Systematics of treefrogs of the Hypsiboas calcaratus and Hypsiboas fasciatus species complex (Anura,Hylidae) with the description of four new species

We review the systematics of the Hypsiboas calcaratus species complex, a group of widely distributed Amazonian hylid frogs. A comprehensive analysis of genetic, morphological, and bioacoustic datasets uncovered the existence of eleven candidate species, six of which are confirmed. Two of them correspond to Hypsiboas fasciatus and Hypsiboas calcaratus and the remaining four are new species that we describe here. Hypsiboas fasciatus sensu stricto has a geographic range restricted to the eastern Andean foothills of southern Ecuador while Hypsiboas calcaratus sensu stricto has a wide distribution in the Amazon basin. Hypsiboas almendarizae sp. n. occurs at elevations between 500 and 1950 m in central and northern Ecuador; the other new species (H. maculateralis sp. n., H. alfaroi sp. n., and H. tetete sp. n.) occur at elevations below 500 m in Amazonian Ecuador and Peru. The new species differ from H. calcaratus and H. fasciatus in morphology, advertisement calls, and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Five candidate species from the Guianan region, Peru, and Bolivia are left as unconfirmed. Examination of the type material of Hyla steinbachi, from Bolivia, shows that it is not conspecific with H. fasciatus and thus is removed from its synonymy.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Miconia complanata</Emphasis> (Miconieae: Melastomataceae)<Emphasis Type="Italic">,</Emphasis> a new species from the border between Ecuador and Peru

We describe a new species native to Ecuador and Peru, Miconia complanata . This species has been collected from two different localities: Parque Nacional Podocarpus (Ecuador) and Cordillera del Cóndor (Ecuador and Peru). The strongly quadrangular to winged stem, ridged nodes and coriaceous leaves make this species distinctive even within a large genus.     

Revision of Ticorea Aubl. (Rutaceae, Galipeinae)

Ticorea comprises five species, which occur in the Guianas, throughout the Amazonian basin, and on the lower eastern slopes of the Andes in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Two of the five are described here as new: T. diandra, from eastern Ecuador and adjacent Peru, and T. froesii, from Maranhão and Pará, Brazil.     

Shadows of the colonial past – diverging plant use in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador

This paper examines the traditional use of medicinal plants in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador, with special focus on the Departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Cajamarca, and San Martin, and in Loja province, with special focus on the development since the early colonial period. Northern Peru represents the locus of the old Central Andean "Health Axis." The roots of traditional healing practices in this region go as far back as the Cupisnique culture early in the first millennium BC. Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador share the same cultural context and flora but show striking differences in plant use and traditional knowledge. Two hundred fifteen plant species used for medicinal purposes in Ecuador and 510 plant species used for medicinal purposes in Peru were collected, identified,. and their vernacular names, traditional uses, and applications recorded. This number of species indicates that the healers, market vendors, and members of the public interviewed in Peru still have a very high knowledge of plants in their surroundings, which can be seen as a reflection of the knowledge of the population in general. In Ecuador much of the original plant knowledge has already been lost. In Peru, 433 (85%) were Dicotyledons, 46 (9%) Monocotyledons, 21 (4%) Pteridophytes, and 5 (1%) Gymnosperms. Three species of Giartina (Algae) and one species of the Lichen genus Siphula were used. The families best represented were Asteraceae with 69 species, Fabaceae (35), Lamiaceae (25), and Solanaceae (21). Euphorbiaceae had 12 species, and Poaceae and Apiaceae each accounted for 11 species. In Ecuador the families best represented were Asteraceae (32 species), Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, and Solanaceae (11 species each), and Apiaceae, Fabaceae, Lycopodiaceae (9 species each). One hundred eighty-two (85%) of the species used were Dicotyledons, 20 Monocotyledons (9.3%), 12 ferns (5.5%), and one unidentified lichen was used. Most of the plants used (83%) were native to Peru and Ecuador. Fresh plants, often collected wild, were used in two thirds of all cases in Peru, but in almost 95% of the cases in Ecuador. The most common applications included the ingestion of herb decoctions or the application of plant material as poultices. Although about 50% of the plants in use in the colonial period have disappeared from the popular pharmacopoeia, the overall number of plant species used medicinally has increased in Northern Peru, while Southern Ecuador shows a decline of plant knowledge since colonial times.     

