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Pseudophilautus pardus, was first described in 2007, based on a single specimen collected in Sri Lanka during the 19th century. Its absence in recent surveys suggested that the species was extinct. The distinctive spotted dorsal coloration, together with other morphological features, was used to distinguish it from congeners. In 2013, we discovered a specimen resembling the holotype of P. pardus in Samanala Strict Nature Reserve. A DNA analysis based on the 16S rRNA mt-DNA locus recovered a low uncorrected pairwise genetic distance of 0.77–0.96% between the recent example of ‘P. pardus’ and a congener, P. viridis. Molecular species delimitation methods suggest P. pardus and P. virids to be a single operational taxonomic unit. Morphological analyses using the freshly collected specimen, together with numerous photographic records show P. viridis to be a highly polychromatic species within which the coloration observed in P. pardus too occurs, though rarely. We conclude that P. pardus is a junior synonym of P. viridis.

An appreciation of Siran Deraniyagala with a focus on zooarchaeology.

We describe the presence of fourth molar teeth in the upper jaw of a subspecies (Macaca sinica aurifrons) of the endemic toque macaque of Sri Lanka. Compared to the first three molars, supernumerary ones were smaller by more than 50%, showed four cuspids in the crowns, and had three roots. This observation contributes to knowledge of orthodontic anomalies presence in primate populations while spotlighting the importance of osteological observation.

Sri Lanka is an amphibian hotspot of global significance. Its anuran fauna is dominated by the shrub frogs of the genusPseudophilautus. Except for one small clade of four species in Peninsular India, these cool-wet adapted frogs, numbering some 59 extant species, are distributed mainly across the montane and lowland rain forests of the island. With species described primarily by morphological means, the diversification has never yet been subjected to a molecular species delimitation analysis, a procedure now routinely applied in taxonomy. Here we test the species boundaries ofPseudophilautusin the context of the phylogenetic species concept (PSC). We use all the putative species for which credible molecular data are available (nDNA–Rag-1; mt-DNA– 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) to build a well resolved phylogeny, which is subjected to species delimitation analyses. The ABGD, bPTP, mPTP and bGMYC species delimitation methods applied to the 16S rRNA frog barcoding gene (for all species), 12S rRNA and Rag-1 nDNA groupedP.procaxandP.abundus;P.hallidayiandP.fergusonianus;P.reticulatusandP.pappilosus;P.pleurotaeniaandP.hoipolloi;P.hoffmaniandP.asankai;P.silvaticusandP.limbus;P.dilmahandP.hankeni;P.fulvusandP.silus.. Surprisingly, all analyses recovered 14 unidentified potential new species as well. The geophylogeny affirms a distribution across the island’s aseasonal ‘wet zone’ and its three principal hill ranges, suggestive of allopatric speciation playing a dominant role, especially between mountain masses. Among the species that are merged by the delimitation analyses, a pattern leading towards a model of parapatric speciation emerges–ongoing speciation in the presence of gene flow. This delimitation analysis reinforces the species hypotheses, paving the way to a reasonable understanding of Sri LankanPseudophilautus, enabling both deeper analyses and conservation efforts of this remarkable diversification.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DA869B6B-870A-4ED3-BF5D-5AA3F69DDD27.

Pseudophilautus comprises an endemic diversification predominantly associated with the wet tropical regions of Sri Lanka that provides an opportunity to examine the effects of geography and historical climate change on diversification. Using a time-calibrated multi-gene phylogeny, we analyze the tempo of diversification in the context of past climate and geography to identify historical drivers of current patterns of diversity and distribution. Molecular dating suggests that the diversification was seeded by migration across a land-bridge connection from India during a period of climatic cooling and drying, the Oi-1 glacial maximum around the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. Lineage-through-time plots suggest a gradual and constant rate of diversification, beginning in the Oligocene and extending through the late Miocene and early Pliocene with a slight burst in the Pleistocene. There is no indication of an early-burst phase of diversification characteristic of many adaptive radiations, nor were there bursts of diversification associated with favorable climate shifts such as the intensification of monsoons. However, a late Miocene (8.8 MYA) back-migration to India occurred following the establishment of the monsoon. The back migration did not trigger a diversification in India similar to that manifest in Sri Lanka, likely due to occupation of available habitat, and consequent lack of ecological opportunity, by the earlier radiation of a sister lineage of frogs (Raorchestes) with similar ecology. Phylogenetic area reconstructions show a pattern of sister species distributed across adjacent mountain ranges or from different parts of large montane regions, highlighting the importance of isolation and allopatric speciation. Hence, local species communities are composed of species from disparate clades that, in most cases, have been assembled through migration rather than in situ speciation. Lowland lineages are derived from montane lineages. Thus, the hills of Sri Lanka acted as species pumps as well as refuges throughout the 31 million years of evolution, highlighting the importance of tropical montane regions for both the generation and maintenance of biodiversity.

