Pristimantis gretathunbergae: A new species of Rain Frog from Panama, named in honour of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Tropical forests are noted for their high biodiversity and species richness, with a wide range of ecological variables which favour the emergence of numerous species with limited distributions among some groups of Animals and Plants. One such group are the Anurans (Frogs), of which very high species numbers are found in many tropical regions. One particularly notable group of Frogs are the Rain Frogs, Pristimantis spp., of the Caribbean and Central and South America. The genus Pristimantis currently contains at least 574 species (possibly the highest number of species in any Vertebrate genus), distributed primarily in Tropical Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, yet is considered to be understudied, with many more species likely to exist (124 species have been described within the past decade), and many of the currently described species having uncertain relationships to other members of the group. The species richness within this genus is driven by its ability to breed away from water, enabling them to colonise environments closed to other Frogs, while the taxonomic uncertainty is caused by the high variability of many species, with members of different species often resembling one-another than they do members of their own species. This is slowly being unravelled with modern genetic methods, although this is showing an even greater diversity within the genus than previously supposed, apparently caused by a recent radiation event, resulting in the genus now comprising 7.4% of all known Anuran species, and 6.7% of all Lisamphibians.

In a paper published in he journal ZooKeys on 10 January 2022, a team of scientists led by Konrad Mebert of the Programa de Pós-graduação em Zoologia at the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Global Biology, and Los Naturalistas, describe a new species of Rain Frog from Panama.

The new species is named Pristimantis gretathunbergae, in honour of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, for her 'authentic voice that exposes the motivations behind the diplomatic curtain of politicians and business stakeholders'. The species is described upon the basis of a series of specimens collected on the top of Cerro Chucantí in the Maje Mountains of Darién Province, Panama, though the species was later shown to be found across a wider area.

   

Colouration in life of specimens of Pristimantis gretathunbergae sp. nov. and Pristimantis cruentus from eastern Panama. (A) Holotype male (MHCH 3082), Cerro Chucantí. (B) Paratype female (SMF97520), Cerro Chucantí. (C) :eft, paratype female (MHCH 3081), right Pristimantis cruentus female (MHCH3034). (D) Female from Cerro Chucantí, not collected. (E) Female (MHCH3115) La Javillosa. (F) Female, Cerro La Javillosa, Ambroya, Maje Mountain Range (SMF97517). (G) Female (MHCH3079), Rio Tuquesa. Coloured lines point to some diagnostic characters as follow: red: blackish iris; yellow: single spine-like tubercle; turquoise: light-coloured upper lip; pink: cream, yellow to red groin. Mebert et al. (2022).

Pristimantis gretathunbergae has a slightly blotchy brown colouration, more notable on the darker upper surface than the paler lower side, this is accentuated by a scattering of tubercles on the dorsal surface. The tympanum (ear) is invisible, or at least hard to distinguish, the snout is short and slightly rounded, and the upper eyelid has a spine-like tubercle. Each vomer (bone in the roof of the mouth, behind the jaw, bears 5-10 teeth. The groin and inner thighs are white, yellow or orange-red, some with flecks matching the dorsal ground colour or red. The iris is black, though some individuals have a very dark red iris, or a black iris with red-golden speckling.

 

Habitat, mating, and parental care in females of Pristimantis gretathunbergae from Cerro Chucantí. (A) Habitat on Cerro Chucantí at about 1300 m above sealevel. (B) Understory Bromeliad with a Pristimantis gretathunbergae in situ (blue line) and zoomed in on inset (MHCH 3115). (C) Amplectant pair on axillary part of Bromeliad leaf (not collected). (D) Same female after amplexus guarding eggs. (E) Female of Pristimantis gretathunbergae taking care of its eggs with a male Pristimantis cruentus holding on the female in reverse position (not collected). (F) Female with eggs about to hatch, note the transparency of the egg membrane (not collected). Mebert et al. (2022).

Wider sampling, combined with genetic profiling of collected specimens, found that Pristimantis gretathunbergae is present across much of eastern Panama, and could potentially be present in adjacent areas of Colombia. The species was found in the Darien Mountains within Embera Comarca and the Maje Mountains within Darien and Panama Provinces, including the type locality at Cerro Chucantí. The species was also found to be present in parts of western Panama, including the Piedras-Pacora Mountains in Panama Province, and Cerro Bruja in Colon Province, both within the Chagres National Park. Beyond the Panama Canal Pristimantis gretathunbergae is present in the Altos del Maria region of the Gaita Hills in Panama Oeste Province, and in the region of El Cope within the Omar Torrijos National Park in Coclé Province.

Pristimantis gretathunbergae has been recorded at altitudes of between 718 and 1439 above sealevel, predominantly within montane forest (cloud forest consisting predominantly of trees covered with Moss and a large variety of understory and midstory Bromeliads). During the nights the Frogs were found from 50 cm to 3 m above the ground on tree bark and in the Bromeliad foliage; in the day they hid between Bromeliad leaves. In the rainy season the males make a sporadic 'chack' call. Females have been observed guarding clusters of eggs in Bromeliads and on Moss-covered tree branches. The species has not been observed eating, but other members of the genus Pristimantis feed primarily on small Arthropods, such as Ants, Orthopterans, and Spiders.

