#pristimantis

[herpsandbirds]

Ferguson’s Robber Frog (Pristimantis fergusoni), family Strabomantidae, Ecuador

Described by science this year, 2026!

photographs via:

A new spiny frog of the genus Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes

[herpsandbirds]

Gaige’s Rain Frog (Pristimantis gaigei), family Strabomantidae, Panama

This species mimics poison dart frogs.

photograph by Cristian Torica

[herpsandbirds]

Cachabi Robber Frog (Pristimantis achatinus), family Strabomantidae, Colombia

This individual is unusually red, for this species, which is usually a shade of brown.

It is unclear as to whether this is normal variation, or if this is a Erythristic individual.

photographs by Nuqui Herping

[herpsandbirds]

Over the top: Three new species of terrestrial breeding frogs (Anura, Terrarana, Pristimantis) from the highlands of the Cordillera de Huancabamba, northwestern Peru

Germán Chávez, Wilmar Aznaran, Ivan Wong, Karen Y. Victoriano-Cigüeñas, Luis A. García-Ayachi, Juan D. Valencia-Málaga, Jesús R. Ormeño, Michael Gulman, Ronal Sumiano-Mejía, Michelle E. Thompson, Alessandro Catenazzi

Abstract

We describe three new species of Pristimantis frogs from northwestern Peru on the basis of morphological and genetic differences.  Pristimantis chinguelas sp. nov. is similar in appearance to P. wagteri but it differs by having a longer supratympanic fold, head rounded in profile, groins and posterior surfaces of thighs in a different color pattern.  Pristimantis nunezcortezi sp. nov. may be confused with P. cryptomelas, but it is differentiable by having heels with a single low tubercle, skin on flanks areolate, and by lacking prominent postorbital ridges.  Pristimantis yonke sp. nov. is externally similar to P. morlaco from Ecuador, but can be distinguished by being smaller, having an acuminate snout, oval palmar tubercle and lacking dentigerous processes of vomers. All species inhabit the paramos and adjacent elfin forests of the mountain ridges north of Abra de Porcuya, the lowest east-west pass in the Peruvian Andes. Despite habitat loss being evident in the area, we do not have enough data to assess their conservation status. We suggest all the new species should be placed in the Data Deficient category of the IUCN Red List.

Read the paper here:

Over the top: Three new species of terrestrial breeding frogs (Anura, Terrarana, Pristimantis) from the highlands of the Cordillera de Huancabamba, northwestern Peru

[herpsandbirds]

Gaige's Rain Frog (Pristimantis gaigei), family Strabomantidae, found in Costa Rica, Panama, and NW Colombia

This species mimics poison dart frogs.

photograph by Raby Núñez

[herpsandbirds]

La Loma Robber Frog (Pristimantis caryophyllaceus), mother guarding eggs, family Strabomantidae, Costa Rica

Mothers lay eggs on leaves and then brood them under their bodies. The offspring go through the tadpole stage in the egg, and then hatch out as froglets. * This is possible, because their rain forest habitats are so humid, and wet.

photograph by Kevin Venegas

[markscherz]

What is your opinion on all those frog species within Pristimantis and do you think you could potentially list them off like Yakko's World?

At 608 species, there are too many Pristimantis species, and I honestly have no idea how people continue to describe new ones when you have so many congeners to compare to, many of which have never been sequenced. I wonder if they struggle with the same problems that are generated in insect groups, where the same species is described multiple times from different countries because people fail to remember that animals don't give a damn about national borders, and then don't do their homework on the fauna of their neighbours to appropriately rule out species from there as potentially the same.

I could maybe do a Yakko's World/Tom Lehrer's Elements Song version of the genera Stumpffia and Boophis, but I don't really know Pristimantis at all, so no, definitely couldn't list them off.

[herpsandbirds]

Ornate Rain Frog (Pristimantis tribulosus), family Strabomantidae, only known from a site in the eastern slope of the Cordillera Central, Colombia.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.

Photograph by Jorge H. López Le-geme