Bones, teeth, and shells have been acknowledged over the last two centuries as evidence of chronology, Palaeo-environment, and human activity. Faunal traces are valid evidence of past situations because they have properties that have not changed over long periods of time. Sri Lanka has been known as an Island, which has a diverse variation of prehistoric occupation among ecological zones. Defining the Paleoecology of the past societies has been an archaeological thought developed in the 1960s. It is mainly concerned with the reconstruction from available geological and biological evidence of past biota, populations, communities, landscapes, environments, and ecosystems. Sri Lanka has dealt with this subject and considerable research has been already undertaken. The fossil and material record of Sri Lanka's Wet Zone tropical forests continues from c. 38,000-34,000 ybp. This early and persistent human fossil, technical, and cultural florescence, as well as a collection of well-preserved tropical-forest rock shelters with associated ' on-site ' Palaeoenvironmental records, makes Sri Lanka a central and unusual case study to determine the extent and strength of early human tropical forest encounters. Excavations carried out in prehistoric caves in the low country wet zone has shown that in the last 50,000 years, the temperature in the lowland rainforests has not exceeded 5 degrees. Based on Semnopithecus Priam (Gray Langur) remains unearned from wet zone prehistoric caves, it has been argued that periods of momentous climate changes during the LGM and Terminal Pleistocene/Early Holocene boundary, with a recognizable preference for semi-open 'Intermediate' rainforest or edges. Continuous Genus Acavus and Oligospira occupation along with uninterrupted horizontal pervasive of Canarium sp. ('kekuna' nut) have proven that temperatures in the lowland rain forests have not changed by at least 5 oC over the last 50,000 years. Site Catchment or Territorial analysis cannot be any longer defensible, due to time-distance based factors as well as optimal foraging theory failed as a consequence of prehistoric people were aware of the decrease in cost-benefit ratio and located sites, and generally played out a settlement strategy that minimized the ratio of energy expended to energy produced.

The monotypic genus Lankanectes, considered an evolutionary long branch with India’s Nyctibatrachus as its sister lineage, is represented by L. corrugatus, a species widely distributed within the wet zone of Sri Lanka up to 1500 m asl, where it inhabits a variety of lotic and lentic habitats. Here, following an integrative taxonomic approach using DNA-based phylogenies, morphology, morphometry, and ecological niche models, we describe a new species—Lankanectes pera sp. nov. The new species is distinguished from its sister species mainly by its tuberculated throat and absence of dark patches on venter, throat, manus and pes. The uncorrected genetic distances between the two Lankanectes species for a fragment of the non-coding mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene is 3.5–3.7%. The new species has a very restricted climatic distribution with a total predicted area of only 360 km2 (vs. 14,120 km2 for L. corrugatus). Unlike L. corrugatus, which prefers muddy substrates and marshy areas, the new species is observed inhabiting only pristine streams flowing through canopy covered montane forests in the highest reaches of the Knuckles Mountain range. The specialized new species will need immediate conservation attention due to its restricted distribution (montane isolate), specialized habit of inhabiting clear mountain streams, and small population size.

