Pristimantis romeroae, Ron & Carrión & Caminer & Sagredo & Navarrete & Ortega & Varela-Jaramillo & Maldonado-Castro & Terán, 2020

Ron, Santiago R., Carrion, Julio, Caminer, Marcel A., Sagredo, Yerka, Navarrete, Maria J., Ortega, Jhael A., Varela-Jaramillo, Andrea, Maldonado-Castro, Gabriela A. & Teran, Claudia, 2020, Three new species of frogs of the genus Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae) with a redefinition of the P. lacrimosus species group, ZooKeys 993, pp. 121-155 : 121

Pristimantis romeroae sp. nov. Figures 1 , 13 , 14

Material.

Holotype. (Figs 1 , 13 , 14 ) QCAZ 41121 (field no. SC-PUCE 27602), adult female from Ecuador, Provincia de Napo, Cantón Archidona, Parroquia Cotundo, Pacto Sumaco-Volcán Sumaco road, El Mirador cottage, 3 km from the cottage to the volcano on Río Pucuno, SSE slope of the Sumaco volcano, 10 km airline distance from the summit (0.633915°S, 77.59228°W), 1602 m above sea level, collected by Elicio Tapia and Raúl E. Ruiz on 21 March 2009.

Paratypes (3). Provincia de Napo: QCAZ 41103, 41128 adult females, QCAZ 41122 adult male. Collected at the type locality with the holotype by Elicio Tapia and Raúl E. Ruiz on 21 March 2009.

Suggested common name.

English: Romero’s Rain Frog. Spanish: Cutín de Romero.

Diagnosis.

A species of Pristimantis characterized by the following combination of characters: (1) skin on dorsum shagreen, skin on venter areolate with scattered warts; discoidal fold absent; dorsolateral folds absent; (2) tympanic membrane and tympanic annulus present, upper edge of tympanic annulus covered by supratympanic fold; (3) snout short, truncate in dorsal view, slightly protruding in lateral profile, with small rostral papilla; (4) upper eyelid with several small tubercles; cranial crests absent; (5) dentigerous processes of vomers present, prominent, moderately oblique; (6) male having vocal slits, nuptial pads present on finger I; (7) finger I slightly shorter than finger II; discs of digits expanded, truncate; (8) fingers with lateral fringes; hyperdistal subarticular tubercles present; (9) ulnar tubercles absent, tarsal tubercles present, subconical, conspicuous; (10) heel with one, nearly inconspicuous, small subconical tubercle or without tubercles; inner tarsal fold absent; (11) inner metatarsal tubercle prominent, elliptical, approximately three times as large as rounded, conical outer metatarsal tubercle; supernumerary plantar tubercles present (Fig. 1 ); (12) toes with lateral fringes; toe webbing absent; toe V much longer than toe III (disc on toe III extends to the distal edge of the medial subarticular tubercle on toe IV, disc on toe V extends beyond the proximal edge of the distal subarticular tubercle on toe IV); hyperdistal subarticular tubercles present in all toes; toe discs smaller than those on fingers (Fig. 1 ); (13) life, coloration unknown; (14) SVL in adult females 31.1-33.8 mm (n = 3), adult male = 23.8 mm (n = 1).

Comparisons with other species.

In this section, coloration refers to preserved individuals (Fig. 13 ). Pristimantis romeroae resembles P. nankints in coloration. Pristimantis romeroae differs by having numerous large warts on the venter (small warts in P. nankints ) and by the size and shape of discs on fingers: expanded and truncate in P. romeroae vs. moderately expanded and rounded in P. nankints . Its predominately pale creamy orange dorsal coloration resembles that of preserved P. acuminatus , P. enigmaticus , P. limoncochensis , P. omeviridis , P. pseudoacuminatus , and P. tantanti . It differs from all of them by having a dark stripe bordering the upper edge of the flanks (dark stripe absent or if present, it is an oblique-lateral stripe starting behind the eye and ending near the ventral edge of the flank at midbody). It also differs from P. acuminatus , P. limoncochensis , and P. tantanti by having a conspicuous tympanum (absent in the three species). Pristimantis romeroae can be further distinguished from P. enigmaticus and P. omeviridis by having a larger tympanum (21-27% of head length in P. romeroae vs. 12-13% in both species; Ortega-Andrade et al. 2015). Pristimantis pseudoacuminatus differs by having sparse tubercles and warts on the dorsum (absent in P. romeroae ; Shreve 1935).

