Catena ZZ It Tito 2016
Catena ZZ It Tito 2016
Catena ZZ It Tito 2016
ABSTRACT
We describe a new species of Psychrophrynella from the humid montane forest of the
Department Cusco in Peru. Specimens were collected at 2,670–3,165 m elevation in
the Área de Conservación Privada Ukumari Llakta, Japumayo valley, near Comunidad
Campesina de Japu, in the province of Paucartambo. The new species is readily
distinguished from all other species of Psychrophrynella but P. bagrecito and P. usurpator
by possessing a tubercle on the inner edge of the tarsus, and from these two species by
its yellow ventral coloration on abdomen and limbs. Furthermore, the new species is
like P. bagrecito and P. usurpator in having an advertisement call composed of multiple
notes, whereas other species of Psychrophrynella whose calls are known have a pulsed call
(P. teqta) or a short, tonal call composed of a single note. The new species has a snout-
vent length of 16.1–24.1 mm in males and 23.3–27.7 mm in females. Like other recently
described species in the genus, this new Psychrophrynella inhabits high-elevation forests
in the tropical Andes and likely has a restricted geographic distribution.
How to cite this article Catenazzi and Ttito (2016), A new species of Psychrophrynella (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from the hu-
mid montane forests of Cusco, eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes. PeerJ 4:e1807; DOI 10.7717/peerj.1807
of Cusco (Lynch, 1986). Despite having been chosen as the type species for the genus by
Hedges, Duellman & Heinicke (2008), P. bagrecito possess several morphological traits that
are shared with some species of Noblella, rather than with species of Psychrophrynella (De
la Riva, Chaparro & Padial, 2008a; Lehr, 2006). Furthermore, the type species of Noblella,
N. peruviana (Noble, 1921) is only known from three type specimens collected from 1899
to 1900 at a Peruvian locality in Region Puno (Noble, 1921), and some distinctive traits
such as the presence of tubercles might be difficult to discern in long preserved specimens
(De la Riva, Chaparro & Padial, 2008b). Finally, P. bagrecito, P. usurpator, N. lochites,
and possibly N. peruviana, according to the original description (Noble, 1921), share the
unique trait among congeneric species of possessing an elongated tarsal fold.
Surveys in the humid montane forests of the Japumayo Valley in the Region of Cusco,
Peru, recently revealed the existence of a species of Psychrophrynella with an elongated
tarsal fold, yellow ventral coloration and a long advertisement call composed of multiple
notes, unlike known congeneric species. Here we describe this new species, and we report
on surveys of infection with the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in
populations of the new species and of sympatric amphibians. This fungus has caused the
collapse of amphibian biodiversity in humid montane forests of the Tropical Andes (Cate-
nazzi et al., 2011; Catenazzi, Lehr & Vredenburg, 2014), and could threaten amphibians at
the type locality of the new species.
METHODS
The format of the diagnosis and description follows Duellman & Lehr (2009) and Lynch
& Duellman (1997), except that the term dentigerous processes of vomers is used instead
of vomerine odontophores (Duellman, Lehr & Venegas, 2006). Taxonomy follows Hedges,
Duellman & Heinicke (2008) except for family placement (Pyron & Wiens, 2011). Meristic
traits of similar species were derived from specimens examined, published photographs,
or species descriptions (Table 1).
Specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol. Sex and maturity of specimens were
determined by observing sexual characters and gonads through dissections. We measured
the following variables (Table 2) to the nearest 0.1 mm with digital calipers under a
stereomicroscope: snout–vent length (SVL), tibia length (TL), foot length (FL, distance
from proximal margin of inner metatarsal tubercle to tip of Toe IV), head length (HL,
from angle of jaw to tip of snout), head width (HW, at level of angle of jaw), eye diameter
(ED), tympanum diameter (TY), interorbital distance (IOD), upper eyelid width (EW),
internarial distance (IND), and eye–nostril distance (E–N, straight line distance between
anterior corner of orbit and posterior margin of external nares). Fingers and toes are
numbered preaxially to postaxially from I–IV and I–V respectively. We determined
comparative lengths of toes III and V by adpressing both toes against Toe IV; lengths of
fingers I and II were determined by adpressing these fingers against each other.
We performed Principal Component Analysis on morphological measurements for
the new species and for the morphologically similar Psychrophrynella usurpator (Table 3).
