Abstract
A new species of Pristimantis is described from the highland paramos on the eastern slopes of the Cajas Massif, southern Andes of Ecuador, at 3400 m. This new species is characterized by having a distinctive reddish color, cutaneous macroglands in suprascapular region and surfaces of arm and legs, and by lacking dentigerous processes of vomers. The cutaneous macroglands are similar to those exhibited by several species of the Pristimantis orcesi group, and may suggest a close phylogenetic relationship. The new species could be a latitudinal substitution of Pristimantis orcesi in the southern Andes of Ecuador.
Highlights
The Andes are one of the major physiographic features on our planet
Paramos occur on mountain tops above continuous forest line and below perpetual snow line, mainly in the Andes of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, with outliers on the Andes of northern Peru, and the Central American Cordillera of Costa Rica and Panama
Different vegetation communities are found in paramos, but its general physiognomy is characterized by bush-grasses, rosette and cushion plants, mycrophyllous and dwarf shrubs, and geophytes, with trees usually absent
Summary
The Andes are one of the major physiographic features on our planet. A heterogeneous mountain system, three geographical separations have been identified in the Andes, based on their different geological, geographical, climatic, and ecosystemic characteristics: northern, central, and southern Andes (Graham 2009). Paramos show discontinuous distribution, being biogeographic continental islands—isolated one from another by lower areas with different ecologic and physiographic characteristics (Mena and Josse 2000; Mena-Vásconez 2010) Due to their insularity, paramo biota shows important levels of speciation and endemism (Vuilleumier 1970; Fjeldsa 1992; Luteyn 1999; Sklenář et al 2011; Llambí and Cuesta 2014). Amphibian species richness decreases with higher altitude (Navas 2006; Wiens 2007), anurans seem to be more diverse than other ectothermic tetrapods in paramos (Navas 1997, 2006) Due to their low dispersion capacity and high ecophysiological adaptations, anurans are strongly influenced by the insularity of paramos, showing high levels of endemism and speciation (Duellman 1979, Lynch 1987). A new species of Pristimantis (Anura, Craugastoridae) from the Cajas Massif
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