Description of the holotype.

Adult female (QCAZ 41121). Measurements (in mm): SVL 31.1; tibia length 14.3; foot length 15.7; head length 11.2; head width 11.0; eye diameter 3.2; tympanum diameter 2.4; interorbital distance 4.0; upper eyelid width 3.0; internarial distance 3.4; eye-nostril distance 3.2; tympanum-eye distance 0.9. Semi-slender body; head much wider than long, wider than body; snout short, truncate in dorsal view, slightly protruding in lateral profile, with rostral papilla; canthus rostralis distinct, slightly curved in dorsal view; loreal region concave; interorbital space flat, lacking cranial crests; eye large; upper eyelid ca. 73% of interorbital distance; lacking tubercles, no interocular fold. Tympanic membrane and annulus present, rounded in shape, its upper and posterodorsal edges covered by supratympanic fold; horizontal diameter of tympanum ca. 54% of eye diameter, separated from eye by a distance ca. 45% tympanum length; choanae large, elliptical, non-concealed by palatal shelf of maxillary arc; dentigerous processes of vomers present, prominent, moderately oblique, narrowly separated, bearing seven teeth, tongue large, rounded, posterior border notched, 15% not adherent to floor of mouth.

Skin on dorsum and flanks shagreen; dorsolateral folds absent; skin on belly and posterior half of chest areolate with scattered warts; skin on throat and anterior half of chest smooth; discoidal fold absent; skin in upper cloacal region smooth. Forearms slender with three ill-defined, low ulnar tubercles in distal, medial and proximal outer edge of forearm; fingers large and slender, all fingers with pads surrounded by circumferential grooves, truncate discs; bearing narrow lateral fringes; relative lengths of fingers I <II <IV <III; subarticular tubercles single, round in ventral and lateral view; hyperdistal subarticular tubercles present; bearing few, inconspicuous, low supernumerary tubercles, palmar tubercle bifid, twice the size of elliptical thenar tubercle (Fig. 1 ).

Hindlimbs slender; tibia length ca. 50% of SVL; upper surfaces of hindlimbs smooth; foot length ca. 45 % of SVL, posterior surfaces of thighs shagreen, ventral surfaces of thighs smooth; knee and heel lacking tubercles; inner surface of tarsus lacking tubercles; toes bearing narrow lateral fringes; webbing between toes absent; discs on toes broadly expanded, truncate, the same size than fingers; all toes having pads surrounded by circumferential grooves; relative lengths of toes: I <II <III <V <IV; subarticular tubercles rounded, simple; hyperdistal subarticular tubercles present; plantar surface with numerous indistinct supernumerary tubercles; inner metatarsal tubercle prominent, elliptical, approximately 3 times the size of rounded, conical outer metatarsal tubercle (Fig. 1 ).

Color of holotype in preservative. (Fig. 13 ) Background color pale creamy orange with faint interorbital line; long, thick, dark brown dorsolateral bars; dorsum with paler blotches clustered in two parallel stripes at the scapular region approximately half the length of the dorsolateral bars; face with dark brown canthal and supratympanic stripes, supratympanic stripe suffused with the dark brown dorsolateral bar; flanks the same back ground color with minute dark spots (visible under magnification) densely distributed; dorsal surfaces of limbs yellowish cream brighter than dorsum with scattered minute dark brown spots visible under magnification; ventral surface of body yellowish cream; plantar and palmar surfaces dirty cream.

Color of holotype in life. Unknown but presumably green, similar to its most closely relatives (e.g., P. nankints , P. enigmaticus ) which have a similar clear coloration in preservative (Figs 9 and 12 ).

Variation.

