A review of Northern Peruvian glassfrogs (Centrolenidae), with the description of four new remarkable species
Author
Twomey, Evan
Author
Delia, Jesse
Author
Castroviejo-Fisher, Santiago
text
Zootaxa
2014
3851
1
1
87
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3851.1.1
5e639fea-f2a5-4151-9914-307ec6cc8335
1175-5326
286921
9840D64B-F08C-44E7-B2DC-4818F8FFDD4F
Nymphargus chancas
(
Duellman & Schulte 1993
)
Figure 27
Cochranella chancas
Duellman and Schulte 1993
.
Holotype
KU 211778, an adult male from “west slope of Abra
Tangarana
,
7 km
by road northeast of San Juan de Pacaysapa (
06°12’ S
,
76°44’ W
,
1080 m
), Provincia Lamas, Departamento San Martín,
Peru
”.
Nymphargus
chancas—
Cisneros-Heredia and McDiarmid 2007
.
Background information.
This species was described from a single adult male collected in Abra
Tangarana
, San Martín,
Peru
(
Duellman & Schulte 1993
). It was placed in the
ocellata
group due to the combination of white parietal peritoneum, clear visceral peritoneum, humeral spines in males absent, and vomerine teeth absent. This group was later described as a new genus
Nymphargus
(
Cisneros-Heredia & McDiarmid 2007
)
, and
chancas
was placed in this genus due to the combination of characters mentioned above, as well as its absence of hand webbing—a synapomorphy of
Nymphargus
. This species was later registered from the Cordillera del
Condor
in
Ecuador
(
Guayasamin & Bonaccorso 2011
).
New data.
Since 2005 we have encountered this species in two localities in northern San Martín (
Fig. 14
).
In 2005
, two individuals were found by day in a small stream roughly
25 km
SW from Tarapoto (approx.
6°35'38.10"S
,
76°34'17.24"W
,
1131 m
). On
6 June 2011
two adult males (CORBIDI 14148 and CORBIDI 10471) were collected from a small stream
7.5 km
SE from the
type
locality (
6°19'12.83"S
,
76°41'42.71"W
,
1003 m
;
Fig. 27
). In addition, we have seen photographs of specimens from the village of Yurilamas (approximately
6°14'S
,
76°32' W
, record courtesy M. Fashé) and a site roughly
14 km
SE from the town of Shamboyacu, San Martín,
Peru
(
7°4'8.9''S
,
76°0'55.2''W
,
1122 m
, voucher specimens CORBIDI-HE-2010-8865 and CORBIDI-HE-2010-8866, record courtesy P. Venegas).
Variation.
We noted variation in the prominence of yellow dorsal flecks, and rapid color-pattern changes. While all individuals we have seen possess distinct yellow flecks on the dorsum, the lone individual from Yurilamas has large, bright yellow flecks on the dorsum, appearing almost spotted. However, individuals seem to be capable of undergoing relatively rapid and dramatic color-pattern changes. For example, one of the individuals collected from Abra
Tangarana
had prominent occellations when we first found it in the field, but these quickly faded after capture and the frog took on the grayish-green dorsal coloration typical of this species. Iris color was described as pale yellowish-bronze in the original description (
Duellman & Schulte 1993
). In the specimens we have collected, iris color would be better described as silvery-white with a faint yellow suffusion throughout, and a horizontal black bar through the middle of the eye.
Distribution and ecology.
Nymphargus chancas
is distributed throughout northern San Martín at elevations over
1000 m
. Its distribution extends into southern
Ecuador
, where it was collected between
1256–1430 m
(
Guayasamin & Bonaccorso 2011
). This species seems to be associated with small creeks with thick forest cover. Reproductive behaviors such as oviposition and calling have not yet been observed in this species.
Taxonomic remarks.
Our phylogenetic results revealed that
Nymphargus chancas
is paraphyletic. Of the three specimens included in the phylogenetic analyses, two of them cluster together as sister to
N. puyoensis
Flores
and McDiarmid (1989) while the third one (QCAZ 41590) is sister to
N. puyoensis
(
Fig. 2b
). Nonetheless, this third specimen is from Zamora-Chinchipe province in
Ecuador
and may represent a misidentification or an undescribed species. However, this specimen shows no differences with the
holotype
of
N. chancas
(J.M. Guayasamin, pers. comm.).
Nymphargus chancas
and
N. puyoensis
are easily diagnosed on the basis of vomerine teeth (present in
N. puyoensis
,
absent in
N. chancas
) and dorsal coloration (dull yellowish-green with minute yellow flecks in
N. chancas
vs. dark green with low, flat warts corresponding to yellowish-green spots).