A New Species of Frog (Genus Tomodactylus) from Western México

During the summers of 1960 and 1961, field teams surveyed the pine‑oak slopes of Durango and Sinaloa at elevations around 6,000 feet, collecting thirteen small frogs. Detailed locality records allowed the specimens to be linked to precise mountain sites near El Palmito and Pueblo Nuevo. Morphological comparison with all known Tomodactylus species showed a unique combination of traits, leading to the formal description of a new species.

The adult male measures just over three centimeters, with a head slightly broader than the body and a minute tympanum less than half the eye’s diameter. Its dorsal surface displays a striking black‑and‑white marbled pattern, while the ventral side remains uniformly whitish; the outer fingers terminate in unusually broad, truncate tips and the digits are unwebbed. The holotype and twelve paratypes are housed in the University of Kansas and Michigan State University museums, providing a lasting reference that expands the known diversity of high‑elevation Mexican amphibians.