Teratohyla amelie ( Cisneros-Heredia & Meza-Ramos 2007 )

Twomey, Evan, Delia, Jesse & Castroviejo-Fisher, Santiago, 2014, A review of Northern Peruvian glassfrogs (Centrolenidae), with the description of four new remarkable species, Zootaxa 3851 (1), pp. 1-87 : 53-54

Teratohyla amelie ( Cisneros-Heredia & Meza-Ramos 2007)

Figure 27

Cochranella amelie Cisneros-Heredia and Meza-Ramos 2007 . Holotype DHMECN 3066, an adult male from “Comunidad de Oglán, Cantón Arajuno, Provincia de Pastaza, República del Ecuador (01°18’65”S, 77°42’41”W, 600 m elevation)” Teratohyla amelie— Guayasamin, Castroviejo-Fisher, Trueb, Ayarzagüena, and Vilà 2009.

Background information. This species was described on the basis of two adult males collected from a locality in the east-Andean foothills of central Ecuador. The combination of white visceral peritonea, green bones in life, transparent parietal peritoneum, humeral spines absent in adult males, bulbous liver, and dorsum lavender in preservative is unique among known centrolenid species. Guayasamin et al. (2008) provided molecular sequence data for a specimen identified as “ Cochranella cf. amelie ” from southern Peru, and Guayasamin et al. (2009) placed this species in the genus Teratohyla on the basis of genetics and morphology.

New data. We have collected five specimens from two sites in northern Peru. Additionally, we have studied two specimens from southern Peru (one of them mentioned by Guayasamin et al. 2008). These seven specimens fit the description of Teratohyla amelie , which have a completely transparent parietal peritoneum, a character state only present in species of Chimerella , Hyalinobatrachium , and Teratohyla pulverata , Vitreorana antisthenesi , V. gorzulae , V. uranoscopa , V. eurygnatha , and V. pa r v u l a. Teratohyla amelie has green bones versus white in all species of Hyalinobatrachium , except for H. taylori from which it is distinguished by a rounded snout in profile (sloping in H. taylori ). Males of Chimerella and V. gorzulae have humeral spines (absent in T. amelie ). Vitreorana uranoscopa , V. eurygnatha , and V. parvula have a white urinary bladder peritoneum (transparent urinary bladder peritoneum in T. amelie ). Teratohyla pulverata has a sloping snout in profile and scalloped, white ulnar and tarsal folds (snout rounded in profile and scalloped, white ulnar and tarsal folds absent).

Four specimens (MNCN 45959 through MNCN 45962) were collected from a small stream running through an overgrown cacao plantation, roughly 92 km N of Bagua, 2.3 km south (airline) from the village of Huabico (4°57'16.59"S, 78°12'39.92"W, 349 m). An additional specimen (MNCN 45958) was found in southern San Martín department, Peru, in a stream on the Juanjui-Tocache road, near the village of Nuevo Jaen (7°39'16.20"S, 76°39'24.60"W, 591 m). The other two specimens (MHNC 5646 and MNCN 44212) were collected on February 1, 2007 by J. C. Chaparro, J. M. Padial, I. De la Riva, and SC-F at a stream crossing the road at 10 km from Quincemil towards Puerto Maldonado (13°12’03.6’’ S, 70°40’28.9’’ W; 572 m), Provincia Ouspicanchis, Departamento Cusco. These localities narrow the distributional gap between the specimens from Cusco, Peru and those from Ecuador.

Vocalizations. We have not been able to obtain recordings of this species, although we observed males calling in Huabico and Cusco (ET and SC-F respectively). The call sounded similar to T. midas , consisting of a short “chirp”, which sounded roughly similar (by ear) to the T. midas call described below. All individuals (including calling males) were found on the upper surfaces of leaves, roughly 2–3 m above the stream.

Distribution and ecology. Considering the additional records provided above, Teratohyla amelie is distributed in the east-Andean foothills (349–600 m) from Central Ecuador to Central Peru, roughly between 1° and 7° south latitude, and with an isolated record in southern Peru. In Peru, T. amelie has been found alongside Cochranella erminea .

Figures

FIGURE 27. a, b) Nymphargus chancas, dorsal and ventral views of CORBIDI 10471, from 5.9 km SE from the type locality of Abra Tangarana, San Martín, 6 ° 19 ' 15.65 " S 76 ° 41 ' 44.16 " W, 973 m; c, d) Teratohyla amelie, dorsal and ventral views of MNCN 45958, from Nuevo Jaen, San Martín 7 ° 39 ' 16.20 " S, 76 ° 39 ' 24.60 " W, 591 m; e) Rulyrana mcdiarmidi, uncollected male from 0.45 km S from the town of Cocachimba, Amazonas, 6 ° 3 ' 44.28 " S, 77 ° 53 ' 36.47 " W, 1811 m; f) Espadarana cf. fernandoi, dorsal view of adult male (CORBIDI 10468) from Quebrada Goca on the Yambrasbamba road, about 1 km N from road entrance, Amazonas, 5 ° 45 ' 50.78 " S, 77 ° 54 ' 46.52 " W, 1711 m.