NOTES ON GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION 10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Ch eck List the journal of biodiversity data Check List 11(1): 1542, January 2015 — doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/11.1.1542 ISSN 1809-127X ©2015 Check List and Authors First record of the rain frog Pristimantis myersi (Goin & Cochran, 1963) (Anura, Craugastoridae) for Ecuador Fernando J. M. Rojas-Runjaic’ ** and Juan M. Guayasamin* 1 Fundacion La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Museo de Historia Natural La Salle, Apartado Postal 1930, Caracas 1010-A, Venezuela 2 Pontificia Universidade Catélica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Laboratério de Sistematica de Vertebrados, Av. Ipiranga 6681, Porto Alegre, RS 90619-900, Brazil 3 Universidad Tecnologica Indoamérica, Centro de Investigacion de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climatico, Av. Machala y Sabanilla, Quito, Ecuador * Corresponding author. E-mail: rojas_runjaic@yahoo.com Abstract: Pristimantis myersi is a small Andean frog that in- habits paramos, sub-paramos and upper Andean forests at elevations between 2,900-3,275 m. It is known from about a dozen localities in the southern end of the Cordillera Central of the Colombian Andes. Herein, we report for the first time the presence of this species in Ecuador, based on ten speci- mens from three localities in the provinces of Imbabura and Sucumbios. The species’ range is extended and a distribution map with the Ecuadorian records is provided. Key words: Amphibia, Terrarana, Cutin, direct-developing frog, Andes The direct-developing frog genus Pristimantis is by far the most specious among terrestrial vertebrates (Hedges et al. 2008). It contains 473 species (Frost 2014) currently divided into 16 phenetic species groups (Hedges et al. 2008 sensu Lynch and Duellman 1997). One of them, the Pristimantis my- ersi group, is composed by small terrestrial frogs that inhabit paramos, cloud forests, and upper humid montane forests of the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador (Hedges et al. 2008). To date, 16 species have been assigned to this group (Hedges et al. 2008; Guayasamin and Funk 2009; Rédder and Schmitz 2009; Yanez-Mufioz et al. 2010; Rojas-Runjaic et al. 2014), and 12 of them have been recorded in Ecuador: P. bicantus Guayas- amin & Funk, 2009, P. festae (Peracca, 1904), P. floridus (Lynch & Duellman, 1997), P. gladiator (Lynch, 1976), P. hectus (Lynch & Burrowes, 1990), P. leoni (Lynch, 1976), P. lucidosignatus Rédder & Schmitz, 2009, P. munozi Rojas-Runjaic, Delgado & Guayasamin, 2014, P. ocreatus (Lynch, 1981), P. onorei Rédder & Schmitz, 2009, P. pyrrhomerus (Lynch, 1976) and P. sirnigeli Yanez-Mufioz, Meza-Ramos, Cisneros-Heredia & Reyes, 2010. Pristimantis myersi (Goin & Cochran, 1963), the type spe- cies of the homonymous phenetic group, is characterized by its small size (males SVL: 13.7-17.5 mm; females SVL: 17.5-23.2 mm); tuberculate dorsal skin, paravertebral (sometimes absent) and sinuate dorsolateral folds, ventral surface areo- late to coarsely areolate; visible tympanum; subacuminate snout in dorsal view; sharp canthus rostralis; upper eyelid bearing numerous low tubercles; vomerine odontophores absent, with two to three teeth; males with vocal slits; fingers © Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl and toes bearing narrow keels, small discs and minute pads; brown dorsal coloration, black venter, and red spots (in life) in groins, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs (Lynch 1981). This species inhabits paramos, sub-paramos and upper Andean forests (from 2,900-3,275 m), and is known from about a dozen localities at the southern end of the Cordillera Central in Colombia, in the departments of Valle del Cauca and Narifio (Castro et al. 2004; Appendix 1). Its presence in the neighboring Ecuador has been expected, but no records have been published to date (Castro et al. 2004). During a revision of museum specimens of the Pristiman- tis myersi group from Ecuador, 10 individuals of Pristimantis myersi were found. These specimens (deposited in the herpe- tological collection of the Museo de Zoologia de la Pontificia Universidad Catélica del Ecuador, Quito, QCAZ) were mis- identified as P. festae and P. ocreatus. All the specimens come from three localities at the northern Ecuador: 1) near Laguna de Puruhanta (or Puruanta), Province of Imbabura (00°12' N, 077°57' W; 2,800 m above sea level [a.s.l.]; QCAZ 11677); 2) Nueva América, Province of Imbabura (00°15' N, 077°59' W; 3,400-3,470 m a.s.l; QCAZ 14554-14560); and 3) El Playén de San Francisco, Province of Sucumbios (00°38' N, 077°37’ W; 3,350-3,650 m a.s.L; QCAZ 14561-14562) (Figure 1). These specimens (Figure 2) represent the first record of Pristimantis myersi for Ecuador, and extend its distribution ca. 135 km south-southwest from the southernmost locality previously referred in Colombia (paramo of El Tabano, Department of Narifio; Castro et al. 2004). The altitudinal distribution is also extended from 2,800 to 3,650 m (all localities previously known range from 2,900 to 3,275 m). Frogs of the genus Pristimantis are characterized by the presence of relatively few external morphological diagnostic characters and a striking intraspecific variation that fre- quently overlaps the interspecific variation (Guayasamin and Funk 2009). Species identification based in classic taxonomy (external morphology) occasionally can be very difficult and not free of mistakes. Consequently, is not surprising finding unreported, or inclusive new species, resting in biological col- lections, hidden under incorrect names. Careful revisions of specimens deposited in biological col- lections, can substantially improve the current knowledge of the amphibian biodiversity. Volume 11| Number 1 | Article 1542 Rojas-Runjaic and Guayasamin | First record of Pristimantis myersi for Ecuador 80° 79° 78° res 76° 75° 74 73° Figure 1. Map showing the distribution previously known of Pristimantis myersi in Colombia (white dots), and the new locality records in Ecuador (numbered dots). 