Description of a new Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1895 species (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Psalmopoeinae) from the Chocó region of Ecuador.

A new species of Theraphosidae, genus Psalmopoeus Pocock, 1895 is described from the Chocó region of Ecuador, Psalmopoeus pristirana n. sp. (male and female).

Seven new species of the enigmatic spider genus Paratropis Simon, 1889 (Mygalomorphae, Paratropididae) from Ecuador.

Seven new species of the enigmatic spider family Paratropididae are described from Ecuador. All new species belong to the genus Paratropis: P. carcosita sp.

Alkaloids are associated with increased microbial diversity and metabolic function in poison frogs.

Shifts in host-associated microbiomes can impact both host and microbes. It is of interest to understand how perturbations, like the introduction of exogenous chemicals, impact microbiomes. In poison frogs (family Dendrobatidae), the skin microbiome is exposed to alkaloids that the frogs sequester for defense.

Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: ) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador.

The Jambato Harlequin toad (), a formerly abundant species in the Andes of Ecuador, faced a dramatic population decline in the 1980s, with its last recorded sighting in 1988. The species was considered Extinct by the IUCN until 2016, when a fortuitous discovery of one Jambato by a local boy reignited hope. In this study, we present findings from an investigation conducted in the Angamarca parish, focusing on distribution, abundance, habitat preferences, ecology, disease susceptibility, and dietary habits of the species.

A toxic environment selects for specialist microbiome in poison frogs.

Shifts in microbiome community composition can have large effects on host health. It is therefore important to understand how perturbations, like those caused by the introduction of exogenous chemicals, modulate microbiome community composition. In poison frogs within the family Dendrobatidae, the skin microbiome is exposed to the alkaloids that the frogs sequester from their diet and use for defense.

Binding and sequestration of poison frog alkaloids by a plasma globulin.

Alkaloids are important bioactive molecules throughout the natural world, and in many animals they serve as a source of chemical defense against predation. Dendrobatid poison frogs bioaccumulate alkaloids from their diet to make themselves toxic or unpalatable to predators. Despite the proposed roles of plasma proteins as mediators of alkaloid trafficking and bioavailability, the responsible proteins have not been identified.

From the lowlands to the highlands of Ecuador, a study of the genus Masteria (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Dipluridae) with description of seven new species.

Dipluridae represent a small Mygalomorphae family of South American origin, the family includes two subfamilies Diplurinae and Masteriinae although the placement of the latter in Dipluridae is still under debate. The family has a predominantly South American distribution although the genus Masteria L. Koch, 1873 presents an interesting distribution with representatives found in Fiji, Micronesia, New Caledonia, New Guinea and Australia.

The endless search for type specimens; illustrations of eleven spider (Araneae, Mygalomorphae) species described by Eugène Simon.

French arachnologist Eugène Simon is considered one of the most prolific arachnologists of all time. Unfortunately, Simon often provided very short descriptions with or without illustrations which makes recognition of his species difficult for subsequent taxonomists. Eugène Simon described 3,789 species of spiders in his career, and most of his type specimens are assumed to be held in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France.

On the putatively incorrect identification and "redescription" of Paratropis elicioi Dupérré 2015 (Paratropididae, Araneae) with the description of two new sympatric species from Ecuador.

Paratropis elicioi was described in 2015 from specimens collected in Ecuador. Both sexes were described, scientific illustrations of all relevant morphological characters were provided. Perafán et al.

Megadiverse Ecuador: a review of Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) of Ecuador, with the description of twenty-one new kleptoparasitic spider species.

The spider family Mysmenidae includes two genera in which kleptoparasitic species are known to occur, Isela and Mysmenopsis. Mysmenopsis is the most speciose with 31 species described so far. Herein, we describe twenty-one new species from Ecuador: M.

Mechanisms of Convergent Egg Provisioning in Poison Frogs.

Parental provisioning of offspring with physiological products (nursing) occurs in many animals, yet little is known about the neuroendocrine basis of nursing in non-mammalian species. Within amphibians, maternal provisioning has evolved multiple times, with mothers of some species feeding unfertilized eggs to their developing offspring until tadpoles complete metamorphosis [1-3]. We conducted field studies in Ecuador and Madagascar to ask whether convergence at the behavioral level provides similar benefits to offspring and relies on shared neural mechanisms in dendrobatid and mantellid poison frogs.

The neural basis of tadpole transport in poison frogs.

Parental care has evolved repeatedly and independently across animals. While the ecological and evolutionary significance of parental behaviour is well recognized, underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We took advantage of behavioural diversity across closely related species of South American poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) to identify neural correlates of parental behaviour shared across sexes and species.

