Due to their conserved morphology, cryptic species have long been problematic for taxonomists. When attempting to assess diversity and delimit species within these taxa, it has been recognized that an integrative approach can be very useful, whereby independent, yet complementary lines of evidence are utilized. New World microhylids (Anura: Microhylidae: Gastrophryninae) of the genera Gastrophryne and Hypopachus have been highly confounding to taxonomists, due to their extreme morphological conservatism, as well as their fossorial nature resulting in a lack of specimens and public genetic information. Currently, two microhylid species are recognized in Honduras: H. barberi and H. variolosus. Here, we integrate three independent lines of evidence (morphology, osteology, and genetics) to examine previously undescribed diversity among populations of H. barberi in the Lenca Highlands of south-western Honduras. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA identify populations from the Lenca Highlands as being distinct from other populations previously allocated to H. barberi. This distinction is further supported by divergence dating estimates that place the split between these populations and others of H. barberi in the late-Miocene. We also find several significant morphological and osteological differences between H. barberi and Lenca Highlands populations, including extensively reduced ossification in the (especially cranial) skeleton of the Lenca Highland populations. As a result of these distinctions, we formally describe the Lenca sheep frog as a new species, Hypopachus guancasco sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2B2B4942-2925-42C8-8329-431F55B41AA3

由于其保守的形态，对于分类学家来说，隐性物种一直存在问题。当试图评估这些分类单元内的多样性并划定物种时，已经认识到综合方法可能非常有用，因此可以利用独立但互补的证据。Gastrophryne和Hypopachus属的新世界微脂虫（Anura：Microhylidae：Gastrophryninae）由于其极端的形态保守性以及它们的底物特性导致缺乏标本和公共遗传信息，因此一直被分类学家高度混淆。目前，洪都拉斯有两种微脂虫物种：H。barberi和H. variolosus。在这里，我们整合的证据（形态学，骨学和遗传学）三个独立的线检查的人群中以前未描述多样性H. barberi西南部洪都拉斯Lenca高地。线粒体和核DNA确定了Lenca高地的种群与先前分配给巴氏杆菌的其他种群不同。这种差异进一步得到了分歧测年估计的支持，这些估计使这些种群与中新世晚期的H. barberi种群之间发生了分裂。我们还发现了巴氏嗜血杆菌之间的几个明显的形态学和骨学差异和伦卡高地（Lenca Highlands）种群，包括伦卡高地（Lenca Highland）种群的骨骼（特别是颅骨）骨化程度大大降低。由于这些区别，我们正式将Lenca羊蛙描述为一种新物种，即Hypopachus guancasco sp。十一月

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2B2B4942-2925-42C8-8329-431F55B41AA3