Hyloscirtus sp. larynopygion species group

Reyes-Puig 1,2, Juan Pablo, Reyes-Puig 1,3,4, Carolina, Franco-Mena 5,6, Daniela, Jost 2, Lou & Yanez-Munoz 1,2, Mario H., 2022, Strong differentiation between amphibian communities on two adjacent mountains in the Upper Rio Pastaza watershed of Ecuador, with descriptions of two new species of terrestrial frogs, ZooKeys 1081, pp. 35-87 : 35

Hyloscirtus sp. larynopygion species group

Figure 13

Remarks.

We recorded a female specimen (DHMECN 14416) with a body size of 73.71 mm and a male (DHMECN 14549) with a body size of 54.28 mm, collected in bromeliad leaves between 40 and 60 cm from the ground, in montane forest of the Machay Reserve at 3020 m elevation. They correspond to a candidate new species of the genus Hyloscirtus in the H. larynopigion species group. The distinctive dark brown body with scattered bright red dorsal and ventral spots in the female (DHMECN 14416) and the irregular mustard-brown dorsal marks and black flanks in the male (DHMECN 14549), differentiate it from any other congeneric species in the eastern Andean slopes of Ecuador. The analysed material fills a gap in the distribution of the genus Hyloscirtus , specifically of the H. larynopigion species group, within the south-central area of the eastern Ecuadorian Andes. This finding represents the first record of a member of the Hyloscirtus larynopigion species group in Tungurahua Province. The species presents a marked sexual dimorphism between males and females as mentioned before. A formal description of this new species is currently under preparation.

Figures

Figure 13. Hyloscirtus sp. nov. Left. Female (DHMECN 14416) - Right. Male (DHMECN 14549). A, B Frontal view C, D Lateral view. Photographs by Mario H. Yanez-Munoz.