A new species of salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Bolitoglossa) from the subalpine rain páramo of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica

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This dataset contains the digitized treatments in Plazi based on the original journal article Arias, Erick, Chaves, Gerardo, Parra-Olea, Gabriela (2023): A new species of salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Bolitoglossa) from the subalpine rain páramo of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 327) 17 (1): 143-160, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11390643

Abstract. —The subalpine rain páramo of Isthmian Central America is an area with a high level of endemism. The salamanders of the Bolitoglossa subpalmata Species Group are restricted to the highlands of Costa Rica and Panama, including the subalpine rain páramo. During explorations of the páramos in the Cordillera de Talamanca, we found populations of Bolitoglossa that were referred to B. subpalmata S.G. These new populations were compared phylogenetically with all species within the species group using the 16S and cyt b mitochondrial genes; and they were also compared morphometrically with B. kamuk and B. pesrubra. Herein we described a new species of the B. subpalmata Species Group, which inhabits the subalpine rain páramo and montane forest surrounding the páramo in the Southeastern region in Costa Rica. This new species highlights the role of the subalpine rain páramo in the speciation of salamanders in the highlands of Isthmian Central America, as well as the need to protect this unique and vulnerable habitat.

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