The locality of Porvenir, sensu the collecting locality of Perry O. Simons (1869-1901), is geolocated, and approximate coordinates are provided, along with a map showing a number of other important nearby sites also visited by Simons and referenced in the historical zoological literature. Discussion on the incongruent coordinates for this locality mentioned in a number of previous works is provided.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Delphi panel is a methodology used to generate consensus among experts. The development of a participatory Delphi approach consists of including the research population in the design and conduct of the research. It involves panelists in the preparation of an open-ended questionnaire as well as in the responding process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a new species of leaflitter frog of the genus from southern Ecuador, province of Zamora Chinchipe. The new species is diagnosed from all its congeners by having one or two tubercles on the upper eyelids; distal phalanges strongly T-shaped; phalangeal formula on hands 2-2-3-3; phalangeal formula on feet 2-2-3-4-3; heel with a small subconical tubercle; disc on all toes with papillae; dorsum brown or brown with gray, with V-shaped inverted or scattered irregular darker marks. We include a detailed description of its osteology and a study of its phylogenetic relationships.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study investigates the species richness and distribution of ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) across various habitats on San Cristóbal Island in the Galápagos Archipelago, Ecuador. Through extensive field surveys, we catalogued nineteen species, including four previously known species (two endemics, and , and two natives, and ). We also identified nine possibly native species reported for the first time in the Galapagos islands in this study or correspond to the first voucher specimens for the island.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCentrolenidae is a Neotropical family widely distributed in Central and South America, with its species richness concentrated in the tropical Andes. Several taxonomic problems have been identified within this family, mostly related to species with broad geographic distributions. In this study, we assessed and redefined the species boundaries of the species complex, and formally described two new species from the Andes of Ecuador.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
August 2024
Understanding how environmental variables influence biofilm formation becomes relevant for managing Vibrio biofilm-related infections in shrimp production. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of temperature, time, and initial inoculum in the biofilm development of these two Vibrio species using a multifactorial experimental design. Planktonic growth inhibition and inhibition/eradication of Vibrio biofilms, more exactly V.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGeographical barriers like mountain ranges impede genetic exchange among populations, promoting diversification. The effectiveness of these barriers in limiting gene flow varies between lineages due to each species' dispersal modes and capacities. Our understanding of how the Andes orogeny contributes to species diversification comes from well-studied vertebrates and a few arthropods and plants, neglecting organisms unable to fly or walk long distances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies on genetic variability amongst native and introduced species contribute to a better understanding of the genetic diversity of species along their autochthonous distribution and identify possible routes of introduction. is a gecko native to western Ecuador and introduced to the Galapagos Islands. Despite being a successful species in human-modified habitats along its native and non-native ranges, neither the colonisation process nor the genetic diversity of this gecko is known.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a new species of giant crab spider of the genus Simon, 1880 collected in Lowland Evergreen rainforests at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, Amazonian Ecuador. This new species corresponds to the first record of the genus from Ecuador. Females of the new species of are similar to and .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent surveys in the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park revealed a striking new species of . The new species is easily diagnosed from all other congeners by its large body size (64.9 mm SVL in adult female); broad dermal fringes in fingers and toes; prepollex not projected into a prepollical spine and hidden under thenar tubercle; dorsum greyish-green, with paler-hued reticulum, yellow spots and black speckles; throat, venter, flanks and hidden surfaces of limbs golden-yellow with large black blotches and spots; fingers, toes and webbing yellow with black bars and spots; iris pale pink with black periphery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe two new species of glassfrogs of the genus living in syntopy at La Enramada, province of Azuay, southwestern Ecuador. They were found in a small creek in montane evergreen forests at 2,900 m elevation. The first new species is distinguished from all other members of the genus by having the following combination of characters: dentigerous process of vomer absent; sloping snout in lateral view; thick, white labial stripe and a faint white line between the lip and anterior ¼ of body; humeral spine in adult males; parietal peritoneum covered by iridophores, visceral peritonea translucent (except pericardium); ulnar and tarsal ornamentation; dorsal skin shagreen with dispersed warts; uniform green dorsum with light yellowish green warts; and green bones.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have discovered a spectacular new species of frog in the genus , belonging to the species group. The adult female is characterized by a mostly black body with large bright red spots on the dorsal and ventral surface, extremities, and toe pads. The adult male is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Parasitol Parasites Wildl
December 2022
Helminths are not usually considered important pathogens for birds of prey. There is a single published report of mortality in raptors due to an air sac trematode infection. We report a well-documented death case from massive infection by an air sac trematode of the family Cyclocoelidae in a wild-caught, juvenile male Snail Kite () in Ecuador.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic hit Ecuador severely. The country caught the attention of international media due to its high death toll and overwhelmed healthcare system. The clinical diagnostics system was rapidly overloaded, and the import of PCR tests was delayed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUrbanization transforms environments in ways that alter biological evolution. We examined whether urban environmental change drives parallel evolution by sampling 110,019 white clover plants from 6169 populations in 160 cities globally. Plants were assayed for a Mendelian antiherbivore defense that also affects tolerance to abiotic stressors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the rediscovery of Laura's Glassfrog, Cisneros-Heredia & McDiarmid, 2007, based on two specimens collected at the Colonso-Chalupas Biological Reserve, province of Napo, Ecuador. The species was described and known from a single male specimen collected in 1955 at Loreto, north-eastern Andean foothills of Ecuador. Limited information was available about the colouration, systematics, ecology, and biogeography of .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeasonally dry forests (SDFs) are one of the most challenging ecosystems for amphibians, fueling the diversity of this group of vertebrates. An updated inventory of native amphibians present in the Equatorial SDF is provided, which extends along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and northwestern Peru. The study is based on an extensive field sampling (two thirds of the total records) carried out throughout the Equatorial SDF, along with a compilation of the available information on distribution of amphibians in the region from published scientific papers, museum collections and on-line databases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe provide several lines of evidence to delimit a new species of and define its phylogenetic position inside the group. The new species is the sister taxon to and is related to a clade formed by and a putative new species from the province of El Oro in, southwestern Ecuador. sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere are currently 3,900 recognized, extant snake species belonging to 529 genera globally (Uetz et al. 2021; this study), making snakes one of the most diverse major groups of squamates. Of the 665 currently recognized species that were described between 2001 and 2020 (a ~17% increase in total species), ~34% of these (226 species) were described in Zootaxa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcuador is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, but faces severe pressures and threats to its natural ecosystems. Numerous species have declined and require to be objectively evaluated and quantified, as a step towards the development of conservation strategies. Herein, we present an updated National Red List Assessment for amphibian species of Ecuador, with one of the most detailed and complete coverages for any Ecuadorian taxonomic group to date.
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