Based on a recent molecular phylogenetic study, the South Asian microhylid genus Uperodon (subfamily Microhylinae) currently comprises of 12 valid species that are largely restricted to India and Sri Lanka. Considering the revised generic-level status of its various members, here we review the taxonomy of all known species in this genus and clarify their nomenclatural status and geographical distribution, by integrating evidence from genetics, adult and tadpole morphology, breeding ecology, and bioacoustics. Our molecular analyses of a mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene fragment combined with external and internal morphological studies also revealed a distinct new species in the genus. This species, formally described as Uperodon rohani sp. nov., is endemic to Sri Lanka and widely distributed at lower elevations in the island. For nomenclatural stability of various previously known members, the following actions are also undertaken: (1) redescription of the poorly-defined species Ramanella anamalaiensis Rao (= Uperodon anamalaiensis) and Hylaedactylus montanus Jerdon (= Uperodon montanus); (2) neotype designation for Ramanella anamalaiensis Rao (= Uperodon anamalaiensis), Ramanella minor Rao, Ramanella mormorata Rao (= Uperodon mormorata), and Ramanella triangularis rufeventris Rao; (3) lectotype designation for Callula variegata Stoliczka (= Uperodon variegatus); and (4) synonymization of Ramanella minor Rao with Uperodon anamalaiensis.

The vast majority of the world’s anurans feed terrestrially, with aquatic prey capture having been observed in only a handful of species. We tested the predation behaviour of the strictly aquatic ‘fanged’ frog Lankanectes corrugatus (Nyctibatrachidae) by providing specimens with both aquatic and terrestrial feeding opportunities. The frogs successfully captured prey both underwater and on land adjacent to water. During underwater feeding they located prey purely by tactile stimuli rather than by vision; prey were scooped into the open mouth using both hands. When feeding terrestrially, however, the frogs relied on visual cues alone when attacking prey, capturing prey items by lunging at them, grasping and scooping with the hands. Oral suction and tongue or jaw prehension were not observed in prey capture whether underwater or on land, and the 'fangs' do not appear to play a role in prey capture or ingestion.Ceylon Journal of Science (Bio. Sci.) 43 (2): 79-82, 2014

Aruwakkalu fossil bed is a part of Sri Lanka’s Jaffna limestone, which underlies the whole of Jaffna Peninsula and extends southwards mostly along the west coast. Previous authors have suggested that Aruwakkalu contains a rich assemblage of vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. We sought to confirm the Burdigalian age of this northwestern Miocene deposit at Aruwakkalu on the basis of the foraminifer Pseudotaberina malabarica , an index fossil of the Burdigalian stage. General and timeline collections were made at seven selected sites and the fossils collected were identified. The study sites contained six sedimentary layers of which, third and sixth from top were fossiliferous. The sixth (deepest) layer was dominated by gastropod fossils while the third was dominated by fossils of giant oysters. Fossils of P. malabarica were recovered both from timeline and general collections. In the timeline collection, samples of this index fossil were recovered only from the gastropod layer, suggesting that P. malabarica existed during the time the gastropod layer was being laid down, thus confirming a Burdigalian age for the latter, and helping to date a substantial portion of the Sri Lankan fossil fauna with confidence. Key words: Pseudotaberina malabarica; foraminifera; index fossil; Miocene; gastropod layer; oyster layer DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/cjsbs.v40i2.3933 CJSBS 2011; 40(2): 163-174

Phylogenetic relationships among foam-nesting clades of Old World tree frogs are analyzed using both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA data, with particular focus on Sri Lankan members of the genus Polypedates . A distinctive, highly supported endemic Sri Lankan clade is identified, and recognized as a new genus, Taruga. This clade, which had previously been assigned to the genus Polypedates , includes P. eques , P. fastigo and P. longinasus. A combination of characters distinguishes adult Taruga from Polypedates : Taruga possess a dorsolateral glandular fold that extends from the posterior margin of the upper eyelid to the mid-flank (vs. a supratympanic fold that curves over the dorsal margin of the tympanic membrane in Polypedates ); a prominent calcar at the distal end of the tibia (absent in most Polypedates ); a more acutely pointed snout; and 6–10 prominent conical tubercles surrounding the cloaca (absent in Polypedates ). Tadpoles of Taruga eques and Polypedates cruciger are distinguished by several characters, including features of the buccal cavity and the form of the vent tube. Taruga is the sister group of the remaining Polypedates sensu stricto. Key words : Polypedates ; Rhacophorinae; systematics; tadpole morphology; molecular phylogenetics DOI: 10.4038/cjsbs.v39i2.2995 Cey. J. Sci. (Bio. Sci.) 39 (2): 75-94, 2010