1. Laguna de Puruhanta, Province of Imbabura (2,800 m); 2. Nueva América, Province of Imbabura (3,400-3,470 m); 3. El Play6n de San Francisco, Province of Sucumbios (3,350—3,650 m). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Santiago Ron and Diego Ortiz (QCAZ) for the loan of specimens housed in the QCAZ, and for providing information associated with these specimens. To John D. Lynch, Jhon J. Ospina-Sarria, Teddy Angarita-Sierra and Marvin Anganoy from the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales (ICN) at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, for allowing access to the specimens of Pristimantis myersi housed in his collection. Also thanks to J. Amanda Delgado for preparing the distribution map. This work was funded by the Centro de Investigacion de la Biodiversidad y Cambio Climatico (Bio- Camb) at the Universidad Tecnolégica Indoamérica, Quito (UTI), through the project “Patrones de diversidad de los anfibios andinos del Ecuador”. LITERATURE CITED Castro, FE, M.L Herrera and J. Lynch. 2004. Pristimantis myersi. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Accessible at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/. Captured on 06 August 2013. Frost, Darrel R. 2014. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. Accessible at: http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/ amphibia/index.html. Captured on 21 November 2014. Guayasamin, J.M. and W.C. Funk. 2009. The amphibian community at Yanayacu Biological Station, Ecuador, with a comparison of vertical microhabitat use among Pristimantis species and the description of a new species of the Pristimantis myersi group. Zootaxa 2220: 41-66 (http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2009/2/ zto2220po066.pdf). © Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl Hedges, S.B., W.E. Duellman and M.P. Heinicke. 2008. New World direct-developing frogs (Anura: Terrarana): Molecular phylogeny, classification, biogeography, and conservation. Zootaxa 1737: 1-182 (http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2008/2/zt01737p182.pdf). Lynch, J.D. 1981. Leptodactylid frogs of the genus Eleutherodactylus in the Andes of northern Ecuador and adjacent Colombia. Miscellaneous Publication. Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 72: 1-46 (doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.16289). Lynch, J.D. and WE. Duellman. 1997. Frogs of the genus (Leptodactylidae) systematics, ecology, and biogeography. The University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Special Publications 23: 1-236 (doi: 10.5962/bhl.title.7951). Rojas-Runjaic, F.J.M., JA. Delgado C. and J.M. Guayasamin. 2014. A new rainfrog of the Pristimantis myersi Group (Amphibia, Craugastoridae) from Volcan Pichincha, Ecuador. Zootaxa 3780(1): 36-50 (doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3780.1.2). Rédder, D. and A. Schmitz. 2009. Two new Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae) belonging to the myersi group from the Andean slopes of Ecuador. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 116(2): 275-288 (http://www. biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41154318). Yanez-Mufioz, M.H., P. Meza-Ramos, D.F. Cisneros-Heredia and J.P. Reyes P. 2010. Descripcién de tres nuevas especies de ranas del género Pristimantis (Anura: Terrarana: Strabomantidae) de los bosques nublados del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito, Ecuador. Avances en Ciencias e Ingenierias 2(3): 16-27. Eleutherodactylus in Western Ecuador: Authors’ contribution statement: FJMRR and JMG identified the specimens, FJMRR wrote the text, and JMG revised the text. Volume 11 | Number 1 | Article 1542 Rojas-Runjaic and Guayasamin | First record of Pristimantis myersi for Ecuador Figure 2. Dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of three specimens of Prisitmantis myersi from Ecuador. A, B: QCAZ 14562 (female; SVL: 21.3 mm) from El Playon de San Francisco, Province of Sucumbios; C, D: QCAZ 11677 (female; SVL: 22.9 mm) from Laguna de Puruhanta, Province of Imbabura; E, F: QCAZ 14557 (female; SVL: 21.8 mm) from Nueva América, Province of Imbabura. Scale bars represent 10 mm. © Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl Volume 11 | Number 1 | Article 1542 Rojas-Runjaic and Guayasamin | First record of Pristimantis myersi for Ecuador Received: January 2014 Accepted: January 2015 Editorial responsibility: Ratl Maneyro APPENDIX 1. Additional specimens examined. Pristimantis myersi: COLOMBIA: Department of Narifio: paramo El Tabano (ICN 2503); Municipality of Cumbal, km © Check List | www.biotaxa.org/cl 16-17 Chiles-San Felipe, northern slope of Volcan Chiles, 3,780-3,800 m a.s.l. (ICN 24337-24340); Department of Valle del Cauca: PNN Nevado del Huila, Cabana Inderena, 2,820 ma.s.l. (ICN 6484, 6500); Paez, paramo Santo Domingo, km 51-52, Belalcazar to Tacueyo, 3,500 maz.s.l. (ICN 6677); Puracé, km 55 road Popayan-La Plata, PNN Puracé (ICN 25908-25910); Laguna San Rafael, cabafia San Rafael del Inderena, 3,300 m a.s.l. UCN 33200-33201, 33203-33204). Volume 11 | Number 1 | Article 1542