Life Sciences Commons^™

A Re-Assessment Of Priority Amphibian Species Of Peru, Edgar Lehr, Laurence Jarvis, Ariadne Angulo, Alessandro Catenazzi, Rudolf Von May, Jason Brown, James Lewis

Edgar Lehr

Peru supports approximately 588 amphibian species, of which 492 have been assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of these, 111 are classified as Threatened, with 69 species classified as Critically Endangered or Endangered. In addition, 140 amphibian species remain Data Deficient. We re-assessed the conservation status of 38 amphibian species originally identified as potentially Threatened by von May et al. (2008), using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Fourteen species assessments changed as a result of re-assessment, of which eight changed from Data Deficient to Threatened; two changed from Data Deficient to Near Threatened and Least …

Description Of The Tadpoles Of Hypsiboas Aguilari And H. Melanopleura Aguilari And H. Melanopleura (Anura: Hylidae: Hypsiboas Pulchellus Group), Edgar Lehr, Julian Faivovich, Karl-Heinz Jungfer

Edgar Lehr

We describe the tadpoles of Hypsiboas melanopleura and H. aguilari and compare them with the tadpoles of other species in the Hypsiboas pulchellus group. The description of the tadpole of H. aguilari is based on an individual at Gosner Stage 29 and that of H. melanopleura on an individual at Gosner Stage 28. Both tadpoles have a labial tooth row formula of 2(2)/4(1). At Stage 35, the tadpole of H. aguilari had a total length of 52.2 mm, at Stage 37, the tadpole of H. melanopleura had a total length of 60.7 mm. In life, the tadpole of H. aguilari …

A New Species Of Marsupial Frog (Anura: Hemiphractidae: Gastrotheca) From The Río Abiseo National Park In Peru, Edgar Lehr, Alessandro Catenazzi

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of Gastrotheca from the Río Abiseo National Park of the San Martín Region in the Andes of northern Peru. The description is based on a series of 29 specimens that were collected between 1989 and 1999 at two localities (Pampa del Cuy, Alpamachay) in the wet puna of the national park between 3380 and 3470 m elevation. The new species has a snout–vent length of 46.9–57.7 mm (53.5 ± 3.0) in females (n = 21), and 35.3–43.8 mm (41.6 ± 3.2) in males (n  =  6). In life, the dorsum is pale grayish brown with …

A New Species Of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) From The Amazonian Lowlands Of Northern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Luis A.G. Gagliardi Urrutia, Jiri Moravec

Edgar Lehr

Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis And The Collapse Of Anuran Species Richness And Abundance In The Upper Manu National Park, Southeastern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Allessandro Catenazzi, Lily Rodriguez, Vance Vrendeburg

Edgar Lehr

Amphibians are declining worldwide, but these declines have been particularly dramatic in tropical mountains, where high endemism and vulnerability to an introduced fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is associated with amphibian extinctions. We surveyed frogs in the Peruvian Andes in montane forests along a steep elevational gradient (1200-3700 m). We used visual encounter surveys to sample stream-dwelling and arboreal species and leaf-litter plots to sample terrestrial-breeding species. We compared species richness and abundance among the wet seasons of 1999, 2008, and 2009. Despite similar sampling effort among years, the number of species (46 in 1999) declined by 47% between 1999 …

Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis In The Live Frog Trade Of Telmatobius (Anura: Ceratophryidae) In The Tropical Andes, Edgar Lehr, Alessandro Catenazzi, Vance Vredenburg

Edgar Lehr

Species of frogs in the genus Telmatobius are traded and sold for human consumption in the Andes and in coastal cities of Peru and Bolivia. These frogs are harvested from wild populations. We report high prevalence of infection by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in live frogs purchased at the main market in Cusco, Peru, from January 2008 to January 2010. We suggest that the transport of native anurans through the live frog trade could facilitate the spread of this fungus among Andean frogs. The tropical Andes are the most important biodiversity hotspot for amphibians. Because many neotropical taxa are …

A New Andean Species Of The Hypsiboas Pulchellus Group: Adults, Calls, And Phylogenetic Relationships, Edgar Lehr, Julian Faivovich, Karl-Heinz Jungfer