Species boundaries and patterns of gene flow in Dwarf toads, Duttaphrynus scaber and D. atukoralei, were assessed using mitochondrial DNA markers. Samples from four populations in Sri Lanka (Mihintale, Ampara, Yala, Galle) were analyzed for three mitochondrial gene fragments (16S rRNA, COI and Cyt b) along with four Genbank sequences of 16S rRNA from Indian samples (Thiruvananthapuram, Maharashtra, Mudigere). Phylogenetic trees and haplotype networks were generated, and morphology was assessed. Analyses suggest a single species (Duttaphrynus scaber) with three major clades: a widespread clade shared between India and Northern Sri Lanka, an Eastern and Southeastern Sri Lankan clade (previously referred to as D. atukoralei, the validity of which, however, our analysis disputes), and a distinct Southern wet-zone clade from Galle (referred previously to as D. atukoralei). Duttaphrynus atukoralei (topotypes from Yala, Sri Lanka) is genetically too close to D. scaber (Indian and northern Sri Lankan clade) to be distinguished as a species; these two clades have a genetic distance of 0.95 – 1.55% for the 16S rRNA fragment. The haplotype networks for the 16S rRNA gene suggest incomplete lineage sorting between the Ampara and Yala populations; COI and Cyt b show complete sorting for all populations analyzed, suggesting strong population structure. All analyses suggest substantially restricted gene flow to the southern wet-zone population (Galle). This population also assumes a basal phylogenetic position, suggesting that D. scaber first evolved in southern Sri Lanka’s wet zone and dispersed across the lowland areas of the island and to India. Here, we provisionally recognize this population (Galle) as an evolutionarily significant unit of D. scaber; future analyses using multiple criteria may indicate this to be a new Dwarf toad species. External morphology is largely uninformative as the Yala, Ampara and Galle populations cannot be distinguished from each other; the morphological distinction between Yala, Ampara, Galle versus Mihintale is restricted to only the shape of the parotid glands – slightly oval versus rounded – a minor difference. Both genetic and morphological evidence so far suggest that there is only a single Dwarf toad species in Sri Lanka, which is also shared with India, namely Duttaphrynus scaber; however, with strong population structure, including an evolutionarily significant unit (Southern wet-zone population).

An extensive survey of amphibians in Sri Lanka, a 65,000 km2 continental island, has recently served to uncover ~100 new species of amphibians, mostly Oriental shrub-frogs of the endotrophic genus Philautus. Comparison of specimens acquired in the course of this survey with type and other historical collections have previously shown that 19 species have disappeared from the island. The final two extinct species, Philautus pardus and P. maia, known only from collections made in the island prior to 1876, are described herein as new. A contemporaneous account of the latter species reported that the female carried its clutch of eggs adhered to its belly, a behaviour which, if true, is unique in Anura. The remarkable extinction of anurans in Sri Lanka appears to be largely a result of the loss of c. 95 % of the island’s perhumid forests. Sri Lanka’s amphibian extinctions have been detectable only because of the baseline offered by specimens collected in the period 1850–1940 and preserved in overseas natural-history museums. Historical biodiversity collections in the world’s natural history museums thus offer outstanding value as baselines for contemporary biodiversity conservation assessments.

The bufonid genus Adenomus, an endemic of the montane and lowland rainforests of central and south-western Sri Lanka, has been considered to comprise of three species, viz. A. kelaartii, A. dasi and A. kandianus, the last of which has been recently highlighted as "the world's rarest toad". We conducted a survey across the known range of Adenomus and used multiple criteria to delineate species boundaries within the genus. These include: a molecular phylogeny based on a 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragment; an examination of the external morphology of adults and larvae, and the skeletal morphology of adults; a bioacoustic analysis; and ecological niche modelling. We show that Adenomus is monophyletic and that it comprises only two species: A. kelaartii and A. kandianus, with A. dasi being a junior synonym of the latter. For the two valid species of Adenomus, we provide detailed osteological descriptions; clarify the distribution patterns; and provide genetic data to facilitate their scientific conservation management.

