Species Of Pristimantis Research Articles

Selection and Gene Duplication Associated With High-Elevation Diversification in Pristimantis, the Largest Terrestrial Vertebrate Genus.

The genus Pristimantis diversified in the tropical Andes mountains and is the most speciose genus of terrestrial vertebrates. Pristimantis are notable among frogs in that they thrive at high elevations (>2,000 m) and are direct developers without a tadpole stage. Despite their ecological significance, little is known about the genetic and physiological traits enabling their success. We conducted transcriptomic analysis on seven Pristimantis species sampled across elevations in the Ecuadorean Andes to explore three hypotheses for their success: (i) unique genes are under selection relative to all other frogs, (ii) common selection occurs across all direct developers, or (iii) common selection occurs across all high-elevation frog clades. Comparative analysis with 34 frog species revealed unique positive selection in Pristimantis genes related to aerobic respiration, hemostasis, signaling, cellular transportation of proteins and ions, and immunity. Additionally, we detected positive selection across all direct developers for genes associated with oxygenase activity and metal ion binding. While many genes under selection in Pristimantis were not positively selected in other high-elevation frog species, we identified some shared genes and pathways linked to lipid metabolism, innate immunity, and cellular redox processes. We observed more positive selection in duplicated- versus single-copy genes, while relaxed purifying selection was prevalent in single-copy genes. Notably, copy number of an innate immunity complement gene was positively correlated with Pristimantis species elevation. Our findings contribute novel insights into the genetic basis of adaptation in Pristimantis and provide a foundation for future studies on the evolutionary mechanisms leading to direct development and coping with high elevations.

Trophic niche of four sympatric direct-developing frogs (Anura: Strabomantidae) from Eastern Brazilian Amazonia

Knowledge on the ecology of many Amazonian anuran species is still incipient, especially when it comes to resource partitioning. Here, we studied dietary variation of four Pristimantis species (P. chiastonotus, P. crepitaculus, P. gutturalis and P. zeuctotylus) from Eastern Brazilian Amazonia during the rainy and dry seasons. From 226 stomach contents retrieved through stomach-flushing, we observed that the four sympatric species can explore the generalist, sit-and-wait, and opportunistic foraging strategies, feeding mainly on highly mobile arthropods such as Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera and Orthoptera, which were the most important prey categories. We found significant differences among the species for the volumetric composition of prey, and the amount of prey consumed was the main predictor for this condition in most species. The type of microhabitat was also a predictor for feed volumetric composition in some species. We report a higher perching height for P. chiastonotus, and lower perching in P. gutturalis; the first species had a wider dietary spectrum. These findings contribute to the understanding of resource partitioning among sympatric and closely related species.

A new species of Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the state of Acre, Brazil

A new species of Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the state of Acre, Brazil

A new cryptic species of terrestrial breeding frog of the Pristimantisdanae Group (Anura, Strabomantidae) from montane forests in Ayacucho, Peru.

Based on morphological and molecular characters, we describe a new species of terrestrial breeding frog of the Pristimantisdanae Group from montane forests of La Mar Province, Ayacucho Department in southern Peru, at elevations from 1200 to 2000 m a.s.l. The phylogenetic analysis, based on concatenated sequences of gene fragments of 16S rRNA, RAG1, COI and TYR suggests that the new species is a sister taxon of a clade that includes one undescribed species of Pristimantis from Cusco, Pristimantispharangobates and Pristimantisrhabdolaemus. The new species is most similar to P.rhabdolaemus, which differs by lacking scapular tubercules and by its smaller size (17.0-18.6 mm in males [n = 5], 20.8-25.2 mm in females [n = 5] in the new species vs. 22.8-26.3 mm in males [n = 19], 26.0-31.9 mm in females [n = 30] of P.rhabdolaemus). Additionally, we report the prevalence of Batrachochytriumdendrobatidis (Bd) in this species.

Exploring the acoustic diversity of Andean frogs in the Farallones de Cali National Natural Park, southwestern Colombia

ABSTRACT The advertisement calls that frogs emit in a reproductive context are among the most conspicuous and studied acoustic signals. They play a significant role in interspecific recognition, mate selection, and territoriality and can be used in different fields such as taxonomy, ethology, ecology, and evolutionary studies. In Colombia, around 40% of the recognized frog species have descriptions of their calls in the literature. However, the Cordillera Occidental in the tropical Andes and the Strabomantidae family are underrepresented in the literature despite the huge species diversity they hold. Here, we described the advertisement calls of eleven frog species belonging to three families from three localities at high elevations in the Cordillera Occidental, which have been inaccessible to scientific research due to security concerns. We describe the advertisement calls of five Pristimantis species for the first time and estimated the daily acoustic activity patterns of four Pristimantis species. Our findings enhance the number of known advertisement calls for anuran species from one of the least-represented regions and families in the country. In addition, they provide important information regarding the natural history of four Pristimantis species that could be used as a baseline for future long-term population studies.