The Evolutionary History and Genetic Diversity of Kinkajous, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Potos flavus</Emphasis> (Carnivora,Procyonidae)

The genus Potos (Procyonidae) is currently recognized as a monotypic genus comprising the single species Potos flavus, the kinkajou. Kinkajous are widely distributed throughout forested habitats of tropical Central and South America, extending from eastern Brazil across central Bolivia, eastern Peru, northern Ecuador, Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, and then through Central America and into western Mexico. The taxonomic history of the species is complex, with seven or eight subspecies historically recognized to acknowledge the phenotypic variation among populations. In this study, the systematics and the evolutionary history of Potos flavus were investigated based on the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b, including specimens from a large range of localities, covering most of the distribution of the species, from central Middle America (Costa Rica and Panama) through South America (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, and French Guiana). Analyses of 30 Potos flavus sequences showed 27 haplotypes that were grouped in five main clades in all phylogenetic analyses. These clades suggested a high geographic structure with specimens from (1) Costa Rica, (2) Guianas and North Brazil, (3) North Peru, (4) Ecuador and Panama, (5a) interfluves Branco-Negro rivers in the Brazilian Amazon, (5b) Eastern Atlantic Forest, (5c) Amazonian lowlands east Negro river including Bolivia, Peru, and West Brazil. Each of these clades differs from 4.5 % to 9.3 % in their genetic distance estimates, which suggests that the specific status of some of these lineages should be reconsidered. Divergence dating and biogeographic analysis suggested that crown Potos diversified in the Miocene-Pliocene in South America, and geographic barriers, such as savannas and rivers, may have played a significant role in the kinkajou diversification.     

Three new species of woodlizards (Hoplocercinae,Enyalioides) from northwestern South America

The discovery of three new species of Enyalioides from the tropical Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru is reported. Enyalioides altotambo sp. n. occurs in northwestern Ecuador and differs from other species of Enyalioides in having dorsal scales that are both smooth and homogeneous in size, a brown iris, and in lacking enlarged, circular and keeled scales on the flanks. Enyalioides anisolepis sp. n. occurs on the Amazonian slopes of the Andes in southern Ecuador and northern Peru and can be distinguished from other species of Enyalioides by its scattered, projecting large scales on the dorsum, flanks, and hind limbs, as well as a well-developed vertebral crest, with the vertebrals on the neck at least three times higher than those between the hind limbs. Enyalioides sophiarothschildae sp. n. is from the Amazonian slopes of the Cordillera Central in northeastern Peru; it differs from other species of Enyalioides in having caudal scales that are relatively homogeneous in size on each caudal segment, a white gular region with a black medial patch and several turquoise scales in males, as well as immaculate white labials and chin. A molecular phylogenetic tree of 18 species of hoplocercines is presented, including the three species described in this paper and Enyalioides cofanorum, as well as an updated identification key for species of Hoplocercinae.     

A new species of Siphocampylus (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae) from northern Peru

Siphocampylus platysiphon (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae) is described as a new species from northern Peru. It is a member of subsect.Megastomi in sect.Brachysiphon and is most closely related toS. giganteus, a species common to the north in Ecuador and Colombia.     

Descriptions of two new silversides, Hypoatherina golanii and Hypoatherina lunata, from the Indo-West Pacific (Atheriniformes: Atherinidae)

Two new atherinid fishes, Hypoatherina golanii and Hypoatherina lunata, are described based on specimens collected from the wide range of the Indo-West Pacific. The former species is known from the Red Sea and was confused with Hypoatherina barnesi because it has a somewhat wide midlateral band and overlapping meristic counts. Hypoatherina golanii is distinguished from its congeners by the midlateral scales with an indented posterior margin, posterior margin of anterior predorsal scales with a spatular outgrowth, posterior margin of axillary scales without a distinct projection, and posterior end of maxilla not slanted downward. Hypoatherina lunata is distributed in the waters of southern Japan (Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures) and Indonesia (North Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua), but was confused with Hypoatherina woodwardi. Hypoatherina lunata is distinguished from its congeners in having a distinct crescent marking in front of the eye and the anus usually situated anterior to the tip of the pelvic fin.     

Systematic Studies of the Genus A<Emphasis Type="Italic">egialomys</Emphasis> Weksler et al., 2006 (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae): Geographic Variation,Species Delimitation,and Biogeography

Aegialomys occurs in open habitats west of the Ecuadorean and Peruvian Andes, including the Galapagos Archipelago. This genus currently includes two species, A. galapagoensis and A. xanthaeolus. We studied patterns of geographic variation to characterize the morphologic and morphometric variation and recognize diagnosable clusters of samples. Employing this evidence, within a phylogenetic framework employing morphological, molecular, and concatenated matrices, we diagnose monophyletic lineages and assign the appropriate names to species–group taxa. Qualitatively, we noted geographic variation in some characters, and quantitatively there is a pronounced increase in cranial dimensions along the north–south distribution axis, revealing the existence of four distinct clusters: North, South, Extreme South, and Galapagos. These results, along with the phylogenetic relationships, allowed us to hypothesize that Aegialomys exhibits four monophyletic species that we call: Aegialomys galapagoensis, restricted to the Galapagos Archipelago; Aegialomys xanthaeolus, distributed from Ecuador to northern Peru; Aegialomys baroni, ocurring in Central Perú; and Aegialomys ica, distributed in southern Peru. Our distributional data suggest that species discontinuities are associated with some well-known barriers in the western portion of South America. Through the Andes and trans–Andean area, there are some geographic features or areas, the Huancabamba Depression, that historically played a key role as barriers to plant and animal dispersion or as a boundaries to species distribution.     

