Four new species of Pristimantis Jiménez de la Espada, 1870 (Anura: Craugastoridae) in the eastern Amazon.

Abstract

The Pristimantis genus (Anura: Craugastoridae) is the most diverse among all vertebrates with 531 described species. The highest diversity occurs in Ecuador (215 species), followed by Colombia (202), Peru (139), Venezuela (60), Brazil (30), Bolivia (17), Guyana (6) Suriname and French Guiana (5). The genus is divided into 11 species groups. Of these, the P. conspicillatus group (containing 34 species), distributed in extreme southeastern Costa Rica, Isla Taboga (Panama), northern South America (from Colombia to eastern Guyana), south Bolivia, and is the best represented in Brazil (16 species). The main characteristics of this group are the tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus distinct (except in P. johannesdei); dorsum smooth or shagreen; dorsal lateral fold present or absent; usually smooth belly, but may be weakly granular in some species; toe V slightly larger than the toe III. Most of the taxonomic inconsistencies in species of Pristimantis could be due to its much conserved morphology and the lack of comprehensive taxonomic evaluations. Thus, an ongoing challenge for taxonomists dealing with the Pristimantis genus is the ubiquitous abundance of cryptic species. In this context, accurate species delimitation should integrate evidences of morphological, molecular, bioacoustics and ecological data, among others. Based on an integrative taxonomy perspective, we utilize morphological, molecular (mtDNA) and bioacoustic evidence to describe four new species of the Pristimantis conspicillatus group from the eastern Amazon basin. Pristimantis giorgii sp. nov. is known from the Xingu/Tocantins interfluve and can be distinguished from the other Pristimantis species of the region by presenting discoidal fold, dorsolateral fold absent, vocalization composed of three to four notes and genetic distance of 7.7% (16S) and 14.8% (COI) from P. latro, the sister and sympatric species with respect P. giorgii sp. nov.. Pristimantis pictus sp. nov. is known to the northern Mato Grosso state, Brazil, and can be distinguished from the other species of Pristimantis by presenting the posterior surface of the thigh with light yellow patches on a brown background, also extending to the inguinal region, vocalization consisting of four to five notes and a genetic distance of 11.6% (16S) and 19.7% (COI) from P. pluvian sp. nov., which occurs in sympatry. Pristimantis pluvian sp. nov. is known to the northern Mato Grosso state, Brazil, and may be distinguished from the other Pristimantis species by having a posterior surface of the thigh reddish and vocalization composed of two notes. Pristimantis moa sp. nov. is known to the northern Tocantins state and southwestern Maranhão state. This species can be distinguished from the other Pristimantis species by possessing slightly perceptible canthal stripe, external thigh surface with dark yellow spots on brown background, vocalization consisting of three to five notes and genetic distance of 2.3-11.7 (16S) and 10.5-23.1 (COI) for the new Pristimantis species of this study.