Two new species of terrestrial frogs of the Pristimantisgladiator complex (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the Ecuadorian Andes, with insights on their biogeography and skull morphology.

The explosive diversity of rainfrogs (Pristimantis spp) reaches its highest levels in the mountains of the Tropical Andes, with remarkable cryptic species mainly in unexplored areas of Ecuador. Based on phylogenetics, morphometric traits, skull osteology and bioacoustics, we describe two new species of Pristimantis, previously confused with Pristimantisgladiator, that belong to the subgenus Trachyphrynus traditionally known as the Pristimantismyersi species group. The two new taxa are closely related, but have allopatric distributions. We discuss the importance of the Quijos and Pastaza River valleys in the diversification along Amazonian slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes.

A New Species of Terrestrial-Breeding Frog, Genus Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae), from the Peruvian Yungas of Central Peru

We describe a new species of terrestrial-breeding frog of the genus Pristimantis from the Peruvian Yungas ecoregion of central Peru, Junin Department. The description is based on the observation of morphological features, color patterns of fourteen specimens, bioacoustic traits of the advertisement calls, and a phylogenetic analysis using a sequence fragment of 16S rRNA. The new species is mainly characterized by having a rounded or truncate snout in dorsal view, presence of dorsolateral folds, tympanic membrane and annulus distinct, absence of flash marks on the hidden surfaces of flanks and hindlimbs, and a small size (maximum SVL 15.6 mm in males and 19.3 mm in females). We provide diagnostic traits to differentiate the new species from phylogenetically close relatives, as well as morphologically similar and sympatric species of Pristimantis.

A new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from white-sand forests of central Amazonia, Brazil.

The white-sand ecosystems in the Solimões-Negro Interfluve are among the less studied in Amazonia. Recent herpetological surveys conducted west of Manaus, Brazil (central Amazonia) indicate that white-sand forests host a unique anuran fauna comprising habitat specialized and endemic species. In the present study we describe a new species of rain frog belonging to the Pristimantis unistrigatus species group from the white-sand forest locally called "campinarana" (thin-trunked forests with canopy height below 20 m). The new species is phylogenetically close to rain frogs from western Amazonian lowlands (P. delius, P. librarius, P. matidiktyo and P. ockendeni). It differs from its closest relatives mainly by its size (male SVL of 17.3-20.1 mm, n=16; female SVL of 23.2-26.5 mm, n=6), presence of tympanum, tarsal tubercles and dentigerous processes of vomers, its translucent groin without bright colored blotches or marks, and by its advertisement call (composed of 5-10 notes, call duration of 550-1,061 ms, dominant frequency of 3,295-3,919 Hz). Like other anuran species recently discovered in the white-sand forests west of Manaus, the new species seems to be restricted to this peculiar ecosystem.

The advertisement calls of Pristimantis galdi Jiménez de la Espada, 1870 and Pristimantis katoptroides (Flores, 1988) (Anura, Strabomantidae)

In this study we describe for the first time the calls of Pristimantis galdi and Pristimantis katoptroides. Recordings were obtained in Sangay National Park, Ecuador. We highlight the importance of recording P. galdi since its call has been recorded after 153 years of having been described as a species. The call of P. galdi consists of 7 to 9 short notes, the sounds of which are similar to a hammer hitting a nail, with a mean dominant frequency of 2.39 kHz. In turn, the call of P. katoptroides consists of a single note, the sound of which is similar to a metallic “tic”, with a mean dominant frequency of 1.74 kHz. We compared the advertisement calls of P. galdi, P. katoptroides and P. roni as these species share similar morphological characteristics and are grouped in the spiny green frog’s ecotype. Despite these morphological similarities, their advertisement calls are different. Obtaining calls of Pristimantis species in Ecuador might prove difficult with short-term studies due to the great sampling efforts that may be needed to get these recordings. Therefore, implementing active and passive monitoring could help improve our knowledge of acoustic signals in Ecuador’s rainfrogs.