Despite its widespread distribution, Mebert et al, believe that Pristimantis gretathunbergae is likely to face decline of many populations due to habitat destruction caused by anthropogenic pressure. Only a few areas where the species is found are within National Parks or other protected areas, and the species is known only from patches of primary forest and slightly disturbed areas, many of which are surrounded by agriculture and pastures. The species is also found close to areas where Amphibian populations have been decimated by the Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which the species must also be presumed to be threatened by. For this reason, Mebert et al. recommend that Pristimantis gretathunbergae be classified as Vulnerable under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. 

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Pristimantis erythros: A new species of Rain Frog from the high paramo of southern Ecuador.

The Andes Mountains of South America are form one of the most biologically diverse regions of the Earth, due to the huge range of habitats found on the slopes of the mountains as they cross a vast span of climatic zones. The paramo ecosystem is found on the high slopes of the northern Andes between northern Peru and Venezuela, with outliers in the mountains of Panama and Costa Rica in Central America. This ecosystem is found above the forest-line (around 3000 m in this area), but below the permanent snow-line, and is dominated by bush-grasses, rosette and cushion plants, mycrophyllous and dwarf shrubs, and geophytes. Amphibians are generally rare in high-altitude environments, but the paramo is home to a wide variety of Frogs, including many insular species with very limited ranges, cut off from other areas of similar environments on separate mountains.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 20 April 2018, Juan Sánchez-Nivicela of the Laboratorio de Herpetología at the Museo de Zoología de la Universidad del Azuay, and the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Elvis Celi-Piedra and Valentina Posse-Sarmiento, also of the Laboratorio de Herpetología at the Museo de Zoología de la Universidad del Azuay, Verónica Urgiles, again of the Laboratorio de Herpetología at the Museo de Zoología de la Universidad del Azuay, the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, and of the Department of Biology at the University of Central Florida, Mario Yánez-Muñoz, also of the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, and of the Museo de Zoología at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, and of the Diego Cisneros-Heredia, once again of the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, and of the Instituto de Zoología Terrestre & Museo de Zoología, Instituto Biósfera and Instituto de Geografía, at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and of the Department of Geography at King’s College London, describe a new species of Frog from the high paramo of southern Ecuador.

The new species is placed in the genus Pristimantis, the most specieous genus of terrestrial vertebrates known with almost 500 species commonly known as Rain Frogs, and given the specific name erythros, meaning red. This species is a distinctive red colour, with a short snout and granular skin on its head and back. Females of this species are larger than the males, with examined female specimens reaching 38.8–42.6 mm, compared to 36.7–37.0 mm in the males.

Lateral, dorsal and ventral views of living specimens of Pristimantis erythros. Left, male; right, female. Sánchez-Nivicela (2018).

The species was found in an area of paramos on the Cajas Massif, at altitudes of 3450–3500 m, mainly in terrestrial Bromeliads (Puya hamata) and Grasses (Neurolepis villosa), near to small streams. Given the small are in which the Frog were found, and the fact that this area was not in a protected area, Sánchez-Nivicela et al. recomend that the species be listed as Critically Endangered under the terms of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

 Habitat of Pristimantis erythros in type locality. Sánchez-Nivicela (2018).

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Pristimantis prometeii: A new species of Rain Frog from the cloud forests of El Oro in southern Ecuador.

The tropical forests of Central and South America are home to almost half of the known species of Amphibians, and since about a quarter of these species have been described in the past decade, this is likely to be a severe under-estimation of the true diversity of Amphibians in these forests. The largest group of Amphibians in these American tropical forests is the Brachycephaloidea, a group of Frogs with an entirely terrestrial life-cycle, laying eggs in moist habitats, which develop directly into small Froglets and missing out on the Tadpole stage altogether. About half of the described Brachycephaloidians are included in the most specieous genus of terrestrial vertebrates known, Pristimantis, members of which are commonly known as Rain Frogs, which contains almost 500 species.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 21 July 2016, Paul Székely of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at Ovidius University Constanţa and the Departamento de Ciencias Naturales at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Dan Cogălniceanu, also of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at Ovidius University Constanţa and of the Universidad Nacional de Loja, Diana Székely, again of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at Ovidius University Constanţa and the Departamento de Ciencias Naturales at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, and of the Laboratory of Fish and Amphibian Ethology at the University of Liège, abd Nadia Páez and Santiago Ron of the Museo de Zoología at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, describe a new species of Robber Frog from the cloud forests of El Oro in southern Ecuador.

The new species is named Pristimantis prometeii, which refers to the Prometeo program of Secretaría de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación of the Republic of Ecuador, through which Dan Cogălniceanu and Paul Székely received funding for their research in southern Ecuador. The Frogs are brown or green in colour with variable blotchy markings. Adult females reach 29.9–37.6 mm in length, males 20.4–24.9 mm.

Pristimantis prometeii, female specimen. Székely et al. (2016).

The species was found at three locations in the Reserva Buenaventura, at altitudes of between 878 and 1082 m. The species was observed in September in 2014 and 2015, generally after rain at night, when they could be found on leaves close to the forest floor (10-100 cm above the ground).

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Eleutherodactylus beguei: A new species of Grass Frog from Guantánamo Province in southeast Cuba.                                          Small Grass Frogs are found across Cuba. Until 2012 these were all placed within a single species, Eleutherodactylus varleyi, but it was...

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A new cryptic species of Microhylid Frog from Espírito Santo State, Brazil.                      Cryptic species are species which resemble one-another physically, and which cannot generally be separated using traditional taxonomic methodology, but which are nevertheless genetically and reproductively isolated. Genetic studies of many groups...

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