(Fig. 13 ) In this section, coloration refers to preserved individuals unless otherwise noted. In the type series, the adult male has an SVL = 23.8 mm, lower than the adult female SVL (range 31.1-33.8 mm; Table 3 ). Males have vocals slits and nuptial pads on finger I. Dorsal coloration is creamy tan (e.g., QCAZ 41121) with a black canthal stripe followed by black dorsolateral stripes. Marks on dorsum vary from scattered dark brown spots (e.g., QCAZ 41103) to two longitudinal brown strips starting behind the head and converging medially in the sacral region (QCAZ 41122) with or without a fine interorbital bar. Flanks are cream; venter and ventral surfaces of limbs vary from creamy white (e.g., QCAZ 41122) to yellowish cream (e.g., QCAZ 41103). The belly has scattered white warts (e.g., QCAZ 41103, 41121).

Color in life: unknown but presumably green (see description of the holotype).

Distribution, natural history, and conservation status.

Pristimantis romeroae is known from one locality at the eastern Andean slopes of Ecuador, Provincia de Napo, on the SSE slope of the Sumaco volcano, 1602 m above sea level (Fig. 8 ). Natural Region is Andean Eastern Montane Forest (according to Ron et al. 2019 classification) which is characterized by evergreen trees covered by mosses and abundant epiphytic plants. Except for QCAZ 41128, all specimens were found on a spiny bromeliad 6 cm from the ground by the day. QCAZ 41128 was found also by day on a bromeliad of a recently fallen tree.

In 2008, one year before the specimens were collected, the type locality was at a distance of <1 km from agricultural deforested areas (based on Ministerio de Ambiente del Ecuador 2013) suggesting at least some level of tolerance to habitat degradation. Available information is insufficient to determine the risk of extinction of this species known from a single locality. Lack of records may partly be a consequence of its association with bromeliads which generally grow at heights unreachable during herpetological searches. We suggest to assigning P. romeroae to the Data Deficient Red List Category (DD) (based on IUCN 2017 guidelines).

Etymology.

The species name is a noun in the genitive case and is a patronym for Giovanna Romero, an Ecuadorian botanist and SRR’s wife. For almost two decades, she has supported SRR’s research in countless ways and this is a long-overdue tribute.

Figures

Figure 1. Palmar and plantar surfaces of Pristimantis romeroae sp. nov. and X-ray of the hand A ventral view of the left foot B ventral view of left hand C X-ray of the left hand. Holotype (QCAZ 41121). Arrows point to the hyperdistal subarticular tubercles. Abbreviations: B = basal, D = distal, HD = hyperdistal. In the x-ray image, dashed lines indicate the border of soft tissoes; continuous lines indicate edges of bones.

Figure 8. Known distribution of the three new species and type localities of P. paululus, P. petersi, and P. bromeliaceus. Localities are based on specimens deposited at Museo de Zoologia of Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador and from Lynch (1974), Lynch (1979), and Lynch and Duellman (1990).

Figure 9. Live individuals of Pristimantis nankints A paratype, subadult male QCAZ 69137 (SVL = 19.6 mm) B holotype, adult female QCAZ 71457 (SVL = 30.9 mm). Photographs by Darwin Nunez (A), Gustavo Pazmino (B).

Figure 12. Live adult individuals of the clade of green Pristimantis within the P. lacrimosus complex and their closest relatives A Pristimantis acuminatus, QCAZ 53845 B P. limoncochensis, QCAZ 37277 C P. enigmaticus, QCAZ 66863 D P. omeviridis, QCAZ 55392 E P. sp., QCAZ 58956 F P. nankints sp. nov. QCAZ 69137 (SVL = 19.6 mm). Photographs by Santiago R. Ron (A-B), Gustavo Pazmino (C), Diego Quirola (D), Juan Carlos Sanchez (E) and Darwin Nunez (F).

Figure 13. Variation in preserved specimens of Pristimantis romeroae sp. nov. From left to right, first and second rows: QCAZ 41121 (holotype, SVL = 31.1 mm, adult female), QCAZ 41103 (SVL = 33.8 mm, adult female), QCAZ 41128 (SVL = 31.15 mm, adult female), QCAZ 41222 (SVL = 23.8 mm, adult male). All specimens are shown at the same scale. Photographs by Julio C. Carrion.

Figure 14. X-rays of Pristimantis nankints sp. nov. and Pristimantis romeroae sp. nov. Left, Pristimantis nankints sp. nov. holotype, QCAZ 71457; right, Pristimantis romeroae sp. nov. holotype, QCAZ 41121.