Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Articles
Published: 2011-09-29
Page range: 57–67
Abstract views: 34
PDF downloaded: 1

A new species of harlequin frog (Bufonidae: Atelopus) with an unusual behavior from Andes of Colombia

Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 67 # 53–108, Bloque 7–121, Medellín, Colombia, A.A. 1226
Grupo Herpetológico de Antioquia, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Calle 67 # 53–108, Bloque 7–121, Medellín, Colombia, A.A. 1226 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 6681, 90619-900, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil
Amphibia Atelopus nocturnus sp. nov. Cordillera Central Colombia natural history taxonomy

Abstract

A new species of harlequin frog, genus Atelopus, is described from the highlands in the northern part of the Cordillera Central, Colombia. The new species, is distinguished from all other species in the genus by the presence of a postorbital crest widely raised, well defined coni in postocular region and arms, small warts and spiculae scattered on the dorsal surfaces of the body and thighs and, vertebral neural processes conspicuous. Females are uniform dark reddish brown on dorsum, and bright orange ventrally; males are dark brown dorsally, and ventrally white or yellowish with dark brown irregular stripes and blotches. The conservation population status of the new species is discussed, additionally the natural history and aspects about an unusual behavior in the genus is provided.

References

  1. Acosta-Galvis, A.R., Rueda-Almonacid, J.V., Velásquez-Álvarez, A.A., Sánchez-Pacheco, S.J. & Peña Prieto, J.A. (2006). Descubrimiento de una nueva especie de Atelopus (Bufonidae) para Colombia: ¿una luz de esperanza o el ocaso de los sapos arlequines? Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 30, 279–290.

    Ardila-Robayo, M.C., Osorno-Muñoz, M. & Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. 2002. Una nueva especie del genero Atelopus A.M.C. Dumeril & Bibron 1841 (Amphibia: Bufonidae) de la Cordillera Oriental de Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 26, 133–139.

    Barrio-Sanz J. & Venegas, P. (2005) A new species of harlequin frog (Anura: Bufonidae: Atelopus) from the northern Cordillera Central, Peru. Revista Española de Herpetología, 19, 103–112.

    Cannatella, D.C. (1981) A new Atelopus from Ecuador and Colombia. Journal of Herpetology, 15, 133–138.

    Coloma, L.A., Lötters, S., & Salas, A.W. (2002) Taxonomy of the Atelopus ignescens complex (Anura: Bufonidae): designation of a neotype of Atelopus ignescens and recognition of Atelopus exiguus. Herpetologica, 56, 303–324.

    Coloma, L.A., Lötters, S., Duellman, W.E. & Miranda-Leiva, A. (2007) A taxonomic revision of Atelopus pachydermus, and description of two new (extinct?) species of Atelopus from Ecuador (Anura: Bufonidae). Zootaxa, 1557, 1–32.

    Duellman, W.E., & Trueb, L. (1986) Biology of Amphibians. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, New York, 670 pp.

    Frost, D.R. (2011) Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.5 (31 January, 2011). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA, (accessed 21 June 2011).

    Gray, P. & Cannatella, D.C. (1985) A new species of Atelopus (Anura, Bufonidae) from the Andes of northern Perú. Copeia, 4, 910–917.

    Guayasamin, J.M., Bonaccorso, E., Duellman,W.E. & Coloma, L.A. (2010) Genetic differentiation in the nearly extinct harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus), with emphasis on the Andean Atelopus ignescens and A. bomolochos species complexes. Zootaxa, 2574, 55–68.

    Gutiérrez-Cardenas, P.D.A. (2002) Plan de manejo ambiental para el área de manejo especial La Forzosa. Corporacion Autonoma Regional del Centro de Antioquia, Medelln, Colombia.

    IUCN. (2001) IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 3.1. In: IUCN 2010 Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.2 Available from http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria/2001-categories-criteria/ (accessed 21 June 2010).

    IUCN. (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.2 Available from http://www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/amphibians/ (accessed 21 June 2010).

    La Marca, E., Lips, K.R., Lötters, S., Puschendorf, R., Ibañez, R., Rueda-Almonacid, J.V., Schulte, R., Marty, C., Castro, F., Manzanilla-Puppo, J., García-Pérez, J.E., Bolaños, F., Chaves, G., Pounds, J.A., Toral, E. & Young, B. (2005) Catastrophic population declines and extinctions in Neotropical Harlequin frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus). Biotropica, 37, 190–201.

    Lehr, E., Lötters, S., & Lundberg, M. (2008). A new species of Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Cordillera Oriental of central Perú.. Herpetologica, 64, 368–378.

    Lötters, S. (1996) The Neotropical Toad Genus Atelopus. Checklist - Biology - Distribution. Vences & Glaw, Cologne.

    Lötters, S. (2005) Atelopus chocoensis. In Rueda-Almonacid, J.V., Rodríguez-Mahecha, J.V., Lötters, S., La Marca, E., Kahn, T., & Angulo, A. (Eds.), Ranas arlequines. Conservación Internacional. Panamericana Formas e Impresos S. A., Bogot, Colombia, pp. 148.

