Common Ecuador-Colombia Frog Recognized as Distinct Species After Century-Long Misidentification
Researchers have formally described Pristimantis milpe, a widespread frog in Ecuador and Colombia, correcting a century-old taxonomic error.
A team led by Santiago Ron revisited historic amphibian collections at the Natural History Museum, London, to resolve a long-standing classification problem. By matching those type specimens with field observations in the Ecuadorian and southern Colombian Chocó, they identified a distinct species, Pristimantis milpe, that had been routinely misidentified for more than 100 years. The frog is common across a broad range of lowland and foothill habitats, covering more than 67,000 km² and is known for its loud clicking call.
Males call from shrubs and bromeliads, while females display bright orange or blue markings on the groin and thighs. The formal description appears in the journal ZooKeys, highlighting the value of museum collections for modern biodiversity research. The discovery underscores that even abundant, widespread organisms can conceal undiscovered diversity.
Why it matters
The finding shows how historic museum specimens can reveal hidden biodiversity, informing conservation and taxonomy.
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