We retained five variables to maximize sample size of n = 17 for the new species and
Table 2 Measurements of type series of Psychrophrynella chirihampatu. Range and average (± stan-
dard deviation) measurements (in mm) of type series of Psychrophrynella chirihampatu sp. n.
were used to produce a scatter plot. Proportion data were arcsine square root transformed
for univariate comparisons. Variation in coloration was described on the basis of field
notes and photographs of live frogs. Photographs taken by A. Catenazzi of live specimens,
including types and non-collected specimens, and of preserved types have been deposited
at the Calphoto online database (http://calphotos.berkeley.edu).
We recorded advertisement calls of male CORBIDI 16495 at the type locality on 21
June 2015 and recorded air temperature with a quick reading thermometer (recording
#9843 deposited at the Fonoteca Zoológica, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales,
Madrid, www.fonozoo.org). We used a digital recorder (Zoom H2, recording at 48 kHz,
24-bit, WAV format) for field recording, and Raven Pro version 1.4 (Cornell Laboratory
of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY) to analyze call variables. We analyzed a total of 26 calls.
The following variables were measured from oscillograms: note and duration and rate,
interval between notes or calls, number of pulses, and presence of amplitude modulation.
Variables measured from spectrograms included dominant frequency, and presence of
frequency modulation or harmonics. Spectral parameters were calculated through fast
Fourier transform (FFT) set at a length of 512 points (Hann window, 50% overlap).
Averages are reported ± SD.
We estimated genetic distances to confirm generic placement of the new species
within Psychrophrynella through analysis of the non-coding 16S rRNA mitochondrial
fragment. We used tissues from the holotype, CORBIDI 16495, and from paratopotype
MHNC 14664, to obtain DNA sequences for the new species (deposited in GenBank;
Appendix 1). We downloaded sequences of congeneric species and of Holoadeninae
species in related genera (Barycholos, Bryophryne, Holoaden and Noblella) from GenBank
(Appendix 1). Extraction, amplification, and sequencing of DNA followed standard
protocols (Hedges, Duellman & Heinicke, 2008). We used the 16Sar (forward) primer
(50 –30 sequence: CGCCTGTTTATCAAAAACAT) and the 16Sbr (reverse) primer (50 –
30 sequence: CCGGTCTGAACTCAGATCACGT) (Palumbi et al., 2002). We employed
the following thermocycling conditions during the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Puerto
Maldonado
#
Cusco k
Elevation ^
<500 m
501-1000 m
1001-2000 m _
2001-3000 m
3001-4000 m
Puno
>4000 m
Arequipa
La Paz
0 30 60 120 km
Tacna
Figure 1 Map of Peru indicating the type localities of Peruvian and western Bolivian species
of Psychrophrynella. P. bagrecito (black square), P. boettgeri (black star), P. chirihampatu sp. n.
(asterisk), P. guillei and P. saltator (white circle), P. kallawaya (white star), P. katantika (circle), and
P. usurpator(triangle).
elongate, obliquous fold-like tubercle; (11) inner metatarsal tubercle prominent, elliptical,
of higher relief and about one and a half times the size of ovoid, outer metatarsal tubercle;
supernumerary plantar tubercles absent; (12) toes lacking lateral fringes; webbing absent;
Toe V slightly shorter than or about the same length as Toe III; tips of digits not expanded,
weakly pointed; (13) dorsum tan to brown and gray with dark brown markings; some
individuals with a yellow or orange middorsal line extending from tip of snout to cloaca
and to posterior surface of thighs; interorbital bar present; chest, venter and ventral parts
of arms and legs yellow with brown flecks; throat and palmar and plantar surfaces brown
or reddish-brown; (14) SVL 16.1–24.1 in males (n = 34), 23.3–27.7 in females (n = 12).
Comparisons. The new species differs from most described species in the genus by
possessing an elongate fold-like tubercle on the inner edge of tarsus. Among currently
known species in the genus, only the two Peruvian, and geographically closest species
P. bagrecito and P. usurpator possess such a tubercle, which is similarly shaped (obliquous)
in the latter but sickle-shaped in P. bagrecito. The other Peruvian species, P. boettgeri,
and all species described from Bolivia (including P. guillei, P. katantika, P. kallawaya
and P. saltator known from the Cordillera de Aplobamba near the border with Peru;
Fig. 1) lack a tubercle or fold on the inner edge of tarsus. Furthermore, among species
whose advertisement calls is known, P. chirihampatu shares with P. bagrecito, P. saltator
and P. usurpator the characteristic of having a call composed of multiple notes (Table 1;
unpublished data for calls of P. bagrecito and P. usurpator), whereas the call is pulsed in
P. teqta or composed of short, single notes in other congeneric species (De la Riva, 2007;
De la Riva & Burrowes, 2014).