    Lötters, S. (2007) The fate of the harlequin toads – help through a synchronous multidisciplinary approach and the IUCN “Amphibian Conservation Action Plan. Mitteilungen Museum Für Naturkunde Berlin, Zoologische Reihe, 83, 69–73.

    Lötters, S., Haas, W., Schick, S. & Böhme, W. (2002) On the systematics of the harlequin frogs (Amphibia: Bufonidae: Atelopus) from Amazonia. II: Redescription of Atelopus pulcher (Boulenger, 1882) from the eastern Andean versant in Peru. Salamandra, 38, 165–184.

    Lötters, S., van der Meijden, A., Rödder, D., Koester, T.E., Kraus, T., La Marca, E., Haddad, C.F.B. & Veith, M. (2010) Reinforcing and expanding the predictions of the disturbance vicariance hypothesis in Amazonian harlequin frogs: a molecular phylogenetic and climate envelope modelling approach. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19, 2125-2146

    Lötters, S., A. Van der Meijden, L. A. Coloma, R. Boistel, P. Cloetens, R. Ernst, E. Lehr & Veith, M. (2011) Assessing the molecular phylogeny of a near extinct group of vertebrates: the Neotropical harlequin frogs (Bufonidae; Atelopus). Systematics & Biodiversity, 9, 45–57.

    Lynch, J.D. (1993) A new harlequin frog from the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia (Anura: Bufonidae: Atelopus). Alytes, 11, 77-87

    McDiarmid, R.W. (1971) Comparative morphology and evolution of frogs of the neotropical genera Atelopus, Dendrophryniscus, Melanophryniscus, and Oreophrynella. Bulletin of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Science, 12, 1–66.

    Myers, C.W., & Duellman, W.E. (1982) A new species of Hyla from Cerro Colorado, and other tree frog records and geographical notes from western Panama. American Museum Novitates, 2752, 1– 32.

    Noonan, B. P., & Gaucher, P. (2005) Phylogeography and demography of Guianan harlequin toads (Atelopus): diversification within a refuge. Molecular Ecology, 14, 3017–3031.

    Rivero, J.A. (1963) Five new species of Atelopus from Colombia, with notes on other species from Colombia and Ecuador. Caribbean Journal of Science, 3, 103–124.

    Rivero, J.A. & Morales, V.R. (1995) Description of a new species of Atelopus from Departamento del Cauca, Colombia. Brenesia, 38, 29–36.

    Rivero, J.A. & Serna, M.A. (1989) Una nueva especie de Atelopus (Amphibia; Bufonidae) de Colombia. Caribbean Journal of Science, 25, 36–40.

    Rivero, J.A. & Serna, M.A. (1993) A new species of Atelopus (Amphibia, Bufonidae) from Antioquia, Colombia. Brenesia, 36, 15–20

    Ron, S.A., Duellman, W.E., Coloma, L.A. & Bustamante, M.R. (2003) Population decline of the jambato toad Atelopus ignescens (Anura: Bufonidae) in the Andes of Ecuador. Journal of Herpetology, 37, 116–126.

    Rueda-Almonacid, J.V., Rodríguez-Mahecha, J.V., Lötters, S., La Marca, E., Kahn, T. & Angulo, A. (Eds.). (2005) Ranas Arlequines. Conservación Internacional. Panamericana Formas e Impresos S. A., Bogot, Colombia, 158 pp.

    Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. & Hernández-Camacho, J.A. (1978) Una nueva especie colombiana de Atelopus (Amphibia: Bufonidae). Caldasia, 12, 181–197.

    Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. & Osorno-Muñoz, M. (1994) Tres nuevas especies de Atelopus A.M.C. Dumeril and Bibron 1841 (Amphibia: Bufonidae) de la Cordillera Central de Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 19, 165–179.

    Savage, J.M., & Heyer, W.R. (1969) Variation and distribution of the tree-frog genus Phyllomedusa in Costa Rica, Central America. Beitrage zur Neotropischen Fauna, 5, 111–131.

    Savage, J.M., & Heyer, W.R. (1997) Digital webbing formulae for anurans: a refinement. Herpetological Review, 28, 131.

    Stuart, S.N., Hoffman, M., Chanson, J.S., Cox, N.A., Berridge, R.J., Ramani, P., & Young, B.E. (2008). Threatened Amphibians of the World. Lynx Editions, Barcelona, Spain, 758 pp.

    Vélez-Rodrguez, C., & Ruiz-Carranza, P.M. (1997) Una nueva especie de Atelopus (Amphibia: Anura: Bufonidae) de la Cordillera Central, Colombia. Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 21, 555–563.

    Venegas, P., Catenazzi, A., Siu-Ting, K., & Carrillo, J. (2008). Two new Harlequin frogs (Anura: Bufonidae) from the Andes nothern of Per.ú Salamandra, 4, 163–176.