent (except pericardium); dorsal skin shagreen with dispersed spicules; ulnar and tarsal ornamentation; and green bones. The second new species is sister to C. sabini and an undescribed species of Centrolene from southeastern Ecuador. Based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences, we present a new phylogeny for Centrolene and comment on the phylogenetic relationships inside the genus.

A spectacular new species of Hyloscirtus (Anura: Hylidae) from the Cordillera de Los Llanganates in the eastern Andes of Ecuador

We have discovered a spectacular new species of frog in the genus Hyloscirtus, belonging to the H. larinopygion species group. The adult female is characterized by a mostly black body with large bright red spots on the dorsal and ventral surface, extremities, and toe pads. The adult male is unknown. Small juveniles are characterized by a yellow body with variable black markings on the flanks; while one larger juvenile displayed irregular orange or yellow marks on a black background color, with light orange or yellow toe pads. Additional distinctive external morphological features such as cloacal ornamentation are described, and some osteological details are imaged and analyzed. The performed phylogeny places the new species as the sister to a clade consisting of ten taxa, all of which are part of the H. larinopygion group. We use genetic distances to fit the new species into a published time-calibrated phylogeny of this group; our analysis based on the published chronology suggests that the divergence of the new species from its known congeners pre-dates the Quaternary period. The new species is currently only known only from Cerro Mayordomo, in Fundación EcoMinga´s Machay Reserve, at 2,900 m in the eastern Andes of Tungurahua province, Ecuador, near the southern edge of Los Llanganates National Park, but its real distribution may be larger.

A set of principles and practical suggestions for equitable fieldwork in biology

Field biology is an area of research that involves working directly with living organisms in situ through a practice known as "fieldwork." Conducting fieldwork often requires complex logistical planning within multiregional or multinational teams, interacting with local communities at field sites, and collaborative research led by one or a few of the core team members. However, existing power imbalances stemming from geopolitical history, discrimination, and professional position, among other factors, perpetuate inequities when conducting these research endeavors. After reflecting on our own research programs, we propose four general principles to guide equitable, inclusive, ethical, and safe practices in field biology: be collaborative, be respectful, be legal, and be safe. Although many biologists already structure their field programs around these principles or similar values, executing equitable research practices can prove challenging and requires careful consideration, especially by those in positions with relatively greater privilege. Based on experiences and input from a diverse group of global collaborators, we provide suggestions for action-oriented approaches to make field biology more equitable, with particular attention to how those with greater privilege can contribute. While we acknowledge that not all suggestions will be applicable to every institution or program, we hope that they will generate discussions and provide a baseline for training in proactive, equitable fieldwork practices.