Description
Oreobates zongoensis is only known from one specimen. The type specimen has a snout-vent length of about 29.1 mm. Its head is wide, measuring to about 11.8 mm in width and 11.4 mm in length with a subacuminate snout. The top of the snout overlaps the border of the lip when looked at from the side. The tongue is long, and not very wide. The nostrils protrude slightly and are directed laterally. This species lack a cranial crest but the canthus rostralis is evident. The loreal region is slightly concave, sloping to the lips. The eyelids, head, and dorsum region have prominent tubercles. The tympanum is visible and rounded but the supratympanic fold is weak. The skin of the upper hind limbs is strongly tuberculate, while the skin on the upper surfaces of the fore limbs is smooth. This species lacks dorsolateral folds and ulnar tubercles. The skin of the ventral surfaces is smooth and lack tubercles. The skin surrounding the vent is coarsely areolate. The digital discs of the fingers are round and wider than the digits. This species lacks webbing on both the hands and feet. The second finger is shorter than the first (Reichle and Köhler 1997).

Oreobates zongoensis is very similar to Oreobates cruralis. Oreobates cruralis however, is a dull brown color with more or less distinct darker markings, while O. zongoensis is a dark pinkish brown color without any markings. Oreobates cruralis has a bronze to golden colored iris, whereas O. zongoensis has an orange colored iris. The venter region for O. zongoensis is pinkish brown, while O. cruralis is a brown to cream color. Oreobates zongoensis can be distinguished from O. discoidalis by its color, strong dorsal tuberculation, odontophores posterior to choanae, and the absence of nuptial pads (Reichle and Köhler 1997). Oreobates zongoensis is also similar to O. simmonsi, but can be distinguished by having a head that is wider than long, smooth arms, and small and round supernumerary tubercles (Padial et al. 2008).

In life, both the head and dorsum of this species is a dark pinkish brown color without any marks or patterns. The iris is an orange color with black reticulum. The flanks and posterior surface of the thighs are also a uniform dark pinkish-brown color. The posterior hind limbs, as well as the upper surfaces of the fore limbs are a purple or brown color. The ventral side sides of the forelimbs and the chest are both pink. The ventral sides of the hind limbs are pinkish brown. The tips of the palmar and plantar tubercles are grey. In preservative, all the areas that are pinkish and purple in color turn to brown (Reichle and Köhler 1997).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Bolivia

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Oreobates zongoensis was found was a disturbed montane rainforest about 1250 m above sea level at Valle de Zongo in La Paz, Bolivia (Reichle and Köhler 1997).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Oreobates zongoensis was found during the daytime in a small hole under a large rock (Reichle and Köhler 1997).

Trends and Threats
The site where the specimen was found has been completely destroyed by the construction of a hydroelectric power plant. It is unknown whether or not this species still survives in the wild (Cortez et al. 2004).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Dams changing river flow and/or covering habitat
Habitat fragmentation

Comments
The species authority is: Reichle, S. and Köhler, J. 1997. A new species of Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the Andean slopes of Bolivia. Amphibia-Reptilia: 333-337

The genus Oreobates was resurrected in 2006 by Caramaschi and Canedo. However, Padial et al. (2008) state that O. zongoensis’ assignment to Oreobates is only tentative as it is only known from the holotype.

Oreobates zongoensis was given its name after the “Valle del Zongo” in Bolivia, which is where the holotype was collected.

No other individuals of this species have ever been found (Cortez et al. 2004)

References

Caramaschi U., Canedo C. (2006). ''Reassessment of the taxonomic status of the genera Ischnocnema Reinhardt and Lütken, 1862 and Oreobates Jimé nez de la Espada 1872, with notes on the synonymy of Leiuperus verrucosus Reinhardt and Lütken, 1862 (Anura: Leptodactylidae).'' Zootaxa , 116, 43-54.

Cortez, C., Reichle, S., De la Riva, I., Köhler, J. 2004. Oreobates zongoensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 27 April 2015.

Padial, J.M., Chaparro, J.C., De La Riva, I. (2008). "Systematics of Oreobates and the Eleutherodactylus discoidalis species group (Amphibia, Anura), based on two mitochondrial DNA genes and external morphology." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 152(4), 737-773. [link]

Reichle, S., Köhler, J. (1997). ''A new species of Eleutherodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from the Andean slopes of Bolivia.'' Amphibia-Reptilia, 18, 333-337.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2018 Oreobates zongoensis <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/5600> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Jan 22, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 22 Jan 2025.

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