A new species of Pristimantis Jimenez de la Espada, 1870 (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the Brejos de Altitude in Northeast Brazil

Pristimantis is the most diverse Neotropical genus of terrestrial vertebrates and is distributed from Central America to Argentina. The last few years have seen the description of several new species of the genus, suggesting that its diversity is still underestimated. After decades of uncertainties about the taxonomic status of populations of Pristimantis from the Brejos de Altitude of the state of Ceara, Northeast Brazil, we finally found morphological, acoustic and molecular evidence confirming their distinctiveness from other Atlantic Forest species. The new species is characterized by the following: shagreen dorsal skin with small-scattered tubercles, absence of dorsolateral fold, presence of tarsal fold, advertisement call composed of 1-8 pulsed notes, (2-5 pulses per note), and dominant frequency located in the second energy band, ranging from 3617-4220 Hz. Phylogenetic analysis placed the new species in the Pristimantis conspicillatus species group and the sister lineage of the Atlantic Forest clade comprising P. ramagii, P. paulodutrai and the P. vinhai species complex.

Automated summary

Pristimantis is a highly diverse genus of terrestrial vertebrates in the Neotropics, with distribution from Central America to Argentina. The discovery of new species in recent years suggests that its diversity is still underestimated. In this study, morphological, acoustic, and molecular evidence confirmed the distinctiveness of Pristimantis populations from the Brejos de Altitude region in Northeast Brazil from other Atlantic Forest species. The new species belongs to the Pristimantis conspicillatus species group and is closely related to other species in the Atlantic Forest.