Description of a new species of the Bolitoglossa subpalmata group (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from Costa Rica

Abstract

The Costa Rican plethodontid salamander long known as Bolitoglossa subpalmata is a species complex that includes B. subpalmata of the Cordillera Central and adjoining areas, B. pesrubra of the Cordillera de Talamanca, B. bramei and B. gomezi from the Pacific slopes of the Panama-Costa Rica border region and a species from the extreme northern portions of the Cordillera de Talamanca and the Cerros de Escazú described here as Bolitoglossatica. The new species is a gracile, semi-arboreal species that has a prominent head well delimited from the neck. It differs from the parapatrically distributed B. pesrubra in coloration, and it occupies lower elevations. Allozymes and mitochondrial DNA sequences distinguish it from other species in the complex.