Honoring the Afro-Colombian musical culture with the naming of Epipedobates [to be revealed] sp. nov. (Anura: Dendrobatidae), a frog from the Pacific rainforests

Abstract

The number of amphibian species described yearly shows no signs of slowing down, especially in tropical regions, implying that the biodiversity of amphibians remains woefully underestimated. We describe a new species of poison frog from the Pacific lowlands of southwestern Colombia: Epipedobates [to be revealed] sp. nov., named for the Pacific music and dance genre known as bambuco viejo or [to be revealed]. This species inhabits lowland forests from 0–260 m. This taxon differs from congeners by having a combination of yellow blotches in the dorsal anterior region of the thigh and upper arm, homogenous dark-brown dorsal coloration, and advertisement calls of long duration and many pulses. We also describe the courtship call of E. [to be revealed], which is lower in frequency and shorter in duration than the advertisement call. Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm the monophyly of the populations sampled and its position as the sister-group of Epipedobates narinensis, which occurs in southwestern Colombia. Among species of Epipedobates, the new species has been previously confused with E. boulengeri, but we find that the two species are allopatric and represent two divergent clades (1.77% divergent for 12S–16S and 5.39% for CYTB). These species can be distinguished by the presence of a bright yellow blotch in the dorsal anterior region of the thigh in E. [to be revealed], which is absent or diffuse and pale or cream in E. boulengeri. Epipedobates [to be revealed] is the most northern species of Epipedobates, which extends southwards along the western edge of the Andes. Known as the Chocó, this biogeographic region has been largely converted to agriculture in Ecuador and is experiencing widespread transformation in Colombia, which may endanger E. [to be revealed] and biodiversity in the region. This version is a preprint, and we only intend to name the species in the final published version.