Two new charismatic Pristimantis species (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the tepuis of the "Lost World" (Pantepui region, South America)

Abstract

Abstract. Two new colourful species of direct-developing frogs of the genus Pristimantis are described from the summit of two isolated tepuis (sandstone table mountains) in the Eastern Pantepui District of the Guiana Shield highlands. Pristimantis jamescameroni sp. nov. is described from the summit of Aprada-tepui from 2557-2571 m elevation, and P. imthurni sp. nov. is described from the summit of Ptaritepui at 2471 m elevation. Both species share the absence of a differentiated tympanic membrane and external tympanic annulus (but presence of tiny pharyngeal ostia), the presence of nuptial pads in males, and the presence of lateral fringes on fingers and toes, a combination of characters that immediately distinguishes them from all other known Pantepui congeners. The two new species are morphologically similar to each other and are phylogenetically closely related, but they can be distinguished based on colour pattern and morphological characters such as head proportions, dorsal skin texture, and condition of the supratympanic fold. The IUCN conservation status of the new species is considered as Endangered (EN) owing to their apparent very restricted ranges. The number of described Pristimantis species occurring exclusively on tepui (and faunistically related granitic mountains) summits and upper slopes now reaches eleven.

A new species of the Pantepui endemic genusRiolama(Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from the summit of Murisipán-tepui, with the erection of a new gymnophthalmid subfamily

“…Tepui tops are physiographically isolated by vertical escarpments of up to 1000 m in height. Edaphic, climatic, and ecological factors contribute to further isolate most tepui summits from the surrounding savannah and tropical forest (Kok, , b). Tepui summits typically face harsh climatic conditions (strong winds and extreme temperature variation), high ultraviolet radiation, and their characteristic vegetation grows on highly acidic, oligotrophic soils.…”

“…Climate envelope distribution models of tepui ecosystems based on warming projections logically indicate that potential distributions become drastically smaller under global warming (Rödder, Schlüter & Lötters, ). Species endemic to tepui summits are thus at risk of extinction within a short time frame, amidst general indifference because of the inaccessibility of these specific ecosystems (most tepui summits are only reachable by helicopter, and have been explored less extensively than the moon, see Kok, , b). Recent papers (e.g.…”

“…Recent papers (e.g. Myers & Donnelly, 2008;Kok, 2009Kok, , 2013bMyers, Rivas Fuenmayor & Jadin, 2009;Kok & Rivas, 2011;Kok, Means & Bossuyt, 2011;Kok et al, 2012;Rojas-Runjaic et al, 2013) show that tepui summits still yield undescribed taxa of vertebrates, including higher level clades such as genera, and efforts to assess and report the biodiversity in Pantepui should be a high priority in these times of global climate change.…”

A new species of the genus Pristimantis (Amphibia, Craugastoridae) associated with the moderately evelated massifs of French Guiana

“…Among the South American direct-developing frogs (Terrarana)-and vertebrates in general-the genus Pristimantis is the most species-rich, containing more than 450 species to date (Heinicke et al 2007;Hedges et al 2008;Frost 2013), with many species still undescribed, notably from the Guiana Shield highlands (McDiarmid & Donnelly 2005, Kok 2013. A large proportion of the newly described species in the genus occur at very narrow altitudinal ranges (Duellman & Lehr 2009), along the slopes of the Andes and in the Pantepui region.A peculiar reproductive mode and ability to colonize high elevations encompassing a large variety of ecosystems are likely responsible for the large proportion of microendemics in this group (Gonzalez-Voyer et al 2011).…”

Integrative overview of the herpetofauna from Serra da Mocidade, a granitic mountain range in northern Brazil

“…This speciation hotspot pattern occurs in the mountain ranges of northern South America (Guiana Shield highlands), which lies on the ancient terrain of the Cratonic Guiana Shield ( Hershkovitz 1969 , Désamoré et al 2014 , Salerno et al 2012 , Bonaccorso and Guayasamin 2013 ). Despite a history of different concepts and geographic boundaries ( Mayr and Phelps 1967 , Huber 1988a , Kok 2013a ), these high altitude areas are considered as a distinct biogeographic region ( Morrone 2014 ), presenting biotic affinities with the megadiverse Amazon and Andean regions ( Duellman 1979 , Salerno et al 2012 , Mannion et al 2014 ).…”