Morphologically, the new species is most similar to P. usurpator (characters in
parentheses; Table 1), from which it differs by having yellow ventral coloration with
reddish-brown or grey flecks (dull brown, gray or black with cream flecks), Finger I shorter
than Finger II (slightly shorter or same length), smaller SVL reaching 27.5 mm in females
(SVL up to 30.5 mm), slender head (wider and shorter head), and inner metatarsal tubercle
at least three times the size of outer metatarsal tubercle (about same size). The scatterplot
P. chirihampatu
P. chirihampatu
MHNC14664
myrmecoides
luederwaldti
bustamantei
P. usurpator
P. wettsteini
Bryophryne
Bryophryne
Bryophryne
Barycholos
bakersfield
(holotype)
P.a guillei
Holoaden
Noblella
Noblella
cophites
lochites
pulcher
Bryophryne bakersfield 0
Bryophryne bustamantei 0.06 0
Bryophryne cophites 0.04 0.17 0
Barycholos pulcher 0.21 0.30 0.29 0
Holoaden luederwaldti 0.19 0.26 0.24 0.30 0
Noblella lochites 0.23 0.29 0.26 0.27 0.25 0
Noblella myrmecoides 0.17 0.30 0.28 0.27 0.29 0.22 0
P. guillei 0.18 0.15 0.26 0.29 0.24 0.29 0.30 0
P. usurpator 0.21 0.26 0.28 0.31 0.25 0.31 0.29 0.23 0
P. wettsteini 0.20 0.23 0.24 0.31 0.23 0.29 0.28 0.14 0.23 0
P. chirihampatu MHNC14664 0.20 0.22 0.19 0.25 0.20 0.21 0.18 0.18 0.07 0.19 0
P. chirihampatu (holotype) 0.20 0.22 0.19 0.25 0.20 0.22 0.18 0.18 0.07 0.19 0.00 0
of the first two Principal Components axes reveal that these two species occupy distinct
regions of morphospace (Fig. 5A). Snout-vent length and tibia length load strongly on the
first Principal Component axis PC1, whereas head width and foot length load strongly on
the second Principal Component, PC2 (Table 3). Univariate comparisons of measurements
of male P. chirihampatu and P. usurpator reveal that male P. chirihampatu have narrower
heads, averaging 35.4% of SVL (HW 38.0% of SVL in P. usurpator; t57 = −5.12, p < 0.001;
Fig. 5B), and longer tibia length, averaging 46.7% of SVL (TL 45.2% of SVL, t57 = 2.24,
p = 0.01), but no difference in foot length (t57 = 1.44, p = 0.08).
We also compared the new species with the type species of Psychrophrynella, P. bagrecito
(Lynch, 1986). Psychrophrynella chirihampatu differs from P. bagrecito (characters in
parentheses; Table 1) in having an elongated and oblique fold-like tarsal tubercle (short
and sickle-shaped), broad dark markings on dorsum (longitudinal stripes), venter yellow
with dark flecks (venter orange brown with light gray flecks) and larger size of females up
to 27.5 mm in SVL (SVL of females up to 19.0 mm).
Ten other small species of craugastorid frogs of the subfamily Holoadeninae are known
to occur in montane forests and high Andean grasslands south of the Apurimac canyon in
Peru: Bryophryne abramalagae, B. bustamantei, B. cophites, B. flammiventris, B. gymnotis,
B. hanssaueri, B. nubilosus, B. zonalis, Noblella madreselva and N. pygmaea. None of these
species has the unique ventral coloration of P. chirihampatu, and all but B. gymnotis and the
two species of Noblella (which are much smaller in size) lack a visible tympanic annulus.
