Congruence Between Acoustic Traits and Genealogical History Reveals a New Species of<i>Dendropsophus</i>(Anura: Hylidae) in the High Andes of Colombia

Abstract

The High-Andean Frog (Dendropsophus labialis) is distributed along the Eastern Andes of Colombia between 1900 and 3600 m. We analyzed multiple traits to determine if acoustics and morphology covary with genealogical history or if they evolved following independent trajectories. We generated a phylogeny of D. labialis populations with the use of mitochondrial ribosomal gene (12S, val-RNA, 16S) and nuclear gene (proopiomelanocortin A [POMC]) sequences. Two well-supported clades that correspond to geographic distribution were recovered. Acoustic variation diverges according to genealogical history, but external morphology does not follow this pattern. The strong and congruent divergence observed in acoustic and genetic characters indicates that these two clades correspond to morphologically cryptic, parapatric species. We describe the Northern Clade as a new species (Dendropsophus luddeckei; the Southern Clade retains the name D. labialis). The low level of molecular divergence between two outgroup species, Dendropsophus pelidna and Dendropsophus meridensis, suggests D. pelidna is a junior subjective synonym of D. meridensis.