Epipedobates currulao Betancourth-Cundar, Ríos-Orjuela, Crawford, Cannatella & Tarvin, 2025, sp. nov.

Epipedobates currulao sp. nov. Figs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Proposed English common name: Currulao Nurse Frog Proposed Spanish common name: Rana nodriza de currulao Epipedobates boulengeri: Silverstone (1976), Lötters et al. (2003), Vargas-S and Bolaños-L (1999), Castro-Herrera and Vargas-Salinas (2008), Lynch and Suárez-Mayorga (2004), Lötters et al. (2007). Epipedobates sp. 1: López-Hervas et al. (2024). Material examined. Holotype. Colombia • ♀; Ladrilleros, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca; 3.945221, - 77.364993; 28 m. a. s. l.; 6 Aug. 2022; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar, Juan Camilo Ríos-Orjuela leg.; ANDES: A: 5255. Paratypes. Colombia • 4 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂, 1 ND; same data as for holotype; ANDES: A: 5254, 5256–5265 • 3 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; GenBank: OR 789880 –84 and OR 789875 –79; MVZ: Herp: 295432–295436. 1 ND; Ladrilleros, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca; 3.950882, - 77.358293; 53 m a. s. l.; 26 Nov. 2014; Rebecca D. Tarvin and Fray Arriaga leg.; GenBank: OR 489012, OR 179791, OR 734704, OR 179836, and OR 179880; ANDES: A: 2464. Other material examined. Epipedobates currulao: Colombia • 2 ♀♀, 5 ND; Type locality, Ladrilleros, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca; 3.950882, - 77.358293; 53 m a. s. l.; 26 Nov. 2014; Rebecca D. Tarvin and Fray Arriaga leg.; GenBank: OR 489011, OR 179790, OR 734703, OR 179835, OR 179875; ANDES: A: 2458–2463, 2465. The skin was removed prior to preservation for evaluation of alkaloid content from these individuals. • 1 ♀; La Barra, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca; 3.985064, – 77.376723; 15 m a. s. l.; 26 Nov. 2014; Rebecca D. Tarvin and Fray Arriaga leg.; GenBank: OR 489010, OR 179789, OR 734702, OR 179834, OR 179851; ANDES: A: 2455. • 5 ♂♂; Pianguita, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca; 3.841954, – 77.198718; 17 m a. s. l.; 12 Sep. 2016; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar, Sandra V. Flechas leg.; ANDES: A: 3690–94. The skin was removed prior to preservation for evaluation of alkaloid content from these individuals, with the exception of ANDES: A: 3691. • 5 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, Danubio, Dagua, Valle del Cauca; 3.611528, – 76.885194; 705 m a. s. l.; 5 Nov. 2016; Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar, Adolfo Amézquita, and Ivan Beltrán leg.; GenBank: OR 489013, OR 179792, OR 734705, OR 179837; ANDES: A: 3713–20. The skin was removed prior to preservation for evaluation of alkaloid content from these individuals. Epipedobates boulengeri: Colombia • 3 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂, 1 ND; Isla Gorgona, Guapi, Cauca; 2.96465, - 78.173685; 20 m a. s. l.; 12 Sep. 2016; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar and Sandra V. Flechas leg.; GenBank: OR OR 488992, OR 179771, OR 734681, OR 179812; ANDES: A: 3695-3702. • 1 ND; Isla Gorgona, Guapi, Cauca; 08 Sep. 2005; ANDES: A: 0560; Collector unknown. • 3 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂, 1 ND; Isla Gorgona, Guapi, Cauca; 2.96465, – 78.173685; 20 m a. s. l.; 12 Sep. 2016; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar, Sandra V. Flechas leg.; GenBank: OR OR 488992, OR 179771, OR 734681, OR 179812; ANDES: A: 3695-3702. • 8 ♀♀; Maragrícola, Tumaco, Nariño; 1.68084, – 78.74924; 7 m a. s. l.; 09 Dec. 2014; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar, Cristian Flórez leg.; GenBank: OR 488990, OR 179769, OR 734679, OR 179810, OR 179862, OR 488991, OR 179770, OR 734680, OR 179811, OR 179863; ANDES: A: 2468–75. Epipedobates narinensis: Colombia • 3 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂, 1 ND; Reserva Natural Biotopo, Berlín, Barbacoas, Nariño; 1.408999, - 78.281246; 518 m a. s. l.; 25 Sep. 2016; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar and Cristian Flórez leg.; GenBank: OR 489008, OR 179787, OR 734700, OR 179832, OR 489009, OR 179788, OR 734701, OR 179833; ANDES: A: 3703–3711. • 10 ♂♂; Reserva Natural Biotopo, Berlín, Barbacoas, Nariño; 1.411263, – 78.285099; 600 m a. s. l.; 22 Jul. 2006; Viviana Moreno-Quintero, Jonh Jairo Mueses-Cisneros, Luisa Mercedes Bravo, Carol Narváez, and Bienvenido Cortés leg.; ICN-A: 53344 (holotype), ICN-A: 53336–53340, 53342–53346 (paratypes). Andinobates minutus: Colombia • 4 ND; La Barra, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca; 3.985064, – 77.376723; 15 m a. s. l.; 25 Nov. 2014; Rebecca D. Tarvin and Fray Arriaga leg.; ANDES: A 2451–54. • 1 ND; Ladrilleros, Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca; 3.945221, - 77.364993; 28 m a. s. l; 6 Aug. 2022; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar, Juan Camilo Ríos-Orjuela leg.; ANDES: A: 5266. Epipedobates aff. espinosai: Ecuador • 1 ND; Lita, Carchi; 12 Aug. 1992; M. Bueno leg.; ICN-A: 32504. Colombia • 1 ND; La Nutria, El Diviso, Barbacoas, Nariño; 1.36083, – 78.18076; 762 m a. s. l.; 10 Dec. 2014; Rebecca D. Tarvin, Mileydi Betancourth-Cundar, Cristian Flórez leg.; GenBank: OR 488977, OR 179756, OR 734663, OR 179794, OR 179840; ANDES: