Contributing to the taxonomic inventory of green-colored rain frogs: A new species of the Pristimantis lacrimosus group (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the southern Cordillera Azul, central Peru

Abstract

Abstract We studied the taxonomic status of a population of Pristimantis from the southern Cordillera Azul, Departamento Huánuco, central Peru. A phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene revealed that it represents a lineage within the Pristimantis lacrimosus species group, being the closest relative of a species of uncertain taxonomic status from a lowland rainforest in central Peru (Panguana), and P. pulchridormientes from the Tingo Maria National Park. However, the focal lineage is divergent from all nominal species in the P. lacrimosus group for which respective data are available by >7.9% uncorrected pairwise distance in the 16S rRNA gene fragment. An integrative taxonomic approach, including morphological and bioacoustic analyses, provided multiple lines of evidence for the focal specimens belonging to an unnamed evolutionary lineage at the species level that we describe and name herein. The systematics of Peruvian populations associated with the P. lacrimosus group are discussed, particularly highlighting problematic taxa with uncertain taxonomic status and unknown relationships. We point to scientific challenges and actions needed to achieve a better taxonomic resolution of this species-rich clade of frogs.