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of the Hypsiboas pulchellus Group from the eastern Andes of central Peru (Region Pasco). Calls of both H. melanopleura and the new species are described. The new species is more similar to H. melanopleura and H. palaestes but differs in morphological characters and in coloration pattern. The new species and H. melanopleura are included in a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the H. pulchellus Group that shows them to be sister species and forming a second, independent, Andean clade within the group. New collecting sites for H. melanopleura are provided with the first record in the …

Two New Species Of Bryophryne (Anura: Strabomantidae) From High Elevations In Southern Peru (Region Of Cusco), Edgar Lehr, Alessandro Catenazzi

Edgar Lehr

We describe two new species of Bryophryne from the Region of Cusco, Provincia de La Convencio´n in southern Peru, increasing the number of currently known Bryophryne to eight. One of the new species is the second known species of Bryophryne that has a tympanic annulus and tympanic membrane. Males of this species have vocal slits, a vocal sac, and call from inside moss. It is readily distinguished from all its congeners by having a blackish-brown venter with yellow, orange, or pale pink blotches. This species is found at elevations of 3800–3850 m in the puna along the road from Vilcabamba …

New Species Of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) From The Amazonian Lowlands Of Southern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Rudolf Von May

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of Pristimantis from the Amazonian lowlands in southern Peru (Madre de Dios Region). The new species has a snout–vent length of 22.8–23.4 mm in two adult males (females are unknown), a tympanum barely visible, a W-shaped scapular ridge, the iris bearing a dark vertical bar forming a cross or a T, a cream venter with brown blotches, and groin and concealed surfaces of shanks with a contrasting pattern consisting of yellow and black. It is tentatively assigned to the unistrigatus species Group and is most similar to Pristimantis diadematus and Pristimantis eurydactylus.

Tadpole Of Telmatobius Mayoloi (Anura: Ceratophryidae), Edgar Lehr, Cesar Aguilar

Edgar Lehr

The tadpole of Telmatobius mayoloi from central Peru (Departamento de Ancash) is described based on specimens ranging from Gosner Stage 28–41. The tadpole of T. mayoloi is similar to other Telmatobius larvae with pond type morphology. Geographically closest to T. mayoloi are Telmatobius carrillae and Telmatobius rimac. The tadpole of T. mayoloi differs from the latter in reaching a maximum total length of 102.1 mm at Stage 38 whereas T. carrillae (maximum total length = 99.20 mm at Stage 39) and T. rimac (maximum total length = 77. 70 mm at Stage 36) are smaller. Furthermore, the snout of the …

Three New Species Of Bryophryne (Anura: Strabomantidae) From The Region Of Cusco, Peru, Edgar Lehr, Alessandro Catenazzi

Edgar Lehr

We describe three new species of Bryophryne from the Region of Cusco in southern Peru, increasing the number of currently known Bryophryne to six. One of the new species differs from all species of Bryophryne in having a tympanic annulus and tympanic membrane. Males of this species have vocal slits, a vocal sac, and produce a call, which we analyze herein. This species is found at San Luis, a montane cloud forest along the road from Abra Málaga to Quillabamba at elevations between 3272 and 3354 m. The second new species has an orange throat and groin and is found …

A New Species Of Minute Noblella (Anura: Strabomantidae) From Southern Peru: The Smallest Frog Of The Andes, Edgar Lehr, Alessandro Catenazzi

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of Noblella from the upper Cosnipata Valley in southern Peru (Cusco Region). Specimens were found in the leaf litter of a cloud forest between 3025 and 3190 m elevation. The most distinctive character of the new species is its diminutive size (maximum SVL female 12.4 mm, male 11.1 mm). With an average snout–vent length of 11.4 mm (n = 7) in adult specimens, the new species is the smallest Andean frog, and one of the smallest anurans in the world. The new frog is rare (between 30 and 75 frogs/ ha) and found only in …

A New Species Of Scinax (Anura: Hylidae) From The Area Of Iquitos, Amazonian Peru, Edgar Lehr, Jiri Moravec, Illich Tuanama, Pedro Perez

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of the hylid frog genus Scinax from the Peruvian Upper Amazonian Lowlands (area of Iquitos, Region Loreto, Peru). The new species belongs to the Scinax ruber clade and differs from all its members by having the dorsal skin slightly to coarsely shagreen, by lacking conspicuous ulnar and tarsal tubercles, and in life by having a distinct light olive-green coloration on dorsum, bright yellow flanks with distinct black spots, black posterior surfaces of thighs, and gold to bronze iris.