Bioaccumulation of mercury in direct-developing frogs: The aftermath of illegal gold mining in a National Park

The use of mercury in mining gold is an illegal but still common practice in developing countries and is the world’s largest source of mercury pollution. The mercury released into the environment bioaccumulates in organism tissues due to its chemical properties and can adversely alter wildlife's neurological and reproductive systems. Frogs are susceptible to mercury contamination from gold mining because of their high skin permeability and association with aquatic environments. However, the effect of mercury pollution on direct-developing frogs is poorly known, particularly in tropical highlands. To understand the impact of mercury due to gold mining contamination on biodiversity of Tropical Andes, we assessed the bioaccumulation of mercury on direct-developing frogs of genus Pristimantis in a montane forest. We assessed bioaccumulation by comparing muscle tissue samples of frogs and sediments of streams in an area previously affected by illegal gold mining inside the Farallones de Cali National Park. Even though gold mining has not been conducted in the area for several years, we found mercury in muscle samples of direct-developing species of genus Pristimantis and alarming mercury concentrations in the sediment samples that exceed risk thresholds according international guidelines of the WHO (1.0749 μg.g-1) and countries such as Canada, USA and Brazil (0.35 μg.g-1). Our results suggest that the use of heavy metals in the gold mining can affect non-aquatic species causing bioaccumulation of heavy metals, which can be an important threat to wildlife populations, the stability of the ecosystem, and public health. Keywords: Andean forests, mercury pollution, muscle tissue, streams pollution, sediments, total mercury

Beyond the species name: an analysis of publication trends and biases in taxonomic descriptions of rainfrogs (Amphibia, Strabomantidae, Pristimantis).

The rainfrogs of the genus Pristimantis are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates, with outstanding reproductive modes and strategies driving their success in colonizing new habitats. The rate of Pristimantis species discovered annually has increased continuously during the last 50 years, establishing the remarkable diversity found in this genus. In this paper the specifics of publications describing new species in the group are examined, including authorship, author gender, year, language, journal, scientific collections, and other details. Detailed information on the descriptions of 591 species of Pristimantis published to date (June 2022) were analyzed and extracted. John D. Lynch and William E. Duellman are the most prolific authors, yet Latin American researchers have scaled up and continued the description processes since the 1990s. The most common language used for descriptions is English, followed by Spanish. The great majority of authors have described only one species. The largest proportion of authors who have participated in the descriptions is of Ecuadorian nationality. Ecuador is the country with the highest description rate per year (3.9% growth rate). Only 20% of the contributions have included women and only 2% have featured women as principal authors. 36.8% of the species described are in the Not Evaluated or Data Deficient categories under the IUCN global red list. The importance of enhancing the descriptions in Spanish is emphasized and the inclusion based on equal access to opportunities for female researchers in Pristimantis taxonomy is encouraged. In general, if the current trends in Pristimantis descriptions continue, in ten years, a total of 770 or more species described could be expected.

Ecological and evolutionary trends of body size in Pristimantis frogs, the world's most diverse vertebrate genus

Body size is a key organismal trait. However, the environmental and evolutionary factors that drive body size patterns at the interspecific level remain unclear. Here, we explored these relationships between phenotype-environment using neotropical frogs of Pristimantis, the world’s most diverse vertebrate genus. We analyzed: (a) whether this group follows the Rensch’s rule, a trend of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) to increase with size when males are the larger sex; (b) whether environmental constraints have influenced body size variation; and (c) how the rates of body size evolution have varied over time. Analyses were based on two information sources, the first one including body sizes of ~ 85% (495 species) of known species in the genus, and a second one incorporating molecular phylogenetic information for 257 species. Our results showed that all Pristimantis species exhibited marked SSD but did not follow Rensch’s rule. We found that the models that best explained body size in males, females, and SSD contained environmental variations in temperature, precipitation, and elevation as predictors. In turn, body size has evolved toward an optimum, with a decelerating rate of evolution differentiated between the large Pristimantis clades.

