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Chinchillula sahamae Thomas, 1898 is a sigmodontine rat, known to occur in southern Peru, northern Chile, and western Bolivia. In this study, we report new records of the species in the departments of Huancavelica and Junín, Peru, which extend this species’ known distribution 370 km northwest, and new records in the department of Tacna, which extend the upper elevational range of the species to 5100 m, 250 m higher than previously known. In addition, we include notes on natural history, especially nesting behaviour, based on direct observations.

Chinchillula sahamae Thomas, 1898 is a sigmodontine rat, known to occur in southern Peru, northern Chile, and western Bolivia. In this study, we report new records of the species in the departments of Huancavelica and Junín, Peru, which extend this species’ known distribution 370 km northwest, and new records in the department of Tacna, which extend the upper elevational range of the species to 5100 m, 250 m higher than previously known. In addition, we include notes on natural history, especially nesting behaviour, based on direct observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new species of Telmatobius from the Pacific slopes of the Andes in central Peru. Specimens were collected at 3900 m elevation near Huaytará, Huancavelica, in the upper drainage of the Pisco river. The new species has a snout–vent length of 52.5 ± 1.1 mm (49.3–55.7 mm, n = 6) in adult females, and 48.5 mm in the single adult male. The new species has bright yellow and orange coloration ventrally and is readily distinguished from all other central Peruvian Andean species of Telmatobius but T. intermedius by having vomerine teeth but lacking premaxillary and maxillary teeth, and by its slender body shape and long legs. The new species differs from T. intermedius by its larger size, flatter head, and the absence of cutaneous keratinized spicules (present even in immature females of T. intermedius), and in males by the presence of minute, densely packed nuptial spines on dorsal and medial surfaces of thumbs (large, sparsely packed nuptial spines in T. intermedius). The hyper-arid coastal valleys of Peru generally support low species richness, particularly for groups such as aquatic breeding amphibians. The discovery of a new species in this environment, and along a major highway crossing the Andes, shows that much remains to be done to document amphibian diversity in Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]