A New Species Of Phrynopus (Anura, Strabomantidae) From Peru, With Comments On The Osteology, Edgar Lehr, Linda Trueb

Edgar Lehr

A new species of Phrynopus (Anura, Strabomantidae) from Peru, with comments on the osteology of the genus. A new, small species of Phrynopus is described from the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental just north of the Rio Huallaga in central Peru. The species resembles P. montium but is distinguished from it and other congeners by its spatulate snout. The anterior end of the maxillary arcade is broadly rounded in dorsal view, and composed of wide premaxillae that bear extraordinarily large alary processes that are deflected posteriorly at an acute angle. The configuration of the premaxillae accounts for the wide, …

Notes On Variation In Anolis Boettgeri Boulenger 1911, Assessment Of The Status Of Anolis Albimaculatus Henle And Ehrl 1991, And Description Of A New Species Of Anolis (Squamata: Iguania) Similar To Anolis Boettgeri, Edgar Lehr, Steven Poe, Christian Yanez-Miranda

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of Anolis from a high-elevation locality in the Department of Cusco, Peru. This species is similar to Anolis boettgeri but differs in characters of scalation and coloration. We reanalyze Anolis albimaculatus and find this species to be a synonym of A. boettgeri. We describe variation in A. boettgeri based on topotypical material, including the first described males of the species. Phylogenetic analysis of the new form places it within the Dactyloallatifrons clade of South American “Alpha" Anolis.

A Minute New Ecuadorian Andean Frog (Anura: Strabomantidae, Pristilnantis), Edgar Lehr, Luis Coloma

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of Pristimantis from a cloud forest at 2450–2800 m in the Cordillera Oriental in southern Ecuador (Zamora Chinchipe). The new species has a maximum snout–vent length of 17.9 mm (average SVL of 21 males 5 12.3 mm 6 1.2, and of 19 females 5 15.9 mm 6 1.3). This new species is the second smallest frog from Ecuador and smallest Pristimantis. Morphologically and phylogenetically, the new species is similar to P. caeruleonotus and P. colodactylus. It is distinguished from them and its congeners by its size, tuberculation, a distinct color pattern consisting of tan blotches …

A New Species Of Bryophryne (Anura: Strabomantidae) From Southern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Alessandro Catenazzi

Edgar Lehr

A new species of Bryophryne from southern Peru (Cusco Region) is described. Specimens were found in the leaf litter of cloud forest at elevations of 2350-3215 m. The new species has a maximum snout-vent length of 21.9 mm in adult females, 18.9 mm in adult males and is the smallest species of the genus. It lacks a tympanum and dentigerous processes of vomers, has dorsolateral folds, and males without vocal slits and without nuptial pads. The new species is most similar to B. bustamantei but differs in being smaller, having discontinuous dorsolateral folds, the males lacking vocal slits, and an …

A New Species Of Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) From The Cordillera Oriental Of Central Peru, Edgar Lehr, Stefan Lotters, Mikael Lundberg

Edgar Lehr

A new species of Atelopus is described from three localities near Oxapampa between 1700 and 2200 m elevation in central Peru, representing the first record for the genus in the Department of Pasco. The new species is readily distinguished from all congeners by its small size (maximum SVL 22.1 mm in males), numerous gray coni on dorsal and lateral body surfaces, and a coloration pattern consisting of a cream dorsolateral stripe, narrow dark brown middorsal stripe, arms and legs dorsally dark brown with grayish brown reticulation, and ventral surfaces of hands and feet reddish orange. Females are unknown.

