Wilmar Bolívar-G

A New Species of Semiarboreal Toad with a Salamander-Like Ear (Anura: Bufonidae: Rhinella)

Abstract:  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.

The Tadpole of Nymphargus Grandisonae (Anura, Centrolenidae) from Valle Del Cauca, Colombia

ABSTRACT. The tadpole of Nymphargus grandisonae is described from Serranía de los Paraguas, Valle del Cauca-Colombia. Characteristics of clutches (i.e., position, coloration, number of ova) and ontogenetic variation, as well as some aspects of natural history of adult males, are provided. The tadpole of N. grandisonae differs from other centrolenid tadpoles in characteristics such as M-shaped upper jaw sheath, small gap in row A-2, and by having a non-emarginate oral disc. Although it has been proposed that the lack of morphological differences in glassfrog tadpoles is due to ecomorphological convergence, the number of tadpole descriptions based on feeding specimens is limited, as is the number of comparative studies of larval anatomy. Additional standardized studies of larval characters and subsequent phylogenetic analysis are required to test this hypothesis.

Discovery of a novel accessory structure of the pitviper infrared receptor organ (serpentes: viperidae).

The facial pits of rattlesnakes, copperheads, lanceheads, bushmasters and other American and Asian pitvipers (Crotalinae) are highly innervated and densely vascularized infrared (IR) receptor organs. For over a century, studies have focused on a small sample of model species from North America and Asia. Based on an expanded survey of Central and South American crotalines, we report a conspicuous accessory structure composed of well-defined papillae that project from the anterior orbital adnexa. The papillae are continuous with the inner chamber of the IR receptor organ and our histological and ultrastructural data suggest that they possess a well-developed nervous network and extensive vascularization; however, they lack the characteristic IR-sensitive terminal nerve masses found in the IR-receptive pit membrane. The function of the IR receptor organ papillae is unknown.

Complementary Ecological Approaches to Understand Decreases in Frog Diversity in Altered Andean Ecosystems

Abstract. The Andes Mountains of South America are considered one of the most biologically diverse and threatened areas in the world. Habitat destruction in this area is among the most common causes of amphibian population declines and extinction, but few studies have used complementary approaches to understand the interplay between habitat transformation and microhabitat use by amphibians. We studied the anuran diversity in modified vegetation cover types in a cloud forest in the tropical Andes of Colombia in order to compare components of biological diversity and microhabitat preferences among forested and human-altered habitats. Secondary Forest and Riparian Forest were the vegetation cover type with the highest local diversity, whereas the highest turnover was between the forested and human-altered areas. The species in the assemblage showed specific microhabitat associations with the substrate and the vertical stratification, with lower mean values of niche overlap between species pairs in forested area than in human altered areas. These results show how anthropic intervention creates less favorable vegetation cover types for some species of anurans and the way in which preferences for a specific micro-habitat could influence distribution in these vegetation cover type.

Hypsiboas pugnax Schmidt, 1857 and Scinax ruber Laurenti, 1768 (Amphibia: Anura): Distribution extension in the Río Cauca Valley, Colombia

Scinax ruber and Hypsiboas pugnax are nocturnal and arboreal species, and can be found typically in open areas with human disturbance. Here, we present the first record of S. rube r and H. pugnax from the departments of Valle del Cauca and Cauca, Colombia, and the southernmost record in the Rio Cauca valley.

Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae, Pristimantis palmeri Boulenger, 1912: distribution extension for the Central Cordillera, Colombia

We report a new locality record for Pristimantis palmeri , an endemic species to Colombia associated to forest and weeds in open areas of Choco, Risaralda, Quindio, Valle del Cauca, and Cauca (900 – 2,400 m.a.s.l.). This report expands its geographical distribution in 177 km toward south and suggests the existence of a discontinuous distribution in the western slope of the Central Cordillera of Colombia.

Distribution extension of Strabomantis ruizi (Lynch, 1981) (Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae) from the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Strabomatis ruizi is a large-sized frog from the Andean cloud forest of Cordillera Occidental, department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. We present two new records for Strabomantis ruizi on the eastern slope of Cordillera Occidental,Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Amphibia, Anura, Centrolenidae, Espadarana callistomma (Guayasamin and Trueb, 2007): first country records from Colombia

The glassfrogs diversity in the Chocoan tropical rain forest in Colombia is far from being thoroughly documented. We report here, the first record of Espadarana callistomma for the lowlands of Colombia. Further work in this region can yield results of interest to clarify the phylogenetic relationships of this group.

Amphibia, Anura, Strabomantidae, Pristimantis permixtus Lynch, Ruiz-Carranza, and Ardila-Robayo, 1994: Distribution extension, Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Pristimantis permixtus is a moderate sized frog tipically of upper cloud forests and sub-paramo areas. Here we provide the second record and southernmost of P. permixtus in the Occidental Cordillera in the department of Valle del Cauca, Vereda Chicoral, municipality of La Cumbre, Colombia.