CATENAZZI LAB - News

Four new species of direct-developing frogs

8/1/2026

A new study and Catenazzi lab collaboration, alongside lead author Pablo J. Venegas and international collaborators, describes four previously unknown species of direct-developing frogs from the Peruvian Andes. Published in Diversity, the research (https://doi.org/10.3390/d18080458) draws on extensive fieldwork across the departments of Amazonas, San Martín, and Huánuco. By combining morphological analyses, skin texture details, color patterns, and mitochondrial DNA sequencing, the team expanded the genus Oreobates within the family Strabomantidae.

The newly described taxa exhibit distinct morphological features and narrow geographic ranges across Peru's eastern Andean slopes. Oreobates azulensis from Huánuco features a tan-to-cream belly with faint brown reticulations and heavily tuberculate skin, while Oreobates chirimoto in Amazonas stands out with a bright yellow underside and an absence of vocal slits. In the San Martín region, Oreobates foliaspectrum displays cryptic leaf-like dorsal patterning over a mottled orange-brown belly, and Oreobates nigrumcompletum is named for its striking, near-solid dark brown to black ventral coloration.

Like other terraranan frogs, these species bypass the free-swimming tadpole stage entirely through direct development. Females deposit eggs in damp leaf litter or soil, where embryos develop directly into fully formed miniature froglets. This life history strategy drives high levels of micro-endemism across the Peruvian Yungas. Because adults have limited dispersal capabilities and cannot travel along river systems, deep, dry inter-Andean valleys act as formidable barriers to gene flow. Isolated on individual mountain ridges or narrow elevational zones, populations rapidly diverge over evolutionary time into distinct species.

Establishing precise taxonomic identities for these localized populations is a crucial prerequisite for regional conservation. By formalizing the descriptions of O. azulensis, O. chirimoto, O. foliaspectrum, and O. nigrumcompletum, the Catenazzi lab and their collaborators provide essential baseline data to help protection efforts target fragile, highly specialized cloud forest habitats.

Citation: Venegas, P.J., J. W. Ttito, L. A. García-Ayachi, M. Gulman, J. D. Valencia, A. Catenazzi. 2026. Four new species of direct-developing frogs, genus Oreobates (Anura: Strabomantidae), from Peru. Diversity 2026, 18(8). doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/d18080458

Charla en la Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

7/20/2026

Cara wins the Victor Hutchison Graduate Student Poster Award

7/12/2026

Congratulations to Cara Giordano, who received the Behavior & Ecology award in the 16th Annual SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster Competition at the 2026 Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cara was recognized as the top presenter in the Behavior & Ecology category for her poster, "Investigating Thermal Physiological Traits of a Nonnative Amphibian, the Rio Cauca Caecilian (Typhlonectes natans)."

The SSAR Victor Hutchison Student Poster Awards recognize outstanding graduate student research while honoring Victor Hutchison's lasting contributions to herpetology and his dedication to mentoring future generations of herpetologists.

Lab presentations at JMIH in New Orleans

7/9/2026

The lab presented posters and talks at the JMIH in New Orleans from 8-12 July 2026.

Cara by her award-winning poster Investigating Thermal Physiological Traits of a Nonnative Amphibian, the Rio Cauca Caecilian (Typhlonectes natans).

Gustavo gave a poster titled Tank bromeliads as refugia or ecological traps for the bromelicolous salamander Bolitoglossa helmrichi.

Jon presented a poster about Testing Alternative Sampling Methods for Detection of Ophidiomycosis and also...

...gave a talk Elucidating the Role of Shed Skins in the Persistence of Ophiodiomyces ophidiicola in Soils.

Charla en Ayacucho

6/12/2026

The Lab at the GARD Conference

6/10/2026

From June 8 to 12, 2026, researchers gathered in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the Global Amphibian and Reptile Disease (GARD26) Conference to address critical pathogen threats facing herpetofauna. Among the presenters, lab members Jon Adamski and Gustavo Ruano shared essential findings on fungal disease dynamics.

Jon presented "Elucidating the role of shed skins in the persistence of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola," detailing how snake exuviae act as environmental reservoirs for the pathogen behind snake fungal disease. His insights provide crucial guidance for refining biosecurity protocols during field surveys.

Gustavo delivered "Amphibian population status across an altitudinal gradient in Guatemala: Insights from the San Marcos transect related to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis," examining how elevation and microclimate influence Bd prevalence. His work along the San Marcos transect highlights the role of thermal refugia in Neotropical amphibian survival.

Elevational distributions of frog-biting midges

5/29/2026

We are excited to announce the submission of a new manuscript investigating how frog-biting midges Corethrella are distributed along a 3,000-meter elevational gradient near Manu National Park. These tiny midges locate their hosts by listening to their calls, creating a unique ecological relationship between parasites and frogs. Using frog-call baited traps, we sampled midges from Amazonian lowland forests to Andean cloud forests. Species richness declined with elevation, and no midges were detected above 2,400m despite the continued presence of frogs.

