# Two new sympatric species of Phrynopus (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the Elfin Forests of Cordillera de Yanachaga in central Peru

## TL;DR

Two new frog species from the Cordillera de Yanachaga in Peru are described, emphasizing the need to protect their unique elfin forest habitat.

## Contribution

The paper introduces two new sympatric Phrynopus frog species and provides molecular and morphological evidence for their distinctiveness.

## Key findings

- Phrynopus was confirmed as a monophyletic group through a Maximum-Likelihood phylogeny.
- The two new species are distinct lineages within a subclade of Phrynopus, not close sisters.
- Both species are narrowly distributed and occur sympatrically with other Phrynopus species.

## Abstract

We describe two new sympatric species of the terrestrial-breeding genus Phrynopus (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the elfin forest at 3,280 m a.s.l. in the Cordillera de Yanachaga, Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park, central Peru. Integrating molecular and morphological evidence, we aim to confirm their recognition as new species and assess their generic placement and relationships within Phrynopus. We infer a Maximum-Likelihood phylogeny from five loci (12S, 16S, COI, RAG1, TYR; 4,271 bp of concatenated mtDNA and nuDNA fragments) for 97 terminals, including three representing the new taxa. Phrynopus was recovered as monophyletic, and both new species were placed within a strongly supported subclade that includes P. apumantarum, P. badius, P. barthlenae, P. bracki, P. bufoides, P. horstpauli, P. inti, P. kauneorum, P. miroslawae, P. pesantesi, P. sancristobali, P. tautzorum, and Phrynopus sp. The two new species are not recovered as close sisters but as distinct lineages within this subclade. One of the new species is medium-sized, distinguished by small tubercles on the upper eyelids, tubercles on the heel, a row of tubercles along the outer edge of the tarsus, and red coloration on the groin, thighs, and concealed surfaces of the shanks. The other new species lacks heel and tarsal tubercles and is characterized by its striking black coloration on the groin and hidden surfaces of the hind limbs. Both new species are currently known only from the type locality, where they occur in sympatry with P. miroslawae and P. tribulosus. The discovery of these narrowly distributed species in the Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park, coupled with habitat alteration near the boundaries of the park, highlights the urgent need for effective protection of elfin-forest habitats in the Cordillera de Yanachaga.