A new genus of terraranas (Anura: Brachycephaloidea) from northern South America, with a systematic review of Tachiramantis

Since the systematics of Terrarana frogs was overhauled in 2008, five new genera have been named, including Tachiramantis from the Venezuelan Coastal Range and adjacent parts of the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia and the Sierra de Perijá along the Venezuela–Colombia border. The discovery of Tachiramantis raises questions about the relationships of several species of Pristimantis in the nearby Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta previously hypothesized to be closely related to species now referred to Tachiramantis. To test the monophyly of Tachiramantis and the relationships among its species, we generated DNA sequences for 42 individuals, and, given the variable placement of Tachiramantis in previous studies, analysed them with DNA sequences from GenBank representing 25 genera of terraranas. In total, the final matrix included DNA sequences from 414 terminals, which we analysed using tree-alignment under the parsimony optimality criterion. To identify morphological synapomorphies and diagnostic characters, we also examined cranial osteology and axial skeleton morphology. Our analyses corroborated both the placement of Tachiramantis far from Pristimantis in Craugastoridae and the monophyly of Tachiramantis. We also found that six species currently referred to Pristimantis, all endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, comprise the sister clade of Tachiramantis. This highly endemic clade is both well-supported by molecular data and diagnosed from Tachiramantis by seven morphological synapomorphies, leading us to recognize it as a new genus. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:0036039F-F400-4CD4-A6AD-D3DD2B34BA4E

A new species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) with a colourful venter from the cloud forests of Colombian western Andes.

The Terrarana frogs of the genus Pristimantis are acknowledged for their direct development into froglets and for their astonishing species richness, which renders it the anuran genus with the highest number of species. We describe a new species of Pristimantis from the northwestern Andes of Colombia. The species is distributed from an area between 2750-2900 m.a.s.l. in the Mesenia-Paramillo Nature Reserve. Pristimantis postducheminorum sp. nov. differs from other, phylogenetically related, or similar resembling Pristimantis taxa by a striking yellow coloration in the ventral area, dark grey coloration in the concealed surfaces of the thighs and groin, absence of nuptial pads, presence of lateral fringes on fingers, presence of vomerine odontophores triangular in shape from the ventral view, and absence of dorsolateral folds. Molecular phylogenetics place this new species close to P. satagius and therefore within the P. ridens species group. The new species is also phylogenetically close and sympatric with the recently described P. ferwerdai, which further indicates that the Pristimantis fauna has been notoriously underestimated in the Colombian western cloud forests, a fact that should be considered in assessments of environmental impact.

Ecology, conservation status, and phylogenetic placement of endemic Pristimantis frogs (Anura: Craugastoridae) in Trinidad and Tobago and genetic affinities to northern Venezuela

AbstractTrinidad and Tobago are home to three endemic species in the anuran genus Pristimantis, of which two (Pristimantis charlottevillensis and Pristimantis turpinorum) occur in Tobago alone and the third (Pristimantis urichi) is present on both islands. Earlier, the IUCN assessed the conservation status of these species as: P. urichi, Endangered (EN); P. charlottevillensis, Least Concern (LC); P. turpinorum, Vulnerable (VU). However, these assessments were based on very little field‐based evidence. Here, we present survey results which contributed to reassessments as LC, VU and Data Deficient for these three species, respectively. Despite the close proximity of Trinidad to northern Venezuela, the islands do not share any Pristimantis species with the mainland, which holds a rich endemicity of Pristimantis regionally. In this study, we used genetic sequencing from several island populations and compared them to northern Venezuelan endemics to assess genetic divergence for the first time. The time tree analyses found that only the northern Tobago species P. turpinorum is closely related to mainland Pristimantis, with a genetic split dating to the Late Miocene, suggesting a vicariant event of mainland and island species. Pristimantis urichi, although identical between the two islands, remains highly divergent from the mainland species. Similar results were found for P. charlottevillensis. In addition, there was a high level of divergence between P. urichi and P. charlottevillensis. These findings indicate different island colonization events by different lineages. Sequencing other Venezuelan species remains pivotal to unravel the complexity of the colonization episodes in the region, likely influenced by the changing topography and multiple connection and isolation episodes of the islands by eustatic sea‐level changes.

Description of a new minute frog of the genus Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from Cordillera del Condor, Ecuador.

We describe a new species of Pristimantis from southern Ecuador, province of Zamora Chinchipe. The new species is closely related to an undescribed species of Pristimantis from Reserva Tapichalaca, Ecuador and with species of a clade historically assigned to the P. unistrigatus species group, such as P. parvillus, P. luteolateralis, P. walkeri, among others. The new species of Pristimantis is a miniaturized new frog (females 17.11.1 mm; males 13.20.9 mm), characterized by the presence of -shaped scapular folds, with two subconical tubercles on the medial and posterior regions of folds; tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus present but not externally visible; a prominent rostral papilla present; upper eyelid with one elongated conical tubercle; a conical tubercle on heels; groin with orange or yellow spots. The new species of Pristimantis is distributed in a restricted area in the Cordillera del Condor, a highly-diverse mountain range threatened by multiple anthropogenic activities. We recommend assigning the new species to the Endangered IUCN threatened category because it is only known from three nearby localities within mining concessions.

