A new species of Pristimantis (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from a montane forest of the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru (Región Junín).

A new species of frog of the genus Pristimantis is described from a montane forest between 1700 and 1800 m a.s.l. of the Pui Pui Protected Forest (Región Junín) in central Peru. Pristimantis ashaninkasp. n. is described based on five adult females (snout-vent length 23.1-26.7 mm) and ten juveniles (snout-vent length 10.6-13.4). It differs from its congeners by having the skin on dorsum shagreen with many conical tubercles giving it a spinose appearance, lacking a tympanum, having groin, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs uniformly grayish brown, and a pale bronze iris with fine black reticulations, a median reddish hint horizontally across iris, and a black narrow vertical streak from pupil across lower and upper half of iris. Among the Peruvian Pristimantis that lack a tympanum, Pristimantis ashaninkasp. n. is morphologically most similar to Pristimantis lirellus, Pristimantis martiae, and Pristimantis rhabdocnemus. However, 16S DNA barcoding revealed clear distinctions between all four species of Pristimantis.