Description

Diagnosis: Noblella coloma can be distinguished from all other Noblella species by its bright orange venter and lack of most dorsal markings (suprainguinal marks are present, but no interorbital bar, no scapular chevron, no sacral chevron) (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009.

Description: Single adult male specimen measures 14.6 mm SVL; single adult female specimen measures 16.0 mm SVL. Dorsal skin is finely shagreened. Smooth venter. Rounded snout with straight canthus rostralis and concave loreal region. Lacking dentigerous processes of vomers. Tympanic annulus and membrane are distinct and clearly visible with a supratympanic fold that covers the upper border of the tympanum. Finger tips are not expanded distally, while finger tips are acuminate. No circumferential grooves. Finger II is slightly longer than finger I. Distal phalanges on fingers are T-shaped. Subarticular tubercles are rounded but not prominent. Palmar tubercle is ovoid and is about 1.5x the size of the thenar tubercle. Ulnar tubercles and supernumerary plantar tubecles are absent. Toes are slightly expanded and are distally acuminate. Toe III is longer than Toe V. Toes III-V have distal portion of circumferential grooves. Both inner and outer metatarsal tubercles are prominent. Tarsal tubercle is elongated. No nuptial pad is visible on the single adult male specimen (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009).

In life, dorsum is uniformly brown except for a few distinctive marks in the suprainguinal (groin) region. The sides of the head are dark brown. Iris is dark brown with an orange ring around the pupil. Flanks have dark brown band that narrows as it approaches the groin. Orange venter with a few brown and white spots. Throat is uniform cream or cream with tiny brown spots that are visible when magnified (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009).

In preservative, grayish brown to brown dorsum with dark brown marks in the groin region. The sides of the head are uniformally black with a dark brown throat. Forearms and hind limbs have distinct dark brown marks. Creamy venter with a few dark marks (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Ecuador

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Endemic to Ecuador. Occurs on the western slope of the Andes, Provincia Pichincha, Reserva Florística Río Guajalito, in montane cloudforest at 1,800-2,000 m asl. Individuals were found active on leaf litter during the day (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
Diurnally active; inhabits leaf litter on the forest floor (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009).

Trends and Threats
This species is known only from the type locality, which is protected within a private reserve. Only eight specimens were found in fifteen years of visiting the reserve, suggesting this species is either rare or is difficult to find (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009).

Comments
The specific epithet coloma honors Dr. Luis Aurelio Coloma of QCAZ, for his work on amphibians, and for his mentoring of young herpetologists (Guayasamin and Terán-Valdez 2009).

References

Guayasamin, J.M., and Teran-Valdez, A. (2009). ''A new species of Noblella (Amphibia: Strabomantidae) from the western slopes of the Andes of Ecuador.'' Zootaxa, 2161, 47-59.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2010 Phyllonastes coloma <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/7351> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Nov 21, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 21 Nov 2024.

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