Community composition changed dramatically across the elevational gradient, with species turnover driving most of the differences among sites. The highest occupied elevations contained unique species not found at lower elevations, highlighting the distinctiveness of montane midge communities.

Our findings suggest that abiotic conditions, rather than host availability, limit the upper elevational range of frog-biting midges. This study provides new insights into how mountain environments shape parasite diversity and their ecological associations with amphibians in the tropical Andes.

Citation: Timelli, F., X. Bernal, A. Catenazzi. 2026. Abiotic constraints shape elevational distributions of Andean frog-biting midges (Corethrellidae) despite persistent host availability. Ecology and Evolution: under review. Authorea doi: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15004772/v1

Jesus presents at the Annual Honors Thesis Presentations

4/23/2026

Jesus presented his research on the antimicrobial properties of a skin peptide of Pristimantis toftae at the Annual Honors Thesis Presentations. Jesus combined a variety of transcriptomic, proteomic, and genetic approaches to identify peptide candidates from the genome, transcriptome, and skin secretions. One of the best candidate peptide, found at high frequency in the skin transcripts, was then tested for inhibition activity in co-culture assays in a plate reader, revealing moderate inhibition against E. coli. Rising microbial resistance to antibiotics demands innovative strategies to expand our therapeutic arsenal, and the chemically diverse secretions of frog skin offer a promising pharmacopeia for the discovery of novel antimicrobial agents

One if by land, two if by sea: phylogeny of Phyllodactylus

4/21/2026

A new paper led by Kathryn A. Sullivan and Tony Gamble, in collaboration with the Catenazzi Lab and an international team of collaborators, sheds new light on the evolutionary history of Neotropical leaf‑toed geckos (Phyllodactylus). The study, published in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, presents the most complete time‑calibrated phylogeny of this group to date and reveals a surprisingly complex biogeographic history shaped by both continental geology and long‑distance dispersal.

Leaf‑toed geckos are found across the Americas, from deserts and coastal dry forests to islands such as the Galápagos and throughout the Caribbean. Because of their wide distribution and ancient lineage, they provide an ideal system for testing how major geological events—such as the uplift of the Andes and the formation of the Isthmus of Panama—have influenced the movement and diversification of species over deep time.

One of the most striking results of the study is evidence that Phyllodactylus dispersed into North and Central America well before the complete closure of the Isthmus of Panama, which is often cited as the primary route for interchange between the continents. Using a densely sampled molecular dataset and state‑of‑the‑art phylogenetic methods, the authors estimated that this northward dispersal occurred roughly 37–46 million years ago, long before a continuous land bridge existed. Rather than relying on emerging land connections, these geckos most likely crossed marine barriers via overseas dispersal, possibly rafting on vegetation. While this might sound extraordinary, geckos are well known for their ability to colonize remote islands, and similar dispersal events have been inferred in many other reptile lineages.

The study also examined how Andean uplift influenced diversification within Phyllodactylus, particularly in western South America and inter‑Andean valleys. Although some lineages predate major uplift events, several divergence events coincide with periods of accelerated mountain building in the late Miocene, suggesting that the Andes did not simply act as barriers dividing populations, but also created new opportunities that promoted diversification and micro‑endemism. This is especially evident in western Andean clades.y.

By sampling nearly 70% of described Phyllodactylus species, the authors were able to test long‑standing assumptions about relationships within the group. Surprisingly, the analyses indicate that Phyllodactylus, as currently defined, is not monophyletic, with some species more closely related to other genera in the family Phyllodactylidae. The study also found evidence of mitonuclear discordance, likely caused by ancient introgression or incomplete lineage sorting. These complex histories make species boundaries difficult to define, but also highlight how dynamic evolution has been in this group. Importantly, many of the lineages with hidden diversity occur in regions facing habitat loss, particularly along the Pacific coast and in Andean dry forests. Clarifying species limits is critical for conservation, as several species are already listed as threatened by the IUCN.

Citation: Sullivan, K.A., R.L. Klabacka, A. Catenazzi, J. Pérez Z, P.J. Venegas, P.L. Wood, Jr., D.C. Browne, C. Koch, J.P. van Leeuwen, F. Valdez, S.V. Nielsen, A.M. Bauer, J.W. Sites, Jr., C. Aguilar Puntriano, E. Greenbaum, T. Gamble. 2026. One if by land, two if by sea: molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the Neotropical leaf‑toed geckos (Phyllodactylidae: Phyllodactylus). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 206: zlag63. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlag063

Jesus presents at the Undergraduate Research Conference

4/7/2026