A: 2476. Diagnosis. Epipedobates currulao is a small dendrobatid frog (SVL mean = 17.99 mm and SD = 0.95 mm, n = 16 frogs; Tables 1, 2) with uniformly brown dorsal coloration, black sides, a white to yellow oblique lateral stripe, a bright yellow blotch on the anteriodorsal side of thigh and on the upper arm, and a pale-blue or turquoise venter with black mottling (Fig. 2, Suppl. material 3). Calls of E. currulao sp. nov. are long with a call duration of 0.67– 3.88 s (mean = 2.21, SD = 0.54 s, n = 15) and 22–122 pulses per call (mean = 73.98, SD = 18.77, n = 15). They occur in call series of only one call (Tables 3, 4). Species comparison. At the type locality the new species occurs in sympatry with Andinobates minutus (Dendrobatidae, Dendrobatinae) but differs in body size and coloration (Fig. 3). Andinobates minutus has orange rather than yellow blotches on the anteriodorsal side of the thigh and dorsal side of the arms and its supralabial band is dark orange rather than white as in E. currulao. Ventrally in A. minutus the proportion of black and turquoise blue is similar. In contrast, in E. currulao the coloration is mainly turquoise blue with some black spots (Fig. 2 C). In addition, adults of A. minutus are much smaller (mean = 12.00 mm, SD = 0.91 mm, n = 5) than adults of E. currulao (17.99 mm, SD = 0.95, n = 16), but A. minutus can be confused with E. currulao juveniles. The coloration of juvenile E. currulao is very similar to E. currulao adults, so color can still be used to differentiate the two species. Previously, E. currulao has been confused with E. boulengeri. The two species can be differentiated by the color (in life) of the blotch on the anteriodorsal side of the thigh and the color of the blotch on the dorsal side of the arm close to the axilla, which are both yellow to orange in E. currulao and white to whitish yellow in E. boulengeri. Some individuals of E. currulao have diffuse yellow coloration along the lateral edge of the venter; this coloration has not been identified in any E. boulengeri population to date. Compared to the Isla Gorgona E. boulengeri population, E. currulao has a much thinner oblique lateral stripe; however, this stripe is similar in morphology to the mainland population of E. boulengeri. The mainland population of E. boulengeri (based on images from Maragrícola) can be differentiated from E. currulao by the size, shape, and color of the blotch on the anteriodorsal side of the thigh, which is large, yellow or orange, and clearly defined in E. currulao but absent or diffuse and transparent or whitish copper in E. boulengeri (Maragrícola). In addition, E. currulao has advertisement calls with one call per series while E. boulengeri has two or three calls (Isla Gorgona) or 3–6 calls per series (Maragrícola) (Table 3). Individuals of E. narinensis and E. currulao can be differentiated by the dorsal color, which is olive-green in E. narinensis and dark brown in E. currulao, the length of the oblique lateral line, which extends to the eye in E. currulao but only extends to the mid-body in E. narinensis, the shape of the blotch on the anteriodorsal side of the thigh, which is clearly defined in E. currulao but diffuse in E. narinensis, and the background color of the venter, which is yellowish to greenish in E. narinensis and pale blue to turquoise or white in E. currulao. The structure of the advertisement call of the species also differs, where calls in E. currulao occur one per series but 5–14 per series for E. narinensis (Table 3). Individuals of E. aff. espinosai and E. currulao can be differentiated by the length of fingers III and V, which are reduced in E. currulao but not in E. aff. espinosai (see Morphology in the Systematics section below). The oblique lateral line most often extends to the eye in E. currulao but tends to end at the scapula in E. aff. espinosai. The shape of the blotch on the anteriodorsal side of the thigh is clearly defined and yellow or orange in E. currulao but absent or small and whitish blue in E. aff. espinosai. The blotch on the dorsal side of the arm near the axilla is bright yellow or whitish yellow while the blotch is mostly absent or with diffuse copper or cream coloration in E. aff. espinosai. A summary of the morphological characters of E. currulao sp. nov. compared to other Epipedobates species in Colombia is shown in Table 3. Please see Suppl. material 4 for morphological measurements of individuals and Suppl. material 5 for more extensive notes on color variation within and among species. Description. Coloration of holotype in life (Fig. 2 A – D). Dorsal surfaces dark brown with an oblique lateral stripe extending from the posterior region of the eye to the groin, with metallic orange-yellow coloration in anterior region becoming yellow towards the groin. Groin dark brownish black with a distinct yellow blotch continuing to the anteriodorsal surface of the thigh. Flanks black. Forelimb and hindlimb background dark brown with irregular dark brown spots. Anterior region of the upper arm with yellow blotch similar in color to thigh blotch. Supralabial stripe creamy white, extending from nares to axilla. Ventral surfaces turquoise blue with irregular black spots. Iris copper. Two elongated black spots in the gular region (Fig. 2 C). Coloration of ho