Researchers at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador have formally recognized Pristimantis milpe as a distinct species, resolving a taxonomic puzzle that persisted for more than 100 years. The frog, which inhabits the Chocó forests of western Ecuador and southern Colombia across an area exceeding 67,000 square kilometers, had been routinely documented and observed but remained misclassified under a different scientific name throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
The breakthrough came through systematic study of historical specimens housed at the Natural History Museum in London. Santiago Ron, a researcher at PUCE and lead author of the formal description published in ZooKeys, traveled to England to examine original amphibian specimens collected during the 19th century. By comparing these preserved museum specimens with contemporary frog populations from the Ecuadorian Chocó region, the team determined that the historical samples had been incorrectly assigned to another species, revealing an entirely overlooked species that had been hiding in plain sight.
Pristimantis milpe, commonly known as the Milpe Robber Frog, is notable for being widespread and relatively accessible to researchers. Unlike many newly discovered species that occupy restricted ranges or prove difficult to locate, this frog is readily found and detected by its distinctive nighttime vocalizations. Males produce loud clicking sounds from elevated positions on shrubs and bromeliads several meters above the forest floor. Sexual dimorphism is evident in the species, with females displaying striking coloration featuring orange or light blue tones mixed with black spots on the groin and thighs, while males typically exhibit more uniform coloring.
The discovery underscores the ongoing relevance of natural history museum collections in modern scientific research. Long-preserved specimens provide invaluable resources for taxonomic revision and comparison with contemporary populations, allowing researchers to address classification questions that earlier scientists could not resolve. The findings also illustrate that significant gaps remain in biodiversity documentation, as even common and widespread animals can reveal unexpected scientific surprises when properly investigated.
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