Cutín de Daquilema, the new species of toad in Ecuador whose name is in honor of an indigenous leader

Cutín de Daquilema (Pristimantis daquilemai) is the name of the new species of toad discovered in the Cordillera del Cóndor, southern Ecuador, in the province of Zamora Chinchipe.

This new species of cutin toad lives only in a small area of ​​this mountain range, a highly biodiverse region, but highly threatened by human activities, especially mining concessions. Due to these effects, unfortunately this new species is considered Endangered.

Its name is named in honor of Fernando Daquilema, a Puruhá indigenous person who led the Insurrection of the Yaruquíes in 1871, one of the most important indigenous uprisings of the 19th century in Ecuador caused by high ecclesiastical taxes and forced labor for national road works during the government of Gabriel García Moreno.

The species was described by researchers from the San Francisco de Quito University (USFQ), the National Biodiversity Institute (Inabio), the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE) and the Royal Botanical Garden.

This cutin differs from all other amphibians in the world due to its tiny size, as adult males measure only 1.3 cm and females 1.7 cm. It is also distinguished by the groin with orange or yellow spots, the back with folds and tubercles; a prominent papilla on the tip of the snout; a conical tubercle on the eyelid; and the eardrum hidden by the skin.

In recent years, a large number of new species of animals and plants have been discovered in little explored areas of the Condor and Kutuku mountain ranges. These areas show high levels of amphibian endemism, probably due to the isolation of these ranges from other geographic areas. (I)