Pristimantis ashaninka
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| Pristimantis ashaninka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Strabomantidae |
| Genus: | Pristimantis |
| Species: | P. ashaninka |
| Binomial name | |
| Pristimantis ashaninka Lehr & Moravec, 2017 | |
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| In red, location of the Pui Pui Protection Forest | |
Pristimantis ashaninka is a species of frog in the Craugastoridae family. It is found in the Pui Pui Protection Forest in central Peru. It is 23 to 26 millimeters long, and is characterized by containing small conical tubercles in its skin, giving a spiny appearance, and by having no tympanic membrane. The species was described in 2017 after morphological and genetic analyses and was named Pristimantis ashaninka in honor of the indigenous people Asháninka, who live in the regions near the protection forest. The species was listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a least-concern species. There is still no information about its behavior and/or reproduction, but it is assumed that the tadpoles have direct development, as this is a common characteristic of the genus.[2]
The species was described by herpetologists Edgar Lehr and Jiří Moravec on January 12, 2017, by the scientific journal ZooKeys.[3] From the similarity to other species and from genetic analyses, it was possible to identify that the species belonged to the genus Pristimantis. After this, tests were done to identify the species, such as morphological and DNA analyses and comparisons with other species, and from the data obtained it was possible to discover that it was a new species. So, the species was named Pristimantis ashaninka in honor of the indigenous people Asháninka, who live in the Peruvian regions of Huánuco, Junín, Pasco and Ucayali.[4]
Distribution and conservation
The species is currently found in only one location, in the northeastern Pui Pui Protection Forest, 18 kilometers from the city of Satipo in Peru.[5] The site is a valley through which the Bravo river flows, with altitudes between 1,700 and 1,800 meters, and has around the valley mountainous slopes covered by primary forests 15 to 20 meters high, where bromeliads, ferns and mosses are abundant. The temperature varies between 6 and 15 °C, and is characterized by a cold and humid climate.[6] It is common to find several species of amphibians and reptiles in the area, several of which have been described recently, such as the Attenborough's rubber frog (Pristimantis attenboroughi).[7] The species has been reviewed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a least-concern species because there is no significant threat to its habitat, which is currently preserved, and because it is likely to have a larger range.[1] With the discovery of the species, 130 species are counted in the genus Pristimantis in Peru.
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