Bolitoglossa sp
—
unidentified species
I saw a few cute li'l Bolitoglossa on vegetation at night, and have been unable to get to the bottom of which species they were. According to Anfibios of Ecuador, there are three potential candidates in this general region of Ecuador: B. altamazonica, B. equatoriana, and B. peruviana. This site shows only a couple of records for B. altamazonica, but they are very close to where I saw these. This site also mentions that doubt has been cast on whether B. peruviana is actually present in Ecuador.
Coloma & Duellman's Amphibians of Ecuador does not include listings for B. altamazonica or B. peruviana, leaving B. equatoriana as the only viable listed candidate. But the text also says that the three species are all sympatric in some areas, which implies that the other two species are indeed found in Ecuador (since this species is believed to be endemic to Ecuador). I think taxonomic studies are still ongoing or at least should be.
Please let me know if you have discovered the secret to telling these species apart from photos.
Online references:
- Bolitoglossa equatoriana account on Anfibios del Ecuador
- Bolitoglossa peruviana account on Anfibios del Ecuador
Printed references:
- Coloma, L.A. and Duellman, W.E. 2025. Amphibians of Ecuador, Volume IV