Molecular physiology of chemical defenses in a poison frog.

Poison frogs sequester small molecule lipophilic alkaloids from their diet of leaf litter arthropods for use as chemical defenses against predation. Although the dietary acquisition of chemical defenses in poison frogs is well documented, the physiological mechanisms of alkaloid sequestration has not been investigated. Here, we used RNA sequencing and proteomics to determine how alkaloids impact mRNA or protein abundance in the little devil frog (), and compared wild-caught chemically defended frogs with laboratory frogs raised on an alkaloid-free diet.

Further discoveries on the minuscule spiders from the Chocó region of Ecuador with the description of seven new species of Anapis (Araneae: Anapidae).

The diversity of the small Araneoidea spider family Anapidae from the Chocó region of Ecuador is examined. A total of 325 Anapidae specimens were collected from which seven new species all from the genus Anapis were discovered and herein described: Anapis anabelleae n. sp.

On some minuscule spiders (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae, Symphytognathidae) from the Chocó region of Ecuador with the description of ten new species.

The spider families Theridiosomatidae and Symphytognathidae found in the Chocó region of Ecuador are examined, a total of 16 and 69 adult specimens were collected respectively in a series of expeditions. In the family Theridiosomatidae, eight new species are described in four different genera; Chthonos kuyllur n. sp.

Radiation of the polymorphic Little Devil poison frog () in Ecuador.

Some South American poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are chemically defended and use bright aposematic colors to warn potential predators of their unpalatability. Aposematic signals are often frequency-dependent where individuals deviating from a local model are at a higher risk of predation. However, extreme diversity in the aposematic signal has been documented in poison frogs, especially in .

Diversification of the rainfrog Pristimantis ornatissimus in the lowlands and Andean foothills of Ecuador.

Geographic barriers and elevational gradients have long been recognized as important in species diversification. Here, we illustrate an example where both mechanisms have shaped the genetic structure of the Neotropical rainfrog, Pristimantis ornatissimus, which has also resulted in speciation. This species was thought to be a single evolutionary lineage distributed throughout the Ecuadorian Chocó and the adjacent foothills of the Andes.

Novel Kazal-type proteinase inhibitors from the skin secretion of the Splendid leaf frog, .

Peptidase inhibitors have an important role controlling a variety of biological processes. Here, we employed a peptidomic approach including molecular cloning, tandem mass spectrometry and enzymatic assays to reveal 7 Kazal-type proteinase inhibitors (CCKPs) (18 variants) in the skin secretion of the unexplored frog, . All 18 proteins shared the Kazal pattern C-X-C-X-C-X-Y-X-C-X-C-X-C and 3 disulphide bridges.

Response to Heethoff, Norton, and Raspotnig: Ant and Mite Diversity Drives Toxin Variation in the Little Devil Poison Frog and Erratum.

Our recent publication titled "Ant and Mite Diversity Drives Toxin Variation in the Little Devil Poison Frog" aimed to describe how variation in diet contributes to population differences in toxin profiles of poison frogs. Some poison frogs (Family Dendrobatidae) sequester alkaloid toxins from their arthropod diet, which is composed mainly of ants and mites. Our publication demonstrated that arthropods from the stomach contents of three different frog populations were diverse in both chemistry and species composition.

Ant and Mite Diversity Drives Toxin Variation in the Little Devil Poison Frog.

Poison frogs sequester chemical defenses from arthropod prey, although the details of how arthropod diversity contributes to variation in poison frog toxins remains unclear. We characterized skin alkaloid profiles in the Little Devil poison frog, Oophaga sylvatica (Dendrobatidae), across three populations in northwestern Ecuador. Using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, we identified histrionicotoxins, 3,5- and 5,8-disubstituted indolizidines, decahydroquinolines, and lehmizidines as the primary alkaloid toxins in these O.

Discovery of the first telemid spider (Araneae, Telemidae) from South America, and the first member of the family bearing a stridulatory organ.

The genus Kinku n. gen. is established for the first telemid spider found in South America.

Bats, Trypanosomes, and Triatomines in Ecuador: New Insights into the Diversity, Transmission, and Origins of Trypanosoma cruzi and Chagas Disease.

The generalist parasite Trypanosoma cruzi has two phylogenetic lineages associated almost exclusively with bats-Trypanosoma cruzi Tcbat and the subspecies T. c. marinkellei.

Descriptions of four kleptoparasitic spiders of the genus Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) and their potential host spider species in the genus Linothele (Araneae, Dipluridae) from Ecuador.

Four new species of the genus Mysmenopsis are described: M. onorei n. sp.