Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 61-69 (2019) (published online on 13 January 2019)
New and noteworthy locality records of anurans from
northeastern Andes of Colombia
Fabio Leonardo Meza-Joya1,*, Wilfredo Chinchilla-Lemus2, Eliana Ramos1,
Orlando Armesto3,4, and Aldemar A. Acevedo3,4
Tropical Andes harbour the greatest frog diversity
worldwide with a high number of restricted-range species
that are increasingly threatened by habitat modification
and climate change (Myers et al., 2000; Grenyer et
al., 2006; La Sorte and Jetz, 2010). In Colombia, the
Andes Mountains are divided into three major mountain
ranges: Cordillera Occidental, Cordillera Central, and
Cordillera Oriental; with the later harbouring the lower
anuran diversity (155 species; 21% of the national
anuran diversity; Acosta-Galvis, 2017) but the higher
level of endemism (77 species; ca. 50%; Lynch et al.,
1997; Bernal and Lynch, 2008; Armesto and Señaris,
2017). While most anuran species from the Cordillera
Oriental of Colombia have been described just over
the last 50 years, mainly thanks to the taxonomic work
by J.D. Lynch, P.M. Ruiz Carranza, and M.C. Ardila
Robayo, the recent discovery of new species (e.g.,
Anganoy-Criollo, 2012; Acosta-Galvis, 2015; Ospina-
Sarria et al., 2015; Rivera-Correa et al., 2016; Rojas-
Runjaic et al., 2018) and the report of new localities for
described ones (e.g., Duarte-Cubides and Cala-Rosas,
2012; Acevedo et al., 2014; Meza-Joya, 2016), suggest
that additional surveys in poorly known areas of this
cordillera and the careful examination of specimens
1
Colombia Endémica, Asociación para el estudio y la
conservación de los recursos naturales, Bucaramanga,
Colombia.
2
Grupo de Estudios en Anfibios y Reptiles de Santander
(G.E.A.R.S), Bucaramanga, Colombia.
3
Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Mención
Ecología, Laboratorio de Biología Evolutiva, Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
4
Grupo de Investigación en Ecología y Biogeografía,
Universidad de Pamplona, Pamplona, Colombia.
*
Corresponding author. E-mail: fabio.meza@correo.uis.edu.co
deposited in herpetological collections are still needed to
a better documentation of the regional anuran diversity.
Expeditions to several localities on the northeastern
portion of the Cordillera Oriental and Sierra Nevada
de Santa Marta in Colombian Andes (Santander, Norte
de Santander, and La Guajira departments) between
August 2012 and April 2016 resulted in the finding of
unreported populations of eight anuran species belonging
to five families: Aromobatidae (1 species), Bufonidae
(1 species), Centrolenidae (1 species), Craugastoridae
(4 species), and Dendrobatidae (1 species). Specimens
were identified based on the original species descriptions
(Günther, 1869 “1868”; Lynch and Duellman, 1973;
Lynch, 1984, 1996; Kaplan, 1997; Barrio-Amorós et
al., 2007; Anganoy-Criollo, 2012; Ospina-Sarria et
al., 2015). Voucher specimens were deposited in the
herpetological collection of Universidad Industrial de
Santander (UIS-A) and herpetological collection of
Universidad de Pamplona (MCNUP-H). We provide
updated distributional maps for the reported species
based on relevant literature and specimens housed at
herpetological collections. Records containing uncertain
or inconsistent geographic information were excluded
from the maps. Collection acronyms followed Frost
(2017).
Family Aromobatidae
Allobates ignotus Anganoy-Criollo, 2012.—This
species was described from three localities on the
western flank of Serranía de Perijá in Cesar, Colombia
(Anganoy-Criollo, 2012), but recently was reported
from six additional localities on this mountain range in
Cesar and La Guajira departments, Colombia (Granda-
Rodríguez et al., 2018). Known localities range in
elevation from 400 to 1236 m (Anganoy-Criollo, 2012;
Granda-Rodríguez et al., 2018). Herein we report a tenth
locality based on three specimens (UIS-A 6015–6017)
collected at La Gran China site, vereda Barriales-Nuevas
62
Ideas, El Molino river, El Molino municipality, La
Guajira department, Colombia (10.5953°N, 72.8571°W,
758 m a.s.l.). This report constitutes the northernmost
locality record for this species, extending the species
distribution by ca. 30 km NE from the closest locality
previously reported (Nicaragua creek, La Jagua del
Pilar; Fig. 1).
