A new Terrarana frog of genus Pristimantis from an unexplored cloud forest from the eastern Andes, Colombia

Abstract

A new species of Pristimantis (Craugastoridae, subgenus Pristimantis) is described from a relict and unexplored cloud forest in the western slope from Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes. The specific name was chosen by consensus expert scientists and local people. Pristimantis chamezensissp. nov. is easily distinguished from congeneric species by having a gray iris with black reticulations in life, subconical tubercles on the upper eyelid, the chin edged with irregular, dark-brown blotches, and conical heel tubercles. The phylogenetic analyses suggest that the origin and radiation of its clade may have occurred in the highlands. With the description of P. chamezensissp. nov., we identify 14 species distributed throughout the eastern slope of the Andes that are associated with the Orinoco Basin.