Distribution and variation in a Colombian frog, eleutherodactylus erythropleura (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae)

Eleutherodactylus erythropleura exhibits a novel distributional pattern. It is a cloud forest species and is discontinuously distributed on the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia and in two regions on the northern one‐half of the Cordillera Central of Colombia. The species is abundant and exhibits pronounced individual variation in color pattern. The color pattern variants demonstrate some geographic variation (some variants are confined to western Antioquia) concordant with high frequencies of darkened mesorchia in males and small adult size. Even populations narrowly separated geographically demonstrate distinctive frequencies of pattern polymorphisms. Because the polymorphisms are unlikely to serve in crypsis, it is suggested that the interpopulational differences reflect little or no gene flow among populations.