Allobates ignotus differs from its congeners by the
combination of the following characteristics (Anganoy-
Criollo, 2012): (1) disks on finger III and toe IV,
slightly expanded; (2) faintly differentiated lateral keels
on all fingers; (3) fringes on all toes, slightly expanded;
(4) pale dorsolateral stripe extended from eyes to mid-
level of insertion of thigh (to the posterior-level of the
of insertion of thigh in the specimens reported here),
and does not drop onto thigh; (5) diffuse pale oblique
lateral stripe as a series of spots (diffuse pale but not
in a discrete series of spots in the specimens reported
here), extending anteriorly from the inguinal region to
more than middle body; (6) ventrolateral stripe present;
(7) gular-chest region cream, sexually dimorphic; with
scarce brown stippling in adult females and uniformly
dark, brown to greyish brown, in adult males; (8) cloacal
tubercles absent; and (9) pattern of coloration on dorsum
brown to dark brown, with one diffuse wide band from
snout to urostyle. We consider that variation in the
dorsolateral and oblique lateral stripes in the specimens
Figure 1. Lateral view of an alive specimen of Allobates
ignotus (UIS-A 6015) and its updated geographic distribution:
the black circle indicates the localities referred in Anganoy-
Criollo (2012) and Granda-Rodríguez et al. (2018), and the
red circle indicates the new distributional record reported here.
Datum WGS84. Photo: F.L. Meza-Joya.
Fabio Leonardo Meza-Joya� et al.
reported here (see above) is due to intraspecific variation.
The revision of the photographs of four specimens from
some of the localities reported in Granda-Rodríguez et
al. (2018) shows evident variation in these characters,
with the specimen of La Guajira department showing a
colour pattern similar to the specimens reported here.
Specimens were on the floor of riparian Sub-Andean
forest associated to El Molino river. During fieldwork,
from 13:00 to 17:00 h, we recorded one female, six
males, five tadpoles, and two metamorphic specimens.
Males were found calling under rocks in the margins of
the river, suggesting reproductive activity.
Family Bufonidae
Rhaebo glaberrimus (Günther, 1869).—This species
is known from the eastern flank of the Cordillera Oriental
in Colombia and south-eastern border of Cordillera de
Mérida in Venezuela, at elevations between 300 and
1470 m (Chacón-Ortíz et al., 2001, 2002; Mueses-
Cisneros et al., 2012). In Colombia, R. glaberrimus
has been registered from several localities on the
eastern piedmont of the Cordillera Oriental in Boyacá,
Casanare, Cundinamarca, and Meta departments,
between 520 and 1470 m elevation (Lynch, 2006;
Mueses-Cisneros et al., 2012; but see Ruiz-Carranza et
al., 1996). The type locality of this species (i.e., “Bogotá,
Cundinamarca”) is probably in error because Bogotá
city and its surroundings are about 1100 m above the
upper altitudinal limit of the species (1470 m a.s.l.), this
region harbour habitats very different of those where the
species occurs, and herpetological surveys in this region
has not been recorded the species (Mueses-Cisneros
et al., 2012). Likewise, the record from Amazonas
department (Puerto Rastrojo, Mirití-Paraná river; IAvH
2502) reported by Acosta-Galvis (2017) was assigned to
Rhaebo guttatus by Mueses-Cisneros et al. (2012) based
on the morphological examination of the specimen.
The specimens reported here (MCNUP-H 0423, 0433,
0441) comes from three sites along an elevational
gradient at vereda San Antonio, San Lorenzo river,
Toledo municipality, Parque Nacional Natural Tamá,
Norte de Santander department, Colombia (7.1604°N,
72.2286°W, 646 m a.s.l.; 7.1503°N, 72.2218°W, 780
m a.s.l.). This report account for the first records of
this species from Norte de Santander department and
extend the species’ distribution by ca. 95 km SSW
from the closest locality previously reported (Uribante
municipality, Táchira state, Venezuela), filling the
distribution gap between the previously recorded
Colombian and Venezuelan localities (Fig. 2).