Description of holotype. Adult male (18.8 mm SVL); head narrower than body, its
length 39.9% of SVL; head slightly longer than wide, head length 110.3% of head width;
head width 36.2% of SVL; snout short, bluntly rounded in dorsal and lateral views (Fig. 2),
eye diameter 26.7% of head length, its diameter 1.1 times as large as its distance from the
nostril; nostrils not protuberant, close to snout, directed laterally; canthus rostralis slightly
concave in dorsal view, convex in profile; loreal region flat; lips rounded; upper eyelids
without tubercles; upper eyelid width 59.1% of interorbital distance; interorbital region flat,
lacking cranial crests; eye-nostril distance 90% of eye diameter; supratympanic fold weak;
tympanic membrane not differentiated, tympanic annulus visible below skin; two small
postrictal ridges on each side of head. Vocal sac and vocal slits present. Choanae round,
small, positioned far anterior and laterally, widely separated from each other; dentigerous
processes of vomers and vomerine teeth absent; tongue large, ovoid, not notched.
Skin on dorsum smooth with minute, scattered tubercles, denser posteriorly; barely
visible dorsolateral folds anteriorly; skin on flanks and venter smooth; no pectoral fold,
barely visible discoidal fold; cloaca not protuberant, cloacal region without tubercles.
Ulnar tubercles and folds absent; palmar tubercle flat and oval, approximately same length
but twice the width of elongate, thenar tubercle; supernumerary palmar tubercles absent;
subarticular tubercles prominent, ovoid in ventral view, rounded in lateral view, largest at
base of fingers; fingers lacking lateral fringes; relative lengths of fingers 3 >4 >2 >1 (Fig. 3);
tips of digits bulbous, not expanded laterally (Fig. 3); forearm lacking tubercles.
Hindlimbs moderately long, tibia length 46.8% of SVL; foot length 46.3% of SVL; upper
and posterior surfaces of hindlimbs smooth with scattered, minute tubercles; heel without
tubercles; inner edge of tarsus bearing an elongated, oblique fold-like tubercle, outer edge
of tarsus lacking tubercles; inner metatarsal tubercle, oval, high, and at least three times
the size of conical, rounded outer metatarsal tubercle; few, minute plantar supernumerary
tubercles weakly defined; subarticular tubercles rounded, ovoid in ventral view; toes lacking
lateral fringes, not webbed; toe tips weakly pointed, not expanded laterally; relative lengths
of toes 4 >3 >5 >2 >1 (Fig. 3); foot length 46.3% of SVL.
Measurements of holotype (in mm): SVL 18.8, TL 8.8, FL 8.7, HL 7.5, HW 6.8, ED 2.0,
IOD 2.2, EW 1.3, IND 1.8, E–N 1.8.
Advertisement call. The call of the holotype was recorded shortly before capture at
13h45 on 21 June 2015 (Fig. 7). At a Tair = 11.6 ◦ C, the advertisement call averaged 3,212
± 1,005 ms in duration (range 1,140–4.524 ms) and consisted of 47.9 ±16.1 single-pulsed
notes (range 10–68) produced at a rate of 14.7 ±1.8 notes/s (range 8.77–16.55). Peak
frequency averaged 2,712 ± 33 Hz (range 2,584–2,885 Hz) and increased during calls
(t1,78 = −6.53, p < 0.01): peak frequency averaged 2,702 ± 38 Hz for the first three notes,
and 2,748 ± 50 Hz for the last three notes of each call. Amplitude also increased during
each call, and the three final notes had amplitude ∼400% higher than the amplitude of
the three initial notes. Average note duration was 5.4 ± 1.2 ms (range 1–12 ms), but note
duration increased from 2.6 ± 0.7 ms in the first three notes to 7.8 ± 1.3 ms in the last
three notes of each call. Furthermore, call structure varied during a sequence of 26 calls
produced at a rate of 9.43 calls/minute: the number of notes increased from 57 notes in the
first two calls to 68 notes in the 5th call, and then progressively declined to 10 notes in the
26th call.
Etymology. The name of the new species is a combination of Quechua words used in
apposition meaning ‘‘toad’’ (‘‘hampa’tu’’) that lives in the ‘‘cold’’ (‘‘chiri’’). The name is
a wordplay built upon the genus and species names sharing the same meaning of ‘‘frog
inhabiting cold environments,’’ because the generic name Psychrophrynella derives from
the Greek psychros (cold) and phrynos (toad).
Distribution, natural history and threats. The new species was found during amphibian
surveys in the Japumato valley (Fig. 8A) conducted from 17 to 24 June 2015. We searched
for frogs under rocks, logs, in the leaf litter and the understory along the transition
from montane forest to high-Andean grassland (wet puna) from 2,650 to 4,600 m.
