We describe a new species of the Rhinella acrolopha group (previously Rhamphophryne) from mid-elevations (1800–2500 m) of the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia. It is found exclusively in cloud forest habitats and is not associated with streams or other bodies of water. The species is characterized by possessing eight presacral vertebrae, fusion of the sacrum and urostyle, and nuptial excrescences in adult males, and in lacking conspicuous cranial ornamentation and vocal slits. The most striking characteristic of this species is its middle ear, which lacks a tympanic membrane and annulus but possesses a short stapes that articulates with the palatoquadrate and squamosal in a manner similar to the middle ear of many salamanders. A population of this species in the Serranía de los Paraguas seems to be stable despite drastic declines in many sympatric species.
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1 June 2014
A New Species of Semiarboreal Toad with a Salamander-Like Ear (Anura: Bufonidae: Rhinella)
Taran Grant,
Wilmar Bolívar-G.
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Herpetologica
Vol. 70 • No. 2
June 2014
Vol. 70 • No. 2
June 2014
Amphibia
Andes
Colombia
Cordillera Occidental
middle ear
Rhinella acrolopha Group
South America