New and noteworthy locality records of anurans from Colombia
Figure 2. Dorsal and ventral view of a museum specimen
of Rhaebo glaberrimus (MCNUP-H 0423) and its updated
geographic distribution: the black circles indicates the localities
referred in Chacón et al. (2001), (2002), Lynch (2006), and
Mueses-Cisneros et al. (2012), and the red circles (almost
grouped into a single point) indicates the new distributional
records reported here. Datum WGS84. Photo: A. Acevedo.
Rhaebo glaberrimus is distinguished from other
congeners by the combination of the following
characteristics (Günther, 1869; Chacón-Ortíz et al.,
2002; Mueses-Cisneros et al., 2012): (1) preocular ridge
absent; (2) cephalic crests absent; (3) enlarged parotoid
glands; (4) smooth dorsal skin; (5) small skin folds on
hind limbs; (6) prominent internal metatarsal tubercles
on feet; (7) cloacal opening near the inferior part of the
thighs in females or ventrally in males; (8) anterior part
of hind limbs mottled with pale yellow; and (9) groin,
axilla, and posterior part of hind limbs with pale reddish
to orange spots.
Individuals were recorded between 14:00 and 17:00
h, over rocks and on the base of shrubs (Miconia sp.)
at the margins of San Lorenzo river. Vegetation at the
study site corresponds to riparian Sub-Andean forest
associated with large cattle grazing areas.
Family Centrolenidae
Rulyrana flavopunctata (Lynch and Duellman,
1973).—This species occurs in the Amazonian-versant
of the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia and Ecuador
between 300 and 1850 m elevation (Lynch and Duellman,
1973; Cisneros-Heredia and McDiarmid, 2006; Lynch,
2006; Cisneros-Heredia, 2009; Almendáriz et al., 2014).
In Colombia, R. flavopunctata occurs on the foothills
63
of the Cordillera Oriental in Boyacá, Casanare, Meta,
and Caquetá departments, between 540 and 1650 m
elevation (Lynch, 2006; Pedroza-Banda et al., 2014;
Astwood-Romero et al., 2016). Here we report this
species from San Lorenzo river, vereda San Antonio,
National Natural Park Tamá, Toledo municipality,
Norte de Santander department, Colombia (7.1569°N,
72.2125°W, 714 m a.s.l; 7.1572°N, 72.2231°W, 829
m a.s.l). Collected specimens (MCNUP-H 0231,
0233) account for the first records of R. flavopunctata
at foothills of Tamá Massif in Colombia and extends
its distributional range ca. 224 km NNE from the
closest known record (La Limonita stream, Pajarito
municipality, Boyacá department; Fig. 3).
Rulyrana flavopunctata can be easily distinguished
from other glass frogs by the combination of the following
characters (Lynch and Duellman, 1973): (1) head slightly
wider than body; (2) snout short, rounded in dorsal and
lateral profiles; (3) prevomerine dentigerous processes
small, bearing 0-3 teeth on low processes; (4) humeral
spine absent in males; (5) webbing absent between the
inner fingers; (6) dermal folds on arms and legs absent;
(7) three-fourths of tympanum visible; (8) dorsum green
with minute pale yellow flecks; (9) edge of upper lip
Figure 3. Dorsolateral view of an alive specimen of Rulyrana
flavopunctata (MCNUP-H 0232) and its updated geographic
distribution: the black circles indicates the localities referred
in Lynch and Duellman (1973), Lynch (2006), Cisneros-
Heredia (2009), Almendáriz et al. (2014), Pedroza-Banda et
al. (2014), Guayasamín et al. (2015), Acosta-Galvis (2017),
IAVH, QCAZ, and MUJ, and the red circles (grouped into a
single point) indicates the new distributional records reported
here. Datum WGS84. Photo: A. Acevedo.
64
pale yellow (pale green in the specimens reported here);
(10) fingers and toes yellow (fingers mostly pale green
in the specimens reported here); (11) parietal peritoneum
white; and (12) visceral peritoneum clear. We consider
that colour differences in the specimens reported here
(see above) are probable due to intraspecific variation.
However, further studies (morphological, acoustic, and
genetic) should be conducted for this widely-distributed
and highly-variable taxon as cryptic diversity may occur
(Cisneros-Heredia, 2009).
Some adult males were found calling from stones and
perching on leaves (Cyclanthaceae) at heights until 3
m, indicating reproductive activity. Vegetation at the
study site corresponds to riparian Sub-Andean forest
associated with large cattle grazing areas.
