Nototriton (Taylorotriton), Kubicki & Reyes & Arias, 2022

Kubicki, Brian, Reyes, Aura & Arias, Erick, 2022, Revised taxonomy and distributions of Costa Rican moss salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Nototriton), with descriptions of new taxa, Zootaxa 5194 (4), pp. 451-496 : 469-470

Taylorotriton subgen. nov.

Type species. Parvimolge richardi Taylor, 1949 .

Diagnosis. Diminutive salamanders with a standard length not known to exceed 27 mm. Possessing tiny hands and feet that are pad-like in appearance, with at the most the distal phalanx on each digit protruding in a bluntly pointed tip beyond the fleshy palmar and plantar tissue. Hand width not known to exceed 30% of head width. Relatively large nostril openings; width of nostril typically exceeding 5% of head width. The members of this subgenus are also diagnosed by evident divergence in their mtDNA sequences.

Etymology. Taylorotriton , is formed from Taylor (a surname) and the Greek word Triton (a Greek god of the sea, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite) ( Day 2007). Triton is a commonly used word for salamanders, and is a root in several genera and subgenera of bolitoglossine salamanders. We propose this subgeneric name in honor of Edward Harrison Taylor (1889–1978), the legendary alpha-taxonomist who greatly expanded the knowledge and understanding of Costa Rica’s amphibians, including salamanders, during his work in the country especially during middle decades (40s and 50s) of the 20th century.

Composition. Only three species are recognized to comprise this subgenus, The two former members of the Nototriton richardi species group ( N. richardi and N. tapanti ) and a newly proposed species described herein below.

Distribution. All three members of the subgenus Taylorotriton are known to be endemic to Costa Rica and restricted to the Caribbean slopes of the Central Volcanic Range and northeastern Talamanca, at elevations from roughly 1300–2250 masl ( Fig. 6 ).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Map of Costa Rica showing the distribution range of the three species within the subgenus Taylorotriton.