Two new species of terrestrial frogs of the complex (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the Ecuadorian Andes, with insights on their biogeography and skull morphology.

The explosive diversity of rainfrogs ( spp) reaches its highest levels in the mountains of the Tropical Andes, with remarkable cryptic species mainly in unexplored areas of Ecuador. Based on phylogenetics, morphometric traits, skull osteology and bioacoustics, we describe two new species of , previously confused with , that belong to the subgenus Trachyphrynus traditionally known as the species group. The two new taxa are closely related, but have allopatric distributions. We discuss the importance of the Quijos and Pastaza River valleys in the diversification along Amazonian slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes.