Description of a new species of Eupsophus (Amphibia: Neobatrachia) from the Valdivian Coastal range, Southern Chile: an integrative taxonomic approach

Abstract

We describe a new species of Eupsophus from the Coastal Range of Southern Chile. The new taxon can be differentiated using an integrative taxonomic approach that includes advertisement call, reproductive mode, tadpoles, and mtDNA D-loop sequences. Based on karyological characters, the new species is assigned to the roseus Group (2N=30), and differs from all described species therein by having early winter breeding season, terrestrial tadpoles and its advertisement call with spectral elements reaching the 20 kHz. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial data place the new species as sister taxon of E. migueli. The discovery of this new species highlights the importance of the multisource approaches to discover cryptic diversity as well as to establish the basis for prioritizing policies and conservation efforts on Chilean batrachofauna.