A new species of brilliant green frog of the genus Tlalocohyla (Anura, Hylidae) hiding between two volcanoes of northern Costa Rica

Abstract

A new species of hylid frog is described from Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, located on the Caribbean slope of Tenorio Volcano in Bijagua, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica. A molecular phylogenetic analysis supports its inclusion in the genus Tlalocohyla. Morphological, morphometric, larval, and acoustic characteristics further distinguish it from other species in the genus and support its uniqueness. The new species is closely related to T. picta and T. smithii, and is separated by at least 500 kilometers from the nearest known occurrence of a population of T. picta in southern Honduras. The new species is readily distinguished from all other Tlalocohyla by its brilliant green coloration marked with a pronounced, incomplete light dorsolateral stripe that is bordered above by a diffuse reddish-brown stripe. Its dorsum is marked with bold reddish brown spots and its ventral skin is fully transparent. This new Tlalocohyla is currently only known from the type locality, where it inhabits a lentic wetland system with an emergent herbaceous vegetation-dominated benthic zone, surrounded by tropical rainforest. A description of its bioacoustic repertoire and information on natural history, reproduction and habitat preference of this new species are provided.