Cerro Chucantí has a very rare habitat, a cloud forest, near its peak which has become an "island" for the species that live there because they cannot survive in the warmer forests lower down the mountain. This habitat is particularly isolated because it is the only cloud forest habitat within 100 kilometers. Due to this, many of the species in Chucantí are endemic–they are found nowhere else in the world.
Because of the high rate of endemism, and since almost nobody studied Chucantí until the early 2000s, there have been many species discovered there that are new to science. Some of these species have also been encountered elsewhere in Panama since their discovery, but those which live in the cloud forest are all endemic. Additionally, because the cloud forest is quite small (only about 2.5 square kilometers), many of the newly described endemic species have been suggested as being in danger of extinction by their describing authors.
Number of new species described from Chucantí by taxonomic group
All New Species
Strophaeus sebastiani
2010
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
The first species from the family of spiders Barychelidae known from Panama. Described from one male and two females, their "trapdoor" refuges were discovered near the main field station at 800m of elevation. This species was named for Sebastián Miranda, the son of the first author of the describing article.
Citation:
Miranda, R.J., & S.E. Bermúdez. 2010. Strophaeus sebastiani, nueva especie de Barychelidae (Aranae: Mygalomorphae) de Panamá. S.E.A. 47:175-179.
Tessaropa elizabeth
2013
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species was described from one male and one female collected from a light trap, and was the first species in its genus found in Central America. Its named for the daughter of the first author of the describing paper.
Citation:
Bezark, L.G., W.H. Tyson & N.M. Schiff. 2013. New species of Cerambycidae from Panama, with new distribution records (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Zootaxa 3608(4): 273–277.
Anelaphus cordiforme
2013
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species was described from two males and one female collected from a light trap. Its name "cordiforme" refers to the heart-shaped mark on its back.
Citation:
Bezark, L.G., W.H. Tyson & N.M. Schiff. 2013. New species of Cerambycidae from Panama, with new distribution records (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Zootaxa 3608(4): 273–277.
Epropetes tristis
2013
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species was described from one individual, probably female, at 850m in elevation. Its name "tristis" refers to its color.
Citation:
Martins, U.R., & M.H.M. Galileo. 2013. New species and records of Cerambycinae and Lamiinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Neotropical Region. Zootaxa 3683(5):571-580.
Salamandra de Chucantí
Bolitoglossa chucantiensis
2014
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species was described from a single male collected in 2013. By 2020, only two specimens have been observed–including the original male. It was named for Cerro Chucantí, where it is endemic to.
Citation:
Batista, A., G. Köhler, K. Mebert, & M. Vesely. 2014. A new species of Bolitoglossa (Amphibia: Plethodontidae) from eastern Panama, with comments on other members of the adspersa species group from eastern Panama. Mesoam. Herpetol. 1(1): 96-120.
Chucantí Tink Frog
Diasporus majeensis
2016
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species was originally described from two males found in Chucantí, although it has turned out to be very common in the cloud forest in the reserve where it was described. They mainly live in the bromiliads which grow as air plants in the treetops. Its name was taken from the Majé mountain rage that contains Cerro Chucantí.
Citation:
Batista, A., G. Köhler, K. Mebert, A. Hertz, & M. Vesely. 2016. An integrative approach to reveal speciation and species richness in the genus Diasporus (Amphibia: Anura: Eleutherodactylidae) in eastern Panama. Zool J Linnean Soc 178:267-311.
Chucantí Centipede Snake
Tantilla berguidoi
2016
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species was originally described from one male specimen collected in 2012; two more were encountered in 2020. It was named for Guido Berguido, the founder of ADOPTA.
Citation:
Batista, A., K. Mebert, S. Lotzkat, & L.D. Wilson. 2016. A new species of centipede snake of the genus Tantilla (Squamata: Colubridae) from an isolated premontane forest in eastern Panama. Mesoam. Herpetol. 3(4): 948-960.
Anthurium annularum
2016
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
A climbing plant that stands out because it usually grows in the forest canopy in association with orchids. It s named for the ringed swelling around the leaf clusters.
Citation:
Ortiz, O.O., R.M. Baldini, G. Berguido, & T.B. Croat. 2016. New species of Anthurium (Araceae) from Chucantí Nature Reserve, eastern Panama. Phytotaxa 255(1):47-56.
Anthurium chucantiense
2016
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
Climbing plant which grows near the ground. It is named for the reserve in which it was found.
Citation:
Ortiz, O.O., R.M. Baldini, G. Berguido, & T.B. Croat. 2016. New species of Anthurium (Araceae) from Chucantí Nature Reserve, eastern Panama. Phytotaxa 255(1):47-56.
Heliconia berguidoi
2017
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species is unique for being one of the few heliconias in Panama with pink flowers and for its large flower size. It was named in honor of Guido Berguido, the founder of ADOPTA, for his hard work in creating the Chucantí reserve.
Citation:
Flores, R. C. Black, & A. Ibáñez. 2017. A new species of Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) with pendent inflorescence, from Chucantí Private Nature Reserve, eastern Panama. Phytokeys (77):21-32.
Day-flashing Firefly
Photinus interdius
2017
Distribution: Encountered for the first time in Cerro Chucantí in 2006, and in the Pipeline Road in Soberanía National Park 4 years later, in 2010.
This species was described from three males and one female found in the Pipeline Road in Gamboá and the Chucantí reserve. It appears to be the first species of firefly which lights up during the day, specifically in the afternoon. It doesn't seem to light up at night at all, which the authors of the describing article suggest may be an adaptation to avoid predators like bats.
Citation:
Vencl, F.V., X. Luan, X. Fu, & L.S. Maroja. 2017. A day-flashing Photinus firefly (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) from central Panamá: an emergent shift to predator-free space? INSECT SYST EVOL.
Quindina kuna
2017
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species was described from two males an one female from Chucantí, and takes its name from the Kuna indigenous tribe who liven in the San Blas and Darién provinces in eastern Panama. Quindina kuna, as with other species in its genus, has a very interesting behavior: males construct a nest of mud underneath fallen logs to attract females and protect their eggs and young.
Citation:
Pinto-da-Rocha, R., & C. Bragagnolo. 2017. Cladistic analysis of the family Nomoclastidae with descriptions of a new genus and eight new species (Opiliones, Laniatores). INVERTEBR SYST 31:91-123
Notopleura sallydavidsoniae
2018
Distribution: This species has only been found in Cerro Chucantí, Darién, Panama.
This species of the coffee family is quite common in Chucantí's cloud forest, the only location it lives. It was named for Sally Davidson, a conservationist from Washington, D.C. in the United States, to recognize her work as a member of the Rainforest Trust–an organization which has supported ADOPTA and the Chucantí reserve.
Citation:
Flores, R., C.M. Taylor, G. McPherson, & A. Ibáñez. 2018. A new epiphytic species of Notopleura (Rubiaceae) from Chucantí Nature Reserve, eastern Panama. Webbia.