Pristimantis achupalla sp. n., a new minute species of direct-developing frog (Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae) inhabiting bromeliads of the montane forest of the Amazonian Andes of Puno, Peru.

We describe a new species of bromeliad-dwelling Pristimantis from primary montane forest (2,225 m a.s.l.) in southern Peru. The type locality is near Thiuni, in the Department of Puno (province of Carabaya) in the upper watershed of a tributary of the Inambari River. Pristimantis achupalla sp. n. is characterized by a snout-vent length of 10.0–12.8 mm in adult males (n = 4), unknown in adult females, and is compared morphologically and genetically with species in the Pristimantis lacrimosus group, and with other similar species of Pristimantis. The new species is characterized by having skin on dorsum and flanks rugose, green brownish color, distinctive scapular folds, subacuminate or acuminate snout profile, upper eyelid bearing two or three subconical tubercles and some rounded tubercles, rostral papilla, flanks light brown to brown, with irregular dark brown marks.

Acoustic segregation of five sympatric and syntopic species of genus Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from Western Colombia

ABSTRACT The Andean Cordilleras of Colombia, especially the Cordillera Occidental, are among the areas with the highest diversity of Pristimantis frogs in the world. Within the Cordillera Occidental, the Serranía de los Paraguas is famous for its high diversity of sympatric species of Pristimantis frogs. In this study, we investigated acoustic frequency segregation in five sympatric and syntopic species of the genus Pristimantis inhabiting this Serranía. It is important to point out that three of the five species’ calls are described for the first time: Pristimantis brevifrons, P. ptochus, and P. silverstonei. Our results showed that acoustic frequency segregation occurs among these five Pristimantis species. Another notable result was the inverse relationship between dominant frequency and male body size, which was corroborated in all species except in P. alius. Finally, we suggested that for improving our knowledge on species coexistence in Pristimantis, future research should also focus on species history and character evolution, given that the evolutionary history is also fundamental for explaining species coexistence.

A new species of terrestrial-breeding frog Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the Cordillera del Cóndor, Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador

ABSTRACT We describe a new species of Pristimantis from the Comunidad Río Blanco, Cordillera del Cóndor, Ecuador. Pristimantis ledzeppelin sp. nov. is characterized by a snout–vent length of 23.9–24.6 mm in adult males (n = 2) and 36.1 mm in one adult female and is compared morphologically with Pristimantis muscosus and other similar species of Pristimantis. The new species is characterized by having skin on dorsum and flanks finely tuberculate to tuberculate, a distinctive scapular fold, skin on venter coarsely areolate; snout rounded with a small rostral papilla; discs on the digits truncate, three times the width of the digits; groin and hidden surfaces of thighs yellowish-cream with distinctive brownish-black marks and/or orange irregular blotches; and coppery red iris.

A new species of Pristimantis (Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae) from the Pui Pui Protected Forest (central Peru), with comments on Pristimantis albertus Duellman & Hedges, 2007.

We describe a new Pristimantis species from the eastern Andes, Región Junín, Peru following an integrative taxonomic approach. The description is based on three adult males (snout-vent length 25.7–28.8 mm) collected in two montane forests between 1615 and 1800 m a.s.l. in the Pui Pui Protected Forest and its close surroundings. The new species is mainly characterised by absence of tympanum, presence of inner tarsal fold, broad horizontal red band across iris, ventre mottled black and cream and ventral surfaces of thighs salmon and grey mottled. Amongst the Amazonian and montane forest Pristimantis that have the ventre and groin contrastingly black and cream mottled, P. sinschisp. nov. is morphologically most similar to P. lindae and P. ventrimarmoratus. However, DNA barcoding revealed a clear distinction between these three species and placed P. sinschisp. nov. as sister taxon of P. lindae. We designate a lectotype for P. ventrimarmoratus and restrict the type locality of this species to “El Topo, R. Pastaza, [Provincia Tungurahua,] E. Ecuador, 4200 feet”. Pristimantis albertus and P. sagittulus are recorded for the first time in the Región Junín. Additional data on morphology and systematics are provided for P. albertus.