A new Andean rocket frog (Amphibia: Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leptodactylus) from urban spaces at Mérida, Venezuela

A new species of Leptodactylus is described from the city of Mérida, in the Andean mountains of Venezuela. The new taxon, a member of the Leptodactylus melanonotus species group, is distinguished from all congeners by a combination of morphological and bioacoustic characters, including: moderate body size (adult males mean SVL 37.4 mm; female 44.5 mm); a single pair of irregular, often interrupted dorsolateral folds; slightly expanded (knob-shaped) toe tips; and a ventral color pattern with pale mottling fading posteriorly. The new species is further characterized by an advertisement call with an exceptionally high note repetition rate (~240 calls/min) and a high dominant frequency (2.4 kHz). We pro­vide a detailed description of the holotype and variation within the type series, including data on coloration in life and preservative and description of the larval stage. The species is restricted to internal valleys within the Cordillera de Mérida, where it dwells in urban and peri-urban environments. We provide preliminary data on its ecology and conservation status.