Family Craugastoridae
Craugastor metriosistus Ospina-Sarria, Angarita-
Sierra and Pedroza-Banda, 2015.—This species
was previously known from the middle and upper
portions of the Magdalena River Valley in Colombia,
with confirmed records from Antioquia, Boyacá,
Caldas, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Santander, and Tolima
departments, between 115 and 1150 m a.s.l (Ospina-
Sarria et al., 2015; Restrepo et al., 2017). The specimens
reported here (UIS-A 5911, 6018–6019) comes from
three sites on western flank of the Cordillera Oriental
of Colombia: (i) an adult male from La Mica stream,
corregimiento Otaré, Ocaña municipality, Norte de
Santander department (8.3939°N, 73.4282°W, 1380 m
a.s.l), (ii) an adult female from Cañada La Esperanza, La
Esperanza neighbourhood, Bucaramanga municipality,
Santander department (7.1533°N, 73.1283°W, 683
m a.s.l.), and (iii) a juvenile specimen from El Diviso
farm, vereda La Colorada, San Vicente de Chucurí
municipality (6.7938°N, 73.4742°W, 1280 m a.s.l).
The record from Norte de Santander account for the
first confirmed record of this species in this department,
extending its distributional range ca. 45 km NNE from
the closest known record (El Cobre farm, vereda Vega
del Oso, San Martín municipality, Cesar department;
Fig. 4) and its upper altitudinal limit from 1150 (Ospina-
Sarria et al., 2015) to 1380 m.
Craugastor metriosistus differs from all other species
in the Craugastor fitzingeri group by the following
combination of characters (Ospina-Sarria et al., 2015):
(1) toe webbing on the outer side of toe III reaching
the proximal portion of distal subarticular tubercle
(III2⅓, III2+ or III2); (2) toe V shorter than toe III; (3)
low supernumerary tubercles, restricted to the proximal
Fabio Leonardo Meza-Joya� et al.
Figure 4. Dorsolateral view of an alive specimen of Craugastor
metriosistus (UIS-A-5911) and its updated geographic
distribution: the black circles indicate the localities referred
in Ospina-Sarria et al. (2015) and Restrepo et al. (2017), and
the red circles indicates the new distributional records reported
here. Datum WGS84. Photo: W. Chinchilla-Lemus.
segments of fingers; and (4) supratympanic fold
distinctly curved downwards. The collected specimens
slightly differ from the original description (Ospina-
Sarria et al., 2015) by lacking reddish-brown colouration
on the posterior surfaces of the thighs, which is herein
interpreted as intraspecific variation. They also account
for the largest male (Snout-vent length [SVL] = 45.36
mm; UIS-A 5911) and female specimens (SVL = 61.78
mm; UIS-A 6018) reported for this species (against
37.7 mm and 60.7 mm, respectively; Ospina-Sarria et
al., 2015).
Individuals were registered at night on the floor of
secondary vegetation (corregimiento Otaré, Ocaña
municipality), riparian Sub-Andean forest (La Esperanza
neighbourhood; Bucaramanga municipality), and coffee
plantations shaded by native trees (vereda La Colorada;
San Vicente de Chucurí municipality).
Pristimantis acutirostris (Lynch, 1984).—This
species is currently known from five localities on
the northwestern slopes of the Cordillera Oriental
of Colombia in Santander department, at elevations
between 1740 and 2400 m (Bernal and Lynch, 2008;
Frost, 2017). The locality of a specimen (ICN 5490) from
Calarcá municipality, Quindío department, probably is
in error (see Lynch 1984). Here we report this species
from two additional localities (UIS-A 6023; PAG 948–
New and noteworthy locality records of anurans from Colombia
949 awaiting catalog number in the ICN): (i) El Guamo
site, vereda Calichana, Mogotes municipality, Santander
department, Colombia (6.5467°N, 72.9650°W, 1623
m a.s.l.) and (ii) Dosquebradas farm, vereda Ajizal,
Moniquirá municipality, Boyacá department, Colombia
(5.8573°N, 73.5108°W, 2150 m a.s.l.; 5.8569°N,
73.5112°W, 2230 m a.s.l.). These records are the
northernmost and southernmost localities reported
for this species, extending their lower elevational
distribution from 1,740 (Bernal and Lynch, 2008)
to 1,623 m, and accounting for its first record from
Boyacá department at ca. 36 km ENE from the closest
known record (vereda el Taladro, Charalá municipality,
Santander department; Fig. 5).