The South Asian Cichlidae are composed of two clades that together represent the sister group of the Madagascan genus Paretroplus Bleeker. Chaetodon suratensis Bloch and Etroplus canarensis Day are retained in Etroplus Cuvier, while Chaetodon maculatus Bloch is allocated to Pseudetroplus Bleeker. Pseudetroplus is distinguished from Etroplus in having, among other characters, 11 (vs. 12-13) pleural ribs; 26-27 (vs. 28-29) vertebrae; the anterior half of the median suture between the lower pharyngeal jaw serrated (vs. smooth); the first 6 anal-fin pterygiophores arranged anterior to the first 3 (vs. 2) haemal spines; the supraoccipital-exoccipital prong extending ventrally about half-way across the foramen magnum (vs. not extending into the foramen magnum); and the anterior jaw teeth tricuspid, acuminate (vs. unicuspid, spatulate). Microgaster Swainson is a synonym of Pseudetroplus and a junior homonym of Microgaster Latreille in Hymenoptera.

The apparent biotic affinities between the mainland and the island in the Western Ghats–Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot have been interpreted as the result of frequent migrations during recent periods of low sea level. We show, using molecular phylogenies of two invertebrate and four vertebrate groups, that biotic interchange between these areas has been much more limited than hitherto assumed. Despite several extended periods of land connection during the past 500,000 years, Sri Lanka has maintained a fauna that is largely distinct from that of the Indian mainland. Future conservation programs for the subcontinent should take into account such patterns of local endemism at the finest scale at which they may occur.

Two new species of Sri Lankan shrub frogs of the genus Pseudophilautus are described. These species are diagnosed from their congeners on the basis of morphology, morphometrics and mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Pseudophilautus schneideri, new species, is distinguished from all Sri Lankan Pseudophilautus by its small size (< 22.8 mm SVL), distinct tympanum and supratympanic fold, sharp canthal edges, granular throat, chest and belly, and absence or presence of a vomerine ridge. Pseudophilautus hankeni, new species, is distinguished by its diminutive size (< 21.9 mm SVL), distinct tympanum, rounded canthal edges, tuberculated outer edge of lower arm, tuberculated dermal fold on outer edge of foot, granular throat, chest and belly, and the absence of a vomerine ridge. Pseudophilautus schneideri inhabits shrubs in open areas of the low to mid-elevations of the island’s south-western ‘wet zone’ (rainfall > 2,000 mm•yr -1 ), including anthropogenic habitats, while P. hankeni is found on shrubs in the understorey of montane forests of the highest peaks (c. 1,200– 1,600 m elevation) of the Knuckles region. These descriptions bring the total number of valid species of Sri Lankan Pseudophilautus to 67, 48 of which are extant.

We describe a new species of coralsnake, Calliophis haematoetron, from central Sri Lanka. This is the second species of coralsnake known from the island country, after Calliophis melanurus. It differs from C. melanurus in coloration, possessing a relatively unpigmented head (vs. capped with black from rostrum to nuchal collar), no light spots posterolateral to the parietal plates (vs. one at each side), a banded body dorsum (vs. unicolored), a bright red body venter (vs. orange or yellow through most of the length), and red pigment lateral to the blue under-tail color (vs. no red on tail). It also differs from C. melanurus in aspects of lepidosis, in having a frontal that is shorter or equal in size (vs. longer) than the interparietal suture and a first sublabial that does not touch the second pair of chin-shields (vs. first sublabial broadly touching second pair of chin-shields). The new species is easily distinguished from all other Calliophis species in nearby India and Southeast Asia by characters of external morphology and coloration.

