A marvelous new glassfrog (Centrolenidae, Hyalinobatrachium) from Amazonian Ecuador

Abstract

Hyalinobatrachium is a behaviorally and morphologically conserved genus of Neotropical anurans, with several pending taxonomic problems. Using morphology, vocalizations, and DNA, a new species from the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador is described and illustrated. The new species, Hyalinobatrachium yaku sp. n., is differentiated from all other congenerics by having small, middorsal, dark green spots on the head and dorsum, a transparent pericardium, and a tonal call that lasts 0.27–0.4 s, with a dominant frequency of 5219.3–5329.6 Hz. Also, a mitochondrial phylogeny for the genus is presented that contains the new species, which is inferred as sister to H. pellucidum. Conservation threats to H. yaku sp. n. include habitat destruction and/or pollution mainly because of oil and mining activities.

The poverty of adult morphology: Bioacoustics, genetics, and internal tadpole morphology reveal a new species of glassfrog (Anura: Centrolenidae: Ikakogi) from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

“…As more remote, unexplored areas are surveyed, more species are discovered, as the results of recent studies in Ecuador (e.g. [19, 20]), Peru [21, 22, 11] and Brazil [23, 14] have demonstrated. It is expected that Colombia will follow the same pattern of hidden diversity.…”

Cephalopod-inspired optical engineering of human cells

“…These concepts have been described in classic literature by various authors, including the philosopher Plato, who conceived the Ring of Gyges as a hypothetical item that would allow its wearer to disappear 1 , and the writer H. G. Wells, who envisioned that a scientist could match their refractive index to that of air in order to become invisible 2 . Although such notions may seem fantastic at first glance, the natural world is filled with examples of animals, such as the glasswing butterfly 3 , the grass shrimp 4 , the comb jellyfish 5 , the glass frog 6 , and mesopelagic cephalopods 7 , which have evolved transparent structures, tissues, or even whole bodies for the purpose of concealment 8,9 . From a technological perspective, the study of transparency (defined as the property of transmitting light without appreciable scattering such that objects lying beyond can be seen clearly) has recently attracted significant attention.…”

Morphological and molecular data reveal new country records and distribution extensions of some glassfrogs (Anura: Centrolenidae) for Colombia

“…most species are very similar in external traits such as dorsal and visceral coloration, webbing extension, and snout shape, which makes their taxonomy a difficult task (Kok & Castroviejo-Fisher 2008;Castroviejo-Fisher et al 2009, 2011a, 2011bChávez et al 2019;Mendoza-Henao et al 2019). Thus, analyses of molecular data and comparisons of coloration in life help elucidate intricate species identities and evolutionary relationships (Castroviejo-Fisher et al 2011a;Guayasamin et al 2017). In this sense, our results call for a revision of the Colombian populations referred to H. colymbiphyllum, H. munozorum, and H. esmeralda as multiple specimens herein identified as H. cf.…”

“…talamancae were previously reported as Hyalinobatrachium sp. (MAR 2147 andMAR 2222;Twomey et al 2014;Guayasamin et al 2017) or H. colymbiphyllum (ICN 8662, 10585-86, -89, 15992, 15994-98, 16000-01, 19686, 19688, 19564-65, 19561-63;Barrera-Rodríguez 2000'1999, and individuals of H. pellucidum can be confused with H. munozorum and H. esmeralda (Marco Rada, pers. obs.…”

“…However, species identification within Hyalinobatrachium is often problematic due to subtle morphological differences among taxa. This situation is evidenced by the confusing taxonomic status of several species (see Castroviejo-Fisher et al 2008, 2011a, 2011bGuayasamin et al 2008Guayasamin et al , 2017Guayasamin et al , 2019Kok & Castroviejo-Fisher 2008;Chávez et al 2019;Mendoza-Henao et al 2020). Difficulties in identifying species of Hyalinobathrachium are compounded by the modification of key taxonomic characteristics as an artifact of preservation (e.g.…”