Abstract
We describe a new species of Pristimantis from the montane forest of the Río Zuñag Ecological Reserve, upper basin of the Pastaza River, Ecuador. Pristimantismalliisp. n. is characterized by a snout-vent length of 11.6–21.3 mm in adult males (n = 12), 22.6–34.3 mm in adult females (n = 8), and is compared morphologically and genetically with Pristimantismiktos and with other relevant species of Pristimantis. The new species is characterized by having skin on dorsum and flanks shagreen, distinctive scapular folds, snout broadly rounded in dorsal view, upper eyelid bearing one or two subconical tubercles and some rounded tubercles, dorsum and flanks light brown to brown, with irregular dark brown marks bounded by dirty cream and groin with irregular yellowish marks.
Highlights
The genus Pristimantis is an endemic group of terrestrial frogs of the Neotropical region; with more than 525 species, it is the largest genus of all vertebrates (Frost 2018)
Placement of Pristimantis mallii sp. n. in the genus Pristimantis was strongly supported, and according to the available information, the new species is sister to Pristimantis miktos. Both species form a clade with high support (Fig. 1) sister to a clade composed of Pristimantis cryophilius, P. spinosus, P. phoxocephalus, P. riveti, P. versicolor, and P. hampatusami
Head slightly wider than long (12.8 mm vs 11.7); head width 44.4% of snout-vent length (SVL); head length 41% of SVL; snout broadly rounded in dorsal view, moderate in length and rounded in lateral view (Fig. 4); eye–nostril distance 16% of SVL; canthus rostralis slightly concave in lateral view, nostrils directed laterally; interorbital area flat, as wide as the upper eyelid; cranial crests absent; upper eyelid with one or two subconical tubercles, and some rounded tubercles; upper eyelid width 100% of interorbital distance (IOD); tympanic membrane differentiated, tympanic annulus present, with upper margins covered by a supratympanic fold; tympanum diameter 54% of eye diameter; three subconical postrictal tubercles
Summary
The genus Pristimantis is an endemic group of terrestrial frogs of the Neotropical region; with more than 525 species, it is the largest genus of all vertebrates (Frost 2018). Most of the species of this genus are characterized by having small distributions (Lynch and Duellman 1980; Terán-Valdez and Guayasamin 2010; Yánez-Muñoz et al 2016). This could explain the high rate of discovery in the eastern Andes of Ecuador, where recently several species have been described (e.g. Reyes-Puig et al 2010, 2013, 2014; Reyes-Puig and Yánez-Muñoz 2012; Batallas and Brito 2014; Brito et al 2014, 2016, 2017a, b; Yánez-Muñoz et al 2014; Navarrete et al 2016)
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