Pristimantis acutirostris can be easily distinguished
from similar species by the following characteristics
(Lynch, 1984): (1) dorsum shagreened, venter areolate;
(2) dorsolateral folds present; (3) tympanic annulus
present, small, round; (4) snout acuminate in dorsal view,
rounded in profile; (5) vocal slits and subgular vocal sac
present; (6) finger fringes absent; (7) small tubercle
on the inner edge of tarsus; (8) toe fringes slightly, no
webbing; (9) concealed surfaces of thighs yellow with
brown reticulation; (10) canthal and supratympanic
stripes dark brown; and (11) iris pale blue with reddish
horizontal streak.
Figure 5. Dorsolateral view of an alive specimen of
Pristimantis acutirostris (UIS-A 6023) and its updated
geographic distribution: the black circles indicates the localities
referred in Lynch (1984), MUJ, and UIS-A, and the red circles
indicates the new distributional records reported here. Datum
WGS84. Photo: G. Olarte.
65
Specimens were found at night in a small patch of
secondary lower montane wet forest adjacent to pastures
(vereda Calichana, Mogotes municipality) and in a
young secondary forest with well-defined undergrowth
vegetation dominated by Quercus humboldtii, next to
pastures (vereda Ajizal, Moniquirá municipality).
Pristimantis yukpa Barrio-Amorós, Rojas-Runjaic
and Infante, 2007.—This species was previously
known from at least 11 localities on the eastern slope
of Perijá, Zulia state, Venezuela (Barrio-Amorós et al.,
2007; IUCN SSC, 2011) and one locality on western
slope of the Serranía de Perijá, La Guajira department,
Colombia (Meza-Joya, 2016), at elevations between
500 and 1600 m (Barrio-Amorós et al., 2007; IUCN
SSC, 2011). The specimens reported here (UIS-A
5896–5898, 5909, 5912) comes from two sites on the
western slope of Cordillera Oriental: El Lobo and La
Mica farms, corregimiento Otaré, Ocaña municipality,
Norte de Santander department, Colombia (8.3939°N,
73.4282°W, 1380 m a.s.l; 8.3958°N, 73.4276°W, 1378
m a.s.l). This report constitutes the second record of this
species for Colombia and the first records from habitats
outside Serranía del Perijá, extending its distributional
range ca. 179 km SSW from the closest known
record (Yukpa village Kiriponsa, Machiques de Perijá
municipality, Zulia state, Venezuela; Fig. 6).
Figure 6. Dorsolateral view of an alive specimen of
Pristimantis yukpa (UIS-A-5895) and its updated geographic
distribution: the black circles indicates the localities referred
in Barrio-Amorós et al. (2007) and Meza-Joya (2016), and
the red circles (grouped into a single point) indicates the new
distributional records reported here. Datum WGS84. Photo:
W. Chinchilla-Lemus.
66 Fabio Leonardo Meza-Joya� et al.

Pristimantis yukpa can be identified by the combination Tachiramantis douglasi can be easily distinguished
of the following characteristics (Barrio-Amorós et from similar species by the following characteristics
al., 2007): (1) skin of dorsum with scattered conical (Lynch, 1996): (1) short dorsolateral folds, reaching
tubercles; (2) skin of venter areolate; (3) upper eyelid the shoulder; (2) tympanum prominent, rounded; (3)
with ill-prominent tubercles; (4) vomerine dentigerous no enlarged ulnar tubercles; (4) subconical tubercle on
processes small and oblique; (5) finger I slightly shorter heel, (5) inner tarsal fold present; (6) two metatarsal
than II; (6) discs on digits longer than wide; (7) discs tubercles; (7) low supernumerary plantar tubercles; (8)
on fingers III and IV larger than those on finger I and large finger disks; and (9) labial stripe white.
II; (8) fringes on fingers II and III; (9) two metatarsal Individuals were found between 16:00 and 23:00
tubercles; (10) basal webbing between toes IV and V; h perching on shrubs (Miconia sp.) and mosses
(11) lateral fringes on fingers II and III; (12) canthus (Lycopodium sp. and Sphagnum sp.), at heights from
rostralis distinct; (13) snout subacuminate in dorsal view 15 to 40 cm. Adult males were calling, suggesting
and profile; (14) tympanum ill-conspicuous; (15) in life reproductive activity.
dorsum creamy brown withill-defined W and inverted
V-shaped marks; (16) venter white immaculate; and Family Dendrobatidae
(17) iris pale bronze with fine black reticulations.
