3.2.9. Etymology

The specific epithet is a toponym used in apposition and it refers to the type locality. Los Amigos Biological Station is located next to Los Amigos Conservation Concession, on the lower Los Amigos River watershed. Both the station and the conservation concession were established by the Amazon Conservation Association, which is a nonprofit organization that (along with its Peruvian counterpart, Conservación Amazónica—ACCA) promotes scientific research, education, and conservation in the western Amazon.

## *3.3. Distribution, Natural History, and Threats*

*Noblella losamigos* sp. n. is one of five species in the genus *Noblella* distributed in southern Peru (Figure 12). We found the new species in the leaf litter during surveys conducted from 2003 to 2018 at Los Amigos [33,34,42] and in the Kosñipata Valley [17,43]. The species is known to occur at Cocha Cashu Biological Station and Pakitza in the lowlands of Manu National Park [29,31], and near the Manu Learning Centre in the Andean piedmont [37]. Additionally, the species has been recorded at several lowland sites in the Tambopata Province [32].

**Figure 12.** Map of northwestern South America showing the location of the type localities of species in the genus *Noblella*. The red circle indicates the type locality of *Noblella losamigos* sp. n. and the red square indicates the collecting site of paratypes in San Pedro, Kosñipata Valley.

The elevational distribution of *N. losamigos* sp. n. thus spans 1250 m (240–1490 m) from lowland Amazon rainforest to montane forest on the eastern slopes of the Andes. At the type locality in the Amazon lowlands, field notes indicate that the species is more common in the floodplain forest. The species is also present in other forest types including terra firme, bamboo, and palm swamp [29,34]. Sympatric species of leaf-litter frogs include *Adenomera andreae*, *Amazophrynella javierbustamantei*, *Ameerega hahneli*, *Chiasmocleis royi*, *Engystomops freibergi*, *Hamptophryne boliviana*, *Leptodactylus didymus*, and *Pristimantis carvalhoi*. Additionally, several species of gymnophthalmid lizards (Gymnophthalmidae) including *Cercosaura argulus*, *Cercosaura oshaughnessyi*, *Pseudogonatodes guianensis*, and *Ptychoglossus brevifrontalis* are common in the leaf litter in the floodplain forest. At the other localities, including the premontane forest (~450 m; [37]) and montane forest (1200–1485 m) in the Kosñipata Valley, *N. losamigos* sp. n. inhabits the leaf litter of both pristine and secondary forests, including bamboo forest patches. Sympatric leaf litter herptiles in the montane forest include the frogs *Adenomera andreae*, *Ameerega simulans*, *Noblella* sp. R, *Oreobates granulosus*, *Pristimantis danae*, *P. reichlei*, *P. toftae*, *P. salaputium, Rhinella leptoscelis, R. margaritifera*, and the lizard *Cercosaura argulus*.

The geographic range of *Noblella losamigos* sp. n. overlaps with several natural protected areas including Manu National Park, Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, and Tambopata National Reserve. The species is present in both pristine and secondary forests. The main threats faced by *N. losamigos* sp. n. are habitat loss and modification associated with informal logging and mining activities in the region. According to the IUCN Red List criteria and categories [44], we sugges<sup>t</sup> placing *N. losamigos* sp. n. in the "least concern" category.