Specimens of P. chirihampatu were only found at elevations from 2,650 to 3,180 m. Most
specimens were found under rocks (many males were calling) during the day in areas of
disturbed montane forest vegetation, such as the sides of the trail near the Tambo camp site
DISCUSSION
The new species is yet another addition to the ever growing list of small craugastorid
frogs (genera Bryophryne, Noblella and Psychrophrynella) from the eastern slopes of the
Peruvian and Bolivian Andes (Catenazzi, Uscapi & Von May, 2015; De la Riva, 2007; De
la Riva & Burrowes, 2014; De la Riva, Chaparro & Padial, 2008a; Harvey et al., 2013; Lehr
& Catenazzi, 2008; Lehr & Catenazzi, 2009a; Lehr & Catenazzi, 2009b; Lehr & Catenazzi,
2010). Most if not all of these species have narrow distribution ranges often restricted to
the type locality and surrounding mountaintop region, although large areas in between
the type localities of these species remain unexplored. It is remarkable however that
mountain passes separated by less than 50 km in airline distance do not share any species
of Bryophryne, Noblella or Psychrophrynella. Such high levels of observed beta diversity,
and the presence of unexplored regions suggest that more species remain to be discovered.
We assign the new species to Psychrophrynella on the basis of shared meristic traits,
general body shape and appearance, and overall similarity with the type species P. bagrecito
and with P. usurpator. Interestingly, these two species shares with P. chirihampatu characters
that are absent in other congeneric forms, such as the presence of an elongated tubercle
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the Comunidad Campesina Japu Q’eros for their hospitability, granting us access
to and guiding us through the Japumayo valley; and the Asociación para la Conservación de
la Cuenca Amazónica for logistical support, and especially Marlene Mamani for introducing
us to the community and for coordinating our visit to Japu. We thank I. De la Riva and
M.P. Heinicke for comments on the manuscript.
APPENDIX 2
Specimens examined
Noblella madreselva (2 specimens): PERU: Cusco: Provincia La Convención, Madre Selva
(Santa Ana), CORBIDI 15769–70.
Noblella pygmaea (15 specimens): PERU: Cusco: Provincia Paucartambo, Kosñipata,
MHNG 2725.29–30, MUSM 24535–36, 26306–7, 26318–20, 30423–24, 30453–54, MTD
47286–87.
Psychrophrynella bagrecito (14 specimens): PERU: Cusco: Quispicanchis: Marcapata, Río
Marcapata, below Marcapata, ca. 2740 m, KU 196512 (holotype), KU 196513–18, 196520–
21, 196523–25 (all paratypes); La Convención: Hacienda Huyro between Huayopata and
Quillabamba, 1830 m, KU 196527–28.
Psychrophrynella usurpator (78 specimens): PERU: Cusco: Provincia Paucartambo,
Kosñipata, MUSM 20011, 20873–81, 20896–20913, 20925–33, 20946–47, 20955–57,
21012–18, 26272–73, 26278–79, 26308, 27592, 27906, 27950, 28033–28047, 30303, 30305,
30396–30400, 30405–30409, 30471–30474.
Funding
This research was supported by grants from the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation
Fund, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, the Rufford Small Grants Foundation
and Southern Illinois University startup funds to AC. The funders had no role in study
design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests
The authors declare there are no competing interests.
Author Contributions
• Alessandro Catenazzi conceived and designed the experiments, performed the
experiments, analyzed the data, contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools, wrote
the paper, prepared figures and/or tables, reviewed drafts of the paper.
• Alex Ttito conceived and designed the experiments, performed the experiments,
contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools, reviewed drafts of the paper.
Animal Ethics
The following information was supplied relating to ethical approvals (i.e., approving body
and any reference numbers):
Institutional Animal Care and Use
Committees of Southern Illinois University Carbondale #13-027.
Data Availability
The following information was supplied regarding data availability:
Photographs: Calphotos (http://calphotos.berkeley.edu)—photos can be accessed
by searching the database with the species name, or by downloading Appendix S1
(Supplemental Information, see below).
Recording: FonoZoo (www.fonozoo.org)—recording can be accessed by searching the
database with the species name.
Supplemental Information
Supplemental information for this article can be found online at http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/
peerj.1807#supplemental-information.