“Colostethus” ruthveni Kaplan, 1997.—This species
Individuals were adult males calling on leaves, stalk,
was previously known from several localities on Sierra
and branches of coffee and fruit trees at heights between
Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) in Magdalena, La
60 and 180 cm.
Guajira, and Cesar departments, from 680 to 1500 m
Tachiramantis douglasi (Lynch, 1996).—This species elevation (Kaplan, 1997; Granda-Rodríguez et al.,
is known from several localities on the eastern and 2008; Rueda-Solano and Castellanos-Barliza, 2010;
western slopes of the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia, González-Maya et al., 2011; Romero and Lynch, 2012;
between 1630 and 2670 m elevation, in the departments Blanco-Torres et al., 2014; Granda-Rodríguez et al.,
of Santander and Norte de Santander (Lynch, 1996; 2014). This species is currently considered part of the
Bernal and Lynch, 2008). Most of the specimens newly recognized “Colostethus” ruthveni group, a
reported herein (UIS-A 6020 – 6022, MCNUP-H 0125 clade more closely related to all dendrobatines, except
– 0126) come from three paramo zones on both flanks
of Cordillera Oriental in Colombia. Two sites from an
elevation gradient on the western flank at paramo de
Berlín, vereda Esparta, Santa Bárbara municipality,
Santander department (7.0330°N, 72.8878°W, 3001 m
a.s.l.; 7.0353°N, 72.8862°W, 3112 m a.s.l.), and two
paramos on the eastern flank at Parque Nacional Natural
Tamá: (i) paramo La Cabrera, vereda El Molino, Herrán
municipality, Norte Santander department (7.4364°N,
72.4672°W, 2980 m a.s.l.) and (ii) paramo del Tamá,
vereda Siberia, Herrán municipality, Norte Santander
department (7.3962°N, 72.4267°W, 3109 m a.s.l.). These
specimens account for the first records of this species
for páramo habitat and extend its upper distributional
range from 2670 (Bernal and Lynch, 2008) to 3112 m
elevation. An additional specimen (UIS-A 6262) was
collected in a patch of riparian high-Andean forest at
Plumajera stream, corregimiento Pangote, San Andrés
Figure 7. Dorsolateral view of an alive specimen of
municipality, Santander department (6.765372°N, Tachiramantis douglasi (UIS-A 6020) and its updated
72.781936°W, 2486 m a.s.l). This report constitutes the geographic distribution: the black circles indicates the
southernmost locality record for this species, extending localities referred in Lynch (1996), Arroyo et al. (2003),
its distribution by ca. 33 km SE from the closest locality IAVH, MHUA-A, and UIS-A, and the red circles indicates
previously reported (Vereda Planadas, Piedecuesta the new distributional records reported here. Datum WGS84.
municipality, Santander department; Fig. 7). Photo: F. Cediel.
New and noteworthy locality records of anurans from Colombia 67

Phyllobates, than to any other species of the former

genus Colostethus sensu lato (Grant et al., 2017).
This group is composed of two species inhabiting the
SNSM: “Colostethus” ruthveni and “Colostethus”
sp. ruthveni-like, an undescribed species that strongly
resembles “C.” ruthveni (Grant et al., 2017). Here we
report “Colostethus” ruthveni from three additional
localities at the eastern flank of the SNSM in La
Guajira department (UIS-A 5479–5483): (i) El Arroyo
creek, corregimiento La Sierrita, San Juán del Cesar
municipality (10.8573°N, 73.1721°W, 776 m a.s.l.;
10.8513°N, 73.1727°W, 941 m a.s.l.), (ii) La Vainilla
site, vereda Larga La Vida, corregimiento Mingueo,
Dibulla municipality (11.1668°N, 73.3413°W;
514 m a.s.l.), and (iii) La Concepción farm, vereda
Figure 8. Dorsolateral view of an alive specimen of
La Totumita, corregimiento Las Flores, Dibulla “Colostethus” ruthveni (UIS-A 5479) and its updated
municipality (11.1128°N, 73.1793°W, 483 m a.s.l.). geographic distribution: the black circles indicates the
The report from corregimiento La Sierrita (San Juán localities referred in Kaplan (1997), Granda-Rodríguez et
del Cesar municipality) extend the distribution of this al. (2008), Rueda-Solano and Castellanos-Barliza (2010),
species ca. 28 km S from the closest known locality in González-Maya et al. (2011), Anganoy-Criollo (2012),
La Guajira department (basins of Tapias river, south Romero and Lynch (2012), Blanco-Torres et al. (2014) and
of Riohacha municipality) and account for a wide Granda-Rodríguez et al. (2014), the red circles indicates the
distribution of this group on the SNSM massif (Fig. 8). new distributional records reported here, and the blue circle
indicate the locality for “Colostethus” sp. ruthveni-like
The locality record from corregimiento de Nabusimake,
reported by Grant et al. (2017). Datum WGS84. Photo: F.L.
