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Issue: Vol. 5886 No. 2: 2 Oct. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-10-02
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5886.2.2
Page range: 193-217
Abstract views: 1092
PDF downloaded: 14

Tiny jewels of the forest: A new and endangered species of Excidobates (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from southeastern Ecuador

Jungle Dave’s Science Foundation; San Juan Bosco; Morona Santiago; Ecuador; Unidad de Investigación; Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO); Quito; Ecuador; Museo de Zoología; Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre; Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP; Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales; Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ; Quito; Ecuador
Museo de Zoología de la Universidad del Azuay MZUA; Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología; Universidad del Azuay; Cuenca; Ecuador; Fundación Nukamp; José Joaquín de Olmedo 1-61 y González Suárez; Cuenca; Ecuador
Current address: General Leonidas Plaza Gutiérrez; Limón Indanza; Morona Santiago; Ecuador
Jungle Dave’s Science Foundation; San Juan Bosco; Morona Santiago; Ecuador; Fundación Nukamp; José Joaquín de Olmedo 1-61 y González Suárez; Cuenca; Ecuador
Unidad de Investigación; Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO); Quito; Ecuador; Department of Biology; University of Central Florida; Orlando; FL; USA
Museo de Zoología QCAZ; Centro de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad CIBIO; Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; Quito; Ecuador
Museo de Zoología QCAZ; Centro de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad CIBIO; Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; Quito; Ecuador
Amphibia Andes conservation Ecuador phylogeny taxonomy

Abstract

Poison dart frogs are one of the most studied and charismatic groups of amphibians, yet diversity within small and geographically restricted genera such as Excidobates remains incompletely understood. Until recently, this genus was known to comprise only three species distributed across the eastern mountain ranges of southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Here, we describe a new species represented by two populations in southern Ecuador: one from the eastern slopes of the Andes and another from north of Cordillera del Cóndor. The new species is more closely related to Excidobates mysteriosus, from which it differs by a genetic distance of 2.7–3.5% (16S rRNA gene) and markedly distinctive morphology such as 15.1–18.3 mm on snout-vent length and strongly granular skin. The two populations of the new species differ markedly in color from each other and from E. mysteriosus: scarlet red mottled dorsal coloration on a black background and a red-orange and black reticulated venter in the Central Andean Cordillera population, and green dorsal coloration with inconspicuous yellow spots and a yellow and black reticulated venter in the Cordillera del Cóndor population. Its advertisement call has 24–26 pulses, dominant frequency 4781.3–5062.5 Hz, and 0.51–0.56 s duration. The two populations are separated by 65 km, inhabit different forest types and have a genetic distance of 0.6–0.7%. Despite the marked color and habitat differences, the combined evidence indicates that the two populations represent polymorphic variants of the same species. Because the new species faces severe and imminent threats, including large and medium-scale mining, hydroelectric development, and illegal wildlife trade, we propose to assign it to the Red List category as Critically Endangered. Our findings highlight the rich but still underestimated amphibian diversity of the southeastern Ecuadorian Andes and underscore the urgent need for conservation actions in these regions.

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How to Cite

Sánchez-Nivicela, J.C., Falcón-Reibán, J.M., Lituma, M.C., Fajardo-Torres, J.D., Urgiles, V.L., Apunte-Ramos, K. & Ron, S.R. (2026) Tiny jewels of the forest: A new and endangered species of Excidobates (Anura: Dendrobatidae) from southeastern Ecuador. Zootaxa, 5886 (2), 193–217. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5886.2.2