Systematics of minute strabomantid frogs allocated to the genus Noblella (Amphibia: Anura) with description of a new genus, seven new species, and insights into historical biogeography Author Ortega, Jhael A. Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Avenida 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apartado 17 - 01 - 2184, Quito, Ecuador Author Cisneros-Heredia, Diego F. Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Colegio de Ciencias Biológicas y Ambientales, Instituto de Biodiversidad Tropical IBIOTROP, Museo de Zoología / Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Quito, Ecuador & Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad INABIO, División de Herpetología, Quito, Ecuador Author Camper, Jeffrey D. Department of Biology, Francis Marion University, Florence, SC 29506, USA Author Romero-Carvajal, Andrés Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Avenida 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apartado 17 - 01 - 2184, Quito, Ecuador Author Negrete, Leonardo Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Avenida 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apartado 17 - 01 - 2184, Quito, Ecuador Author Ron, Santiago R. Museo de Zoología, Escuela de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Avenida 12 de Octubre 1076 y Roca, Apartado 17 - 01 - 2184, Quito, Ecuador santiago.r.ron@gmail.com text Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 2025 2025-01-13 203 1 1 60 https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae162 journal article 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae162 0024-4082 14832689 7-01-2184 Phyllonastes dicaprioi sp.nov. LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6BB7F9AC-DD71-4FA4-8251- 0184D8991FCE Noblella heyeri — Garzón-Santomaro et al. (2019) . Holotype ( Figs 16 , 17 ): DHMECN 13729 (field no. SRJ 2017- 364), adult male from República del Ecuador , province of El Oro , El Retiro ( 3.206528°S , 79.67977°W , 1705 m a.s.l.), collected by Filemón Benítez and Miguel Urgilés on 3 July 2017 . Paratypes (N = 9; Fig. 16 ): All from Ecuador , El Oro Province : El Retiro, DHMECN 13723 , DHMECN 13730 adult females ; DHMECN 13724–26 , DHMECN 13728 adult males ; collected with the holotype. Sinsao, DHMECN 12524– 25 adult males; DHMECN 12527 female ( 3.61847°S , 79.58072°W ) 1330 m a.s.l. Proposed standard English name: DiCaprio’s leaflitter frog. Proposed standard Spanish name: Cutín de Hojarasca de DiCaprio. Definition ( Figs 16 , 17 ; Tables 2 and 3 ): We assign the new species to the genus Phyllonastes based on its phylogenetic relationships. The new species is characterized by: (1) skin on head, dorsum and flanks shagreen, dorsolateral folds absent, dorsal limb skin smooth with dispersed low warts, ventral skin and posterior surface of legs areolate, discoidal fold present; (2) tympanic membrane undifferentiated, tympanic annulus present but weakly defined, small supratympanic fold present, row of postrictal tubercles present; (3) snout rounded in dorsal and lateral views; (4) upper eyelid without tubercles, cranial crests absent; (5) vomerine teeth absent; (6) vocal slits and nuptial pads absent; (7) fingers not expanded distally, finger tips acuminate without papillae, finger I shorter than finger II, supernumerary tubercles present; (8) fingers bearing narrow lateral fringes, well-defined pads without circumferential grooves; (9) distal phalanges blunt or T-shaped, phalangeal formula of hand 2-2-3-3; (10) ulnar tubercles usually present; (11) knees and heels without tubercles, outer edge of tarsus without tubercles, inner edge of tarsus bearing one conical tubercle; (12) inner metatarsal tubercle large, elongate in ventral view and rounded in lateral view, bigger than conical outer metatarsal tubercle; (13) toes expanded distally, with acuminate toe tips and lacking papillae; supernumerary tubercles, lateral fringes, and toe basal webbing absent; all toes bearing ill-defined circumferential grooves, toe V shorter than toe III; (14) in life, dorsum brown, with two suprainguinal spots, dark or light middorsal stripe and dark marks and chevrons in some specimens; dark mask (but faint in some specimens), extending onto darker flanks; arms brown, with dark marks usually forming bands; ventral surfaces of body and legs light brown, with small cream flecks and dots; and (15) SVL in adult males 12.62 mm ( N = 7) and SVL in adult females 12.93 mm ( N = 3) ( Table 4 ). Diagnosis: Phyllonastes dicaprioi resembles the other Phyllonastes from the western foothills of Ecuadorian Andes, P. cerrogolondrinas , P. coloma , P. mindo , and P. worleyae , by having a tympanic annulus, supernumerary palmar tubercles, fingers not expanded distally, and circumferential grooves on toes. It differs from all of them by lacking vocal slits. Besides, P. dicaprioi differs from P. cerrogolondrinas by having a round snout in dorsal view (snout truncate in dorsal view in P. cerrogolondrinas ), by having a supratympanic fold (absent in P. cerrogolondrinas ) and three phalanges in finger IV (finger IV with two phalanges in P. cerrogolondrinas ), and by the absence of circumferential grooves in fingers and supernumerary plantar tubercles (both present in P. cerrogolondrinas ). Pristimantis dicaprioi also differs from P. coloma by having toes distally expanded (slightly expanded in P. coloma ); from P. mindo by having acuminate toe tips (rounded in P. mindo ), and from P. worleyae by the absence supernumerary plantar tubercles (present in P. worleyae ) and by the mask extending to the groins (mask extending to flank half in P.worleyae ). For a comparison with other Phyllonastes species that are more phylogenetically distant, see Tables 2 and 3 . Figure 16. Preserved specimens of Phyllonastes dicaprioi . Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views of: A, holotype DHMECN 13729 , adult male, SVL = 10.7 mm; B, paratype DHMECN 13723, adult female, SVL = 12.84 mm; C, paratype DHMECN 13725, adult male, SVL = 12.85 mm; and D, paratype DHMECN 13730, adult female, SVL = 13.56 mm. Figure 17. Palmar (A) and plantar (B) surfaces of Phyllonastes dicaprioi . Photographs of right hand and left foot of the holotype DHMECN 13729 . Description of holotype ( Figs 16 , 17 ): Adult male ( DHMECN 13729 ). Measurements (in millimetres): SVL, 12.9; tibia length, 5.5; foot length, 4.9; head length, 3.0; head width, 3.5; eye diameter, 1.5; tympanum diameter, 0.5; interorbital distance, 1.3; upper eyelid width, 0.8; internarial distance, 1.3; eye–nostril distance 0.8. Head wider than long, head slightly narrower than body; canthus rostralis weakly defined; loreal region slightly concave in dorsal view; cranial crests absent; upper eyelid bearing no tubercles. Tympanic annulus weakly defined, differentiated in its anterior and inferior portions; tympanic membrane undifferentiated from the surrounding skin; small supratympanic fold present; postrictal tubercles present. Snout round in dorsal and lateral views, without rostral papilla. Vomerine teeth absent; vocal slits and nuptial pads absent. Skin on head, dorsum, and flanks shagreen, limbs smooth dorsally, with dispersed low warts; skin on posterior surfaces of legs and venter areolate; dorsolateral folds absent; discoidal fold present. Ulnar tubercle small and low; palmar tubercles prominent, outer palmar tubercle slightly elongate, thenar tubercle large and elongate, both rounded in lateral view; subarticular tubercles well defined, round in ventral and lateral views; distal subarticular tubercles not visible; supernumerary tubercles visible; thin lateral dermal fringes present, discs bearing well-defined pads without circumferential grooves, fingers not expanded distally, tip of fingers acuminate, without papillae; relative length of fingers I <II <IV <III; phalangeal formula of 2-2-3-3. Hindlimbs robust; heel and knee without tubercles; tarsal folds (inner and outer) absent, outer tarsal tubercles absent; inner tarsal tubercle present, prominent, and conical; inner metatarsal tubercle large, elongate in ventral view, rounded in lateral view; outer metatarsal tubercle small, well defined, prominent, rounded in ventral view, conical in lateral view; supernumerary plantar tubercles absent; subarticular tubercles well defined, round and prominent in dorsal view, toes without lateral fringes; basal webbing absent; discs rounded and bearing well-defined rounded pads; circumferential grooves present, ill defined; toes expanded distally, tip of toes acuminate without papillae; relative length of toes is I <II <V <III <IV; toe III longer than toe V (toe III surpasses the distal border of the second subarticular tubercle of toe IV; toe V reaches the proximal border of the second tubercle of toe IV). Colour of holotype in life: Dorsum brown, with darker, scattered marks and chevrons, two suprainguinal spots and a middorsal cream stripe extending to the vent. Cloacal region dark brown, with a cream stripe extending towards each hindlimb along the posterior surface of the thigh, ventral surface of shank, and posterior surface of pes, ending at the inner metatarsal tubercle. Faint dark mask present, extending from the tip of the snout to the groins, bordering dorsally dark flanks.Lips with dark vertical bars. Arms and legs brown, with dark marks usually forming bands. Ventral surfaces of body and legs light brown, with small cream flecks and dots. A mid-ventral pale stripe extends from the throat to the vent; a pale stripe extends ventrally along each hindlimb, joining the midventral pale stripe to form a cross on the chest. Colour of holotype in preservative: Similar to coloration in life but paler. Variation ( Fig. 16 ): Four specimens have an almost unnoticeable tympanic membrane and annulus, on one or both sides (DHMECN 12524–5 and 13724–25). Ulnar tubercles absent in all paratypes . Three specimens have the dorsum paler than the holotype , without dark marks except for suprainguinal spots (DHMECN 13723, 13726, and 12524). One individual is similar to the holotype in having a pale mid-dorsal stripe but lacks dark marks, except for suprainguinal spots. Two specimens have a darker brown dorsum than the holotype and a faint dark mid-dorsal stripe and inverted-V chevrons (DHMECN 12527 and 13720). One specimen has a dark hourglass-shaped large mark on the dorsum DHMECN 13725. One specimen has a faint midventral pale stripe, but no stripes on ventral surfaces of the arms (DHMECN 13728). Two specimens have faint pale stripes along hindlegs (DHMECN 13724 and 13728). Midventral and hindleg stripes are absent in all paratypes . Morphometric variation is detailed in Table 4 . Distribution, natural history, and conservation status ( Fig. 3 ): Phyllonastes dicaprioi is known from the Western Montane Forest of the province El Oro , Ecuador , between 1330 and 1705 m a.s.l. Individuals were collected at night on the ground, buried in leaf litter. Because of the lack of information on population size and geographical range, we suggest assigning P. dicaprioi to the Data Deficient IUCN Red List Category (based on IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2023 ). Etymology: The specific name dicaprioi is a patronym honouring Leonardo DiCaprio, actor, film producer, and conservationist. He has voiced his support for several conservation initiatives in Ecuador ; and in 2021, he pledged funds for the conservation and ecosystem restoration of the Galapagos Islands , Ecuador .