Non-Standard Sources In A Standardized World: Responsible Practice And Ethics Of Acquiring Turtle Specimens For Scientific Use, Edgar Lehr, Russell Burke, Linda Ford, Steve Mockford, Peter Pritchard, Jose Rosado, Darrell Senneke, Bryan Stuart

Edgar Lehr

No abstract provided.

Frogs Of The Genus Eleutherodactylus (Leptodactyl Idae) In The Cordillera Occidental In Peru With Descriptions Of Three New Species, Edgar Lehr, William E. Duellman

Edgar Lehr

Three new species of Eleutherodactylus are described from the Rio Zana Valley in the Pacific versant of the Cordillera Occidental in the Departamento de Cajamarca, Peru. One of the species is a member of the Eleutherodactylus conspicillatus Group, and two are members of the Eleutherodactylus unstrigatus Group.We recognize 15 species of Eleutherodactylus in the Cordillera Occidental; 10 of these species are reported for the first time from the Cordillera Occidental. Four of these species are shared with the Cordillera Occidental in Ecuador, and five are shared with the Cordillera de Huancabamba in northern Peru.

Diversity Among New World Microhylid Frogs (Anura: Microhvlidae): Morphological And Osteological Comparisons Between Nelsonophryne (Gunther 1901) And A New Genus From Peru, Edgar Lehr, Linda Trueb

Edgar Lehr

A new genus and species of microhylid frogs are described from localities at elevations of 2500-2960 m on the eastern slopes of the Andes in central Peru. These are the first microhylids recorded from the Peruvian Andes and they differ from all other neotropical microhylids by their lack of a tympanum, tympanic annulus and stapes. Phrynopus carpish is removed from Leptodactylidae and placed in Microhylidae. Several novel morphological characters for microhylids are described, among them dermal body spines, expanded nuptial pads in males and heterotopic cartilages. Osteological descriptions and comparison of the new genus with Nelsonophryne revealed a number of …

A New Species Of The Pristimantis Orestes Group (Anura: Leptodactylidae) From The Cordillera Occidental In Northern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Gunther Kohler

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of the Pristimantis orestes Group from cloud forest at 1700- 1800 m in the Cordillera Occidental in northern Peru (Departamento de Cajamarca). The type series comprises one adult female and three males. The new species has a maximum snout vent-length of29.4 mm, a long snout, dentigerous processes ofvorners present, di scs on outer fingers broadly expanded, males that have vocal slits prescnt and nuptial pads absent, and a distinct color pattern consisting of ran blotches and spots on a brown venter, anterior and posterior surfaces afthe thighs, concealed surfaces of the shanks, and axilla and …

New Eleutherodactyline Frogs (Leptodacetylidae: Pristimantis, Phrynopus) From Peru, Edgar Lehr

Edgar Lehr

Four new species of Pristimantis and three new species of Phrynopus are described from Peru. Two of the new species of Pristimantis are assigned to the orestes species Group, one to the conspicillatus Group, and one to the unistrigatus Group. Three of the new species of Pristimantis were obtained from the Cordillera de Vilcabamba in southern Peru, which is known for high biological diversity and endemism. One of the new species from the Vilcabamba region belongs to the orestes species Group and is separated by approximately 600 km (straightline) from proximate known species of the group (Pristimantis cordovae) in northern …

Descriptions Of The Tadpoles Of Two Neotropical Microhylid Frogs, Melanophryne Carpish And Nelsonophryne Aequatorialis (Anura: Microhylidae), Edgar Lehr, Linda Trueb, Pablo Venegas, Ernesto Arbelaez

Edgar Lehr

The tadpole of Melanophryne carpish is described based on two specimens found in an arboreal, water-filled bromeliad in humid montane forest at 2,870 m in the eastern Andes of northern Peru (Departamento de San Martı´n). It differs from all known New World microhylid tadpoles in having unpigmented, keratinized, jaw sheaths. The lower labium is expanded and platelike. The body is depressed with eyes located dorsally, and the spiracle is ventral. The presence of jaw sheaths suggests that the larvae might feed while undergoing development in aerial plants. The tadpole of Nelsonophryne aequatorialis is described based on a series of 17 …

Two New Species Of Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) From The Cordillera Occidental In Peru, Edgar Lehr, William Duellman

Edgar Lehr

Two new species of Eleutherodactylus are described from the Cordillera Occidental in northern Peruvian departments of Ancash and La Libertad. The new species from La Libertad is assigned to the Eleutherodactylus orestes Group and inhabits puna at elevations of 3400–4010 m. The Eleutherodactylus orestes Group is redefined. The second new species is assigned to the Eleutherodactylus conspicillatus Group; it represents the southernmost species of Eleutherodactylus in the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes.