Two new species of Bejaria (Ericaceae) from South America

Two new species ofBejaria,B. zamorae from Ecuador andB. infundibula from Peru, are described, illustrated, and compared with other species of the genus.     

Systematics of the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex (Anura,Hylidae) from Ecuador and Peru

We present a new phylogeny, based on DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, for frogs of the genus Osteocephalus with emphasis in the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Genetic, morphologic, and advertisement call data are combined to define species boundaries and describe new species. The phylogeny shows strong support for: (1) a basal position of Osteocephalus taurinus + Osteocephalus oophagus, (2) a clade containing phytotelmata breeding species, and (3) a clade that corresponds to the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Our results document a large proportion of hidden diversity within a set of populations that were previously treated as a single, widely distributed species, Osteocephalus buckleyi. Individuals assignable to Osteocephalus buckleyi formed a paraphyletic group relative to Osteocephalus verruciger and Osteocephalus cabrerai and contained four species, one of which is Osteocephalus buckleyi sensu stricto and three are new. Two of the new species are shared between Ecuador and Peru (Osteocephalus vilmae sp. n. and Osteocephalus cannatellai sp. n.) and one is distributed in the Amazon region of southern Peru (Osteocephalus germani sp. n.) We discuss the difficulties of using morphological characters to define species boundaries and propose a hypothesis to explain them.     

Two notable new species of Cissus (Vitaceae) from South America

Two new species ofCissus are described and illustrated:Cissus boliviana, a simple-leaved species from Bolivian forests, andC. bracteosa, a species with an unusual indumentum from rain forests of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.     

Dilleniaceae Novae Neotropicae: XI. a new subandean species of Doliocarpus

As a result of examining specimens of Dilleniaceae for the Flora of Ecuador and Flora Neotropica, a new species (Doliocarpus subandinus) from Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia is described and illustrated, and the relationship with allied species is discussed.     

A reconsideration of Ada and the glumaceous brassias (Orchidaceae)

The genusAda (Orchidaceae: Oncidiinae) consists of eight species of epiphytes distributed from Nicaragua to Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The two sections of the genusBrassia are compared, and the sectionGlumaceae is transferred toAda. Ada, the glumaceous brassias, andMesospinidium are compared, and it is suggested thatAda (in the broad sense) andMesospinidium are distinct but closely related genera.     

Aquatic plants of Peru: diversity, distribution and conservation

Currently 177 vascular plant species are known or presumed to be obligately associated with water in Peru. Their composition and diversity were surveyed in relationship to their distributions among the natural regions of Peru. Despite considerable aridity, the coastal plains of Peru have important aquatic ecosystems, including marshes in river deltas and mangroves in the far north, near the border with Ecuador; 70 species of aquatic plants are found in this coastal region. The Andean highlands include a great variety of wetlands, plus lakes and rivers; 62 species are found, including eight species of Isoetes, some of which are potentially threatened by extinction. The Amazon region of Peru includes both steep montane rivers in the headwaters and wide floodplains formed by meandering rivers in the lowlands; 102 species are found distributed among these ecosystems, although many additional species are semi-aquatic. Research and conservation strategies for Peru's aquatic plants need to take into account these important regional differences.     

Revision of the genus Clibadium (Asteraceae, Heliantheae)

Clibadium L. (Asteraceae, Heliantheae) is a genus of 29 species distributed throughout latin America, from Mexico to Peru, and in the West Indies, with high numbers of species in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ecuador.Clibadium includes shrubs and small trees; usually with loosely aggregated capitula; herbaceous phyllaries arranged in 1–5 series; receptacles usually paleaceous throughout; corollas of pistillate florets 2–4-lobed; corollas of the staminate florets 4–5-lobed; purple to black anthers; and chromosome numbers alln=16. Two sections of species previously recognized are here considered as subgenera (subg.Paleata and subg.Clibadium) containing two and four sections, respectively.Clibadium subg.Paleata contains five species distributed in sects.Eggersia (3 spp.) andTrixidium (2 spp.), and subg.Clibadium has 24 species distributed among sects.Clibadium (6 spp.),Glomerata (9 spp.),Grandifolia (5 spp.), andOswalda (4 spp.).