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Type: Article
Published: 2014-07-01
Page range: 449–474
Abstract views: 27
PDF downloaded: 1

Two new fringe-limbed frogs of the genus Ecnomiohyla (Anura: Hylidae) from Panama

Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt a. M., Germany Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity, BioCampus-Westend, Siesmayerstr. 70, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí, David, Panama
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt a. M., Germany Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity, BioCampus-Westend, Siesmayerstr. 70, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, St. Johanns-Vorstadt 10, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt a. M., Germany
Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt a. M., Germany
Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí, David, Panama
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Palacký University, 17. Listopadu 50, 77146 Olomouc, Czech Republic
Fringe-limbed frogs Ecnomiohyla rare species DNA barcoding lower Central America Panama

Abstract

Forest canopy-dwelling frogs are usually among the rarest anuran species observed in the neotropical forest, mainly because they fall outside of the scope of the standard search methods used by herpetologists. During field explorations undertaken in western and eastern Panama in recent years, we discovered two species belonging to the genus Ecnomiohyla, which showed significant differences in genetic distances (16S mtDNA gene) and morphological characteristics different from any known Ecnomiohyla species. The first specimen originates from the Serranía de Jingurudó, Darién province, southeastern Panamá, and is described herein as E. bailarina sp. nov., and the second specimen was found at Santa Fe National Park, Veraguas province, central-western Panama, and is described as E. veraguensis sp. nov. We provide a detailed description of both new species, including comparisons of morphological and molecular characters of almost all members of the genus in lower Central America, as well as an identification key for the entire genus.