Title Pending 5812

Abstract

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.We describe two new species of Gastrotheca from the subalpine paramo of Amazonas and Cajamarca departments, respectively, in the Andes of northern Peru. Our phylogenetic analysis recovered the new species as part of the Gastrotheca marsupiata species group.  The new species from Cajamarca department, G. cajamarcensis sp. nov., is closely related to G. aguaruna, G. aratia, G. dissimilis, G. peruana, G. pseustes, G. turnerorum, and G. yacuri. Whereas the new species from Amazonas department, G. mittaliiti sp. nov., is closely related to G. gemma, G. oresbios, G. psychrophila, G. spectabilis, G. stictopleura, and G. trachyplevra. The new species G. cajamarcensis, differs from its similar congeners by having a moderately large size in females (SVL = 58.7–66.1 mm, N = 2), the dorsum uniformly granular, dark paravertebral marks not conformed by pustular ridges, a white labial stripe, the width of discs barely wider than digits, and the venter tan with scattered or densely flecked dark brown specks with or without scattered whitish cream dot. The new species G. mittaliiti can be distinguished from the rest of its congeners by having a moderately small size (SVL = 27.6–32.5 mm, N = 3), a distinctly thick and elevated supratympanic fold extending from the top edge of the tympanum to the flank covered with prominent and closely packed or fused pustules, two prominent paravertebral longitudinal pustular ridges, and narrow discs on fingers and toes with truncate terminal margins.