Abstract
A distinctive new species of Atelopus is described from Parque Nacional Chirrip6 Grande, Cordillera de Talamanca (3,400-3,500 m). It closely resembles populations of the Atelopus ignescens complex from the Andes of northern Ecuador and southern Colombia. It differs most significantly from these frogs in the pattern of spiculae and coni development on the throat, chest, hands and feet. The Costa Rican species appears to be an outlier of the complex inexplicably separated geographically from its nearest allies by an over land distance of about 1,600 km.
Highlights
In March of 1980, the distinguished Costa Rican biologist, Luis Diego Gómez, was botanizing several kilometers north of the summit of Cerro Chirripó Grande, the highest peak in Costa Rica (3 820 m)
The new species differs from that in the following features: snout truncate in profile; postorbital glandular ridge prominent and consisting of two areas; palmar surface with a few black spiculae; plantar surface with minute black spiculae; and gular and pectoral spiculae and coni arranged in the shape of an inverted triangle and without an isolated patch of coni on chest in adult females
The new species appears to be most closely related to frogs of the A. ignescens complex because of its spiculae and “toad”-like appearance is only found in high-altitude Atelopus and this is maybe an adaptation to high altitude
Summary
In March of 1980, the distinguished Costa Rican biologist, Luis Diego Gómez, was botanizing several kilometers north of the summit of Cerro Chirripó Grande, the highest peak in Costa Rica (3 820 m). At that time he came upon a large breeding aggregation of frogs of the genus Atelopus. Thinking that they were conspecific with Atelopus chiriquiensis he collected a single specimen. Inasmuch as no additional material of the Costa Rica form has been forthcoming in the 28 years
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