Valledupar municipality, Cesar department (ICN
Meza-Joya.
35211; see Anganoy-Criollo, 2012) extend the species’
upper altitudinal limit from 2100 (Granda-Rodríguez et
al., 2014) to 2400 m.
Colostethus ruthveni differs from other members
and poorly known. This region is located near to the
of this genus by the combination of the following
international border with Venezuela, sharing with this
characters (Kaplan, 1997): (1) narrow dorsolateral pale
country a series of massifs and mountain ranges that
stripe present; (2) upper part of flank dark stripe-like;
represents an ecological and geological continuum
(3) oblique lateral stripe, throat collar, chest spots,
(e.g., Serranía or Sierra de Perijá and Tamá Massif),
absent; (4) basal webbing on feet, absent on hands;
thus, anuran species previously thought to be restricted
and (5) expanded finger and toe discs. It is important to
to Venezuelan Andes are now known to occur in
note that specimens reported here are tentatively treated
Colombian Andes (e.g., Acevedo et al., 2014; Meza-
here as “Colostethus” ruthveni because they fit entirely
Joya, 2016) and vice versa (e.g., Rojas-Runjaic et al.,
with the description of the species provided by Kaplan
2012). Records from the species reported here offer
(1997). However, further morphological, acoustic, and
a more detailed picture of its distributional range
genetic studies are required to clarify the taxonomic
along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients. Further
status of species in the “Colostethus” ruthveni group.
herpetological surveys and�����������������������������
During fieldwork we recorded 23 individuals,
specimens certainly will lead to new records and to the
including adult female, adult males, and metamorphs.
discovery of undescribed species and cryptic diversity.
All specimens were found on rocks on the floor of
riparian Sub-Andean forests. Adult males were calling, Acknowledgments. Field work was funded by Corpoguajira,
indicating reproductive activity. Conservación Internacional Colombia, Asociación Selva,
Asociación Colombia Endémica, Parque Nacional Natural Tamá,
Discussion and Conservation Leadership Programme (Project ID 0621310-
2009, Project ID 130809-2010, Project ID 02186714-2014).
Our findings confirm that anuran diversity in Collection of Specimens was authorized by the Corporación
northeastern Andes of Colombia is still underestimated Autónoma Regional de La Guajira (Corpoguajira, Acuerdo 0021-
68
2011), Corporación para la Defensa de la Meseta de Bucaramanga
(CDMB, Resolución 624-2013), Autoridad Nacional de Licencias
Ambientales (ANLA, Resolución 047-2015), and Corporación
Autónoma Regional de la Frontera Nororiental (Corponor,
Resolución 200-2015). We are grateful to M. Rada for allowing
the use of their unpublished locality record for Pristimantis
acutirostris from Boyacá department and to A. Acosta who kindly
provided us some locality records for Rulyrana flavopunctata.
We thank M. Anganoy, M. Rada, M. Rivera, J. Ospina, J. Lynch,
and S. Arroyo for corroborated species’ taxonomic identification
and C. Hernández, F. Cediel, R. Franco, K. Silva, L. Peña, D.
Gutiérrez, S. Alvarez, and A. Gallardo for field assistance. We
also thank G. Olarte and F. Cediel for allowing the use of their
photographs. For comments on this manuscript, we thank A.
Acosta and two anonymous reviewers.
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Accepted by Mirco Solé