A New Species Of Arboreal Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) From The Amazonian Lowlands Of Central Peru, Edgar Lehr, Claudia Torres, Juana Suarez

Edgar Lehr

A new species of arboreal Eleutherodactylus is described and assigned to the Eleutherodactylus unistrigatus Group from the Amazonian lowlands of northern Departamento de Cusco, Peru. The new species was found on vegetation 150–800 cm above ground, has a SVL up to 21.9 mm, and is distinguished from other species of the genus by having a green dorsum with white spots; a pointed, brown snout; and by lacking a tympanic membrane and annulus. Males lack vocal slits and nuptial pads; females are unknown.

Three New Species Of Pris Timan Tis (Anura: Leptodactylidae) From The Cordillera De Huancabamba In Northern Peru, Edgar Lehr, Cesar Aguilar, Karen Sie-Ting, Juan Jordan

Edgar Lehr

Three new species of Pristimantis are described from montane forests and pa´ramos at elevations of 1900–3200 m in the Cordillera de Huancabamba in the northern Peruvian departamentos de Cajamarca and Piura. The new species are assigned to the Pristimantis unistrigatus Group and are compared with species from southern Ecuador and northern Peru. One of the new species has a black W-shaped occipital fold, and the groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of the thigh, the concealed surface of tarsus, and axilla are blackish brown with yellowish-orange or reddish-orange flecks. The second species has an olive green dorsum with black and brown …

A New Species Of Arboreal Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae) From Yanachaga-Chemillen National Park In Central Peru, Edgar Lehr, Jennifer Pramuk, S. Hedges, Jesus Cordova

Edgar Lehr

A new arboreal species of Rhinella tentatively assigned to the veraguensis Group is described from the National Park Yanachaga Chemillen at 2600 m elevation in central Peru (Departamento de Pasco).The new species is characterized by a maximum snout-vent length of 45.7 mm, a moderate body with relatively long and slim extremities, a dorsum with small tubercles and enlarged tubercles on legs, a distinct tympanum, distinct vertical keel on snout, weak orbitotympanic and postorbital crests, weakly defined row of dorsolateral tubercles, and males with vocal slits, nuptial pads, hypertrophied arms, and a protuberant, ventrally oriented cloaca. The new species is compared …

A New Species Of Eleutherocadtylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) From The Eastern Andes Of Central Peru With Comments On Central Peruvian Eleutherodactylus, Edgar Lehr, Mikael Lundberg, Cesar Aguilar, Rudolf Von May

Edgar Lehr

A new species of the Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus Group is described from five localities, at elevations of 1800-2760 m in cloud forests in the Cordillera Oriental in central Peru (Distrito de Paucartambo, Departamento de Pasco). The new species is assigned to the Eleutherodactylus nigrovittatus Group, and differs from all described species therein by having a combination of smooth skin on the venter, undilated discs on the digits, Finger I and Finger II of variable length (slightly shorter, slightly longer or of equal length), Toe III and Toe V of variable length (slightly shorter, slightly longer or of equal length), and a …

A New Species Of Glass Frog (Centrolenidae: Cochranella Ocellata Group) From Central Peru, Edgar Lehr, Juan Guayasamin, Daniel Rodriguez, Cesar Aguilar

Edgar Lehr

We describe a new species of Cochranella from the Cordillera de Carpish, Departmento Huánuco, Peru. The new species is placed in the Cochranella ocellata group and can be distinguished from all other species of Cochranella by having: (1) small white and dark purple spots on the dorsum; (2) a snout slightly protruding to truncate in lateral aspect; (3) and basal webbing between Fingers III and IV.