A New Species of Craugastor (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the Magdalena River Valley, Colombia, with Evaluation of the Characters Used to Identify Species of the Craugastor fitzingeri Group
2015
Ospina-Sarria, Jhon Jairo | Angarita-Sierra, Teddy | Pedroza-Banda, Raul
The Craugastor fitzingeri group is composed of eight species, four of which occur in sympatry in Colombia: C. crassidigitus, C. fitzingeri, C. longirostris, and C. raniformis. These four species frequently are confused due to their external similarity and extensive intraspecific variation, particularly between the species with disjunct populations in the middle and upper Magdalena River Valley, Colombia. Here we present the results of a revision of the variation in the morphological characters used to distinguish these four species. We confirm that the color patterns on the rear of the thigh and the degree of foot webbing are useful for distinguishing among these species; however, the color pattern on the throat was found to present extensive intraspecific variation. We show that C. fitzingeri and C. longirostris are restricted to the Pacific lowlands and upper basins of the Cauca River Valley in Colombia and that populations in the Magdalena River Valley previously identified as those species correspond a new species, which we describe herein. This new species and C. raniformis are the only species of C. fitzingeri group that reach the Magdalena River Valley. Finally, we provide a dichotomous key to identify the species of the Craugastor fitzingeri group.
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