Direct development has evolved in rhaco- phorine frogs independently from other anuran lineages, thereby offering an opportunity to assess features associ- ated with this derived life history. Using a developmen- tal series of the direct-developing Philautus silus (Ranidae: Rhacophorinae) from Sri Lanka, we examine features of cranial morphology that are part of a suite of adaptations that facilitate feeding in free-living tadpoles, but have been changed or lost in other direct-developing lineages. Larval-specific upper jaw cartilages, which are absent from many non-rhacophorine direct-developing species (such as Eleutherodactylus coqui), develop in embryos of P. silus. Similarly, lower jaw cartilages ini- tially assume a larval morphology, which is subsequently remodeled into the adult jaw configuration before hatch- ing. However, the cartilaginous jaw suspension and hyobranchial skeleton never assume a typical larval morphology. The palatoquadrate, which suspends the lower jaw, lacks the posterior connections to the brain- case found in many metamorphosing species. Unlike in metamorphosing species, bone formation in P. silus begins before hatching. However, the sequence of bone formation resembles that of metamorphosing anurans more than that of other direct developers. In particular, P. silus does not exhibit precocious ossification of the lower jaw, which is characteristic of some frogs and cae- cilians that lack a free-living tadpole. These data reveal some similarities between Philautus and other direct- developing anurans. However, the departure of Phi- lautus embryos from the generalized tadpole skeletal morphology is less pronounced than that observed in other direct-developing taxa. J. Morphol. 268:715-725, 2007. 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The bufonid genus Adenomus, an endemic of the montane and lowland rainforests of central and south-western Sri Lanka, has been considered to comprise of three species, viz. A. kelaartii, A. dasi and A. kandianus, the last of which has been recently highlighted as "the world's rarest toad". We conducted a survey across the known range of Adenomus and used multiple criteria to delineate species boundaries within the genus. These include: a molecular phylogeny based on a 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragment; an examination of the external morphology of adults and larvae, and the skeletal morphology of adults; a bioacoustic analysis; and ecological niche modelling. We show that Adenomus is monophyletic and that it comprises only two species: A. kelaartii and A. kandianus, with A. dasi being a junior synonym of the latter. For the two valid species of Adenomus, we provide detailed osteological descriptions; clarify the distribution patterns; and provide genetic data to facilitate their scientific conservation management.

Dramatic population declines have affected frogs worldwide ([1][1]), and, although new species continue to be described ([2][2]), the discovery of large new species radiations is rare. Here, we report the discovery of an endemic radiation of >100 species of Old World tree frogs (Rhacophorinae) from

Context Lands without agricultural or urban use embedded within agricultural and urban regions now account for ~35% of Earth’s terrestrial extent. Although created by human disturbances, these ‘novel ecosystems’, usually poor in native flora and often dominated by alien species, do not require human intervention for their maintenance. Given their large and increasing area, however, their ability to support native – and especially threatened – faunas warrants investigation. With 20 species already extinct and 47 of its 91 extant species assessed as Endangered or Critically Endangered, Sri Lanka’s amphibian fauna is in trouble. The 18 anurans (12 of these Endangered) occurring above 1500 m in the island’s central mountains are at particular risk from drastic declines in the extent and quality of habitat. Habitat restoration, however, is retarded by successional vegetation being arrested at least in the decadal time-frame by alien invasive species, creating a ‘novel ecosystem’. Aim To investigate whether such an ecosystem is able to support native anurans with a species richness and abundance comparable to that of neighbouring tropical montane cloud forest. Methods We surveyed 110 transects (each 20 m × 2 m) across three neighbouring locations covering three microhabitat-types, and recorded 552 specimens. One-way analyses of variance and post hoc, pair-wise Tukey’s tests were performed to test for differences in species richness and abundance among the three microhabitat types. Key result Of the 15 anuran species occurring in the neighbouring primary forest, 12 (eight of them Endangered) had established populations in the novel ecosystem (a former tea plantation), with abundances comparable to (or in some cases exceeding) those in primary forest. Conclusion Even young secondary forest dominated by alien plant species, in which native vegetation is almost wholly absent, can provide adequate habitat for most threatened highland anurans in Sri Lanka. Implications (1) Even if florally poor and dominated by alien species, novel ecosystems may present potential conservation opportunities for previously threatened faunas. (2) Threatened anurans exclusively dependent on primary forest and unable to utilise secondary-growth forest should receive greater conservation attention and be prioritised for in situ conservation measures. (3) Given their large and increasing extent globally, novel ecosystems should be considered as part of the area of occupancy of species able to complete their life cycles in them when assessed for conservation purposes, rather than being arbitrarily discarded as ‘degraded’.

Ixalus semiruber Annandale, a diminutive (12-mm snout-vent length) frog originally described from the highlands of Sri Lankain 1913, has not been recorded in the succeeding century and is treated as Data Deficient for conservation purposes. Here wereport its rediscovery in Agra-Bopath, a sub-montane forest reserve. Pseudophilautus semiruber is distinguished by a combina-tion of the following characters: size 12.0–13.4 mm SVL; canthal edges rounded; tympanum distinct; vomerine ridge absent;supratympanic fold feebly defined; throat, chest, belly and underside of thigh smooth. It is a high-elevation (1,750 m a.s.l.) diurnal species that inhabits heavily-shaded leaf litter.