Cryptobatrachus conditus, Lynch, John D., 2008

Lynch, John D., 2008, A taxonomic revision of frogs of the genus Cryptobatrachus (Anura: Hemiphractidae), Zootaxa 1883, pp. 28-68 : 59-60

Cryptobatrachus conditus sp. nov.

( Fig. 21 )

Cryptobatrachus sp.— Duellman & Hoogmoed, 1984:3.

Holotype: ICN 33572 (original number JDL 19440), an adult male, 25.3 kms by road from Sardinata (Sardinata-Ocaña road), municipio Bucarasica, Norte de Santander, Colombia, 1040 m, one of a series collected by John D. Lynch, Ricardo Sánchez & Claudia Vélez, 5 October 1992.

Paratypes: Collected with holotype. ICN 33573-75, 33577, 33579-86.

Diagnosis: A Cryptobatrachus with thin dorsolateral folds, finely granular skin on the dorsum (without scattered larger warts), fingers lacking webbing, with subarticular adhesive pads, expanded disks on the digits, exhibiting sexual dimorphism in the size of the tympanum where the tympanum in males is 61.0-75.5% (mean 65.4 ± 1.4) size of the eye, and not having the anterior part of the braincase broader than the middle part.

Externally, C. conditus is most similar to C. pedroruizi but differs in having uniform shagreen (lacking enlarged tubercles) skin on the dorsum.

Etymology: Latin, meaning hidden or secret, in reference to the late discovery of this population.

Description: Head longer than wide, slightly wider than body; snout acutely rounded in dorsal view, rounded in profile; nostrils protuberant, directed dorsolaterally; canthus rostralis well defined, very slightly concave; loreal region concave; upper lips not flared; interorbital space flat (no cranial crests); upper eyelid lacking enlarged tubercles, skin finely granular; temporal region sloping abruptly; supratympanic fold prominent, ending behind tympanum, bearing thickened warts; tympanum longer than high, nearly touching orbit in males, slightly separated in females; postrictal tubercle large, flattened; choanae oval to triangular, not concealed by palatal shelf of maxillary arch; dentigerous processes of vomers posterior to choanae, bearing a straight row of 14-17 teeth, touching along medial axis; tongue longer than wide, bearing feeble notch along posterior edge, completely adherent to floor of mouth; males lack vocal slits or vocal sac.

Skin of dorsum uniformly granular (granulations less obvious on upper surface of snout); 1-2 larger warts immediately posterior to eyes; dorsolateral fold low, commonly interrupted as series of elongate warts from very near supratympanic fold to level of sacrum: abdomen coarsely granular; thenar tubercle oval, much more prominent and larger than bifid palmar tubercle; few supernumerary palmar tubercles evident; basal subarticular tubercles broader than long; distal subarticular tubercles larger, bearing adhesive pads defined by complete circumferential grooves; tips of digits expanded into discs; discs of I and II round, those of III and IV wider than long; nuptial pad confluent with thenar tubercle but occupying most of digit in males; fingers bearing ventrolateral keels; first finger longer than second.

No tubercles or folds on tarsus or heel; inner metatarsal tubercle oval, about three times as long as wide; outer metatarsal tubercle scarcely visible; supernumerary plantar tubercles lacking or confined to base of Toe IV; fringe along medial edge of Toe I; lateral edge of Toe V with fleshy keel; discs round to slightly wider than long; basal subarticular tubercles of Toes III-V longer than wide; subarticular tubercles of Toes I-II bearing a circumferential groove along their median borders; distal subarticular tubercles of Toes III-V and penultimate subarticular tubercle of Toe IV bearing circumferential grooves incomplete dorsally or dorsolaterally; heels of flexed hindlimbs, held perpendicular to body, overlap.

Coloration in alcohol: dorsum brown with darker brown markings (interorbital bar, spots on dorsum); shanks and thighs pale brown with darker brown transverse bars; venter cream with brown spotting over throat, breast, anterior abdomen, and undersides of thighs and shanks; canthal stripe and labial half-circles dark brown; blotches on flanks cream.

Coloration in life: Dorsum pale brown (or tan) marbled with brown; very dark flank band; iris dirty yellow with reddish horizontal streak and black reticulum; belly pale yellow with brown spotting, throat more cream (also reticulated); posterior surfaces of thighs brown with olive-yellow spots; at night very pale (almost green). JDL fieldnotes 5 October 1992.

Measurements of holotype in mm.: SVL 42.6, shank 27.5, head width 16.4, upper eyelid width 5.0, IOD 3.3, tympanum length 4.3, eye length 6.6, E-N 4.2.

Distribution: This species is known only from its type-locality on the eastern flank of the Serranía de Perijá at 1030 m. Specimens of some Cryptobatrachus are known from eastern Venezuela and may be this species. William E. Duellman collected two specimens from a nearby locality (10 km further along the road from Sardinata to Ocaña, even at the same altitude) that are surely this species but, pending re-examination of these two specimens, are only referred to C. conditus ).

Figures

FIGURE 21. Cryptobatrachus boulengeri (top, left, ICN 34663, adult male 38.4 mm SVL; bottom, left, ICN 34678, juvenile female, 53.8 mm SVL) and Cryptobatrachus conditus (top, right, ICN 33572, holotype; bottom, right, ICN 33573, adult male 38.2 mm SVL).